Mystery of Mitt Romney’s ‘fake tan’ solved by Univision News team
Source: NY Daily News
Mitt Romney's beauty secrets have been revealed by a crack investigative team at Univision News after the GOP candidate appeared at its town hall forum earlier this week looking decidedly tanner than usual.
A makeup artist apparently went at the candidate with a heavy hand prompting some speculation in the liberal blogosphere that the Republican had applied some self-tanner before the event on Hispanic issues.
Mitt Romney dyed his face brown for his Univision interview, was DemocraticUnderground.coms take on the Republicans swarthy complexion.
But Univision, which spoke to the cosmetologist in question, has found that the culprit was simply some MAC Studio Fix powder plus foundation in shade NW30 perhaps a bit too aggressively applied.
Univision News managing editor Fernando Vila noted on Twitter that there is no evidence of foul play in the selection of Romneys powder.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/mystery-mitt-romney-fake-tan-solved-univision-news-team-article-1.1164726#ixzz278Rx2lUW
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/mystery-mitt-romney-fake-tan-solved-univision-news-team-article-1.1164726
And can we please not extend this conspiracy theory into one including Univision's Managing Editor?
This is the kind of stuff the right wing used on Gore. Now the Democratic Underground is all over the news as having started this gossip.
We're a great community. Let's keep it that way.
liberal N proud
(61,181 posts)nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)and it was THEIR CONTRACTED MAKEUP ARTIST who applied the make up.
You really do not know who Univision is, do you?
By the way, this is a NON STORY.
Hissyspit
(45,790 posts)liberal N proud
(61,181 posts)Cosmocat
(15,376 posts)the one time he got super tanned looking by the make up guy/gal was for this big Hispanic event.
Just a mere coincidence.
csziggy
(34,189 posts)Since all Hispanics are swarthy toned.
LeighAnn
(2,446 posts)I will never believe that a professional makeup artist was responsible for the obvious for the large area around his eyes that was *missed* by the foundation. If that's studio makeup, I've never seen it applied so badly.
southshore
(43 posts)Seems that if memory serves, the Republicons WON that one.
Thanks, as for me, I will gladly lie, cheat and steal to keep Romney out of office.
Great Caesars Ghost
(532 posts)jtuck004
(15,882 posts)Happyhippychick
(8,422 posts)arcane1
(38,613 posts)The claim was that he wore darker makeup, and the link confirms that.
Blue Yorker
(436 posts)The claim was that the Romney team did it in order to appeal to voters. Let's not downgrade the claim to "he wore darker makeup." That wasn't it.
pnwmom
(110,227 posts)audience. How do you know Romney didn't tell the makeup artist to give him a "tan"?
"Don't make me look too white," he chuckled. "Give me a tan."
dkf
(37,305 posts)I highly doubt he is so micro managing that he is picking foundation color.
Or was this his makeup person from the campaign?
pnwmom
(110,227 posts)Besides, it would have been very easy for him to say something like: "Don't make me look too white! Give me a tan."
TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)Univision ain't some dinky rat hole.
They are a huge media concern. That's like saying NBC only has one color of foundation in their make up room...cause, ya know... all the people on there are WASPs.
yardwork
(69,135 posts)As we could see from the photos, Romney's complexion was darker than either of his hosts on stage at the Univision studio.
Also, this "explanation" doesn't explain why Romney's ears and back of the neck were noticeably lighter than the rest of his face, which was noticeably darker than it had been the day before, not to mention more orange.
jmowreader
(53,018 posts)MAC foundation is $30 for enough to get you through about a third of a presidential campaign; for less than $100 his handlers would know exactly what shade he is going to be all through the campaign. I would be willing to bet a tube of the stuff that President Obama's team has his shade with them at all times.
Also, dkf, I kinda doubt Univision only has foundation suitable for Hispanics; Mitt Romney is not the first non-Hispanic person who ever appeared on that network.
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)The DU OP is here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251101160
Also, my DU OP was NOT gossip. The OP showed that his face was darkened. That is a fact. That is all.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)SHOCKING...
Like every other politician in the country on any other TV appearance.
STOP THE DAMN FRACKING PRESSES!!!!
A non story.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)and yes, if it were the reverse (if O was white and that happened) ALL CORPORATE MEDIA, HATE RADIO would be on like white on rice.
cprise
(8,445 posts)Whether it was a practical joke played on Romney, or it was requested by someone on Romney's team.
There's no conceivable reason why the makeup people would accidentally make him look darker than the show's hosts.
auburngrad82
(5,029 posts)pnwmom
(110,227 posts)He's not blind. He could see what they were doing to him -- and he probably approved or even directed the choice of that shade.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)Have you ever been on TV? No, you can't see what the make-up people are doing to you. You just hope and pray they are professional and know what they are doing and you don't look like fool. Now Univision is part of the conspiracy! I have heard of everything.
pnwmom
(110,227 posts)who applied the dark makeup that Mitt either asked for or didn't object to, even though it made him look ridiculous.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)But they were insistent because they said the lights would bleach out the skin. I thought I looked ridiculous in the mirror but it turned out ok. Like I said you hope for the best. If Mitt had asked for that it would have been revealed by now or the cast of Univision is part of your CT.
pnwmom
(110,227 posts)He isn't some novice who didn't know how the makeup would look. And if he'd wanted it lighter, it would have been lighter.
aquart
(69,014 posts)No one whose future depends on his on-camera presence is ignorant of his make up shades or completely trusting of an unfamiliar make up artist in a venue WHERE HE BLOODY WELL KNOWS HE'S NOT THE MOST POPULAR MAN IN TOWN.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)People who live in CT worlds have to invent so many things so the days go by. There are million things to attack Romney for, I leave the CT stuff for others.
Chemisse
(31,304 posts)Did he order darker makeup for that particular appearance? I would not put it past him. He doesn't have an authentic bone in his body. And in fact, this seems in character, what with the other ways he has altered himself to suit the audience of the hour.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)Or they would leak it afterwards. As would the Univision make up person. But again,those who live in CT worlds always have a alternate explanation for reality.
pnwmom
(110,227 posts)He knew very well what he looked like, and he probably asked for it. He's a known micromanager, so there's no way he wasn't paying attention.
bitchkitty
(7,349 posts)plenty of people on TV who have been worked on by professional makeup artists.
A makeup artist is going to have a wide palette to choose from, and they're also going to know what they're doing. A professional would not have chosen to make Mitt Romney look brown unless he or she was told to make him browner. Who told him or her is irrelevant, really - he's got eyes, he can see that face in the mirror, and he knows damned good and well that he is not that tan.
Why is it so hard for you to believe that this was deliberate? Hispanics are every color of the rainbow, including white. No way in hell was this an accident, or a decision by a mere makeup artist.
formercia
(18,479 posts)Perfection breeds Procrastination, which breeds failure.
The GOP set the Bar. Fuck them if they can't take a Joke.
Getting ahead of the Narrative is essential when dealing with these Assh0les.
Blue Yorker
(436 posts)I admit I was fooled into believing it was not.
formercia
(18,479 posts)What's your hidden agenda?
Did I Just Type This
(77 posts)Not saying conspiracy, just saying a duck is a duck.
eyewall
(674 posts)that George Soros paid liberal bloggers to SNEAK into the makeup room at Univision and SWITCH the makeup to a darker shade knowing it would discredit Romney to the Hispanic voters! The plot was leaked to the Washington Post and Huffpo in advance and they then alerted a vast network of liberal media outlets to pull off the deception.
Easy to see the facts now IYAR!
I think
nolabear
(43,850 posts)Nobody ever said DU was "Fair and Balanced". We're more like "Experienced and Enraged".
abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)So it was just the mistake of some underling not a cynical republican ploy to appeal to minorities? Good to have that cleared up.
patrice
(47,992 posts)or can't perceive how things might or might not be understood and that includes Romney himself.
He's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO passive, what else can we think but that he's an empty man, a puppet, who isn't even capable, or doesn't care to look at what is happening and do simple little things such as wonder if it is a good idea to go on TV looking like he is making somekind of phony claim about ethnicity. And even if he did suddenly become more cognitively curious and/ or proactive, how can we trust that he'll get even that right, especially with so little depth and breadth of perceptual skills and curiousity.
I mean is it REALLY too much to expect that the guy whom his wife tells us is such a gift for running this country should have something more on the ball than that kind of clearly limited auto-presumption?
Do you really want us to believe that his blindness to that make-up is not a cognitive trait of his decision making capacities? Should America take that kind of risk? NO.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)I mean according to Steve Schmidt even Sarah Palin complained about the amount of excessive makeup they would apply to her face.
patrice
(47,992 posts)the innocent and un-suspecting.
Yeah, it could have been serendipity, but there's a great deal of money at stake here, so what exactly are they paying the big bucks for if amateurship is the standard from the bottom to the top of the campaign.
All of which implies danger for this country, from all kinds of levels and dimensions of a Rommunist administration.
Blue Yorker
(436 posts)Things are getting weird now. Having to relinquish the thought that Romney was pandering to Hispanics, some now resort to criticizing Romney for not foreseeing that some people would have falsely accused him of pandering. How dare he not wear makeup that would pre-empt such false accusation!
This is a man busy thinking about what to say to millions of Hispanics, yet you want him to evaluate his make-up. Give me a break.
patrice
(47,992 posts)progressivebydesign
(19,458 posts)if we could see the tan lines, they could too. Stop bullshitting us. It was on purpose.
dkf
(37,305 posts)"When he walked in, I remember thinking, 'Wow this is tanner than I thought he was,' but I think he's just been outside a lot lately for his campaign," Rodriguez noted. "It was definitely a real tan."
The ABC/Univision News team decided to investigate the claims that Romney was wearing powder that was too dark, stopping in at the local Miami MAC store after Thursday's "Meet the Candidate" event with Obama to test out the exact make and model. Indeed, we concluded after various trials that the NW30 was a medium-ranged hue that looked natural on a range of beige skin tones. The color was perhaps a tad too dark on Politics Editor Jordan Fabian, just about right on reporter Julia Saenz, and a shade too light on Miami-boy and Managing Editor Fernando Rodriguez-Vila. But, even when we caked the stuff on, NW30 wasn't notably dark on a range of skin tones under harsh lights.
Rodriguez says that after hearing of the controversy, he spent time looking up pictures of the candidate online, and noticed that he had been tan days prior to the event -- even at his press conference in regards to the controversial "47 percent" remarks. Romney had indeed been travelling in sunny states in the weeks before the Univision event, stopping in Pueblo, Colorado, on Sunday; Los Angeles, California, on Monday; and Texas on Tuesday.
The insinuations that the candidate had previously spray tanned or that the makeup hue was to blame are both incorrect, Rodriguez, the makeup artist, said.
http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=17290303
TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)Makeup people are professionals. Artists, not hacks. They deal with every skin tone imaginable... unless you think all Latinos are... ya know... *dark*.
So 2 possibilites:
- He asked to be less "pale"
- One of the 47% decided to "helpfully" take him at his word.
bluecoat_fan
(262 posts)Bucky
(55,334 posts)wtmusic
(39,166 posts)tridim
(45,358 posts)bluesbassman
(20,377 posts)I'm sure it's much easier to apply makeup in an airplane cabin than in the studio ready room.
unblock
(56,107 posts)oh, wait, it IS their normal job to make people look right on television.
yeah, identifying the offending make-up is somehow supposed to assure us that it was innocently applied?
that they gave the job of applying a presidential candidate's make-up to an untrained monkey?
that this 'mistake' so far has never happened on a television appearance with any other different demographic; no, what a complete coincidence that it happened on univision.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)this was nothing like a normal make-up job. Normally they just want to get rid of the shine that comes off the skin from the bright lights in studio.
In Romney's case, this looked like a damn mask. This wasn't a normal TV make-up job.
Plus wasn't there an earlier event in LA where Romney pulled the same stunt?
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)yup...
Thanks.
Hispanics will nto vote for this cretin and shocking, I know, it has none to do with poweder-gate!
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Isn't that the bottom line?
And there was no one on his staff that didn't grab him by the elbow and say "...uh, we need to make some changes" ?
Whatever.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)patrice
(47,992 posts)Here's a hypothesis we need to rule out before we can consider calling it a mystery:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021390784#post13
Response to Blue Yorker (Original post)
secondwind This message was self-deleted by its author.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)I can't imagine one person on his staff couldn't bother to say to Mitt - your makeup is way too heavy and orange.
He's the GOP nominee for president, if he said fix it i'm sure they would have.
I doubt he asked that it would be done like that on purpose but geez, he's a grown man he could have asked for it to be toned down a bit if he felt it was too much.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)to beauty school to learn how to match make-up for studio lights. I know when I did stage make-up we had to apply several shades darker because the lights would wash out pale complexions, but we had to be careful so as not to darken too much. Also, that make-up person should know that you put the makeup down to the collar and all over the exposed neck including the back.
However, as far as DU being all over the news, there are plenty of times we got it right and the MSM completely ignored us. But when we may have not gotten it right, it's like the Dean scream, all over the place and endlessly played over and over. No bias there. No siree. Frankly, who cares what the propaganda mills think anyway?
patrice
(47,992 posts)Indpndnt
(2,391 posts)And Willard got off his plane in Miami looking orange. Of course, he walked into Univision with a 'tan' already applied. Oh, and Willard also went to a rally with even more pronounced tan lines.
He pandered. Or 'tan'dered. Either way, we're right.
mikki35
(111 posts)Come OFF it, that was deliberately done. No way was that a 'heavy-handed makeup person.' Good grief. Can you imagine Pres Obama coming out in public with a dark....oh wait....
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)You can see in the photo that 47% of his neck is white and everything else is brown.
There is also another one of him getting off of the plane that shows the other side of his face, I don't remember where that photo is.
Here's the Wednesday morning Miami plane photo:

Previously posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=101485
Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)spray on tan? or tanning booth?
maybe it was done as a joke, and it just wouldn't wash off?
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)some of that spray make-up they do nowadays - BEFORE he arrived in Miami.
If they did anything at all at Univision it probably was only a touch up, but they still didn't fix his neck since the right side had a line and half was white.
csziggy
(34,189 posts)Ian David
(69,059 posts)JoeyT
(6,785 posts)It's the newest thing. The pigment travels through time. You apply it in the studio and a half a day earlier it shows up on your face.
Because thinking anything else would be a silly conspiracy theory.
Bill USA
(6,436 posts)LOL. NO MISTAKE. All you do is look in mirror and say: "Hey that doesn't look like me. Scrape all the stuff off!"
krawhitham
(5,062 posts)poll on link from OP
Blue Yorker
(436 posts)What percentage read the article debunking the conspiracy theory?
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)The photos of him getting off of the plane in Miami show that he darkened his face BEFORE he arrived in Miami - before he went to Univision.
rurallib
(64,633 posts)midnight armadillo
(3,612 posts)A little heavy on the powder, or the right gels on the lights, and bam! If he thinks this sort of payback from the unwashed masses is a bitch, he should review his French history.
Vinnie From Indy
(10,820 posts)Mitt was dyed brown as a marketing ploy and that is what I am telling everyone I know!
Cheers!
regnaD kciN
(27,560 posts)Because it was makeup rather than spray tan? I always thought it was makeup -- I've done enough acting and directing to tell what it looks like, and thought that the assumption that Romney was, specifically, using spray-on tanning product was incorrect.
However, it doesn't change the situation. Darker pancake makeup has been used for decades to make someone's skin look like that of a different race, all the way from the "blackface" minstrel shows to WWII movies where white actors were made to look "Japanese."
The question isn't "what material was used," but "was it done with the intent to darken Romney's appearance?" And I can't see how the answer can be other than affirmative. Makeup artists, even at the lowest level, are trained to always use a shade closest to the subject's skin, when the makeup is being used to cover flaws rather than as a "special effect." If this is true for volunteers for community-theater groups, it is many times more true for skilled professionals at international television networks. To put it bluntly, to have used that much darker a pancake on Romney, a shade that clearly didn't match his skin color, the makeup artist must have either been unbelievably, grossly incompetent, or deliberately trying for the effect of making Romney look darker (under instructions from the campaign?).
The question here is: was an artificial method used to darken Romney's skin? The self-evident answer: yes. Trying to sidetrack it into "what method was used to darken his skin?" and dismissing the charges as "conspiracy theory" if it doesn't turn out to be one specific method out of several that can accomplish the task is disingenuous B.S., in my opinion.
patrice
(47,992 posts)DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)...however, I still like to think for myself. Herd-think is sooooo boring. And for the record, just because something has been labelled a ''conspiracy theory'' doesn't mean it's not true.
- And you have a nice day!!!

Kolesar
(31,182 posts)Which was a problem for him in the 1960s debates. He looked like lard on those low contrast TV cameras of that age. JFK was looking tanned and super after a day sailing on the Atlantic.
mwooldri
(10,801 posts)But those were 1930's TV cameras.... oops. Come the late 50's the monochrome cameras were producing good quality pictures. Without resorting to green makeup. Of course I am guessing your comment may have some sarcasm in it because Mr. Nixon *was* sick in the first debate, complete with beard stubble.
Historic NY
(39,855 posts)its was said it makes him look stupid, like he is pandering to the audience. The hosts weren't liberally applied with makeup.
cr8tvlde
(1,185 posts)Ian David
(69,059 posts)hedgehog
(36,286 posts)a little more make-up to touch up his appearance after the professional was finished?
DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)or did a spot check on his face.
Mitt Romney's hair is always perfect. PERFECT. His suits and ties are always perfect. You think he didn't look in the mirror and OK the makeup?
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)Photo here: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-romney-tax-returns-20120921,0,7082610.story
http://www.trbimg.com/img-505caaa6/turbine/la-pn-romney-tax-returns-20120921-001/600
yardwork
(69,135 posts)sakabatou
(45,999 posts)hedgehog
(36,286 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(60,320 posts)He was noticeably darker when he got off the plane that day.
Before getting to the studio.
defacto7
(14,162 posts)At the least it was a very funny mistake that also was ironic considering his politics. At the worst, someone either did it on purpose and got away with it or the campaign did it on purpose and they were just really bad at it.
It's just funny and ironic.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)The back of his neck was white, white, white with a clear line of how dark they made the front of him. Also red streaks along his collar, and white skin around his hairline and ears.
And it's clear from when he gets off the plane, even from a distance.
The guy is a pandering doofus. I don't care who actually slathered the shit on, or which exact shade number they used.
animalcrackers
(93 posts)Whether or not this was implicit pandering done by Romney to appeal to Latin voters (and indeed, if you want to further the pandering debate, there are other sources to use, specifically some of Romney's own campaign adds), I think we can draw some important conclusions from it:
1) the fact that it gained so much traction:
a)Imo, this is a perfect indicator of how the electorate feel about Romney atm - that he is a joke, that he is desperate and will do anything to win, that he is unfit to lead the country, and that he is not trusted. The claim itself, while incredibly funny, is pretty weak without actual facts or some definitive statement that he wanted to use the makeup to appeal to the audience. Yet it still picked up relatively quickly because people just don't like Romney atm, they don't trust him and will be more inclined to accept stupid gaffes such as this. So rather than trying to focus on progressing this claim, use it as a qualitative indicator on attitudes toward Romney.
b) This is a good example of the effect this forum can have. I was surprised how quickly the claim was picked up, and how far it went. In fact, I didn't even know democracy underground existed and was led here through the story. In a political system dominated by superpacs, powerful interest groups and deep pockets this is incredibly encouraging to see how a collection of people loosely associated through an online forum can impact the direction and discourse of the debate.
My point is.... we all know what dire straits the Romney campaign is in atm, and a lot of it has to do with the candidate himself. Furthermore any success he has had up to this point can be attributed to disinformation, and the unquestioning acceptance of these lies. However he has discredited himself, incredibly moving the focus from Obama's failures (which are largely based on lies and disinformation) onto his own. Thank you Rmoney! Because once we get past the jargon and disinformation, Romney's polices are vague, contradictory, and seemly void of all fact. One would think that either he doesn't actually have any policies or they are so unpopular he is unwilling to release any information until he is elected. Personally I think it is both. In fact, by leaving some many holes, it allows us to fill in the blanks. With so much political ammunition available to us and with a negative focus on Romney, why waste the resources of this forum and its members on the tan claim. Lets follow Clintons example and just state the facts, they are in our favor.
Sorry for the long post, I'm new here and just glad to be able to speak with rational/informed people
flamingdem
(40,835 posts)There are no accidents in this world

https://dimg.dillards.com/is/image/DillardsZoom/03755659_zi?$c7product$&

wordpix
(18,652 posts)Trajan
(19,089 posts)My momma passed on a few years ago, and I wasn't seeking another ....
A den mother we do NOT need .....
jzodda
(2,124 posts)Whoever did this to his face made him look like a MORON! lol
It just adds to his ever growing tab of idiotic stuff.
pepperbear
(5,693 posts)and not about the content of his bullshit oratory.
tk2kewl
(18,133 posts)if he can't even protect himself from a makeup artist how is he going to protect the country from terrorists
Response to Blue Yorker (Original post)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
littlemissmartypants
(32,806 posts)
jsr
(7,712 posts)Plus the makeup artist was color-blind.
RandiFan1290
(6,697 posts)Shame on everyone trying to blame the makeup artist at Univision. You should read the bullshit first before jumping on the poor guy.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)musette_sf
(10,465 posts)a rather poor application (or several) of self-tanner prior to the event.
Self-tanner requires skill to prevent streaks and uneven areas.
I'm guessing Fake Bake Xtreme with an inexperienced hand.
And exfoliation session (or several) after the event.
sendero
(28,552 posts)... so out of the 100 or so TV appearances Romney has been on ONLY THIS ONE did he appear tan but nothing unusual was done?
Spare me the lies and bullshit.
young_at_heart
(4,027 posts)He was 'brown' when he got off the plane in Miami.
Beacool
(30,511 posts)No wonder so many people hate politics and tune out the electoral noise.
Vinca
(53,633 posts)The first thing I said to my husband when Mitt showed up at that Univision event was "How'd he get so dark?" I figured he was taking pandering to a whole new level.
PfcHammer
(1,653 posts)Candidates will take on the appearance of the constituency they are pandering to, morphing into different genders, ethnicities, and cohorts day to day.
Response to Blue Yorker (Original post)
PfcHammer This message was self-deleted by its author.
grantcart
(53,061 posts)instead of his talking points. Has Romney ever made it through even one news cycle unscathed.
goclark
(30,404 posts)If he stays in costume ..he'll look like a
pumpkin and fit right in..