The face of power: One NH woman is makeup artist to candidates of both parties

LAT: The face of power
Using her powders and brushes, veteran makeup artist Kriss Soterion is shaping the way voters view candidates this primary season.
By Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 20, 2008



MANCHESTER, N.H. -- BACK in June, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton took the stage for a Democratic debate with a visage so flawless it started a flurry of Botox and plastic surgery rumors. In October during a Republican debate, Mitt Romney proved once again that he'll never show up with a hair out of place and always exude an enviable degree of perfection. And earlier this month, during the most recent televised exchange among candidates, Fred Thompson, the real-life Hollywood actor who should know better, appeared with bags under his eyes so noticeable you'd think he hadn't slept since the first season of "Law & Order."

The 2008 election is the most profound image contest in U.S. political history. The protracted media coverage -- back-to-back debates and 24-hour TV exposure -- is certainly one reason, but so is the remarkable range of candidates separated in age by nearly 25 years, with white hair, gray hair, colored hair and no hair, and the first serious female and African American presidential contenders. With the primary races running as close as they are, the pressure to look good has never been more important.

Which makes it all the more surprising that one woman stands behind them all -- Democrats and Republicans -- helping present their faces to the American electorate, while quietly shaping the way we view those jockeying to lead the country.

Hollywood celebrities have Paul Starr as their go-to makeup guru, fashion designers have Pat McGrath -- and the political world has Kriss Soterion, a former New Hampshire beauty queen with a lower back tattoo and the distinction of having powdered the noses of every major presidential candidate for the past 16 years. She went from small-town makeup artist to master of the political face, not by playing up features or shaving off years, but by achieving the kind of no-makeup makeup that we're accustomed to seeing on the campaign trail -- a healthy, shine-free sameness, no matter the age, race or gender....

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She recalls Clinton arrived wearing a brown pantsuit. "As I was starting to do her makeup, her assistant held up a bright red lipstick. I looked at it, and my gut just said: 'No way.' It looked too political -- the lipstick equivalent of a red necktie. What I wanted to do was soften and feminize her look and make her someone women can totally relate to. She is already powerful, and I didn't think she needed to have powerful makeup to get her message across." So Soterion mixed "French Red" lipstick with "Femme," added a gloss called "Plush" and ended up with a plummy bronze hue she dubbed "Debate." (It sells on her website for $15.) But it was Clinton's dewy, youthful, wrinkle-free face that really caught people's attention. "I must have gotten a thousand e-mails about that afterward," Soterion says. "Everyone wanted to know how I did it, what products I used. Things were crazy." (For the record, Soterion says she has never seen evidence that Clinton has had Botox, and her flawless face had more to do with the light-reflective powder that's her stock in trade, along with the bright lights of the venue.)...

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-makeup20jan20,1,4749910.story?coll=la-headlines-lifestyle&ctrack=1&cset=true

He's looked worse on the campaign trail than he ever did on Law & Order, and that is a program where the makeup is usually used to age a person rather than flatter them!

Soterion says lighting is so crucial that she makes a point of attending technical rehearsals. "If it's a small theater where they can't bring the lights back and down, it'll cause shadows. And the best makeup application in the world can't fight shadows; dark areas sink in, the lines look deeper and everything looks more pronounced."

Which explains former Tennessee Sen. Thompson's Jan. 5 appearance on the stage in New Hampshire. Soterion and two assistants knew they wouldn't be able to mask the puffy bags under Thompson's eyes that made him look old and tired. "At that point all you can really do is hit him with the light, but if you light one guy, you light them all."

You know, it's funny. Law & Order always makes Sam Waterston look a lot older than he appears in person. I guess old Fred insisted that they make him look younger! :rofl: And, FYI, Sam's 3 years older!