Having lived in Washington, DC my entire life and being a make up artist to some of our country's most famous (and at times infamous) personalities, I have certainly witnessed some truly memorable events. In our capital, scandal runs rampant. Of course, scandal also occurs outside the District. Some of what happens is never reported, but is nonetheless known in certain circles. Other events evolve in to what becomes our customary political scandal. Other disgrace takes place, right out in the open: Our most recent version: Washington's very own present day "Crashers." This past week, we were introduced to Washington's newest fifteen minute of fame couple: Tareq and Michaele Salahi. Next year, you will not remember their names, only what they tried to do.
So why in the world would a little make-up artist like me want to blog about this? I am not a judgmental person, but to me this is this is the biggest "brow raising" event that I have seen recently seen. It is just so wrong, or "it's craziness" as my daughter would say. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn were hilarious when they crashed parties. This couple was not. Career Secret Service Agents will probably be fired. Taxpayers will incur untold costs. Why? So that these fame seekers could have a feeling of self-importance and become reality stars on Bravo? OMG.
I actually met Michaele many years ago when she was a salesgirl at the Prescriptives Make-up Counter at Nordstrom in Tysons Corner Mall in McLean, VA. She was dating another guy back then, and I remember when she met her present husband, Tareq. She invited me on a few occasions to a vineyard with her, but I had no desire to go. She also offered to donate wines and help out with various fundraising events that I was affiliated with. Guess what? She never did.
I must admit, I have never been to a White House State Dinner. I have made up Presidents and First Ladies and guests for many of them, though. And if I really wanted to attend a dinner, I would attempt to legitimately procure an actual invitation through formal channels. I would never show up at the east gate of the White House with a camera crew and a makeup artist and act as if I was invited. And as for the recent State Dinner in question, that night I made up my client, Katie Couric. How ironic that Michaele actually posted on her Facebook page photos of her with Katie at the dinner she crashed - nice promo - for me!
I saw on one of the tabloid news shows that Michaele spent seven hours being styled for the dinner. That's right, seven hours. I made up Katie in 60 minutes, and she looked fabulous. The only reason it took me that long to make up Katie was because we were having our usual girl talk. In seven hours I think even an amateur makeup artist could have made up the entire cast of a Cirque d' Soleil show. Next time, Mr. and Mrs. Tareq should stay home and spare us all.
A few days after this whole circus began, I had to make up another client in the early morning hours at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. Outside the hotel, camera crews and paparazzi were out in full force. Why? Not for my client (a very famous person), but for Mr. and Mrs. Salahi. They were guests at the hotel awaiting their appearance on the Today Show that morning. This couple has now refused to answer questions from Congress as to whether they were actually invited to go a White House State Dinner.
You just can't make this stuff up! Truth is stranger than fiction. I don't know how Mr. and Mrs. Salahi can even look at themselves in the mirror. All I know is that I am not a talented enough make-up artist to fix the reflection they must see.
P.S. I would hate for anyone to read this blog and not receive at least one constructive eyebrow tip from me, so here it is:
Eyebrows frame your face and can make a dramatic change in the way you look. But, unlike uninvited dinner guests, eyebrows can be trained. A great tool to use to help control unruly brows is the same mustache wax that men use (I use Pinauds Mustache Wax). I think that you will find the results amazing after even one night. Before you go to bed, apply a thin layer of the mustache wax to your eyebrows and comb them up towards your hairline (warn your husband or significant other). In the morning, use a facial sponge and warm water to remove the wax. Repeat this process as often as you like. The more you do so, the better behaved and lifted your brows will look.