Spray-On Romney

Despite denials from his campaign, it appears that Mitt Romney does indeed get spray-tanned before major appearances. At least, that's what Buzzfeed's "knowledgeable source" is telling them.  You may recall that Romney's strangely orange complexion was a source of much internet ridicule during a recent interview on Spanish-language television.

It has been one of the running mysteries of the 2012 campaign trail: How Mitt Romney maintains the ruddy, glowing, and occasionally changing skin tone that helps him project an image of 65-year-old vigor. A knowledgeable source tells BuzzFeed the answer is in a bit of cosmetic technology used commonly by celebrities: spray tanning. The Republican nominee has made a habit of spray tanning before major speeches, debates, interviews, and other events that have a chance of getting wide TV coverage, the source said. He pays for the process out of pocket — sparing his campaign the expense, and the task of masking it on public campaign finance reports — and steers clear of public salons where he could be recognized. Instead, he gets misted down in the comfort of his own home or hotel suite. The Romney campaign flatly denied that the candidate spray tans: "Not true," spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in response to an inquiry.

The above-linked story goes on to interview several professional "tan artists" who question the talent of Romney's in-house tan person. One says: "I was looking at Mitt Romney the whole time and just thinking, with all that money you’d think he’d get the best spray tanner in the country."