When I met Senator John McCain it was one of the most important times of his life. He was selected as the Republican presidential nominee, and he was about to be interviewed by George Stephanopoulos, former White House Democratic Political Advisor and the host of This Week, the national network news show out of Washington, D.C., only the interview was being held at Senator McCain’s home in Sedona, Arizona. It was his chance to influence millions across America to vote for him as the new President of our country, and I had the honor of preparing him right before his interview. He was warm, gracious, down to earth, friendly, and very easy to be around. I did my job while his jealous personal assistant (who confessed to wanting to do his makeup) hovered over me like a fighter pilot, ready to strike, scrutinizing every detail until he told her to back off! Not only did this man spend his life serving and protecting his country, surviving war despite all unimaginable circumstances, but he took that moment to defend me too! Let me tell you more about what came first.

I received a call from ABC News asking me if I would be interested in flying to John McCain’s house from Los Angeles to do both his and George Stephanopoulos’ makeup. Mr. Stephanopoulos had requested me as he always did when he was on the west coast. Of course, I was interested! It was an adventure, and a big part of the reason I chose to become a makeup artist.

There is no major airport in Sedona, so I landed in Phoenix and rented a car as instructed. Everything was paid for, plus I was even getting paid for my travel day. I was more than thrilled. As I drove to Sedona the sun stretched over the mountains in fiery red and orange shades while fat juicy drops of rain splashed against my windshield and lightning cracked against the sky. It was magical! I was on my way to the only resort inside the Red Rock State Park of Sedona. I was flown, given a car, put up at a fancy resort, taken out to dinner, and all of this while being paid during my travel time. It was good to be a makeup artist.

I am sad that John McCain died, not because I knew him well, or because I followed his remarkable life and political views, but because we shared a very important moment in our lives. I’ll never forget that experience I had because of him, and hopefully I made him feel a little bit better, a little more confident, before he went on camera for one of the most important and memorable moments of his life too! And thankfully YouTube saves it all.

I am so grateful for the experiences, adventures, places I’ve gotten to see and people I’ve had the opportunity to meet, because I am a makeup artist.  Having worked with so many celebrities and major politicians, I have learned to forget about their celebrity status, put my political views aside, and when I step into a room, or when they step into my makeup room, I see just the person who needs me that day, to calm them, possibly humor them, take care of them, make them feel confident and ready to face the world. When I say face the world, sometimes these people are really about to face the world! Other times, their world may be smaller, but it’s just as important to them, and it’s still our job to make them feel like the President of the United States of America!

– Celena Rubin Aug 27, 2018

Here’s the interview!

IMG SRC: cnbc.com

Celena Rubin is the Owner, Founder, &  Director of The Art of Makeup School in Portland, Oregon. www.artofmakeup.com