Anamosa, IA Beautician, Andrea Politte, to add her Shine to Grammy Stars

The national audience might not know it, but there will be a touch of Iowa on some of those celebrities tonight at the Grammy Awards.

This is a dream come true for Anamosa resi-dent Andrea Politte, 36, who with her husband, Jeff, owns State Beauty Supply, which has stores in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.

She will help do the makeup and hair of stars such as Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Melissa Etheridge and the dancers who will be performing with Ricky Martin. She expects to work about 16 hours today, starting at the crack of dawn at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Although tonight will be Andrea’s second time to do the behind-the-scenes touchups and hair styling at the Grammys, it has not diminished her excitement.

“We have a meeting tonight at 7 to discuss the makeup,” she said Tuesday from the Edward Jimenez for Hair Salon, located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. “Today, we’re going out to Rodeo Drive to have lunch, and then we’ll start some practice work.

“I’m so grateful. I enjoy this so much because so many peo-ple’s dreams are coming true here. I feel so honored to be a part of this.” Andrea and Jeff got a call on Friday from Andrea’s friend and prominent beauty specialist Edward Jimenez. Although the Polittes were in Tulsa, Okla., their son Zachary, 16, gave them the message.

“He said, ‘Hollywood needs you, Mom,”’ Jeff said.

“It was total excite-ment,” he said of Andrea’s reaction. “It was her chance to get behind the chair again. This is what she does best.” Andrea left Monday after-noon for Los Angeles and is expected to return Thursday. Last year was her first time to work behind the lights and mir-rors at the Grammys.

She did the touchups for Clint Black, Vince Gill and Gloria Estefan last year. In addi-tion, she helped apply the make-up for Ricky Martin, who made his American broadcast debut one year ago.

“He doesn’t have a lot of hair; I did more with the dancers,” she said. “It was a huge American crew.

A native of the small St. Louis suburb of Herculaneum, Mo., Politte’s Hollywood con-nections were made while working at a St. Louis salon. She’s been interested in hair styling since she was 8 and has been doing hair and makeup professionally for 19 years.

Andrea met Jimenez during an educational beauty show several years ago in Beverly hills, Calif. In 1994, she did the hair and makeup for musical groups featured on the television show St. Louis Country.

Jeff said that the word spread.

“In Iowa, whenever some groups came to town, they’d call her to help with hair and makeup,” he said, naming talents such as Neil McCoy, Joe Diffey, Ricochet and REO Speedwagon. “She treats (celebrities) just how you would want to be treated. She’s very personable.”

Andrea said she does not really talk about working with celebrities because she does not want people to think she has a big head. But she hopes to attend a few parties hosted by Madonna or Ricky Martin after the show.

“Everyone I’ve met has been very nice,” she said. “They’re great. They’re regular people.

“It’s something I’ve always loved,” she said of beauty styling. “What I enjoyed the most is that connection between the inner self and the outer self.

“If you’re having a bad hair day, then you usually have a bad hair day."