Saturday 11th Jan, 2025
New delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly spent a whopping €26,000, or around Rs 19.7 lakh, on makeup-related expenses in his first three months after assuming office in May.
French magazine Le Point reported that Macron’s personal makeup artist Natacha M submitted two bills, one for €10,000 and another for €16,000. The revelation shocked many of Macron’s constituents who were unhappy that taxpayer money was being used on the president’s appearance.
Macron’s beauty bill came to light as the president’s approval ratings tanked after he, ironically announced massive budget cuts.
Elysee Palace, the French president’s official residence, stepped in to defend the high bill saying it was the result of having “called in a contractor as a matter of urgency,” the Telegraph reported.
The Palace also said that bills would be “significantly reduced” in the future.
Macron is not the first French politician to spend money on presenting a blemish-free visage. His predecessor Francois Hollande was accused of ‘shampoo socialism’ after it emerged that he paid his personal barber a hair-curling £99,000, close to Rs 75 lakh.
Nicolas Sarkozy, by all accounts an extravagant president, paid 24,000 euros a quarter for makeup.