French President Macron's make-up expenses draw scrutiny

France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, and his wife Brigitte Macron awaiting Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and his wife Maria Clemencia Rodriguez for a dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. (AP)

Since taking office in May, French President Emmanuel Macron has spent a great deal of taxpayer money on keeping up his personal image.

More than $10,000 a month, to be exact, the Daily Mail reported.

Macron's personal make-up artist, known only as Natacha M, has submitted bills of $11,527.20 and $19,212.00 for work prior to Macron's TV appearances and other events, Le Point magazine reported.

It wasn't immediately clear if all the charges were for Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron, the Washington Examiner reported.

The 39-year-old centrist head of state, whom the Daily Mail reports has signed off on all the expenses, has faced criticism from France's Conservative Party for what it views as excessive spending on his personal appearance during a period of economic uncertainty.

“He thinks nothing of spending thousands on himself, at a time when he is just about to start cutting jobs. It seems that he just wants to hide his real face,” one Conservative told the Daily Mail. “It would be interesting to see what the first lady Brigitte is spending on make-up too!”

"He thinks nothing of spending thousands on himself, at a time when he is just about to start cutting jobs. It seems that he just wants to hide his real face."

— Conservative critic of French President Macron

The critic added that Macron’s lavish spending was a symptom of a “hyper-vain president.”

A Macron spokesman responded that some expenses were high because, "We called in a contractor as a matter of urgency.” Other Macron aides added that the president planned to spend less on makeup in the future, the Daily Mail reported.

But Macron is hardly alone among French leaders when it comes to lavish spending to maintain an image.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy, a Conservative, spent more than $8,900 a month on makeup during his time in office, while Socialist President Francois Hollande paid his barber about $11,500 a month, the Daily Mail reported.