Beauty ‘addict’ who spends $12k on Botox, hair treatments and new clothes every year defends controversial decision

A self-proclaimed beauty ‘addict’ who spends close to $12,000 a year on Botox, hair treatments, manicures and new clothes has hit out at critics who judge her for investing so much in her appearance.

As someone who works in PR, Hilary Reiter Azzaretti, 50, from Park City, Utah, explained to the Daily Mail that it is vital that she always looks her best.

‘Your appearance is what makes a first impression on people… Working in public relations is a visible career,’ she explained.

‘I am out and about interacting with people all the time and participating in virtual meetings. Being appropriately put together is part of the job. 

‘It’s also a career path that values youth, especially when representing luxury and lifestyle brands like [my PR firm] primarily does.’

Reiter Azzaretti, who didn’t want to reveal her exact salary but said she earns more than $250,000 a year, explained that she gets Botox every three months and spends almost $2,000 a year alone on the injections.

In addition, she gets regular manicures, pedicures, facials and haircuts, as well as Brazilian treatments on her hair four times a year, which comes out to another $1,500 a year.

She buys new clothes ‘every month,’ and estimated that she spends between $5,000 and $6,000 a year alone on constantly updating her wardrobe.

She also admitted that she forks over $1,500 a year on purchasing new makeup products.

‘I also recently bought one of those crazy LED masks for $550,’ she shared. 

‘I am not convinced it does anything, but I figured worth a shot. I am also very much into fitness and have a Peloton and the membership is $55 per month.’

That brings her total spending on keeping up her appearance to almost $12,000 a year, a fact that she is not ashamed of.  

She clapped back at haters who may judge her for investing so much money into how she looks.

‘I work ridiculously hard, and my success has allowed me to spend a bit extra on myself,’ she quipped.

‘It’s not an outrageous amount. I don’t understand why people find it acceptable to spend significant money on tattoos to alter ones appearance but not on Botox.’

Reiter Azzaretti, who grew up in New York, explained that she was taught from a young age by her grandmother to value her appearance.

Her grandmother ran a ‘very high-end men’s boutique’ in New York City ‘where she catered to many celebrity customers’ and ‘was always well dressed.’

‘I remember my grandma telling me that she always puts makeup on when she leaves her building “because you never know who you’ll run into,”‘ recalled the PR agent. ‘I guess her mentality about beauty stuck with me into middle age.’

While she joked that she has always been a ‘Sephora addict,’ Reiter Azzaretti explained that when she moved to Park City, Utah, in 2002, it added even more pressure for her to look a certain way.

‘Quite frankly, Utah has a culture of superficiality… We have more plastic surgeons per capita than anywhere else,’ she dished.

‘Residents care more about physical fitness, how many ski days they log in a season and their affluence. Much of my work is in other parts of the state, and I see the preoccupation with beauty first hand. 

‘It’s a whole other level than in my native NYC, and I think it has rubbed off on me a bit.’

She insisted that while she takes the way she looks very seriously, she doesn’t judge others who don’t value it as much as she does.

‘I am not one to pass judgment or persuade others to care about beauty. Everyone should do was they feel comfortable doing and live their best lives however that may be,’ she said.

However, there’s one thing that she thinks is unacceptable: dressing in pajamas when taking a flight. 

‘That always horrifies me,’ she admitted, but concluded: ‘Ultimately, it’s about doing what makes you happy and confident.’