A newlywed from Manchester says her husband pays her a monthly beauty allowance and is urging other women not to settle for less. Lauren Blackmore, 29, receives £150 each month from her husband Christopher to fund her hair, nail and eyelash appointments.
Lauren, who works as an actor, first began receiving beauty-related payments from Christopher after the pair became engaged in October 2024. The 34-year-old, who is on a higher income, insisted on paying for her hair and nail appointments in the lead up to their wedding so she didn't have to 'give up looking after herself' to save money. After the couple wed in May 2026, the payments became a regular monthly allowance.
What the beauty allowance covers
Lauren says the allowance pays for her £100 scalp bleach and tone, £50 eyelash extensions and £30 gel nails. She describes the monthly gift as a gesture of Christopher's love and appreciation, and says she reciprocates with video games and housework.
Adamant the gesture is not anti-feminist, Lauren says her allowance is not about the money but rather accepting a special treat from her partner. She is now urging other women not to settle for less after finding the man of her dreams.
Lauren's story
Lauren said: "We got engaged in October 2024 and we started to save up for the wedding. We had the wedding to pay for but he didn't want me to give up looking after myself, which was amazing.
"I have hair and nail appointments to go to, so Christopher just decided he wanted to start treating me and then it became a regular thing. It sort of evolved over time it started off as a nice treat."
She added: "He's on a higher income than me so he started paying for the things that I love to get done. Then, in bridal preparation, I started to get facials done and different beauty treatments as well, so he said 'I'll give you £150 each month and you can just use it whenever you want to'. Anything over that, I just pay for myself. If I had anything left over I'd buy myself some clothes or make-up items I've run out of."
Mixed reactions online
After sharing details of her monthly free treatments on TikTok, the beauty allowance divided opinion among commenters. One person wrote: "Not me thanks. I stay single and spend all my time and money on myself." A second commented: "That's not enough babe." A third added: "Some things are more important than money."
However, others were in support of the beauty payments. One person commented: "Even though I work full time with a very good salary, my hubby always insisted on paying for my hair, my nails, my brows and my lip filler." A second wrote: "I may be wrong but as a married couple your money is shared anyway so it's not really an allowance. It's what's yours anyway lol." Another commented: "If I was the lower earner I'd want this. It's nice to look after your partner and make sure you're both able to have treats."
Lauren said: "The video was about my partner who loves to take care of me and women shouldn't accept anything less. It wasn't necessarily about the amount of money. Some people thought I was settling for less because of the amount of money, but it's more the gesture of my partner wanting to make me feel special, rather than the specific figure.
"It's not a case of he gives it to me to reward me. I think some people thought it was anti-feminist but it's not really, it's accepting a treat from my partner. It's not a case of maintaining a certain image to be seen with him at all. Women should look for appreciation from their partner. If he told me he couldn't do it anymore, I wouldn't ever be angry or upset, I appreciate it as a gift.
"Don't settle for less. If that person doesn't appreciate you and make you feel like the best person in the world, why not? Not necessarily even monetarily, but emotionally."
