A Manchester actor has revealed her husband gives her a monthly beauty allowance, and she is encouraging other women not to settle for less.
Monthly Beauty Allowance
Lauren Blackmore, 29, receives £150 every month from her husband Christopher, 34, to cover her hair, nail and lash appointments. The couple, who married in May 2026, began the arrangement after getting engaged in October 2024, when Christopher insisted on paying for her appointments so she didn't have to give up looking after herself while saving for the wedding.
Christopher, who earns more than Lauren, transfers the money monthly. Lauren, an actor, says the allowance covers her £100 scalp bleach and tone, £50 eyelash extensions and £30 gel nails. She views it as a sign of his love and appreciation and reciprocates with video games and housework.
Not Anti-Feminist
Lauren insists the gesture is not anti-feminist, saying it's about accepting a special treat, not the money. She 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."
She added: "It sort of evolved over time it started off as a nice treat. 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. He loves to do it. Initially I felt bad because we had this really big wedding to pay for."
Mixed Reactions Online
After sharing details on TikTok, the beauty budget sparked debate. One person wrote: "Not me thanks. I stay single and spend all my time and money on myself." Another commented: "That's not enough babe." A third added: "Some things are more important than money."
Others backed the payments. One commenter said: "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." Another 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." A third said: "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."
