"A devastating blow..."

Jenny Teehan woke up to 14 cancellations this morning. The Meath based makeup artist has, like many other small businesses in Ireland, been hit hard by the sudden upheaval caused by the coronavirus outbreak. But amidst all of the doom, gloom, panic and plan changes that have arisen due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jenny wanted to do a little good to help someone else out. She has decided to give away a full bridal makeup package to a bride-to-be anywhere in the country - irrespective of whether their wedding date has been changed or not. Jenny tells Her that although the outbreak is affecting her own daily life considerably, she also recognises that it's affecting others' just as much. "I had hoped that this wouldn't last longer than March but looking at my cancellations I can see this impacting my business until at least the end of April, if not more," she says. "I can see how hard this is hitting my family financially and I expect it to hit others just as bad." The chaos triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic has been "a devastating blow" for Jenny's small business, Make Up Box. The uncertainty that she is experiencing at the moment is shared by her clients - many of them brides-to-be who are unsure if their big days will go ahead or not. "The build up is amazing and for it to come crumbling down is devastating," she says. "Many brides who were due to get married this month or next won't have that. "My last and final wedding I did was on Saturday. The bride was told to reduce her [guest list] to under 100 people, which included staff. "She said to me: 'How do I just cut people out? Who do you cut out?! People will be offended if they're the ones taken off the list!"' Jenny says that she expects many brides will have to reschedule their weddings for late summer or early autumn - a change that will no doubt cost a lot of energy, time, and of course, money. And so, she wanted to do whatever she could to make the consistent uncertainty a little bit less daunting for one person. "This is only a small gesture but I know it will help someone," she says. "A few hundred off your budget is a lot when planning a wedding." You can check out Make Up Box's Facebook page, or enter to win the free bridal package (which includes makeup for up to five people including lashes and travel), here.