Coronavirus is something none of us expected to hit the UK, let alone the whole world.
As I approached my busiest summer to date, with my two children finally both at an age I could go to work all day without worrying about them needing me and rushing home. I’d planned to finally embrace being a part of each and every clients wedding, staying for the dress, taking more photos of them and me. Being more present - leaving business cards and sorting goodie bags for brides. Getting a new personalised uniform and getting more into skincare, offering facials and a more in-depth skin prep. Not to mention meeting and getting to know so many new people. I had big plans for this summer!
We were also set to start our first summer as an events company with the flower wall I made over Christmas and gold sequin wall which has now been stored away. I feel fortunate to have this business as social distancing can 100% be applied for the event industry. But will there be any events allowed in the first place?
My messages have never been busier. But not with new weddings and excited brides-to-be but with existing bookings telling me of their plans to rearrange and book in with a new date. Some of which who have clashing dates and after never before having to let clients down, I’m finding myself running a first come first serve basis and now no longer a part of sadly, a few brides on their big day.
I see hairstylists and nail artists writing statuses about how they can’t wait to be back open and will have their doors wide open once the lockdown is lifted. Sadly I don’t think it will be that easy.
I try to cater my services to people who find make up daunting and are anxious about taking their make up off and being bare faced in-front of a stranger. But how do we cater for people now riddled with anxiety of catching coronavirus. Myself included. How do we have small talk about make-up and the weather when we’re both 30cm from one another wondering if the other has symptoms. Will we trust that artist to be washing their tools, brushes and not sharing products. Will we trust that everything will be clean, that everyone will be healthy, that the room won’t be too crowded.
Does Grandma still get her hair and make up done at the wedding and will the hotel allow groups of people to bundle into the bridal suite? These questions and so many more I simply don’t have the answer for.
In an industry where our time and money is spent trying to get more people to come to our salons and book bigger groups and take pride in back to back clients. Getting excited looking at a diary full of clients suddenly seems a list of people to take precautions with, question marks and possible cancellations.
On the other hand, maybe this is the time when make-up gets a step up in professionalism. Not just anyone will be able to do make up from their bedroom without qualifications. Will there be standard procedures and certifications needed finally and some regulation? Will people finally start seeing make up prices for their worth and be willing to pay the same as say, a dentist and see their work equally as professional. Much like we saw lip fillers now needing a medical background, maybe make-up will head in a similar direction. Maybe clients will start paying attention to the cleanliness of their make-up artists kit, those who apply concealer straight from the applicator, don’t use disposable mascara wands and don’t wash their hands between clients. (Myself not included)
I’m interested to see how this affects the industry and I’m equally as gutted for the brides affected. This could be the start of something great for bridal make-up and streamline the industry. Maybe big weddings be a thing of the past and the next few years see only intimate weddings. And in doing so, be glad they don’t have to invite their neighbours-parents-once removed’s cousin to the wedding just because they felt they had to.
With any luck it won’t be affected too much and we will all be able to return to ‘normal’ one day. I think it’s better to be prepared and think the worst than to naively expect that Coronavirus was a blip in the matrix and we just have to sit patiently for it to ‘end’.
I hope moving forwards clients appreciate the new efforts that the beauty industry will have to take both in PPE, social distancing and minimising clients. I’m excited and apprehensive to return to work and hope everyone can respect boundaries and approach this with understanding and patience.
