DUBAI: As people across the world are voluntarily self-isolating themselves in their homes and practicing social distancing, many freelance makeup artists are left with little to no work. So, in a bid to help people in the industry financially stay afloat during this uncertain time, American-Iraqi beauty mogul Huda Kattan has pledged to donate $100,000 to be split between 100 different freelance makeup artists, providing them with $1000 each.
The Dubai-based entrepreneur made the announcement in a five-minute video posted to Instagram this week. “If we get sick or not, everyone is going to be affected financially, and some people are not going to be able to survive that financial impact,” she said. “And that’s, for me, the scariest thing right now.” Kattan then recalls starting Huda Beauty back in 2016 and the financial burden she faced then as a freelance makeup artist trying to make ends meet.
She also said she had to secretly take sponsorship deals in order to pay her employees proper wages. “It is hard to run a business as it is, never mind adding a pandemic to a situation ... a lot of people are not going to survive this, point-blank.”
Kattan then suggested that viewers tag freelance makeup artists struggling to find work amid the coronavirus pandemic in the comments section of her post and leave a comment about why they're deserving of a donation.
Donation entries will close on March 25 at 12am Gulf Standard Time.
It’s not the first time the beauty mogul has decided to give back. In February, the entrepreneur and her sister Mona announced a mentorship program designed to empower emerging creatives and future entrepreneurs throughout the region, which was set to launch during the now-postponed VidCon Abu Dhabi event.
