The Summer Fridays Founders Agree: This Is Their Number One “Holy Grail” Skincare Product

Welcome to Beauty Around the Clock, Marie Claire's weekly peek into the daily lives of some of the most game-changing men and women in their industries. Ever wonder how they get it all done in a day? Here's your answer.

It’s hard to believe that Summer Fridays has only been on the market for five years. In half a decade, the brand has become a household name. Jet Lag Mask (the OG product) was the jumping off point, but cult-favorites like Lip Butter Balm, CC Me Serum, and ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF have shot to popularity—landing on TikTok, inside vanities, and beyond. 

Now, the brand is welcoming another bound-to-be-a-hit product into their fold: Dream Lip Oil. “We wanted something that felt a little more makeup-y, but when testing lip oils over the years, we found that they were sticky, not hydrating, or too thick,” Summer Fridays founders Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland telll us. “Our formula though ended up feeling like a dream on your lips. The applicator is so nice and it wears perfectly.” (I've tried it, it's all true.)

It’s naturally become a staple in the co-founders’ beauty routines, but the Dream Lip Oil is far from the only product the two are putting on their faces. They’re fans of brands like Shani Darden, Victoria Beckham Beauty, and Bioderma—just to name a few. To get the full breakdown on the beauty duo’s routines, read ahead. From their must-have products to their favorite workouts and morning meditations, the work wives are sharing the ins and outs of their day, ahead. 

Rise & Shine

Marianna Hewitt: I am a morning person. I wake up pretty early, around like 6:00 a.m. I am obsessed with tracking my sleep. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is open my Aura ring app and then I see my sleep score for the night. Maybe it's a placebo effect, maybe it's not, but I like to see how well rested I am. I'm always aiming for crowns, which means you get an 85 or higher. 

Lauren Ireland: I am not intuitively a morning person, so I don't get up quite as early as Marianna. I usually get up around seven, which is right around when my kids get up. The first thing I do out of bed is stretch. I do a five minute easy stretch next to my bed. I've been doing this for years and it's my number one self-care way to wake up, reset myself, and feel good. I find that it actually really calms me before I jump into the business of the day. I wish I could be the one that got up an hour or two before my kids. I've tried. It's just not who I am.

Morning Maintenance

MH: I always cleanse in the morning. If I'm gonna go do a workout, I'll just cleanse my face and put on a light moisturizer like Cloud Dew. If I'm really doing my whole routine for the day, I'll start with cleanser, do a vitamin C eye cream, vitamin C serum, and Dream Oasis, which is a hydrating serum. I love to use Rich Cushion Cream as a moisturizer. It's just really great to wear under makeup. It makes my skin really glow, especially going into winter. I also do sunscreen every single day. It's so important. We always say the best one is the one you want to wear. 

LI: I'll take my kids to school and then I'll do a workout right after, so usually my skincare is pretty light first thing in the morning. I'll do our vitamin C eye cream, always a little bit of Cloud Dew, our SPF, and Lip Butter Balm. Then once I shower and post-workout, I'll use the vitamin C serum and then either Cloud Dew or Rich Cushion Cream depending on how much moisture I want. I love keeping Jet Lag in the fridge for morning where I feel a little bit puffy. I’ll apply it under my eyes or just onto areas of my face where I want to feel that cooler sensation. 

Fitness Fix

MH: I really try to track my steps every day. Being in LA you have to really make an effort to walk places. I love to get fresh air. Something that Lauren and I like to do when we're at the office is just take a walk around the block to get some steps in. It really adds up. I was obsessed with the blue zone show on Netflix and learned that walking on an incline is something that's really great for the longevity of your health. I do Pilates a few days a week and then I just started adding in strength training. 

LI: I'm big on my workout routine. It's probably like the most important, self-care part of my day. Stretching every morning is step one. I don't really go a day without some form of movement. Sometimes the routine or the schedule of it might change, but I usually do a combination of running and walking. It really helps with stress and anxiety. It helps with my migraines. Especially if I'm feeling overwhelmed—it's my alone time. Then I'll do Pilates usually two days a week. 

Currently I’m doing prenatal pilates and yoga. It’s very calming and so grounding. Daily habits really become your monthly habits and then your annual habits and that becomes your life. I remember making an effort to do this in my early twenties and now it’s been 15 years of caring for myself and caring for my body. 

Signature Makeup Look

MH: Lauren and I have both been influencers for over a decade. Basically for the last 10 years, I've received every single PR mailer from every brand that has launched. When I love something it's because I have literally tried every lip liner, concealer—everything. When I find a favorite, it’s really my favorite because I’ve tested everything. I start with Sheer Skin Tint, which is my everyday product. My absolute favorite eyebrow product right now is Rare Beauty Eyebrow Gel. It is the best formula I have ever tried. I ran into Katie, who is their CMO, so she sent me five of them so that I would never run out. But the day they launched I bought five more too because I panicked. Now I have 10 of them. 

I do a really simple eye, two products that I really like are from Armani Beauty (shade 22) and the single shadow from Merit in mid-century, and my favorite mascara of the moment is Better Than Sex in brown. I'm not normally a dupe girl, but the PawPaw sponges from Amazon are so incredible. Everyone that has tried these sponges, agrees that they're so amazing. I love a cream blush. I end up using Makeup by Mario or Nudestix, but I also like Dior’s powder blush in Rosewood. My face never feels complete without a lip. My favorite liner is Rent is Due from One/Size, but Victoria Beckham’s is also really nice. Then obviously the new Summer Friday's Dream Lip Oil.

LI: This is why Mariana's the ultimate beauty influencer. She has influenced me on everything in my makeup bag. If it’s in there, it’s because Marianna told me to get it. I appreciate it daily because it’s improved everything in my makeup routine. I sometimes live two different lives in the same day. I have my quick go-to if I'm doing my mom-life things like drop off or soccer games. Then, the other extreme of events and beauty things. I love efficiency and practicality, even when I'm trying to go a little bit more glam. 

I do our Sheer Skin Tint first. Marianna got me on the Paw Paw sponges by the way, which now I'm obsessed with. I love the Anastasia brow pencil and the Rose Inc eyebrow gel. If I can only do a couple of things, brows are included. I love the Merit creamy blushes and the Nudestix blushes. I’ll use them on my eyelids and on my cheeks—it’s great when I'm on the go. The Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Sticks are a staple, especially when I wanna go a little bit more glam too. Right now I’m loving Tower 28 Mascara and Maybelline Falsies, it’s a drugstore brand, but it’s so great. Makeup by Mario’s eyeliner is amazing. I won't wear eyeliner usually day to day, but I love how it kind of smudges and looks really natural. Then I’ll grab Lip Butter Balm or our Lip Oil—it depends what I’m in the mood for. 

Signature Scent

MH: Anything vanilla. Right now I’m wearing Kayali Vanilla 28. 

LI: Vanilla. Same, same.

Cheap-But-Chic

MH: Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover. 

LI: Maybelline Falsies Mascara. 

Beauty Icon

MH: Right now, it's Victoria Beckham. I went to her show in Paris and her products are incredible. I think like being a celebrity brand and coming out with amazing products is hard, but her products are really so good and so true to who she is. I’ve also loved Posh Spice since I was little. 

LI: Giselle has always been a beauty icon for me. I love her hair and the no makeup-makeup fresh look. There was something about her, especially when I was in my teens and early twenties where I just always admired her.

Backup Career

MH: I would probably be doing something with travel because I love to go all around the world. I don't know exactly what the job would be, but anywhere that would let me visit new places and explore new things. 

LI: I think I would be working in television. I was a news anchor prior to going into this and can envision myself as a morning television host. Even though I'm not intuitively a morning person, there is something about morning shows that makes me feel very happy and joyful to me.

P.M. Routine

MH: At night, I always do a double or triple cleanse. I start with the Tatcha Camellia Oil Cleanser, I'll do a gel cleanse, and then the Bioderma micellar water to make sure everything is clean. I'll use Rich Cushion Cream as a moisturizer and finish with Heavenly 16. It's all non-comedogenic, which makes it a really great face oil for people that don't like face oils. I love my tools. I have a giant red light set up in my house. It’s as tall as I am and I get benefits for not just my face, but also my body. It was an investment, but I love it.

LI: I cleanse with our cleanser and then I use our Rich Cushion Cream. Sometimes I'll also use our Dream Oasis Hydration Serum, depending on how my skin's feeling. I'm obsessed with our Heavenly 16 Face Oil—it’s my holy grail every night. I've been using Shani Darden’s red light mask while I’m laying in bed. Then I use the mint Lip Butter Balm right before I go to bed.