Welcome to Take the Edge Off, a series that breaks down the beauty and self-care routines of influencers, CEOs, experts, and celebrities to discover how they unwind and decompress, while taking a closer look at the holy grail essentials they’re currently raving about.
In the days when in-flight skincare was at its peak, cult-favorite brand Summer Fridays’ first product, the Instagram-friendly Jet Lag Mask, was the crown jewel found in every beauty lover’s travel toiletry bag. Since then, the mask has not only become a massive best seller, but the brand has expanded to release a robust range of staples, including an amino gel cleanser, vitamin C eye cream, and belly balm for expectant mothers.
To continue elevating our daily routines, Summer Fridays cofounder Marianna Hewitt and her partner, Lauren Gores, have launched another addition to their collection of coveted favorites: the Dream Oasis Deep Hydration Serum. “It’s a calming and hydrating serum, so it has ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalane, and glycerin that makes it great for all skin types,” Hewitt tells BAZAAR.com. “Sometimes I have a little bit of redness in my cheeks, or my skin is inflamed or irritated, so it’s great to help calm it down, as well as deeply hydrating.”
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Hewitt began her career in beauty in 2012, starting as an influencer with the highly popular blog Life with Me (Marianna Elizabeth), and later adding on a YouTube channel to share product recommendations before ultimately deciding to create her own. “I’ve been creating content for a decade now. So, I uploaded my first YouTube video back in 2012, and really started with a love for beauty, and was just so obsessed,” she says. “As my community started to grow, I found that there were so many products and things that they wanted. In 2016, Lauren and I came up with the idea for a skincare line, and in 2018, we launched Summer Fridays with the Jet Lag Mask, which is still a best seller for us. We’re celebrating our four-year anniversary next week—it’s been a crazy six years.”
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Now, in addition to running a successful beauty empire and developing a social media following of a million-plus, Hewitt is also producing her own podcast, Life with Marianna, during which she interviews fellow influencers and brand founders about their journeys to success. “I didn’t have the free time before the pandemic to do it. But then, all of my friends and peers were at home, too, which was convenient because scheduling interviews sometimes can be tricky,” she says. “I felt like I could create content that was giving back to someone in some way—something that could add value to their lives, or inspire, or motivate them. Or just something enjoyable to listen to while you’re going on a walk or a drive.”
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For pro tips on maintaining a work-life balance and spending time away from the screen, BAZAAR.com catches up with Hewitt to take a closer look at everything the influencer and cofounder uses to unwind and find mental grounding. From reading twice a day to scrolling through TikTok beauty trends, read on for everything she uses to Take the Edge Off.
What are you reading these days?
I read twice a day. So, I usually read in the morning as part of my morning routine, and then I read at night before I go to bed. In the morning, I read a nonfiction book, usually something about like self-development or self-help, or something like that. The one I reach for in the morning is called Activate Your Brain, and it’s just about different things you can do to help rewire your brain to be more productive or functional, or whatever you need for your professional or personal life. And then, another book I’m reading right now, because she’s coming on the podcast, is Happy Days by Gabby Bernstein. I just started that and it just came out, and since we’re recording soon, I wanted to get through it. It’s about her process of dealing with trauma.
And then at night, I’m reading The Next Wife—I’m a few chapters in. I like to read a fiction book before bed so I can escape a little bit without being on my phone and read something that isn’t a thinking book like I like to read in the morning. But I’m a big reader. I just have to make the time to do it, because if not, I’ll just sit on my phone—which I love being on my phone; like, I love social and Instagram, and I want to be on it all the time—but it’s been so great to read. It just kind of takes you to another world—I just really love, like, the escapism of books.
What are some of your go-to bath and/or shower products?
I love bodycare products. I’m such a junkie for having so many different things, and being an influencer, I feel really fortunate that I get to try so many products. But I have very sensitive skin on my body, so through and through, I’m a Dove girl—unscented normal body wash. I refill it on Amazon, and it just works the best for me. There’s also an AHA body exfoliant from Zitsticka that smells like peppermint and feels so good on my skin.
Also, before getting into the shower, I love dry brushing, but not all dry brushes are created equal. I was trying to, like, Goldilocks my way through finding the perfect dry brush, because some of them felt so rough on my skin. And so, I got one that’s definitely pricey, but I felt like it feels the best on my skin, and that’s the Dr. Barbara Sturm Dry Body Brush. In the shower, I also use Hanni’s Shave Pillow, which is a like shave gel in a stick form, and you can use before shaving to just, like, soften everything. It’s really convenient to use in the shower, so you just rub it on like a deodorant stick, and it’s so easy.
What beauty or self-care products do you use on a regular basis to help combat Zoom fatigue?
Oh, Zoom fatigue. It’s so funny because on Zoom, I’m like, “Is this like what I look like?” But having my computer by a window really is the best, because I get so much great natural light. I also get to, like, look outside while I’m working, so that’s definitely helped a lot.
I feel my best with just a little bit of concealer and a coat of mascara. My favorite go-to concealer that I always wear is NARS’s Radiant Creamy Concealer—it’s so easy to use. And I’m really loving the Patrick Ta mascara, so a swipe of that on my lashes looks great. I also use a little bit of lip liner—I feel like a lip goes a long way—and I really like Makeup by Mario’s lip liner; my favorite color is Travis. And then, I’ll use the Summer Fridays Vanilla Lip Butter Balm in the color beige for just a little bit of a tint.
Do you have a favorite hand sanitizer, soap, and/or cream right now?
For the hand sanitizer I use, we actually have one from Summer Fridays that’s available on our website, and I love it because it’s just a spray one. As far as hand creams, I love using the Hand Cream from Ouai—the packaging is amazing, and I love the texture of it. And then hand soap, I like Byredo in the scent Suede; it smells so delicious. I only have it in my guest bathroom—I don’t have it in my own bathroom—and anytime someone comes over and washes their hands, they’re like, “This smells so incredible.” It looks really chic sitting in your bathroom too.
Do you ever light a candle or stick of incense to decompress? If so, what are some of your favorites?
I love FORVR Mood by Jackie Aina; her candles are so good. And I love that the scent of the candle smells so great even when it’s not lit. So whether I have them sitting in my kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom, the aromas are amazing—she’s so good at picking scents. The one in particular that I really love is Cloud Dream.
Forvr Mood
What was the last beauty product you put on today?
Deodorant. I love Megababe—it’s such a great brand—and Beachy Pits is the one that I wear. During the pandemic, I actually switched. It was at the time where I was like, “Okay, I’m not going to be around people,” so that’s when I officially transitioned to natural deodorant. I’ve tested and tried basically every natural deodorant you can think of, and this is my favorite one.
Ulta
Are you into bold makeup, no makeup, or no-makeup makeup right now, and why?
I’m into no-makeup makeup. So I definitely still like to wear makeup, and I’m a makeup girl, and it’s like, “How many products do I use to get this no-makeup makeup look?” But I’m doing everything I can to layer products and make them look really skin like.
We have a new product from Summer Fridays—it’s called Dream Oasis Deep Hydration Serum—and it’s the most perfect base to get this no-makeup-makeup look, because it leaves my skin just, like, really hydrated and dewy. And then, I’ll go in with a glowy foundation just to make my complexion look really skin like. I love the one from Dior; it’s called the Forever Glow Foundation—it just gives you this really glowy, dewy finish.
And then, I love layering cream products, so I’ll use, like, a cream contour, blush, and then I’ll just set with powder in the middle of my face. I also love a juicy lip with a balm; I wear a lot of products to make it look like I’m not wearing makeup. I just keep adding more dewy things, but I’ve actually learned so much from TikTok too. I spend a lot of time on TikTok. And I pick up tips from all different people all the time, like how they apply things, and I love finding new products on there.
One of the things I’ve learned is applying powder blush before applying cream blush—usually I apply creams first, then powders afterward. But when you layer with powder then cream, it gives you the color you want from a blush, but also that look of a skin-like, no-makeup-makeup finish. And you would think that maybe the two of them wouldn’t work together, or maybe that the look would break down a little bit or disintegrate overtime, but it’s so beautiful. I also learned about blush placement. I used to always wear it on the apples of my cheeks, but TikTok taught me to wear it a little bit higher on my cheekbones to lift the face. So lots of blush tips on TikTok.
What’s the last fitness class you streamed or attended in person?
I love Pilates. I also love just tracking everything that I do. My personal trainer is Pilates by Amanda in Los Angeles; she launched her Core Club during the pandemic, because she couldn’t teach her clients in person. So I’ve been doing mat Pilates at home, and it’s so hard, so challenging, and so good. I love that I can work out with her without having to physically be with her, and the classes are amazing.
I personally don’t like high-intensity classes; I don’t like classes where I feel stressed while I’m working out. So it’s perfect for me, especially since you can pick different times that work for you. And then, I basically track everything I do—from sleep to my workouts to my steps—with my Oura Ring. I’m obsessed with it. I love to find out how many steps I took, how active I was, how well I slept, because I really do think sleep is such a big part of your overall wellness and well-being. The more well rested I am, the better I am throughout the day and with my work, and I can power through a workout and everything else I need to do.
Oura Ring
What’s one piece of self-care advice you’d recommend to our readers?
For me, finding time to have a morning and nighttime routine is so important so that I have kind of like bookends to my workday. Because I spend so much time working from home, really having that separation of alone time in the morning, where I’m doing things to take care of myself is everything.
For me, self-care is meditation, journaling, reading, and not being on my phone, because the second I open my phone and my email for the day, I’m just on. So whatever it is for you—whether it’s going for a walk or working out, cooking or baking—find something that’s not work that allows you to disconnect, take care of yourself, and really fulfills you, and makes you feel better about everything else you have to do.
It was such trial and error to test different things out and see what worked, but the combination of things I have work perfectly for me now. The mornings I don’t meditate, I definitely feel more frazzled throughout the day. So figure out what self-care looks like for you, and I hope that you find your routine.
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19 Self-Care Essentials Beauty CEO Marianna Hewitt Swears By
Source: Filipino Journal Articles
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