Marianna Hewitt
Entrepreneur &
Co-Founder of
Beauty Brand
Photography Rhys Frampton
Creative Director & Interview Deborah Ferguson
Marianna Hewitt entrepreneur, fashion wellness influencer, and co-founder of the award-winning beauty brand Summer Fridays; discusses her highly followed podcast as well as details on the new Summer Fridays product Midnight Ritual retinol.
Your Podcast” Life with Marianna” is one of the most popular fashion and beauty due to the exceptional guests and your excellent interviews, what inspired you to create this podcast?
One of the most fulfilling parts of my career is to be able to inspire others. I am so grateful to have an incredible group of friends and peers who inspire me daily, who give my advice and help with any questions I may need. I wanted to take that advice and share it with my online community and give back to them in a more meaningful way. And as a fellow brand founder, creator, and someone curious about all things wellness — I ask the questions I want to know, and it has been so rewarding to hear how an episode has inspired someone in a positive way.
And how do you curate your guests?
I find guests through topics I’m interested in like productivity or gut health, brands I am friends and fans of like OUAI and The Honest Company, or interesting founders who have an inspiring story to share with advice that is helpful for aspiring entrepreneurs.
What is a takeaway for your listeners you aim for when producing your podcast?
My hope is that they walk away from each episode feeling inspired, motivated, or educated. When I interview guests, before we record, I encourage them to share advice or stories that will help my listeners feel like they can apply something to their own lives or career.
Can you share moments while living in Europe or your childhood that led to your deep knowledge and appreciation for beauty products?
Growing up one of my favorite stores was The Body Shop. My Mom would take me there and I would stock up on a little bottle of Tea Tree Oil that I would use on my blemishes, the scents are so nostalgic to me, and the memories tied to when I would use these products. And my Dad would take me to department store beauty counters and ask the experts working at the counters to help me pick out makeup and how to use it. I’ve always loved beauty and had to be the friend with all the best recommendations — so to be able to do that for a career, and then create our own brand is the biggest dream come true.
Considering your incredibly successful following and community as an influencer that inspired you to create Summer Fridays skin care line, can you please share a few memories of the hurdles and triumphs you and Lauren experienced while formulating your award-winning, best-selling product: Jet Lag mask?
When we first launched and started working on Summer Fridays in 2016, we came up with an idea for a hydrating face mask & moisturizer that helped refresh tired, dull skin. I travel a lot for work, and I often take a red eye or fly internationally and work after I arrive, so I wanted to look not as tired as I felt. Lauren was early pregnant with her now toddler and she was looking for good-for-you ingredients and her jet lag feeling came from being a new mom. We dreamt up our first product Jet Lag Mask and now have a line of over a dozen products across skincare, makeup, and body care.
Midnight Ritual Retinol a new anti-aging product just launched, what are the key ingredients that are result driven in minimizing fine lines, etc.? Can you outline some of the inspiration, research, and final formula process when you and Lauren created the new retinol product?
When thinking of this product, we wanted to create a Retinol that was gentle yet effective. Often with retinols, people experience irritation and we wanted to minimize that happening for people who have sensitive skin but want to use a retinol daily. Midnight Ritual Retinol is clinically tested for sensitive skin, and we formulated it to be active enough to see results, while still being gentle for daily use.
Coat, dress, body suit & bag: CHANEL R23, fine Jewelry: CHANEL
Can you suggest Summer Fridays products that work well with the Midnight Ritual Retinol if your goal is to minimize fine lines and signs of aging?
The holy grail trinity would be a Vitamin C serum, Retinol, and SPF. In the morning I cleanse my skin and follow up with CC Me Serum, moisturizer, and ShadeDrops Mineral SPF. At night, I cleanse and then use Midnight Ritual Retinol followed by a moisturizer.
As you are a successful influencer, do the Summer Fridays and your personal social media followers and feedback inspire new formulas, branding, and packaging? If so, how?
We are a community-driven brand and we are always taking feedback for how we can make improvements and for upcoming products. On our socials, we check in with our online community for feedback of what products they want from us, what ingredients they are interested in, and what skincare concerns they are looking to address.
Coat, dress, body suit & bag: CHANEL R23, fine Jewelry: CHANEL
Can you share the parallel between your daily wellness routine and how it might inspire a new product?
My wellness routine and self-care are so important and are a must for me. For me to feel my best and show up for all the areas of my career, and for myself personally, I have to take care of myself. My morning and nighttime routines bookend my day with “me” time and in those times, I am doing my skincare, meditating, and journaling. And the Jet Lag Mask was inspired by the feeling of needing rest after feeling exhausted. Our Babymoon Belly Balm was created from Lauren’s need for a belly oil while expecting. These products and more become staples in part of our daily routines that make up the moments of our lives and I have so many memories tied to each of them.
What are some of your most important daily self-care routines you make time for whether you’re at home or traveling?
Meditation is a huge part of my daily practice. From the time I start working until I end my day, I’m usually thinking of a million things and have so much to do. Meditation gives me a few minutes in my day to do nothing. I will listen to a guided meditation, do breath work, listen to affirmations or do a silent meditation and just be with my thoughts. The best part is you can do it anywhere, especially when traveling. I’ll download mediations to do and sit and relax on a flight and it helps me so much. I also journal every day and focus on the things I am grateful for. It is such a great practice to feel gratitude for things each day, even the mundane we often take for granted.
Can you list some of your favorite Summer Friday products you use to prep your skin for a red carpet appearance?
When I am getting my makeup done, my makeup artist loves to prep my skin with Cloud Dew moisturizer, Light Aura eye cream, Heavenly 16 face oil, and our bestselling Lip Butter Balm.
The recent Revolve Fashion collaboration was a fantastic moment to be influenced by looks you curated; can you share your favorite chic but comfortable look you wear while traveling overseas?
I’m actually mid-flight as we speak and I am wearing a pair of Norma Kamali leggings, a plain black tee, and a sweater from Toteme. I feel comfortable yet put together and then I can remove the sweater or put it on depending on the temperature. I always wear slip-on shoes because it’s so easy to go through the airport, my favorite pairs are from APL. And I put everything in a tote! Today I am carrying one from Cuyana, their leathers are so luxe.
Coat, dress, body suit & bag: CHANEL R23, fine Jewelry: CHANEL
What’s in your “won’t leave home without” skincare, hair care, and body care kit when you travel?
I take all of my products with me when I travel, so my beauty routine stays the same. I always make sure I have a mini Jet Lag Mask, lip butter balm, and my Dyson airwrap.
What are some of your most recent memorable fashion & accessory brand partnerships you have participated in as an influencer?
The first show I ever attended at Paris Fashion Week was for Dior and I have such special memories of this trip. To be able to attend a PFW show is a dream, and to be able to go with Dior and Dior Beauty made it even more special.
I’m a fan of your “Reflections and Intentions” vision boards, when did you come up with this and why? Is it available to print or subscribe to?
I create these every year and someone just posted all theirs together from the last few years and I love that I am able to create something that helps people visualize what they want to accomplish this year and beyond. They are available on LifeWithMe.com and go along with an episode on Life with Marianna and I do them annually.
Thank you for this interview, you are a huge inspiration in the world of beauty as a female co-founder!
Credits
Photographer
Creative Director & Fashion Editor
Makeup
Alexis Oakley @ Dew Beauty Agency
Hair
Reagan @ Mane Addicts
Onset producer
Jillian Canter
Web Layout
Location
Thank you