The Art of the Summer Friday, According to 6 Tastemakers
November 26 | 4 minute read
Words by Christie Sinclair
The ‘summer Friday’ is finally back, and if you ask these six tastemakers, it’s time to log off and round up your friends, turn up your favourite playlist, and treat yourself to some beauty therapy. Here’s how to make those golden hours count.
Catarina Oliveira & Rui Liu, Herbar Founders
What does a summer Friday look like for you?
CO & RL: “A summer Friday usually starts slow; tea first, emails second. We like to sneak out and work from outside with a chrysanthemum tea in hand, ideally somewhere green or by the sea. It’s like resetting the nervous system after the week, sometimes through an acupuncture session, sometimes just lying in the sun pretending we’re a mushroom absorbing light.”
How do you transition from work mode to weekend mode?
CO & RL: “This is when the pace is not rushed, and we can indulge in facial massage. We apply a few drops of Herbar The Face Oil and use The Gua-Shroom. It’s about turning off the analytical brain and turning on the sensory one.”
What’s your summer Friday beauty routine?
CO & RL: “The Face Nectar, The Barrier Cream, and a generous layer of Sun Shield. That’s the holy trinity. The mushrooms do the heavy lifting: tremella for plumpness, reishi for calm, and split gill to keep the redness at bay. We always keep it minimal at Herbar and let the skin breathe.”
Halla Madol, Fashion and Beauty Content Creator
HM: “A summer Friday is a self-care day for me. It’s about letting down my hair [and] using my favourite products on skin and hair, because I’m big on smelling good 24/7.”
How do you transition from work mode to weekend mode?
HM: “By blasting my favourite artist, Amber Drift, on the vinyl player, which gets me in the mood to tackle everything else. Also, I can’t tackle anything with crusty lips, so I’ve been obsessed with the Drunk Elephant Plump-C™ Tripeptide Lippe Mask. It keeps my lips plump and hydrated.”
What is the scent of your summer Friday?
HM: “The Maker Revel EDP. It’s literally a Summer Friday in a bottle.”
Paris Wycherley, Content Creator
PW: “A summer Friday starts with a coffee in bed, walking the dogs down to Iris The Bakery for a sweet treat, a few hours at the Fitzroy Swimming Pool before wandering down to Napier Quarter for some late-afternoon wines in a really, really good outfit, all to end in bed by 9pm with another sweet treat.”
How do you transition from work mode to weekend mode?
PW: “Work mode to weekend mode starts with a clean house, a candle lit (I am living for all the pine scents at the moment) and an everything shower, [then] bathrobe, jazz in the background, [Summer Fridays] Jet Lag Mask and eye patches on.”
What’s your summer Friday beauty routine?
PW: “It’s all about glow: Summer Fridays Shade Drops for sun protection, Pool Time Glowing Body Oil and Lip Butter Balm in ‘Hot Cocoa’.”
Joanna Ellner, REOME Founder
JE: “A summer Friday, for me, is all about loosening my grip on the week. I try to finish a little earlier – even if it’s just 30 minutes – and step outside. Then, I swiftly shift back into family mode by making room in my schedule to take my seven-year-old daughter to her swim lesson after school. Then, we’ll go to a countryside pub for dinner and a spicy margarita for me, which I will have been looking forward to all week. It’s less about doing anything grand, and more about creating a small pocket of space – a gentle exhale that marks the start of the weekend.”
What’s your summer Friday beauty routine?
JE: “I always reach for hydration. I start with REOME Active Recovery Broth – it brings instant calm and radiance back into my skin, especially after hours indoors. I follow with our cooling Firming Eye Treatment which I keep in the fridge during the warmer months for that extra freshness on skin. I switch my usual pinky-toned blush stick for Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in ‘Calypso Coral’, which I take to cheeks and then dab the excess on my lips. It creates a very subtle, sunkissed hue. I wash my hair daily and let it air dry to encourage its natural wave, and just add a little bit of Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Long Last Styling Cream, which I discovered backstage at NYFW during my beauty editor years. Still, nothing beats it.”
If your summer Friday had a scent, what would it be?
JE: “I tend to forego my usual muskier scents for a lightly scented body oil like Nécessaire The Body Oil Grapefruit, just from ankles to knees and across my forearms. And I’ve started to add a hair mist too, which captures that effortless, wind-in-your-hair feeling that you get on holiday. Frédéric Malle’s Portrait of a Lady Hair Mist is completely divine; it’s a showstopper of a scent in fragrance form, but in the hair, it becomes a fleeting moment – powerful, but understated.”
Marissa Lepps, Content Creator
What does a summer Friday look like for you?
ML: “A summer Friday means winding down from my 9-to-5 and embracing the (hopefully) sunny weekend ahead! This usually goes one of two ways: either laying out in my backyard with my favourite tunes on, or making plans with my favourite people to have dinner, a few wines or a boogie somewhere around Melbourne.”
How do you transition from work mode to weekend mode?
ML: “The shift is instant as soon as I put my favourite playlist on. I literally have one called ‘to make you feel like summer’. Summer is my favourite season by far, and that playlist transports me straight to the Balearic Islands, no matter what time of year it is.”
What’s your summer Friday beauty routine?
ML: “My skincare for summer days usually consists of a lighter moisturiser with vitamin C followed by SPF50, always! My year-round make up routine is minimal-ish, but summer makes me strip it back even more – usually consisting of concealer where needed, skin tint, mascara, some bronzer and a fun lip colour.”
Fabienne Sebaoun, Mimétique Founder
FS: “The weekend begins the second I stop planning. I’ll drive through Paris, maybe stop to pick up L’Étiquette – the most Parisian magazine – scroll for a good restaurant, or do absolutely nothing. Sometimes I just want to walk, thrift a little, read and feel like time finally belongs to me again. I love spending that time with my family, kids and friends.”
What’s your summer Friday beauty routine?
FS: “When I take a moment for Mimétique Skin Cloud, Ctrl Eye and the new Skin Restore+ [Editor’s note: both coming soon to MECCA!], it’s pure lâcher-prise (‘let it go’).”
If your summer Friday had a scent, what would it be?
FS: “Something light, almost imperceptible, with a hint of neroli – like orange blossom warmed by the sun. It reminds me of Eau des Sens by DIPTYQUE; that effortless mix of citrus, petals and air.”
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. Sunscreen is only one form of sun protection. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and reapply as directed.
