It’s safe to say that the internet’s interest is piqued when it-girl Sofia Richie does just about anything, and her makeup routine is no exception.
When the model was getting ready for her wedding weekend, she shared all the products she had been using, including her Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm.
Richie calls this her “gentle makeup” routine, essentially a minimal approach to the beautification process that is in stark contrast to both Kim Kardashian’s full-beat look and Hailey Bieber’s ‘no-makeup-makeup’. It has all the classic elements that make up a full face, foundation, blush, lip liner, but is never over the top.
During her wedding weekend, Richie finished off her lip liner (Oak Lip Pencil from M.A.C. Cosmetics), with a swipe of the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Pink Sugar.
“And then I’m going to take this Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, which I am chronically obsessed with right now,” she said. “This flavour is heaven.”
With those words, she drew the internet even further into an obsession that had already been growing on TikTok. Now, her video has over 7.5 million views, and the products are flying off the shelves. One Lip Butter Balm is sold every 17 seconds worldwide, while Pink Sugar once had a 7,000+ person waitlist. It’s in high demand.
But is the hype really worth it? We got our hands on the cult product to give it our full review.
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm Review
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Pink Sugar, $38, MECCA
I have tried a few lip balms over the years, and I have to say the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm is definitely one of the best.
It comes in a well designed tube (very cute in the handbag too), and twist cap opener. The bullet is clear, which allows you to see how much product is coming out and manage your application process with ease.
It’s not the kind of lip balm where you’re going to end up with way too much of it everywhere, it’s easy to control.
The vegan formula is designed to be applied as needed throughout the day to soothe and add hydration, but I feel it also works as a brilliant glossing agent over lipstick.
I tried both Sofia Richie’s favourite shade ‘Pink Sugar’ and also a deeper red-toned shade ‘Cherry’, which I feel looks even better when sheered out on the lips for a more gentle wash of colour.
See both shades below.
After this first application, I continued to apply the product throughout the week, and my chapped lips felt continuously smooth. Unlike other balms I’ve tried, it doesn’t just work as a salve for a moment, it continues to condition your lips the more regularly you wear it. Overall, it’s a great lip balm, and it does live up to the hype you see online.
What Do The Summer Fridays Founders Think Of All The Buzz?
Co-Founders, Marianna Hewitt & Lauren Ireland explain that the reason their balm is so hyped is because they were so particular during the formulation process.
“When formulating Lip Butter Balm we were incredibly picky! We wanted something nourishing on the lips, without a sticky feeling. It needed to feel moisturizing and long lasting and most of all be vegan. Formulating a vegan lip product is challenging without the use of many ingredients, so we were so thrilled when we finally landed on a winning formula we were obsessed with,” they said.
The winning formula ended up utilising ingredients that could offer long-lasting moisture, particularly shea and murumuru seed butters, which are natural moisturisers.
“[They] truly nourish and condition your lips – and it lasts! You can even use Lip Butter Balm as an overnight mask for this very reason,” they say.
For Hewitt and Ireland, the initial response to the product was great, back in April 2020, when early adopters of the product picked it up after launch.
“With each new shade, the love and support of this product has grown. Our holiday sets in 2022 were an opportunity for people to try all the shades and find their favourite and [that] brought many new people to the brand. It’s been up and up since then!”
The pair had always intended to add additional shades and flavours after launching their core one, vanilla, which is a clear formula. They’ve just kept up the process over time, with vanilla beige, pink sugar and cherry, the latter two are the most recent launches. And, they say, there’s more to come (so keep your eyes peeled).
