Hi truly amazing Mamas! I hope you all had an incredible week and a fabulous Summer. It’s Friday and you know what that means… a new episode of The Model Mama Show is now LIVE (woo hoo!). It’s week 9 of our FEATURE FRIDAY series and I’m thrilled to announce this week’s truly inspiring Mama and major beauty guru. Lauren Gores Ireland is amazing in every way. She’s the Co-Founder of the new skin and beauty line, Summer Fridays. The mega babe is also the Creative Director behind her successful lifestyle blog, You + Lu. Most importantly, she’s a devoted and loving Mama to her adorable little boy, Evan.
If you haven’t already heard of Lauren’s skincare line: Summer Fridays, you obviously haven’t been on Instagram or visited Sephora lately (shame on you!). Lauren, alongside her friend and fellow beauty blogger, Marianna Hewitt, decided to launch this brand together earlier this year after noticing a major void in the beauty space. They were both still searching for something with truly good-for-you ingredients that simultaneously gave you that instant glow. Lauren was pregnant at the time so her beauty routine was pretty limited. This gave her even more motivation to create a line safe for mamas in every stage of life (halleluiah!)
These two beauty mavens launched with one product, The Jet Lag Mask, and it’s been a huge hit worldwide. Honestly, I’m truly obsessed with this mask. Lauren brought me one to our interview and I’ve literally worn it 4 days in a row since. My favorite part about this mask is that it requires no added time commitment (YES!). You simply apply thin layer to a clean face, let it absorb for 10 mins, and you don’t need to wipe or wash it off. It also works as an amazing makeup primer. Apply this mask all over your face and you’ll drench your skin with antioxidant-rich hydration, leaving the house with that instant spa glow... hello heaven!
If that's not amazing enough, TODAY Lauren and Marianna just announced the release of their second product. Drum roll please… it’s called, The Overtime Mask. This beauty booster exfoliates and hydrates for lasting brightness. Optimal results if you follow with the Jet Lag mask. The perfect regimen for all those overachievers out there (like all of you modern mamas everywhere).
Ok, so clearly this is one motivated and super savvy Mama… just typing all that made me exhausted:) I don’t know how she does it all… but she does it with grace, a sense of humor and so much style! This mama will undoubtedly become your new go-to girl for all things beauty, mommyhood, and fitness. She’s so honest, down-to-earth and hilarious about her transition to Motherhood and how she navigates her oh-so busy life. I had way too much fun chatting with Lauren… tune in below for all her insights and positive perspective!
WATCH OUR FULL INTERVIEW HERE. Kick your feet up, pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of rosé (come on, Mamas! It’s the last Friday of Summer) and join our real conversation about juggling it all: motherhood, marriage, multiple careers, and how to enjoy the journey.
Some of my FAVORITE takeaways from Lauren:
+ Balancing mommyhood + work:
“I’ve had to accept that things are constantly changing. Not only is my baby and his schedule changing, but so many things in my life are changing too, so I’ve had to accept this natural flow. Things aren’t always going to be on a perfectly scheduled routine even if I want it to be, because sometimes my baby may wake up cranky or I have a last minute meeting. I’ve learned to go with the flow a little better. There was a period of adjustment, when I wanted things to fit into my normal box but I realized that was more stressful. So I let that go and said, ‘We’re going to take it day by day, and whatever the priority is that day, we’ll make it work.
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+ It's important to ask for help:
“I’m still overcoming that fear of asking for help, but there’s also a lot of joy in overcoming that. I think there have been so many things that have opened up because of the new changes. You get more time with family that you didn’t have before because your baby brings you all together in a new way. It’s encouraging to ask for help because you realize people want to help and want you to succeed in all your roles.”
+ Having it all:
“This motherhood journey has proven we can absolutely have it all, we just can’t have it all in perfect harmony all at once. If you’re giving energy to something else, of course something else will sacrifice because that’s the reality of putting your heart into something. But you can also see when certain things take more priority, and there are days when work takes a lot of energy and others when you have to be 100% in mom-mode and everything else can wait.”
+ For tough days... how she re-centers:
“I love to run or do yoga, and that alone time is important because it gives me some time to think and clear my head. Or sometimes my son will be with me and I’ve made him a part of my workouts, let him play with his toys and then I can at least do a bit of a workout. Sometimes I’ll also write or journal... “Another hard transition has been finding alone time, because I’ve always loved that time of day that’s all to myself. But when you become a mom, you’re not alone often anymore, and even when the baby goes down you want to be with your husband. So you have to find new ways to create that space for yourself. Learning to find that me-time again has been so important for me because it helps me become re-centered.”
+ Morning Routine:
“We try to keep the mornings phone free, which is really hard sometimes, but I’ve found that most people don’t try to reach me that early. So we’ll wake up, we’ll maybe have a little family snuggle time, my husband and I’ll make coffee, and we’ll sit in our backyard. We all get to have our time together before anyone else is in the house or we have to go to work. We always talk about how we’re going to have the best day ever, because with him everyday feels like it’s the best, and we always have that conversation about what we’re going to do that day that’ll make it the best.”
+ Achieving balance:
“I’ve learned that the perfect balance probably won’t ever exist, so I’ve started to prioritize different things at different moments. And I’m kind of ok with it because something else is blossoming, and it doesn’t mean the other is going away, it just might not get much attention for a period of time. Everything is temporary, and there’s always something more joyful but there’s also something you’re battling.”
