Who: Marianna Hewitt, Co- Founder, Summer Fridays

CEW member: Since 2018

Biz Cred: This OG super influencer is a leading voice in social media with more than 1 million followers. As a co-founder of Summer Fridays, the self-confessed beauty fanatic combines both her social presence and video tutorials to influence a diverse international audience—inspiring women everywhere to find beauty in all things. She is also the host of Life With Marianna, a top five fashion and beauty podcast.

What quality does a product need to possess in order for you to recommend it?
I get a gut feeling the first time I try a product—whether I will be obsessed with it and whether it’s something my friends or followers would want to hear about. If I keep grabbing it and reusing it, that’s a good sign. From there, I ask whether it works, do I like the brand and is there something unique about it that would make me recommend it over what I already own? I want to recommend things I know people will actually like, so I try my best to share products that will resonate with my audience.

Why is peer recognition important?
As a younger beauty brand, it’s such an honor to be recognized [by the industry.] To be [acknowledged] by other brand founders and beauty executives is encouraging.

You’ve been awarded a CEW Beauty Creators Award. What did it mean to you? 
Before launching Summer Fridays, I would see my friends attend the CEW Beauty Creators event and I always looked forward to the day that we would one day be able to attend “the Oscars of beauty.” It was something we always had as a goal in our mind, so being able to not only be nominated but to win in our first year was a memory we will never forget. Being in a room with so many brands and founders we admire so much felt so surreal—thinking that those we once admired were now our peers!

Be sure to vote for this year’s Beauty Creators Awards Winners!