Since 2005, Sara Happ has wanted her eponymous brand to focus on one thing: lips.
The brand started with a lip scrub and has since expanded into lip masks, lip treatments, glosses and lip balms. The brand is now sold in over 900 stores including Bluemercury, Nordstrom, Anthropologie and J.Crew. In June, Happ brought in Peggy Fry — formerly an adviser to the brand — as president to advance the brand’s specialty retail partnerships and technological capabilities, like data collection and smart labels. Happ, meanwhile, concentrates on product innovation, marketing and promotion. This year, the brand projects revenue to increase by 35 percent, and plans to prep for its first funding round and release new lip products that cross over into the skin-care category.
Happ walked us through a typical day in her life, which included waking up with her daughter Julia, shooting social media content for upcoming brand initiatives and partners, and having dinner with friends.
6:00 a.m.: I love to wake up on the weekend with my 5-year-old daughter, Julia. We snuggle as we talk about our day before it’s even begun. She’s a burst of excitement from the moment she opens her eyes, so it’s go-time. I make a homemade soy latte (strong!) with some coconut oil melted in for me, and gluten-free blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs for her.
8:00 a.m.: I’m off to hot yoga sculpt at Corepower with my best friend of 10 years, Stacey.
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9:45 a.m.: I get home and head to the bathroom for a steaming hot eucalyptus shower. Julia is with her father all day, because this is a rare Sunday that I’m working, so the house is quiet and I take some time to think through new product ideas as I inhale and exhale my favorite scent. My best work ideas always come while I’m in a bubble bath at night or a post-workout shower.
10:00 a.m.: I rarely leave enough time to get ready, but today I gave myself a luxurious hour and a half. My makeup is pretty simple, because my skin is what I care most about. I use foundation mixed with Becca highlighter, and then blush, mascara, a bronze eyeshadow and a lipgloss. I’m one of those girls who feels best if my hair and makeup is done, so my clothes are the last thing I think about, and I tend to stick to the basics and avoid trends. I also have this superstitious habit of picking out my outfit just seconds before I leave the house. Today, I’m also wearing white-themed HelpUsAdopt bracelets, which is my favorite charity and the perfect accessory.
11:30 a.m.: My friend and our company photographer, Maddie Marine, comes over. We leave for Hollywood to be interviewed for a new podcast called Hello Beauty to talk about how I launched my brand. We listen to music by Pink as we drive.
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1:00 p.m.: We are greeted by the lovely Joyce Platon and her production partner, Michael. Her studio is so chic — white, minimalist, clean — and is a perfect canvas to talk all things beauty with a clear head. She asks thoughtful questions about how I do what I do, why I do it and what inspires me.
2:30 p.m.: Maddie and I are starving and, when we get hungry, we both become quiet and a little unfocused. So we head to the Sweetgreen on Sunset Boulevard and load up on giant kale and avocado salads, bread and their Jasmine iced tea. After feeling re-energized and nourished, we head back home to the beach.
3:30 p.m.: We make a quick stop at Ulta to pick up some essentials: Kopari Coconut Melt, some shampoo and conditioner, and a face mist.
5:00 p.m.: Maddie and I head to the sand in our hometown of Manhattan Beach to shoot a few social media clips for upcoming giveaways, brand partnerships and QVC. We take off our heels, roll up our jeans and haul her equipment to the water’s edge to a spot we always seem to pick, where the pier is right behind us and the lighting is just right.
6:30 p.m.: I have a mom’s night out at Nick’s restaurant in downtown Manhattan Beach with Stacey and our mutual friend Pamelyn Rocco, who is also the founder of Bashery and Co. What I love about these girls is how hard they work at being moms, wives, bosses and friends. I could not ask for a better group of girlfriends — they understand that what ends up on Instagram isn’t even close to the whole story. They each order salads with loads of protein while I order fried chicken, biscuits and corn on the cob. Then it’s hugs all around, and we each go home to get our kids to bed.
8:00 p.m.: I get home for bedtime with Julia. I feel guilty for working on a Sunday, but she adores her father, and their time together is just as important as her time spent with me. We read books and snuggle before bed.
9:00 p.m.: I quickly check my phone for any missed texts, emails for the work week ahead and, of course, Instagram. I have a rule about social media, though: Only follow people who spark joy. For me, that’s never been more than 140 Instagram accounts, all of whom have to inspire me, touch me, feel grounded in kindness. The moment I see their names, they fill me with a sense of goodness.
11:00 p.m.: I have my nightly bubble bath. Yes, I take a bath every single night, regardless of if I have five minutes or 50. Tonight, I use lavender essential oil, an entire bag of Epsom salts, Philosophy Purity Body for bubbles, a purifying face mask and a lip mask while drinking room-temperature cucumber water. Then I slather our Dream Slip product onto my lips and an eye cream and night cream, followed by coconut oil all over my hands before I crawl into my crisp, all-white bed, feeling grateful for the people in my life and the creature comforts that I rely on to keep me calm and renewed.
