As a beauty editor, I get an obscene amount of DMs asking me about what products actually work and what’s worth the money. But if I had to narrow down one brand I’ve gotten more questions about in the past year, it’s Summer Fridays. The brand has all the makings of Instagram gold: a sleek metal tube that looks perfectly “lived-in” as you use it; a pastel color palette; and it’s backed by two influencers honestly deserving of the title, Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores Ireland.

This month, it released its second product: the Overtime Mask, a clarifying mask made with pumpkin and apricot seed powder. Where competitors (ahem, Glossier) are leaning in heavily on acids, Overtime uses gentle fruit enzymes and traditional good old scrubby bits to slough off dead skin. The way Hewitt does it? “I like to use it at night, right after I cleanse my skin,” she told me at the launch party for the mask. “I rub it in at the beginning to activate it on my skin. Then I’ll leave it on for 10 minutes, rinse, and follow it up with the Jet Lag Mask. That way the ingredients really get into your skin and do their magic.”

So, is it actually worth your hard-earned $44 for a tube? I asked five Glamour editors put it to the test. Here’s how it fared against over-exfoliated, acne-prone, and sensitive skin.

Maureen Choi, beauty contributor

I’ll admit it: I’m addicted to the good glow regular exfoliation brings. But over the years, I’ve self-inflicted enough rosacea-level redness on my sensitive skin to know that my sloughing sweet spot is once a week—and done with a chemical formula involving some sort of AHA like glycolic or lactic acid. For any scrub that comes across my desk, it’s a hard pass since they’re usually too gritty for my temperamental face.

But since I’m a sucker for scent and couldn’t resist the pumpkin pie vibes of the Overtime Mask, which utilizes apricot powder to unglue all the gunk, I took it home and gave it a whirl. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It decongested my poor little pores and made my skin brighter, smoother, and a whole lot happier after just one use. Apart from the fact that it smells amazing, it also delivered a lot of hydration, which isn’t something exfoliators normally do. One thing, though: The instructions say to rub the honeylicious goo in for a minute before letting it sit on your skin for 10 more. If you’re sensitive or dealing with current breakouts, do it ever-so-lightly for like five seconds and stop—because the shells can be a touch too rough. I don’t think it’s going to replace my go-to peel pads, but I like the idea of using it as a monthly skin reset.

Ana Colón, digital fashion editor

Truth be told, I’m not very consistent with my exfoliating routine. I do, however, wash my face every day with cleanser (Burt’s Bees Brightening Daily Facial Cleanser) and do a mask at least once a week (usually L’Oréal’s Pure Clay Mask.) So I was excited to try this product, since it combined one part of my skin care routine with another I should really, really be doing in the first place.

I washed my face with my regular old cleanser, then applied the Summer Fridays mask. First thought: This smells incredible—like fresh-baked pumpkin bread. (I even went up to my partner and was like, “SMELL MY FACE.”) It burned a little for those 10 minutes and doesn’t really harden, but by the time I washed it off, my skin felt really fresh. And that just-did-a-mask feeling, where your skin feels light (and almost tight?) lasted well into the next morning. This is definitely a product I could do once a week, though maybe not as regularly as recommended on the packaging, because the exfoliating is pretty…effective.

Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer

I’ll always love my beta hydroxy acids, but when my derm told me a few months ago that I was over-exfoliating, I relinquished them with claw hands. Physical exfoliants can be more gentle, though, and I consider that a loophole. The texture was grittier than I was expecting, so I massaged about a dime-sized amount of the mask onto my forehead and T-zone, while avoiding the active pimples on my jawline. After 15 minutes, I washed it off. I can’t say I noticed a difference, but it did remind me how much I like the tingle of my other pumpkin fave, MyChelle Incredible Pumpkin Peel. I won’t use this again, but if your skin likes a gritty physical scrub, this is a seasonal way to get there—and make Spring Breakers voice Summer Fridays forever.

Azadeh Valanejad, video producer

The day I turned 28, my skin decided to revert back to my high school days, and I’ve been struggling with adult acne for the last year. My first step was to change my long overdue skin care routine and after reading about how tough face scrubs can be on your skin, I stopped completely. I tried a couple exfoliating acids, but they still weren’t helping, so I gave up altogether. My skin saw a lot of improvement with Summer Friday’s Jet Lag mask (which I use every day!), so when I heard the brand was releasing an exfoliator I knew I had to try it.

I was a little worried the Overtime mask would be rough, but the apricot bits are crushed finely. If you rub it gently, it’s an extremely mild scrub. I followed the instructions and rubbed it onto my face in circular motions for 60 seconds before letting it do it’s thing for 10 minutes. Once I washed it off, my skin was fresh. I think I’ll have to use it a couple more times before I see how glowy my skin will become, but it hasn’t make me breakout, so that’s already a great sign it’s working in my favor. Best part? It smells like a pumpkin spice latte.

Khaliha Hawkins, digital assistant

I already use and love Summer Friday’s Jet Lag mask, so I was pumped to try this—especially since the packaging is as glorious as the original. I was worried it would have heavy pumpkin smell, but it’s actually really light and pleasant, which to me is its best attribute. If I did have to give it a gripe, it’d be about the apricot seed powder—it’s really thick and gritty. When I first started rubbing it in, I was tempted to rinse it off immediately. It feels like something that’ll irritate your skin at first. But I didn’t seem to be having a reaction so I kept going—gently, which the instructions tell you to do. It’s a good thing I did because when I rinsed it off, it left me with an amazing glow. Plus, my face didn’t feel dry or tight afterward. I paired it with my Jet Lag mask as a moisturizer right after and my skin was noticeably softer the next morning. It’s getting permanent residence in my bathroom cabinet. I can’t wait to see what the longterm effect is on my skin.

Summer Fridays Overtime Mask, $44, sephora.com

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