Long before she was the Emmy Award-winning cohost of daytime talk show “The Real,” co-anchor of “E! News” and the third-place finisher of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” in 2019, Adrienne Bailon-Houghton was winning the hearts of coming-of-age Millennials in 2000 as the high-pitched, high-ponytail-rocking member of 3 Little Women, better known as 3LW. The group, which also included Kiely Williams and Naturi Naughton, helped epitomize Y2K pop, an aesthetic oft copied in the beauty world by Gen Z nearly 25 years after their self-titled debut album.

In perhaps their most noted hit song, “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right),” Bailon-Houghton belts out tales of young love and a dead-end romance with a wishy-washy commitment-phobe. A quarter-century later, she’s singing a different tune as wife to “Mr. Right,” singer-songwriter and music producer Israel Houghton, mother to their 2-year-old son and the face of baby laundry brand Dreft.

The Procter and Gamble-owned and pediatrician-recommended brand was first introduced to her as an expectant mom in 2022. Its formula is specially made for baby’s delicate skin and strong enough for family, per the brand. What’s more, it’s EPA Safer Choice-certified, meaning that the formula contains ingredients with more positive health and environmental characteristics than conventional products. Bailon-Houghton’s go-to laundry products are Dreft’s gentle cleansing fabric rinse tough on deep, set-in stains and lightly scented laundry pods for all ages.

In an exclusive interview, the singer and television personality sat down with HAPPI to discuss her love of the brand, cleaning and beauty rituals and the new meaning the holidays have taken on as a first-time mom.

HAPPI: How did you get introduced to Dreft?

Bailon-Houghton: I got introduced to the brand when my son was on the way and I remember everyone being crazy about detergent and how we had to prewash all his baby clothes and obviously I was like “psycho” about it because it was my first baby. I think every mom wants to do what’s best for their child and Dreft was the number one [brand] recommended to me at the time that was the best baby detergent and now they have an amazing fabric rinse as well. I remember being introduced to it and then washing all of his clothing—every onesie, every blanket, everything that he would touch—and then going “Wait, but this child is going to be resting on my chest and on my clothing most of the day, I probably should wash all of me and my husband’s clothes as well…”

And then it just became a family thing of we have never stopped using it and now they have these awesome detergent packs and again their fabric rinse is incredible. It’s just become a part of our daily life. Especially now having a 2-year-old who wants to do everything with me. Going into the holidays, he’s wanting to cook and bake, do crafts with me and that just means we’re going to have a very messy household and very messy clothing. I just think that when you’re going into the holidays as a very busy mama, one of the things that you can mark off your list that tends to be easier is when you actually have a product that works. I absolutely love that I never worry about laundry. I know that it’s one, two, three. Things are going to come out, no stress at all and we can move on to just enjoying the beautiful holiday moments.

HAPPI: What does the holidays mean for you as a new mom?

Bailon-Hougton: It is that much more magical and that much more special because it’s no longer about just me. It’s about making these incredible memories for my son and seeing the awe and wonder in his eyes. I feel like this is the first year he’s really understanding what’s going on. Now he can say “Feliz Navidad!” and “Merry Christmas!” And I’m trying to tell him why all the trees are going up in the house. I like to host a lot. My husband calls me Marta Stewart like the Latina Martha Stewart, which I take as a huge compliment. I like to get crafty around the house, I love decorating, I love hosting. So, we got our property lit up with all the trees around the landscaping and we put our Christmas trees up and we ended up doing a chateau tree lighting where the whole family came over with matching PJs and we baked, we cooked, we ate, we played games. And then we had a countdown where I saw my son’s eyes light up as all of the lights on our house lit up. It felt like a Hallmark movie.

HAPPI: What does your cleaning routine look like? Can you provide any cleaning tips?

Bailon-Houghton: I don’t get stressed out about messes. I think that was one of the most important things that my mom taught me when I was growing up. She was very patient with us, and also she was really kind about the idea that children are going to be children and are going to be messy. That’s a part of their development and it helps their development. It helps for them to try out new things, touch new things, feel different textures and get messy and paint and cooking and baking and all that fun stuff.

Here’s the thing: I put my son to sleep and my therapy at night is cleaning the whole house and it leaves starting every day at a fresh start. Don’t let the mess pile up would be my number one advice. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t wait till the next morning to clean up a party. If you’ve got awesome friends and family, take that last 30 minutes of that party and tell everybody “Let’s blast the music; help me clean up before you head out.” And I love that I have a big Latino family that loves to do that. My mom’s number one tip to me when she taught me how to cook was clean as you go. If you’ve got something on the pot roasting you just start cleaning up everything you’ve used: your cutting board, knives – everything that you’ve used to prep – start cleaning that up so that by the time you’re done, you’re not left with a huge mess. For me, once the night is done, I’m not the person that goes “I’m so exhausted, I want to go to sleep.” As exhausted as I may be, I will take that extra 30 minutes to an hour to clean everything up and at least I will thank myself for it when I wake up in the morning. And everything is clean. Load up the dishwasher and go to sleep.

HAPPI: What are some of your favorite cleaning products?

Bailon-Houghton: In my laundry room, my go-to are Dreft products. I am the kind of person who will throw it in the wash while I’m going to do the dishes and, literally, I’ll hear my washing machine go off, transfer everything and then I’ll go to bed. When I wake up, everything is going to be in the dryer, all I have to do is fold it up and that makes me feel like I have a good, fresh start to the day. I would say I am a girlie that appreciates anything that smells really good in the house – that’s probably one of my favorite things.

HAPPI: What does your beauty routine look like? Do you tweak it at all during the holidays?

Bailon-Houghton: I’m in New York so the weather is changing rapidly and the temperatures are dropping. I found myself the other day feeling like, “Are my lips getting chapped?” “Are we getting dry here?” I’m doing overnight lip masks, I’m doing face masks. It’s all about hydration, hydration, hydration.

When it comes to beauty, I think a lot of us don’t do our makeup on an everyday basis, myself included. Especially as a mom, I’m running around with my son. Throughout the year, I think one of the smartest things I’ve done is figuring out a beauty routine that does work for me – especially when it comes to makeup – so that when it comes to these special holiday parties, you’re not figuring out how to do your makeup an hour before you have to walk out [of] the house. Now that we’re leading [into holiday], start doing your makeup, start doing it for fun and seeing how it comes out. Start figuring out what you like and what you don’t like, like a berry lip. So that when you’re getting ready for your big holiday party during Christmas and New Year’s, you’ve got this down. Even if it’s just to stay at home and chill with your kids, take the 15 minutes to spruce up a little bit and I think you’ll feel so much better and so much more confident when you’re getting ready for the big holiday parties.

HAPPI: What are some of your favorite beauty brands?

Bailon-Houghton: There’s a brand called KNC Beauty and she has a sheet lip mask that I’m obsessed with and I think she has the best exfoliators.

HAPPI: How do you get your glow?

Bailon-Houghton: (Laughs) Thank you. Moisturizing is key. I’ve been obsessed with Kiehl’s moisturizer for years. It’s always my go-to. But also, hydration from the inside-out. Liquid IV is one of my favorite hydrators. Throwing some Liquid IV in my big Stanley cup and sipping on that all day long allows me to stay hydrated from the inside-out and I think that helps the glow as well.

HAPPI: Describe your best day.

Bailon-Houghton: My best days are weekends with my family. On Saturday, we love hitting up the farmer’s market in the area where we live. Honestly, there’s nothing better than taking naps when you have a toddler with your husband. There’s something really special about spending time at home during the holidays when you know it’s cold outside. We have several places in our house, so my husband will put a log on [and] some candles going on in the house. I’ll knock out chores I have do to. But for the most part, it’s chilling in our PJs, all day, cooking, making soup. Something warm, cozy and delicious. •