2020 will high-key be its own history book but it has also provided many opportunities to be more still, intentional and truly value time and healing. I don't know about you but as a Cancer and an empath, self-care manifests as lighting candles. My relationship with myself has never been more important. I owe it to myself to give the same compassionate energy to Joce as I do to my loved ones.
Finding candles that radiate self-love is one way to do that. As the seasons change, we want to be prepared for Seasonal Affective Disorder and general happiness. We have found that creating rituals and including candles makes for positive effects on your mood. Take a look at some uplifting scents that will empower you to devote more time to yourself!
*This list is specially curated by the xoNecole team and some links are affiliate links. If you purchase an item from an affiliate link, xoNecole might earn a small commission.
Ryan Porter Candle - Calm Down
Urban Outfitters
With scents that range from watermelon and champagne, to floral and teak, Ryan Porter offers a collection of pink 100 percent soy wax candles that come in sleek glasses with labels that feature bold lettering where attitude and ambience meet. This one in particular is the "Girl, You Need To Calm The F Down" candle and features Japanese cherry blossom and teak scents. The candle itself is as calming as it is aesthetically pleasing.
P.F. Candle Co. Amber Jar 12 oz Soy Candle - Amber + Moss
P.F. Candle Co.
With calming woodsy musk, sage, lavender, amber, and citrus notes, you are sure to feel elevated and rejuvenated after adding this candle to your self-care ritual. Be it daily or weekly, we believe you'll feel centered after burning this candle and setting your intentions.
ScentualGoddess Handmade Intention Candle - SELF CARE
ScentualGoddess/Etsy
What better way to practice self-care than with a candle that has affirmations plastered on top? It reads:
- I tune into my soul and ask what I need to feel nourished
- I treat myself with love, kindness and compassion
- I set healthy boundaries
- I allow myself to rest and rejuvenate for my well-being
Madewell - Rosewood Cassis Candle
Madewell
Speaking of intentions, lighting up this Madewell best-seller might just be what the universe ordered. The soy candle has the reminiscent indulgence of "a sunny afternoon in a French garden" with notes of rose, pear, green ivy, and cassis lulling you into instant calm. Let the pampering begin!
True North Navigation - RENEW Candle
True North Navigation/Etsy
Remember when Whitley Gilbert taught us how to "relax, relate, release"? Now it's time to Refresh, Renew and Revive. The eucalyptus refreshes your mood, the bamboo renews your mind, and the peppermint revives your body. Best of all, you can save the planet by reusing the tin as a jewelry holder or office supply container. Each candle in the collection costs $9.
Cancelled Plans Candle - Student Loans
Urban Outfitters
Looking to immerse yourself in calm and peaceful vibes? Cop this candle! A soothing blend of apricot wax and coconut wax, this relatable candle by Cancelled Plans is the perfect addition to your self-care day. Bask in the luxurious aroma of vanilla, citrus, coconut, sea salt, cardamom, dark musk, and plum.
Uncommon Goods - Sunday Morning Candle
Uncommon Goods
If you're looking for a lazy Sunday with a wick, prepare to burn some inner zen in your life with the help of this Sunday Morning Candle. The handmade vegetable wax candle consists of floral and fruity notes like pear, amber woods, bergamot, gardenia, and jasmine.
WildflowerByAna Aromatherapy Candle - Tranquility
WildflowerByAna/Etsy
Burn one of these for bath time or meditation or just because you feel like it. Created to invigorate feelings of tranquility with the help of its hypnotic blend of lavender, clary sage, and lemon, this candle is perfect for aromatherapy. WildflowerByAna also offers an array of other candles that meet additional desires like Focus, Motivation, Sensuality, and Happiness.
Crate and Barrel - Empower Scented Candle
Crate and Barrel
With their Empower scented candle, Crate and Barrel has managed to craft a fragrant masterpiece. The candle, made of essential oils and soy wax, has notes of orange, grapefruit, sage, lavender, oak moss, and amber. The fruity, sweet-smelling candle is the perfect way to bring in calming vibes. Plus, for every purchase, Crate and Barrel makes a $10 donation to VOW to End Child Marriage.
The Spa Girl Life - Glow From Within Inspiration Candle with Two Citrine Crystals
The Spa Girl Life
If you haven't noticed yet, candles and crystals go together like peanut butter and jelly. The Spa Girl Life designed the Glow From Within Candle to help you release anger with the soothing scents of ylang-ylang flower and the power of the citrine crystal. The woes of the world may have you down, in order for you to take care of you, you need to release it back into the universe. Try saying this mantra when igniting the flame, "I allow the fire within me to shine brightly, I happily and easily continue on my path."
Join our xoTribe, an exclusive community dedicated to YOU and your stories and all things xoNecole. Be a part of a growing community of women from all over the world who come together to uplift, inspire, and inform each other on all things related to the glow up. We drop xoNecole events and special opportunities into our Tribe first.
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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In a xoNecole exclusive, the mom of two opened up about many things, including starting her wellness journey at 13 years old. However, a near-death experience during a procedure at 20 made her start taking her health more seriously.
“There's so many different levels, and now, I'm in a space of just integrating all of this good stuff that I've learned just about just being human, you know?” Dreka tells us. “So it's also fun because it's like a journey of self-discovery and self-mastery. That's what I call it. So it's never-ending.”
Courtesy
If you follow Dreka, then you’re familiar with her holistic lifestyle, as she’s no stranger to promoting wellness, self-care, and holistic living. She even lives part-time on a Mississippi farm, not far from her grandmother and great-grandmother’s farm, where she spent some summers as a child.
While her grandmother and great-grandmother have passed on, Dreka reflects on that time in her life and how having a farm as an adult is her getting back to her roots. “So the farm was purchased back in 2017, and it was like, ah, that'll just be a place where we go when we're not touring or whatever,” she said.
“But covid hit, and I was there, and I was on the land, and I just started remembering back to going to my grandmother's during the summertime and freaking picking peas and going and eating mulberries off the freaking tree in the bushes.
“And she literally had cotton plants. I know some people feel weird about picking cotton and stuff. She had cotton plants and I would go and pick cotton out of her garden. And she had chickens, and I literally just broke down in tears one day when I was on the farm just doing all the things, and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh. I'm literally getting back to my roots.”
I literally just broke down in tears one day when I was on the farm just doing all the things, and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh. I'm literally getting back to my roots.
You can catch glimpses of Dreka’s farm life on Instagram, which shows her picking fruit and vegetables and loving on her animals like her camel Eessa. Her passion for growing and cultivating led her to try and grow all of her ingredients for her wellness brand, Dreka Wellness. However, she quickly realized that she might be biting off more than she could chew. But that didn’t stop her from fulfilling her vision.
Watch below as Dreka talks more about her business, her wellness tips, breaking toxic cycles, becoming a doula, and more.
- YouTube
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