Quantcast
Beauty And Fashion Influencer Candace Marie Shows Us How To Turn Braids Into A Work Of Art


"Episode 1 Hair Me Out"

This post is in partnership with Ulta Beauty.

Candace Marie, like many Black women, has been on a journey with her hair. From hot combs to cornrows, she’s tried and done it all. As fate would have it, hair has become her signature ingredient, and if you follow her, you know her style switch-ups are anything but basic (trust me, she never disappoints!)


During the very first episode of our “Beautiful Soul” series in partnership with Ulta Beauty, xoNecole founder Necole Kane sat down with Candace as she puts a sweet spin on her cornrows. Before braiding the top of her braids into a heart pattern, Candace shows us how she preps her hair, adding a surge of moisture and scalp protection. Once the braids are complete, she’ll then walk us through how she maintains and wraps her hair to keep the style protected and looking fresh.

The social media consultant and influencer has an impressive career in luxury fashion, having lent her talents to big brands like Prada, Parkwood, and Barney’s New York. She eventually took a leap of faith and became an entrepreneur, launching her own brand. She’s also giving back through her organization Black In Corporate, which aims to create a safe space for Black women and men who seek relief, support, and a sense of community within their jobs. Candace is one of Ulta Beauty’s MUSE 100 honorees, which celebrates 100 inspiring Black voices in beauty. Ulta Beauty recognizes Candace as a luminous leader. She’s taking her years of experience in corporate luxury fashion and sharing it to help other Black creatives succeed.

Watch as Necole and Candace chat through their most cherished hair memories and can’t-live-without routine in this fun “Get Ready With Me” segment.

Scroll through the gallery below to shop the Ulta Beauty products Candace’s used in her tutorial.

Extreme Anti-Snap Anti-Breakage Conditioner

Redken's Extreme Anti-Snap Anti-Breakage Leave-In Conditioner is a leave-in hair treatment that smooths the cuticle and helps fortify damaged or brittle hair that is prone to breakage. This professional product leaves hair healthy, shiny, and resilient.

Redken
$27

Jojoba Oil Serum

Ulta Beauty

Smelling like heaven, PATTERN's Jojoba Oil Hair Serum helps to create a sacred space for your scalp. It's a super lightweight, residue-free blend of beautiful oils like Safflower Oil, Jojoba Oil, Rosehip Oil, Olive Oil & Lavender Oil.

Pattern Beauty
$25

Soft Hair, Don't Care Haitian Moringa Oil Sleek + Chic Edge Gel

Soft Hair, Don't Care Haitian Moringa Oil Sleek + Chic Edge Gel

Kreyòl Essence's Soft Hair, Don't Care Haitian Moringa Oil Sleek + Chic Edge Gel helps to "lay your edges" without flakiness and drying agents that damage the delicate hairs at the temple.

Kreyol Essence
$22

Edge Tool

Ulta Beauty

Pattern Beauty Edge Tool

Super solid yet perfectly delicate, the PATTERN Edge Tool is the new essential to add to your routine for endless swoops and swirls.

Pattern Beauty
$12

Charcoal + Tea Tree Scalp Treatment

Briogeo's Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Scalp Treatment Serum is a soothing and detoxifying scalp treatment clinically shown to increase scalp hydration by up to 142%.

Briogeo
$32

Mousse + Volumizing Foam

Nexxus Mousse+ Volumizing Foam helps to maintain full-bodied styles, lifts fine hair and retains hair's natural movement.

Nexxus
$16.99

Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend

This non-greasy, lightweight formula by Melanin Haircare is designed to soften, nourish and seal your hair in the seemingly violent heat. These oils were specifically curated because of their ability to penetrate the hair shaft in order to nourish and rebuild.

Melanin Haircare
$18

Biolage All-In-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray

All-In-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray

Biolage All-In-One Multi-Benefit Spray infused with coconut oil is for everyone, everywhere, and every time. No matter the hair texture or hair moment, this multi-tasking spray is your new go to for controlled, healthy looking hair.

Biolage
$22

Sign up today and be the first to get notified on new updates, exclusive events, retreats and giveaways!

More Posts
Is Once Ever Enough To See Beyoncé's "Renaissance World Tour?"

Many have wondered if one time is ever enough to see Queen Bey. Some argue yes. However, many of us on the opposite end of the spectrum, including myself, would disagree. Beyoncé's "Renaissance World Tour" is a universal yet varying experience for everyone who attends. In the words of Oprah Winfrey, the concert is "transcendent." For millennials, we have over two decades of her catalog that has served as the soundtrack for many of our lives and painted a personal portrait of our most coveted thoughts. Her music provides mental clarity and self-expression by serving as a universal language that has united fans from all walks of life through community, fashion, self-acceptance, and healing.

Keep reading...Show less
'Fall-Themed Sex 2.0.' Here Are 15 New Ways To Make This Your Favorite Time Of The Year.

Hands down and without hesitation, my favorite time of the year is the fall season. I like the cooler temperatures. I like the turn of the leaves. Some of my favorite men (my late father and late fiancé) were Libras. Layering clothes is dope. I start to (slightly) swap out iced chai lattes (with oat milk) for hot chocolate and apple cider. The foods that are in season then are some of my faves (eggplant parmesan, anyone?). Watching sports outside is fun — need I go on? And so, even though I like to write about sex — especially ways to have even better sex — any time of the year, it’s right around now when I start to get inspired to pitch topics like this one.

Keep reading...Show less
What Exactly Is The 'Raw Till 4' Diet?

There are moments on our health journey when our bodies are bugging us to hit the reset button.

With life, we can start to see slips in our diet, irregular exercising, and inconsistent sleep schedules, and our mental health can suffer because of it. But what many people come to find is that with just a few adjustments — as opposed to restrictions — being made to their food intake, we can see a focus more on eating “the right” calories and less on being on a restrictive diet.


"Raw Till 4" is a dietary concept and lifestyle associated with the raw vegan and high-carb, low-fat vegan (HCLF) movements. Created by Australian blogger and YouTube star known as 'Freelee the Banana Girl', the method suggests eating raw, uncooked plant-based foods until 4 p.m. each day and then having a cooked, vegan meal in the evening.

The Raw Till 4 lifestyle follows the guidelines of vegan and rawist eating and involves consuming fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains in an uncooked, natural state until the designated time of 4 p.m. or around one’s typical dinner time. After 4 p.m., a cooked vegan meal is consumed, which may include foods like steamed vegetables, grains, legumes, and plant-based sources of protein like tofu or tempeh.

On TikTok, creator Adina Yaffa is repopularizing the trend, sharing how it’s helped to improve digestion, boost energy levels, and support weight loss.

@adinayaffa

Replying to @🌜kat🌛 here is what I eat in a day on a raw till 4 lifestyle. I eat with the sun and according to the circadian rhythm that out bodies follow on a typical day. Where i drink liquids during the first 8 hours, then juicy fruits, then smoothies, more dense building fats, proteins and veggies! #snatchedwaist #bellyfat #bellybloat #smallwaist #hourglass #rawtill4

“During the hours of 4 a.m. and 8 a.m., your body is in an elimination phase and needs all the help it can get,” Yaffa says in the clip. “So what you’re going to do is drink coconut water, citrus juices, and green juices during this time, and around 8 a.m., you can break your fast with some fruit. I suggest juicing fruits, and then after that, I suggest having a smoothie or a bowl with berries and granola so you can get your fats and healthy proteins in.”

@adinayaffa

Raw till 4 has so many benefits including better digestion, nutrients, belly fat and bloat elimination, snatched waist, more energy and so much more! #snatchedwaist #bellyfat #bellybloat #smallwaist #hourglass

On the official Raw Till 4 website, Freelee the Banana Girl shares tips on how to get the best outcomes of this lifestyle change, which include:

  • “Stay hydrated! You should pee about 8-12 times per day, and your urine should be clear. Drink 1 liter of water when you wake up in the morning, and 1 liter of water about 30 minutes before each meal for optimal results.”
  • “Fragmented sodium (salt) should be kept to a minimum. Use herbs, lemon juice, etc. wherever possible in place of salt.”
  • “Eat unlimited calories at every meal, no restriction. The majority of your calories each day should come from fruit. Don’t under-eat on fruit during the day or 'save up' your calories for dinner time. RT4 is about abundance at every meal.”
  • “Move your body daily. Find an activity you love and make it your playful exercise.”
  • “Make sure to get lots of rest, relaxation, and good sleep. Learning to incorporate good rest, early nights, and regular sleeping patterns into your life will greatly improve your overall health.”
  • “Practice gratitude and peaceful emotions at mealtime, and get a vision book started! Be sure to enjoy this journey. Focus on long-term health instead of short-term results.”

Critics argue that it can be challenging to get all the necessary nutrients from a raw vegan diet and that it may not be suitable for everyone, especially over the long term.

As with any diet, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes to ensure that it meets your individual nutritional needs and health goals.

Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

Featured image by FreshSplash/Getty Images

Russell and Nina Westbrook Dish On The Key Ways To Avoid Resentment In Relationships

Russell and Nina Westbrook are one of those low-key, unproblematic couples we don’t talk about enough. They met in college and got married in 2015. They also have a beautiful family with three kids. While Russell is an NBA star, Nina is a licensed family and marriage therapist and a mental health advocate.

She recently launched the podcast The Relationship Chronicles with Nina Westbrook, and in the latest episode, she had none other than her husband on as a guest. The college sweethearts dived into important topics from marriage to children and how they navigate it all.

Keep reading...Show less
Women In Their 40s Share The Beauty-Related Things They Wish They Did In Their 20s

It is Eartha Kitt who once said, “Aging has a wonderful beauty, and we should have respect for that.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s why, it really does get under my skin, that we live in a culture that is almost obsessed with staying young. Why? Don’t you want to grow, evolve…mature? That’s why I’m also not big on people who are damn near obsessed with looking 20 years younger than they are. Nah, personally, I think the goal of looking great for and at your age is where it’s at because, as my mother (who ages remarkably well) used to say, “I’ve earned every year. I don’t want to be looking like a child when I’m not.” (It’ll preach.)

Keep reading...Show less