I don’t care what is going on in the economy — if there are two things that I am not going to skimp out on (EVER), it is a wax and a pedicure. Both calm me. Both make me feel beautiful. And both are a form of self-maintenance.
That’s why, when the country was locked down (which is still wild to think about), I was not a happy camper. All challenges do come with silver linings, though — and when it comes to my toes, in particular, the good thing about being forced to have to take care of them myself is I learned some hacks that had my feet looking (almost) like my nail tech did them, if I do say so myself.
And since we are in this administration that we’re in (le sigh), money is getting tight (girl, I know) and we’re all currently in flip-flop season too — I figured that now would be as good of a time as ever to share with you eight ways that you can keep a few coins in your pocket and still haveyour feet looking as amazing as ever.
1. Invest in a Foot Paddle
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to have super soft feet — and that includes having soft and smooth heels and no calluses in sight. Although you could use one of those cheese grater-like things, sometimes they can remove more skin than you would actually like or create nicks and minor cuts if you’re not careful. My recommendation? Go with a foot paddle instead. Not only will it give you the initial results that you are after, foot paddles can also increase blood circulation and make the exfoliation process quick and easy. Amazon has a list of options to choose from here.
2. Have a Clean-Up Brush on Hand
Back when I used to paint my toes on the regular, something that used to irk me to no end was getting polish on my cuticles and then trying to remove it without messing my nails up in the process. Although a Q-tip does a fairly good job, I really shouldn’t have taken as long as I did to invest in an actual clean-up brush (like the ones here). They are specifically designed to remove polish without disrupting your handiwork — and I promise that if you incorporate this step alone, your pedicures will look a lot more professional.
3. Trim Your Nails
Whether you decide to cut your nails or just trim them down, if you want to see exactly what you are doing, it really is best to shorten (or shape) your nails while your old polish is still on your toes. That way, you can get your toenails to end up as even as possible without a lot of guesswork.
4. Deep Soak. For a Few Reasons.
There are a few reasons why you should soak your feet when you’re giving yourself a pedicure. Not only is it a great way to de-stress and relax, foot soaks can increase blood circulation, make it easier to remove dead skin from your feet and soaks are another great polishing hack. The reason why I say that is because if you polish your toes right after soaking your feet, since your nails have slightly expanded, you can cover more of your nails; that way, when you wet your feet again (for instance, when you take a shower), your polish will actually last longer around the corners of your toenails. Pretty cool, huh?
5. Apply Oil to Your Cuticles. And Alcohol to Your Nails.
If you want to have less hangnails, you definitely should be using cuticle oil on a consistent basis. Some other perks that come with it is it increases blood circulation to your nails, it strengthens your nails and it also can also cause your nail polish to appear shinier. Well, speaking of your polish, if you first apply a bit of cuticle oil to your nails, let it sit for a minute and then rub a bit of alcohol on your nails as well, for some reason, it causes your polish to stick easier and last longer. I recall stumbling upon that hack on a forum one day. I tried it. It works.
6. Polish in with Precision
When I get a professional pedicure, I make sure to go in flip-flops (of my own), to put my feet underneath their fans for 15-20 minutes and to not go straight home; that way, by the time I reach my house, if I want to get in the shower, take a nap, whatever, I don’t have to worry about messing my polish job up.
When I go the DIY route on the polish tip, I make sure to keep the 10 following polish hacks in mind:
1. Go with a solid polish brand. You’d be amazed how much this one tip will change your entire perception of DIY pedicures. That said, Allure published “7 Best Long-Lasting Nail Polishes for Your Next At-Home Manicures” and Byrdie published “The 11 Best Gel Nail Polishes for a Long-Lasting At-Home Manicure” to give you some trusty options to choose from.
2. Roll your polish bottle instead of shaking it. Why? It’s so that you won’t have to worry about bubbles popping up in your polish.
3. Start with the big toe. It gives that toe more time to dry while you’re painting the other ones.
4. Complete one foot at a time. For the same reason.
5. Apply thin coats. It reduces drying time and helps to prevent clumping.
6. Use your eyeliner to put on gems. Wanna add a rhinestone or two? A sharpened eyeliner will give you more precision than tweezers will.
7. Put a Band-Aid over your nails. If you want to create a French manicure (well, pedicure), using a Band-Aid to cover up every part of your nail other than what you want to paint white or pink will give you clean and accurate lines.
8. Dip your toenails in ice. That is, if you want the top layer of your nails to dry faster. A good tip for if you are going to run errands (in your flip-flops) once you’re done polishing your nails.
9. Spray some cooking spray on them. If you want them to have a “finish gloss” (cooking spray has oils in it, that’s why it’s a workable hack).
10. Reapply a top coat. If you do this every few days, your pedicure will look like new for a longer period of time.
7. Never Skimp on Base and Top Coats
Absolutely one of the biggest mistakes that people make when they decide to do their nails at home is they don’t make the time to apply a base and top coat to them. A base coat is important because it’s a lot like a primer for your nails — it helps the polish to go on smoothly, protects your nails from staining, it helps your polish to last longer and it makes the color of your polish pop. A top coat on the other hand, it helps your nails to dry faster, makes the polish look better and, if you didn’t do a perfect paint job, a top coat can smooth out any minor imperfections as well. Oh, and a hack for if you’re going to wear a sheer color? Apply a clear matte base coat first. Makes all the difference in the world, chile.
8. Apply a Blend of Honey, Coconut Oil and Shea Butter to Your Heels
Does it even matter how good your feet look if your heels are all torn up? I doubt it. So, once you are proud of the polish job that you did, finish everything off with a combination of honey, coconut oil and shea butter on your feet — especially in between your toes and on your ankles and heels. The honey will deeply moisturize (plus, it smells amazing!). Coconut oil is loaded with fatty acids that will help to keep your feet looking youthful while keeping bacteria at bay too. And shea butter?
Listen, I don’t care how cracked or rough those heels may be, shea butter will deeply soothe them while also giving them a collagen boost as well as providing them with all-natural protection from the sun. A tablespoon of coconut oil and shea butter along with a teaspoon of honey, heated in the microwave for 10 seconds should do the trick.
Now where those flip-flops at? The really cute ones. #wink
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to either speed up the healing process of a cold or make having one more bearable than usual. Things that are affordable, all-natural, and easy to incorporate into your daily routine.
Are you ready to know how to nip a damn cold in the bud…before you even get one?
Here ya go.
1. Fire Cider
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Two drinks that I am gonna drink all the way down, each and every fall season, are hot chocolate and apple cider (that’s warmed up). So, when I read about something called “fire cider,” it absolutely caught my attention. If you’re not familiar with it, fire cider is a homemade drink that consists of things like apple cider vinegar, herbs and other ingredients that are specifically designed to boost your immune system.
I won’t lie to you — since some of the traditional recipes contain things like onion and garlic (sulfur has potent medicinal properties) and sometimes even hot peppers (which help to clear up congestion) — although fire cider might not be your favorite as far as your palate is concerned, the viruses (because there are reportedly somewhere around 200 of ‘em) that cause colds will lose a lot of their impact if you drink this; and that makes it worth a shot — well, swallow. Some fire cider recipes can be found here, here and here.
2. Probiotics
A few years ago, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “80% Of Your Immunity Is In Your Gut. Take Care Of It Like This.” — and that alone should explain why and how a probiotic can help to prevent colds and make it easier to get over them. The reality is that a healthy gut is what helps to monitor how your immune system reacts and responds to harmful pathogens that may try and get into your system, including ones that cause the common cold.
And since probiotics feed your gut with “good bacteria,” this gives your gut the ability to be better (and quicker) at fighting off the bad. So yeah, take a probiotic — all of the time and definitely while you have a cold. It helps.
3. Peppermint (or Eucalyptus) Oil
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Although I rarely get sick (praise the Lord!), when I do catch a cold, I think what I hate the most is not being able to comfortably breathe. Well, something that is proven to help with that is peppermint essential oil. That’s because it contains properties that act as a natural decongestant as well as a fever reducer. Another essential oil that can hook you up in this department is eucalyptus oil. It’s bomb because it helps to soothe a nagging cough, it can clear up chest congestion and ultimately makes it easier to breathe.
So, before turning in at night, either mix a few drops of one (or both) of these oils with a carrier oil like grapeseed, avocado or jojoba, warm it up for 10 seconds in the microwave and apply it to the sides of your nose or on your best or back. Or put the oil in a diffuser. It can quickly ease cold-related symptoms while also making it so much easier for you to rest (which is something else your body needs to get over a cold; more on that in a sec).
4. Zinc Lozenges
Zinc is a mineral that helps to keep your immune system healthy and strong — and since a weakened immunity is directly connected to having more colds (2-4 a year is considered to be “normal,” by the way), it’s always a good idea to have some zinc in your body. As it relates to colds, specifically, aside from the fact that zinc can help you from catching one to begin with, there are also studies which say that sucking on zinc lozenges can help to shorten the timespan of a cold as well.
To be fair, some people have said that zinc lozenges make them feel nauseated; however, everything has its pros and cons and so, how would you know if you’re one of these folks unless you try it? Oh, and while we are on this topic, there are also zinc supplements and foods that are high in zinc (like red meat, lentils, hemp seeds, cashews and quinoa) if you want to try and get more zinc into your system that way (although lozenges are gonna be your best bet on the shortening tip; just sayin’).
5. Foods Rich in Vitamin C
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Speaking of foods that can fight a cold, out of all of what you’ve read here, probably what you are quite familiar with is the fact that vitamin C and colds are mortal enemies. In fact, one pretty significant study says that by taking one gram of vitamin C a day during a cold, you can reduce the severity of your symptoms by as much as 15 percent.
That’s because vitamin C is packed with antioxidants, it helps to reduce bodily inflammation and it helps to strengthen your immunity too. Foods that are full of vitamin C include chili and yellow peppers, kale, kiwi, papaya, broccoli, kale and citrus fruits.
6. Elderberry Tea
If you’re someone who likes to put preserves on your biscuits or toast, have you ever tried one that is made from elderberries (recipe here)? It’s actually pretty good — and good for you because elderberries are high in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. And that is why they are great whenever you are trying to hurry up and get over a cold because they also contain properties that are literally antiviral — and since a cold is a virus…well, there you have it.
One of the best ways to get elderberries into your system? Elderberry tea. If you add honey to it, honey can help to shorten symptoms like a stuffy nose, sore throat and cough by 1-2 days. Very cool.
7. REST
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Did you know that even one day of not getting the sleep that you need to weaken your immune system and increase bodily inflammation at the same time too? That’s because one of the benefits of a good night’s rest is it rejuvenates and recharges your system, so that your immunity can work at its optimal level.
Not only that but, according to science, if you already have a cold, getting plenty of rest can benefit you on a few different levels as well. First, your cytokines (proteins that boost your immunity) are released when you sleep.
Second, your body temperature elevates enough to kill some of the bacteria and viruses that are making you sick. Finally, sleep provides you with the energy that you need in order to get through the day while you are healing from your sickness. So, if you want to get through your cold ASAP, be intentional about getting as much rest as you possibly can.
BONUS: A Humidifier
When you get a chance, please check out “10 Really Good Reasons To Get Yourself A Humidifier This Fall”. There really are all kinds of solid reasons to invest in a humidifier around this time of the year — and one of them is to make getting through the cold (and flu) season so much easier for you. Since humidifiers bring moisture into the air, that can help to loosen up congestion, soothe an irritated throat, decrease coughing, help with the healing process of respiratory infections and it can help you to sleep better — so that you can get past your cold sooner.
So, if you don’t already have a humidifier, cop one ASAP. Your future colds will absolutely hate that you did. LOL. For a list of some highly recommended humidifiers that are currently on the market, click here.
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