One of the greatest compliments we can ever receive is how good we smell. There’s no better feeling than walking down the street and being asked what we are wearing - and we’re not talking about clothes; we’re talking about fragrance! A good fragrance has a way of making our mark in any room we walk in without using any words. That’s why fragrance is the perfect gift to give ourselves and others. Dare we say it, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Although fragrance is a great gift to pass along to our loved ones, it can also be tricky to decide which one to give, especially if you’re a perfume lover who gets compliments all year. There is an abundance of top fragrance brands with incredible notes to match. Depending on their preference, these notes can sit differently with each nose, which can make the buying process a bit overwhelming. The only solution to this dilemma is to do your research on the best fragrance to gift.
We’ve compiled the best fragrances on the market to help you make the right choice this holiday season. These products have a mix of warm and floral notes to satisfy any sense of smell. Most of this selection is also Black-owned, helping us give back to the communities that serve us the most.
This holiday season, you can feel confident about the fragrance you purchased and who you purchased it from.
FORVR Mood I Am Her
Any product purchased from the iconic brand of Jackie Aina will always be a mood, and this goes for her fragrance too. The I Am Her fragrance is a warm and spicy scent filled with red velvet, pear, and Oud notes. Embrace your feminine energy with this incredibly sensual fragrance.
Chris Collins Lost In Paradise
Wouldn’t we all love to get lost in paradise at any moment? Well, now we can! Chris Collins' Lost In Paradise fragrance makes us one spray away from the getaway of our dreams. This fresh scent is an island paradise with coconut, peach skin, and salted musk notes—the perfect scent for feeling those summer vibes all year long.
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Fenty Eau de Parfum
Rihanna stole our hearts and pockets when she came out with Fenty Skin and Beauty; now she’s back with a fragrance that has us all in a chokehold. The Fenty Beauty fragrance is a staple, with reviews raving about its unisex complimentary scent. Warm and floras are balanced together to be welcoming for everyone. In addition to this, the product notes are magnolia, musk, and Bulgarian rose.
Naked Beauty Modern Magic
Brooke DeVard has us tuned into her podcast every week, and now she has us locked in on her new fragrance. The perfume was inspired by her move to California, which allowed her to enjoy the beauty around her. The Modern Magic perfume is a piece of California with its delicate neroli, green tea, and sandalwood notes.
Moodeaux Worthy
Want to let your loved ones know how worthy they are to you? Gift them the Worthy fragrance by Moodeaux. This fragrance is unisex, vegan, and cruelty-free, making it the perfect gift for anyone. The notes of this fragrance are also a massive plus for the holiday season. It comprises vanilla woods and relaxing lavender to give you peace and a taste of the holidays.
Kimberly New York Diaspora
When it comes to luxury fragrances, no one does it like Kimberly New York. Their Diaspora fragrance is beloved for its vibrancy. Like the name [Diaspora], the product stays true to an island vibe, carrying pear, crisp apple, Jamaican rose, and champagne. One spray of this perfume will make you want to take a trip to the islands.
Dossier Ambery Vanilla
We understand that fragrance can be a great gift and break the bank at the same time. Investing in a Dossier fragrance can be a great way to add a hint of luxury while still saving money. We highly recommend the Ambery Vanilla fragrance by the budget-friendly brand. YSL Black Opium inspires the product and carries mandarin, pear, pink pepper, and licorice notes. These ingredients give off a warm and sensual scent for those who appreciate a nighttime scent.
Dossier Floral Sandalwood
If a dark, sensual scent isn’t for your loved one, try going for floral scents. Dossier also has a great selection of budget floral scents that won’t break the bank. Their fragrance, Floral Sandalwood, mimics Amyris Femme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Amyris Femme. Similar to the luxury fragrance, it carries notes of pear, tangerine flower, and violet.
Prada Paradoxe Eau de Parfum
Love your loved ones a little extra this season with a luxury fragrance. Prada Paradoxe perfume is a household staple that is here to stay. This fragrance intensifies the warmth of your body, making it long-lasting while staying warm on the coldest days. Its top notes are jasmine, followed by Ambrofix for the middle, and moss accord on the base. Fall in love with a taste of luxury every time this perfume is in use!
Initio Parfums Prives Atomic Rose
Atomic Rose is a perfect fragrance that can be used all year and on almost any occasion. The notes include Italian bergamot, Bulgarian rose, Turkish rose, Egyptian jasmine, and vanilla Madagascar. These notes are all natural and have an explosive balance of day and night. No longer do you have to worry if a scent is day or night appropriate; wear it whenever, wherever.
Libre Yves Saint Laurent
This perfume can barely stay on the shelves without the girls purchasing it immediately. That’s because the scent is truly magnetic to anyone you're walking past. Libre is made with the following notes: lavender, orange blossom, and musk accord. It is also available for a refill, so you no longer have to use the popular fragrance sparingly.
Salt & Stone Santal & Vetiver Body Mist
Santal & Vetiver is a rich scent at an affordable price. For less than $50, your loved one can indulge in Australian sandalwood and amber aromas. A gentle wave of warm wood gives you the feeling of sitting by a fire on a summer night. This perfume is inviting yet grounding for everyone.
Bella Vita Honey Oud
How great would it be to smell like the dessert we ate at dinner? We can be sweet enough to eat with Bella Vita’s scent, Honey Oud. This great Amazon find is made with honey, vanilla, and bergamot. Remind your loved ones how sweet it is to have them in your life with this incredibly delicious scent.
Brown Girl Jane Dawn
Lighten up the mood with Brown Girl Jane's fresh scent, Dawn. Allow the raspberry blossom, amber, and vanilla notes to take over the room and uplift your mood. The formula gives a rich velvet scent and is praised for its versatility. Wear it today, tomorrow, or any day. No wrong can be done when this scent is in full effect.
Maison Louis Marie No.14
I'm ending this chapter with a rising fan favorite—No.14 by Maison Louis Marie. This perfume is praised for its beautiful floral scent. Available in full and travel sizes, it is described as warm and floral with notes of jasmine, Bulgarian rose, and vanilla. We believe this fragrance is a perfect send-off for the holidays and a look forward to spring.
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RELATED
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
Then there were those who gave up their zip code altogether and found a permanent home in the skies. After years spent recruiting students for a university, Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare became a full-time travel influencer and founded her travel company, Shakespeare Agency. And she's not alone.
These stories mirror the experiences of women across the world. For millions, the pandemic induced a seismic shift in priorities and desires. Corporate careers that were once hailed as the ultimate “I made it” moment in one's career were pushed to the back burner as women quit their jobs in search of a more self-fulfilling purpose.
xoNecole spoke to these three Black women who used the pandemic as a springboard to make their wildest dreams a reality, the lessons they learned, and posed the question of whether they’ll ever return to cubicle life.
Answers have been edited for context and length.
xoNecole: How did the pandemic lead to you leaving the cubicle?
Randi: I was becoming stagnant. I was working in mortgage and banking but I felt like my personality was too big for that job! From there, I transitioned to radio but was laid off during the pandemic. That’s what made me go full throttle with entrepreneurship.
Gabrielle: I moved around a lot for work. Five times over a span of seven years. I knew I needed a break because I had experienced so much. So, I just quit one day. Effective immediately. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew I needed a break and to just regroup.
Lisa-Gaye: I was working in recruiting at a university and my dream job just kind of fell into my lap! But, I never got to fully enjoy it before the world shut down in March [2020] and I was laid off. On top of that, I was stuck in Miami because Jamaica had closed its borders due to the pandemic before I was able to return.
Randi O
xoN: Tell us about your journey after leaving Corporate America.
Randi: I do it all now! I have a podcast, I’m an on-air talent, I act, and I own a public relations company that focuses on social media engagement. It’s all from my network. When you go out and start a business, you can’t just say, “Okay I’m done with Corporate America,” and “Let me do my own thing.” If you don’t build community, if you don’t build a network it's going to be very hard to sustain.
Gabrielle: I realized in New York, there was not a lot to do for Black lesbians and queer folks. We don’t really have dedicated bars and spaces so I started doing events and it took off. I started focusing on my brand, Raw Honey. I opened a co-working space, and I was able to host an NYC Pride event in front of 100,000 people. I hit the ground running with Raw Honey. My events were all women coming to find community and come together with other lesbians and queer folks. I found my purpose in that.
Lisa-Gaye: After being laid off, I wrote out all of my passions and that’s how I came up with [my company] Shakespeare Agency. It was all of the things that I loved to do under one umbrella. The pandemic pulled that out of me. I had a very large social media following, so I pitched to hotels that I would feature them on my blog and social media. This reignited my passion for travel. I took the rest of the year to refocus my brand to focus solely on being a content creator within the travel space.
Gabrielle
xoN: What have you learned about yourself during your time as an entrepreneur?
Randi: [I learned] the importance of my network and community that I created. When I was laid off I was still keeping those relationships with people that I used to work with. So it was easy for me to transition into social media management and I didn’t have to start from scratch.
Gabrielle: The biggest thing I learned about myself was my own personal identity as a Black lesbian and how much I had assimilated into straight and corporate culture and not being myself. Now, I feel comfortable and confident being my authentic self. Now, I'm not sacrificing anything else for my career. I have a full life. I have friends. I have a social life. And when you are happy and have a full quality of life, I feel like [I] can have more longevity in my career.
Lisa-Gaye: [I'm doing] the best that I've ever done. The discipline that I’m building within myself. Nobody is saying, ‘Oh you have to be at work at this time.’ There’s no boss saying, ‘Why are you late?’ But, if I’m laying in bed at 10 a.m. then it's me saying [to myself], 'Okay, Lisa, get up, it's time for you to start working!’ That’s all on me.
xoNecole: What mistakes do you want to help people avoid when leaving Corporate America?
Randi: You have to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. You have a fast season and a slow season and I started to learn that when you're self-employed the latter season hits hard. Don't get caught up on the lows, just keep going and don't stop. I’m glad I did.
Gabrielle: I think everyone should quit their job and just figure it out for a second. You will discover so much about yourself when you take a second to just focus on you. Your skill set will always be there. You can’t be afraid of what will happen when you bet on yourself.
Lisa-Gaye: When it comes to being an influencer the field is saturated and a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome. There is nothing wrong with being an imposter but find out how to make it yours, how to make it better. If you go to the store, you see 10 million different brands of bread! But you are choosing the brand that you like because you like that particular flavor.
So be an imposter, but be the best imposter of yourself and add your own flair, your own flavor. Make the better bread. The bread that you want.
Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
xoNecole: Will you ever return to your 9 to 5?
Randi: I wouldn’t go back to Corporate America. But I don’t mind working under someone. A lot of people try to get into this business saying, “I can't work under anyone.” That’s not necessarily the reason to start a business because you're always going to answer to somebody. Clients, brands, there’s always someone else involved.
Gabrielle: I went back! I really needed a break and I gave myself that. But, I realized I’m a corporate girl, [and] I enjoy the work that I do. I’m good at it and I really missed that side of myself. I have different sides of me and my whole identity is not Raw Honey or my queerness. A big side of me is business and that’s why I love having my career. Now I feel like my best self.
Lisa-Gaye: I really don’t. For right now, I love working for myself. It's gratifying, it's challenging, it's exciting. It’s a big deal for me to say I own my own business. That I am my own boss, and I'm a Black woman doing it.
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Featured image courtesy of Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
Originally published on February 6, 2023