Having just returned from a tropical excursion to Curaçao earlier in the month, I was ready for yet another opportunity for some R&R. This time, instead of the Caribbean’s promise of an island paradise, I made my way back to The States to the white-sand coastline of South Florida—Fort Lauderdale, to be exact.
The crystal clear water of the idyllic Fort Lauderdale Beach is a sight to behold, and the award-winning W Fort Lauderdale acts as a perfect luxurious complement to your beachy escape. Nestled on a beachfront location along 315 feet of the coastline, the lavish hotel is within walking distance of the beach, must-try restaurants, and Fort Lauderdale’s bustling nightlife and social scene.
But even if you rarely want to leave the property, from the 24/7 Whatever Whenever room service to the access to a WET Deck that entices you to lounge near the pool and a wealth of curated experiences, the W Fort Lauderdale comes equipped with amenities galore that ensure guests have everything they need in one place. It was undoubtedly the perfect place for me to kick back, relax, and unwind.
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The Rooms
The W Signature bed in one of the W Fort Lauderdale's king rooms.
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The attention to detail can be felt in the chic design of the hotel, with inspiration drawn from the very ocean the property boasts sweeping waterfront views within each and every one of the 447 rooms. Speaking of the rooms, similar to the nautical-inspired decor sprinkled throughout the hotel through intentionally placed surfboards or even looped light fixtures, the subtly gets turned up a notch decor-wise with bold choices like a blue carpet reminiscent of the ocean floor.
Each room also has blue ombre curtains that frame the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom and the bathroom. With an expansive walk-in shower and a soaking bathtub, the destressing elements the bathroom provided helped me fall for the sanctuary of my hotel room even more.
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
The private balcony where you can opt to have breakfast, answer emails, or even just revel in the views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal waterway also doesn’t hurt.
The theme of luxurious indulgence is further accentuated through thoughtful touches like terry cloth spa robes, and Comfort Zone amenities, and I’d be remiss not to note the slice of heaven that are the W Signature Beds (and let me just say, they are as tempting as they are inviting).
Luxury Essentials Cart
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The hotel is all about finding luxury in the mundane and reminding yourself that luxury is something we all can have at our fingertips. The team at W Fort Lauderdale also recently unveiled their Luxury Essentials cart. The guest-centric offering is available upon request and allows guests to have access to the finer things in life through on-loan designer and high-end items.
The specially-curated cart emphasizes “taking care of the little things,” and features items like sunglasses, purses, fragrances, fashion tape, hair styling tools, and more from designers like Tom Ford, Gucci, and Christian Dior, to name a few.
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Dining
The Living Room in the W Fort Lauderdale
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Fort Lauderdale might be a lowkey foodie destination, but the W Fort Lauderdale hosts a plethora of dining options without even having to leave the property. With its sleek feng shui design, specialty cocktails, and delicious finger food, the Living Room gives the lobby area a major upgrade. Take the vibes a step further by soaking in the immaculate oceanfront views on the Living Room Terrace.
The W Fort Lauderdale Living Room Terrace
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For a more sit-down dining option, the hotel has El Vez, Steak 954, and SoBe Vegan. El Vez and Steak 954 are two restaurants helmed by Stephen Starr, an award-winning restauranteur, and provide very different vibes while packing tons of flair and flavor.
The dining area at Steak 954
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As its name suggests, El Vez is a restaurant that, in addition to serving incredible Mexican cuisine and craft cocktails, also treats guests to an ambiance featuring incredible oceanfront views. Steak 954 is giving elevated surf and turf with a focus on seafood that is freshly caught and, of course, steaks. Such expertly curated menu selections are complemented perfectly with cocktails as well as fine wines and a stunning visual of the restaurant's 15-foot aquarium, which is home to over 100 jellyfish.
The colorful and vibrant interior of SoBe Vegan's Fort Lauderdale location.
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SoBe Vegan is a fast-casual vegan spot that gives boldness, big color, and big flavor when it comes to its fun vibey decor and menu offerings. The restaurant keeps it all plant-based but isn't afraid to experiment with a variety of vegan takes on popular foods like burgers, sausages, jackfruit tacos, pancakes, milkshakes, and more.
You can also take your time heading out for the day or get your midnight snack on after a night out, thanks to their 24/7 Whatever Whenever room service that has beverages, food options, and even a specially curated late-night menu for after hours.
Jackfruit tacos at SoBe Vegan
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WET Deck
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
Just a flight of stairs away from the Living Room is the hotel's WET Deck, where shoes are optional, and bathing suits are a must. The rooftop pool sizzles just as much as it sparkles. Features like black and white tiled decks and the pool's transparent walls make for an Insta-worthy time whether you decide to lounge in a day bed underneath some much-welcomed shade, sunbathe in lounge chairs directly underneath the sun's rays, or get your feet wet and take a refreshing dip in the water.
What's even better is that guests can also enjoy colorful cocktails and treat their taste buds to light bites at the poolside bar. You'll never want to leave.
AWAY Spa
The pedicure station in the AWAY Spa
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One thing about me, I'm going to book the massage, and the AWAY Spa perfectly encapsulates its mission to "detox, retox, and repeat." Pamper yourself with signature massage and facial treatments. From Detox Treatments and Prescription Facials to 50- or 80-minute full-body massages, there is something on the spa treatment menu for everyone.
The colorful and vibrant touches of the W Fort Lauderdale can be seen boldly throughout the spa, which still manages to be a tranquil oasis.
The interior of the AWAY Spa in the W Fort Lauderdale
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The outside terrace at the AWAY Spa
Sheriden Chanel/xoNecole
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Guests can shower before slipping into their robes and sitting in the waiting area or on the patio, where you can take in picturesque views and have a beverage before heading into their massages. The AWAY Spa has a full beauty menu that includes hair, makeup, and nail services. Everything you need, the AWAY Spa has thought of it.
Additional Perks
As a dog mom who likes to find excuses to take her dog anywhere with me, the fact that the W Fort Lauderdale is dog-friendly really stood out to me. And since elevation is the name of the game for the hotel, dogs are welcome to have their own “treat yourself” moment. In addition to hotel rooms, dogs are permitted in the Living Room and the Living Room terrace, as well as on the patios of the on-site restaurants, Steak 954 and El Vez, respectively. During their stay, dogs are provided with a doggie bed, food and water bowls, and a doggie menu that is specially curated, to name a few.
In true bright and bold fashion, the property also provides courtesy white and pink cruiser bicycles for guests to use to exercise or explore Fort Lauderdale staples like the art galleries, shopping, and dining options of Las Olas. You could also tap into working on your fitness through the 24-hour FIT gym as well as morning workout classes. Information on both experiences can be found here.
All in all, I love the way the W Fort Lauderdale served as a reminder that you don't have to go far to get your fill of a beach escape within a tranquil oasis. Luxury could be found in each and every detail, and I can't wait to return and experience it all over again.
W Fort Lauderdale
401 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Book at (954) 414-8200 or www.wfortlauderdale.com.
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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
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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