This photo is one of my favorites. It was taken by a photographer for the Miami Herald, and featured on the cover of the paper shortly before Valentine’s Day this year, accompanying a story about frugal Valentine’s Day ideas. But the backstory behind the photo is kind of funny — my husband and I had to hold the pose and sit tight for about 20 minutes while the photographer fiddled with his camera settings to prevent the candle’s flames from reflecting all over our faces. Lucky for us, the candles in the photo smelled absolutely incredible, so crouching with our noses so close to them was kind of wonderful. Let me tell you about some of the candles you see flickering before you, and some home fragrance companies you absolutely should check out! Oh, and spoiler alert — there’s a giveaway at the end of this post!

Sacred Glo is a candle company I learned about via Twitter — the creator is a very friendly bella, and from the moment she approached me about her products I kind of knew I’d love them. What can I say; I’m a fool for romance, and massage candles can really ignite the mood!

Sacred Glo candles are all natural lotion candles that come in four divine scents — Sacred Clarity, Almond Glo, Nevis Island Breeze, and Sensual Groove. At $24.99, they’re totally worth it if you’re especially into natural goodness. Made with soy bean oil, shea butter, natural essential oils and eco-friendly fragrant scents, the temperature of the melted oil is just 2 degrees above body temperature, so it’s never hot enough to burn your skin. Light one up, let it melt, and enjoy your loved one rubbing warm massage oil all over you. It’s like heaven, trust! Visit Sacred Glo.com for yours.

If you love a highly scented, robust, room filling candle (and price isn’t an object), check out Candle Delirium — they’ve got quite a collection of high end home fragrance items. Tocca, Voluspa, Paddywax, and Archipelago Botanicals are all here, but the one my husband loved was Blue Absinthe by Delirium and Co..

It’s described in somewhat florid prose as “Dark, mysterious and regal…capturing the essence of royalty and sophistication, a time when men were brave, suave and chivalrous.” OK then! So how does it smell? The blend of absinthe, vetyver, blonde woods, basil and rosemary is very strong, and very, very manly. This candle smells kind of like I’d like my husband to smell. Does it come in a cologne, too? $38 for a heavy 7.9 oz candle in a translucent, reflective midnight blue glass.

And finally, finally I can shout to the world about MickeyMade! These candles are so sweetly scented, I just want to eat them! The creator (that’d be Mickey) took a hiatus from business but now is back and better than ever. Mickey Made candles are super afforable ($1.75 for a “mini,” 9 oz candles cost $6.50, and big 16 oz candles are just $10.50), and they come in so many fragrances, it’ll make your head spin. Apple Pie, Baby Powder, Brown Sugar, Carrot Cake, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Citrus Basil, Coconut, Cranberry, Dreamsicle, Eucalyptus, Fresh Cotton, Gardenia, Green Apple, Lilac, Mango, Nag Champa, Peppermint, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Rose, Sandalwood, Strawberry, Tangerine, Vanilla, and Watermelon — take your pick!

No, seriously — visit the website and pick your favorite fragrance, because it’s an Afrobella/Mickey Made giveaway! I meant to offer this around the time of my birthday at the beginning of the month, but my birthday present (this wonderful road trip I’m still on) took me far away from blogland. So mea culpa, and please enjoy this belated birthday giveaway!

Five lucky readers will win a 9 oz candle of their choice. All you gotta do is two little things.

First, click here to fill out a brief survey, which will help me know more about you, and will help me make Afrobella even better! And second, leave a comment below telling me what your scent of choice is, and why it’s your favorite.

I’ll leave these comments open till Friday at noon, and will choose and announce winners by next week. And I’ll be back from my road trip by then, and back to regular blogging. Yay!

Good luck, bellas!

All over New York City last week, on the buses and in the subway stations, I kept seeing a familiar silhouette. Big fabulous natural hair, bright patterned fabric, and a full figured physique. Hey – that kinda looks like me! But no — it was Jill Scott.

That’s right — Jilly from Philly is continuing to find acting success with the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, the HBO TV series based on Alexander McCall Smith’s series of books.

Some critics love it, some critics hate it — you know what they say about opinions, everyone’s got one. I’m excited either way, to see the beautiful Jill Scott flex her acting muscles as Precious Ramotswe and Anika Noni Rose as her quirky and loyal secretary, Mma Matuksi.

Will you watch? I hope so — and if you do, leave a comment telling me what you think! I’ll still be on the road when the show debuts on Sunday night at 8 p.m. So I’ll have to catch up when I get back to Miami!

Oh, and bellas — I’ve got an amazing sweepstakes opportunity for you!

Click here to enter the Number One Lady Contest — nominate your number one lady — a woman you personally know (or knew), who has inspired, educated or empowered women at home, at work or within your community. The winner will get a trip for two to Botswana to be on the set of the show for two days. Did I mention that the trip will include a safari adventure as well? Whatcha waiting for?

In this last weekly installment of The Journey, I’ve taken things kind of literally. I’m actually on one — in the past almost-two-weeks, I’ve driven to and through nine states — Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and now I’m in Washington DC. On the trip it’s been nonstop fun, friends, and yup – food.

I’ve been eating my way around the world.

Vietnamese, Thai, pan-Asian at Cafetasia, German at Lederhosen, Mexican at Hop Devil Grill, fantastic Korean at Wonjo in Koreatown, AMAZING Trini cuisine at Sugarcane in Brooklyn (you gotta go, you just gotta), good ol’ soul food at The Pink Tea Cup and at Amy Ruth’s, and just last night, Ethiopian cuisine at Almaz on U Street in DC, right across the street from the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl.

I must say, I have enjoyed every last bite.

So how in the world did I also manage to lose three pounds during this culinary adventure? Quite simply, it’s been a matter of balance.
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Hey bellas and fellas! The next stop on my road trip will be Washington DC!

I’m super stoked to visit our nation’s capital, and I’d love to meet some of my beautiful blogger friends and fellow bellas!

My good friend DJ Busca (he was one of the DJs at my wedding!) will be providing sweet reggae vibes on Thursday night, starting at 9 p.m.

It’s going down at The Science Club. Come on out for some good drinks, eats, music, and fun times if you’re in town! I’d love to meet you!

Bellas, fellas – been having a tremendous time on this road trip. Apologies for being a tardy blogger, I’ve been too busy having fun and catching up with friends both old and new. After leaving my friend Jenny’s place — mentioned in last week’s installment of The Journey, I’m currently in Harlem staying with my good friend AJ and his beautiful girlfriend Lauren, who works at the Ethan Allen flagship store as an interior designer. If you need an interior designer with a real sense of style, ask for her! She rules!

Yesterday my husband and I enjoyed a great day in Harlem. Not THE great day in Harlem, but a brilliant one nonetheless. Let me tell you all about it!

The standard oh-you’re-going-to-Harlem? advice is, start on 125th Street, and just kinda stroll around and check it out. Apparently NYC hasn’t gotten the memo that everyone’s ready for Spring already… it was cold yesterday! 125th Street didn’t care — it was just as bustling and fun as I’ve ever seen it, and I love the vibe. I gotta admit, 125th Street reminds me of my home country just a little bit — Fredrick Street in downtown Trinidad is just as busy and vibrant, with salesmen of all kinds hawking products you may not need but will probably buy anyway. Harlem’s specialties are tubs of shea butter and African black soap, incense and scented oils and CDs galore.

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My friend Jenny has an awesome apartment, and when we come to New York City, we stay with her. It’s cute, compact, comfortable, and smack in the middle of Greenwich Village. I love it. But here’s the rub — Jenny’s apartment is a steep 6th floor walkup. No elevator, not even a rinkydink service lift. And it sucks. Especially if you overpacked and have to drag a heavy suitcase with you.

Visiting Jenny is super fun, but simultaneously a reminder of how amazingly unfit I am. Walking up those 6 floors, suitcase in tow, is a reality check. I get winded and then some. OMG the first time I visited Jenny, I thought I was going to have a cardiac arrest right between the third and fourth floors.

I’ll be staying with Jenny this week, on my road trip to NYC. So by the time you read this, I will have already faced the first (and most daunting) climb. But this time around, I’m not afraid.

Facing Jenny’s stairs feels like a kind of challenge to myself — a barometer to gauge how far along I’ve come. And maybe you’ve got a physical challenge of your own in your everyday life — climbing the stairs to your office, carrying heavy bags of groceries, going swimming with your kids, or keeping up with them at the park — something that reminds you that you’ve got limitations to consider. Something that reminds you that you’ve got a physical challenge to overcome.

I’m here to tell you, if I can do it – so can you. But it’s gonna take consistent effort, determination, discipline, and sweat.

Last week, my 50 Million Pound Challenge post was all about finding ways to make exercise fun, and that’s definitely half the battle. Once you find an activity you enjoy enough to do (for at least an hour a day, don’t forget!), then a new mission begins, and it’s a mission I’ve failed in time and time again.

Sticking with it. Making a commitment to myself. Being consistent in my efforts. It is WAY too easy to find a distraction from my daily mission, and almost-forget what I’m doing.

The important thing is to regularly remind yourself — why are you trying to make healthy eating and regular exercise a part of your life?

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