Welcome to Take the Edge Off, a series that breaks down the beauty and self-care routines of influencers, CEOs, experts, and celebrities. Find out how they unwind and decompress, while taking a closer look at the holy-grail essentials they’re currently raving about.
What does it actually mean to manifest? If you ask self-development coach and author Roxie Nafousi, she’ll probably say the practice isn’t just about what’s material. “It’s much more than manifesting things,” she tells Bazaar.com. “Sometimes I see people say, ‘I’m manifesting this Chanel handbag,’ and I’m like, ‘No, that’s not really the point.’”
Nafousi discovered the transformative power of self-care before she was a best-selling author. In an effort to cope with addiction and depression during her 20s, she attended yoga retreats on a regular basis. “I would go on a retreat one week, and then come home and take drugs the next,” she explains. “But I always had this kind of interest in wellness, even then.” Shortly after her 27th birthday and a number of “rock bottoms,” a friend introduced Nafousi to a podcast on the art of manifesting, which instantly drew her to the practice.
The self-development coach explains that manifesting is ultimately about becoming the best version of yourself that can exist. “It’s not only about attracting abundance into your life, but it’s also about making the life you already have feel so much better,” she says. “I’m really passionate about sharing this practice with as many people as I can.” Part of her passion to help others stems from a period of prenatal depression she experienced while pregnant with her son, Wolfe.
To help battle her lows, Nafousi started the social franchise Agony Aunt Sundays, where every week she offered her followers life advice on Instagram Stories. “What kept me going was that I could help other people every week, in this small way,” she explains. “I realized that everybody was talking about this thing called manifesting, even though they weren’t always using the word. And that manifesting was kind of the umbrella of healing. So I decided, when I have this baby, I’m going to firstly make my life the best it can be, turn it around for me and him. Then, I’m going to build a career out of helping other people, because I know that’s what I’m here to do.”
For a few of her pro tips, and a breakdown of how the wellness expert channels her goals, Bazaar caught up with Nafousi for a crash course in manifesting. Here, she shares her thoughts on impostor syndrome and self-care, along with a short list of go-to favorites—like Dragon’s Blood Eye Gels and Colleen Hoover novels—that help her take the edge off.
In your opinion, why is manifestation important, and how can our readers apply this practice more regularly in their lives?
Manifesting to me is a self-development practice about empowerment, self-belief, and taking action. And it’s about taking control of your life again. I think that there’s nobody on earth that can’t benefit from this practice when it’s understood at its essence. Because it’s become this trend, it can be very devalued, and people can sometimes assume that manifesting is just a material thing that doesn’t have much depth. But actually, manifesting has been around for centuries, and all great kind of philosophers and thinkers speak about it on some level.
What are you reading these days?
I work so much in self-development that I love when I can read fiction—just, like, take myself away—and I’m obsessed with Colleen Hoover. Like obsessed. I read four of her books last summer. They’re just so great and trashy, and easy—I’ve always got one of her books by my bedside. So, if I’ve got time to have a read, that is what I read. The last one I read, Verity, blew my mind.
What are some of your go-to bath and shower products?
I have been suffering quite a lot of hair loss recently—I’ve started getting really paranoid about it, and started having hair loss treatment. In my shower, I have Act+Acre’s cleanser and conditioner. The branding I just think is phenomenal—it just looks so good. I also love Ouai’s body scrub; it just feels so nice in the shower. I don’t think there’s anything like giving yourself a little massage in the shower with the scrub, and your skin feels so nice when you wash it off.
Act+Acre Cold Processed Cleanse Shampoo
Act+Acre Moisture Balanced Conditioner
Ouai Cleansing Scalp & Body Sugar Scrub
Do you have a favorite hand sanitizer, soap, or cream right now?
Aesop’s hand wash is just always in my house. Especially when guests come over, it just looks so chic and it’s so nice. Branding and aesthetics are important to me, along with quality. And my hand cream at the moment is Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Anti-Aging Hand Cream—I’ve only just started using hand cream. I wouldn’t even moisturize and I’m just starting to, so I wanted to go in with the good stuff for my hands and make up for lost time.
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash
Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Hand Cream
What beauty or self-care products do you use on a regular basis to help combat Zoom fatigue?
One thing I’ve just bought—so I haven’t seen results yet—but because of the amount of Instagram ads I’ve gotten, I’ve purchased Athletic Greens. I went on the website, and they must have clocked it, because every fucking five minutes I was getting an Instagram ad. And eventually I was just like, “Guys, I’m getting it.” But it’s great, like so many things in one. Obviously gut health is so important for how you look on the outside and for your general energy levels. I’ve just started, so I don’t want to say it’s the best thing yet, but I know that when I take my supplements and I look after my gut, my energy and skin is so, so different. It really is inside out.
I’m also obsessed with SKKN by Kim, like really obsessed. I talk about it all the time, and I wish they were paying me, but their stuff is so good. And the hyaluronic acid serum for me specifically—I’ve ordered refills three times, because it makes my skin so glowy. And lastly, the Rodial Dragon’s Blood Eye Mask—they’re little patches that just give you that brightened look and reenergize your face after a long day. And Zoom fatigue is a thing.
Athletic Greens AG1
SKKN By Kim Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Rodial Dragon’s Blood Jelly Eye Patches (1 Sachet)
Have you ever struggled with impostor syndrome? If so, what are some ways you’ve managed it in the past?
You know, it’s so funny, because people used to talk about impostor syndrome a lot, and I never experienced it. But the more successful I’ve become, the more I’ve started to feel it. For example, I’ve just been asked to speak at the Business of Fashion’s global beauty forum, and I saw who else was asked to speak, and I’m just kind of sitting there like, Huh? Why? Why am I being asked to do this?
In our heads, I feel like we’re all still 15-year-olds—I don’t know about you, but I still see myself as a 15-year-old in an adult’s body doing grown-up things. But I think for me, it’s just really knowing not to trust my inner critic, and I always think like I don’t always know best. I’m not perceiving myself as I am now, because I’m, like I just said, still perceiving myself as the younger me. Sometimes, I need my subconscious to catch up with where I actually am in reality as it relates to my growth and how far I’ve come.
Do you ever light a candle or stick of incense to decompress? If so, what are some of your favorites?
I just released a Manifest candle with my favorite candle brand, August & Piers. They had this thing where you would open the box and it would say, “There’s only one you,” and it was all about celebrating individuality. And we definitely came to each other at the exact same time to do this collaboration, so it was meant to be.
Lighting candles is so significant for me within my daily ritual. It’s a real moment of wind down for me, of self-care: I do it when I’m doing visualization, when I’m meditating, when I want to have a date night at home. Whatever it is, it’s so important for so many reasons, so creating a candle just felt so right. It’s got amber, patchouli, and vanilla, and it’s very sensual. I wanted that because I think it’s important to get into feminine energy, especially after so many of us are working all day and often surrounded by masculine energy there. I really wanted people to be able to step into that feeling at the end of the day. So, as I light that candle, it’s a moment to say, “This is now my time.”
What was the last beauty product you put on today?
I used two things just now: One is the Merit Day Glow Highlighting Balm—I have only just discovered Merit, and I am obsessed. And the other is the NARS Radiant Concealer. I’ve tried so many different concealers, but I do always go back to that one.
Merit Day Glow
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
Are you into bold makeup, no makeup, or no-makeup makeup right now, and why?
No-makeup makeup—I would definitely say that I’m going through my transition. I used to love a really contoured look, which I still do, but ever since my Merit era, I prefer myself with less makeup.
What’s the last fitness class you streamed or attended in person?
Okay, so I’ll share two: The last one I streamed is called Form by Sami Clark. She’s L.A.-based, and she’s so positive—I love her class. She’s got Pilates strength classes now, so I really love doing them. But, the last in-person class I did when I was in the U.S. was at Equinox Hudson Yards [in New York City]—a friend of mine that I’ve known for 15 years did a class there. I’ve got to say it is probably the nicest gym I’ve ever seen. It’s stunning—like, I want to move in.
What’s one piece of self-care advice you’d give to our readers?
There’s a book called Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and It’s All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things From Taking Over Your Life. I think that self-care is about feeling good, and sometimes, what stops us feeling good is this constant stress over things that ultimately aren’t that important. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that it’s not that big a deal. It’s something that I try to remind myself of every day. Stress just shows everywhere: in our faces, in our bodies, inflammation, fatigue, everything. When actually it’s all going to be fine, no one fucking cares. Relax.
Associate Beauty Commerce Editor
Tiffany Dodson is currently the associate beauty commerce editor at Harper’s Bazaar, where she specializes in trend forecasting, building relationships with major and emerging brands, and crafting shopping stories—from holiday gift guides to product road tests. Tiffany’s work has previously been featured in outlets like SELF, Bustle, and Teen Vogue, and she’s been quoted as a commerce and beauty expert in publications and platforms like The Business of Fashion and NPR’s Life Kit podcast.
