
Products you buy through our links may earn us a commission. Oh, and if something's out of stock, oops, it was there (and all prices were accurate) at time of publication.
Skimm Her Life is a series in our weekly newsletter, Skimm Your Life, where smart women share their favorite things.
In honor of candle season officially arriving, today we have the queen of candles, Kristen Pumphrey, here to Skimm Her Life. She’s the founder and creative director of P.F. Candle Co., whose covetable candles in those classic amber jars have been in our rotation for years. Kristen, spill your secrets…
We upgraded our speaker system to Sonos last year, and it lives up to the hype. We connected our record player to the system, so that we can listen to records or tapes in the backyard. Music’s always on now.
An obsidian palm stone. What can I say, I’m superstitious.
A stack of books I want to get read/am in the middle of, including Eve Babitz’s “I Used to be Charming,” and Bryan Washington’s “Family Meal.” A picture of Paris I took on film when I was a teenager. A Loftie Alarm Clock so I can wake up to the sound of calming chimes. A Piñon room and linen spray.
“If it takes you less than two minutes to do something, just do it.” This is from David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” method. This gets you over decision fatigue and procrastination.
This tea infuser. It changed the game for brewing loose-leaf tea, which I like to do because it makes me feel like a (poorly trained) magical herbalist. It’s better than the ball type because it’s less grungy to clean out.
Without a doubt, Wild Herb Tonic. It smells like a fancy but rustic spa.
You can’t go wrong with Teakwood & Tobacco in a candle or diffuser. Then, I’d try our incense. Enoki Cedar in cones and Piñon or Wild Herb Tonic in sticks.
I use our car fragrance as a travel fragrance. It packs smaller than a travel candle and scents the room up.
Think about the fragrance wheel as a color wheel — you either want to do complementary fragrances from the same family (like doing two earthy scents) that will amplify the mood you’re going for, or create some of contrast (like adding a green undertone to a gourmand note, which would create a hyper-realistic fruit scent). I also like to think about my layers by product type. I start with a diffuser in my “base” scent, then layer in candles and incense seasonally, or based on the type of energy I’m trying to create. Diffusers have more staying power, so when you layer other types on top with less tenacity, it creates a dynamic and personal blend.
My current favorite podcast is Shortcomings. The hosts are hilarious and delightful. They do recaps (and honestly kind of takedowns?) of the “Sex & The City” universe, going show by show. It’s laugh-out-loud funny.
Psst: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Sign up for the Daily Skimm email newsletter. Delivered to your inbox every morning and prepares you for your day in minutes.
© 2012-2025 Everyday Health, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. theSkimm is among the federally registered trademarks of Everyday Health, Inc., and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.