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A First Look at The Downtime Collection (!)

A sneak peek at something I've been dreaming up with my friends...

Alisha Ramos

Nov 9

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Hi friends,

I’ve been keeping a secret, and I’m excited to finally be able to talk about it.

Today, I’m thrilled to share that my first-ever brand collaboration, The Downtime Collection with The New Savant, is launching on 11/11 (Tuesday). !!!

The Downtime Collection is a limited-edition set of three cozy mini candles—each designed to help you slow down, soak in the holiday season, and enjoy a bit of downtime. The scents included are the bestselling Library in a Forest, California Christmas, and the newly-launched Snow Gazer. Truly, the coziest trio!!

The candles are housed in small glass vessels, perfect for casting a warm glow while you curl up with a book or watch a show on the couch. As an extra perk and surprise, we’ve designed an exclusive bookmark that includes a reading tracker to encourage you to get offline and get through your to-read list. The packaging and the scents are all gorgeous, and I can’t wait for you to experience them! They’d make a perfect holiday gift.

Mark your calendars for 11/11 at 11:11am ET as the quantities are limited and their candle drops tend to sell out!!

✨ A Special Giveaway

To celebrate the upcoming launch, we’re gifting one lucky person The Downtime Collection plus a one-year subscription to Downtime! You can enter via the button below:

Enter the giveaway!

The winner will be chosen on 11/18.

Some Backstory: Why & How This Collaboration Came To Be (And Why I Think This Brand is the Coolest)

Some of the best collaborations come about organically, and that’s certainly the case here.

I first met Ingrid Nilsen, co-founder of The New Savant, many years ago when I was running my media brand, Girls’ Night In. She was then a top creator on YouTube (some of you may remember her beauty tutorials and videos), and I was invited to be a guest on her podcast. We immediately connected over our shared mixed Asian heritage, creative entrepreneurial roots, and most of all, our love of cozy rituals.

Since that first meeting, we’ve both pivoted in our careers (omg, we were such babies back then!), but our connection stayed with us as we mutually admire each other’s work and values.

Pictured: Erica, Ingrid, and I hanging out (and scheeeeming) in Brooklyn last month.

Fast forward a few years, and Ingrid—along with her co-founder Erica Anderson—launched The New Savant in 2020, a fragrance company known for its boundary-pushing, story-driven scents and candles. I know many of you are already big fans! I had the chance to work with them early on as a brand consultant, and I remember thinking even then: this brand was something special, and it’s led by two people who have so much heart and conviction, who really care about the community they’ve built. (Not to mention they’re two of the coolest, nicest people I’ve ever worked with.)

So when Ingrid and Erica reached out about a holiday collaboration, it was a full-bodied yes. I’ve been approached for collabs before, but I always felt a little too nervous to take them on. This time, it was an instant, “duh!!!” Candles are some of my favorite things, and The New Savant makes some of my favorites.

Ingrid and Erica’s mission to disrupt the male- and Euro-centric fragrance world, and their ability to capture a feeling in such unique scents, feels perfectly aligned with Downtime’s own ethos: slowing down, being thoughtful, and finding beauty in the small stuff.

I can’t wait to share this cozy project with you.

See you Tuesday for the drop, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

xo Alisha

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