Meet the CEO of "Marie's Halo" Andessa Augustin

Marie’s Halo was created in honor of “mum”, the late grandmother of Andessa Augustin, a native of St. Lucia.

Growing up in St. Lucia, “mum” instilled in her the importance of being a creator and making a name for herself. Andessa grew up watching her “mum’s” entrepreneurial spirit; baking and creating knick-knacks for residents of the village, influencing the birth of Marie’s Halo soy candles.

Marie's Halo was birthed in Brooklyn, NY but now resides in Baltimore, MD where small batches are hand poured and cured for hours to obtain classic finishing. Each candle is made with love, using all-natural soy wax, 100% cotton wicks and phthalate-free fragrance oils to produce an environmentally friendly product that all customers are comfortable burning in their homes.

Who is Andessa Augustin and what was your motivation for starting your brand?

I am an accounting professional, serial entrepreneur and proud St. Lucian. I migrated to the United States at the age of eight and I was raised mostly by my late grandmother “Mum”. We spent all of our afternoons in her garden where she grew crops, herbs, and plants. She would create teas and scented body oils using the herbs from her garden. Mum is one of my greatest motivations and I started Marie’s Halo in her memory. She taught me to use my hands. Now, I am able to bake, create candles, room sprays, and sometimes even do hair. Amongst my circle, I am known to make something out of nothing and I am using everything she taught me to create my products and build my brand.

My daily grind includes working as an accounting specialist at a large education-based non-profit organization. Fortunately, I work remotely from my apartment in Baltimore, Maryland affording me the opportunity to be flexible in my schedule to work more on growing my brand. I am also fortunate for my accounting background because it helps me to manage my personal and business finances. On a typical day, I am running reports, preparing documents, managing records, and invoicing on our accounting system. I also assist with the fiscal year-end cut-off documentation for invoice review. The most rewarding aspect of my job is training new staff that joins my team because I am able to contribute to their growth and success in the organization.