I've never been too into astrology, but I have done some significant digging into what it means to be a Leo. Honestly, I've always been annoyed by the way Leos are described & portrayed - like we're kiiiiind of the worst.
Everyone sign has their positives & negatives, but it seems like Leos are frequently described using words that tend toward the negative: "dramatic," "dominant," "self-confident." None of those words is inherently negative, but... man, are Leos just jerks? For this reason, I've always been a little reluctant to identify too closely with my astrological sign.
Still, I've been seeing more astrologically themed content online lately - & IRL, actually - so I thought it'd be fun to do a little roundup of what my sign says I should like/be like versus me-in-real-life. I'd love to hear whether you identify with your zodiac sign!
Lifestyle
According to Refinery29, Leo's keyword (or, more accurately, key phrase) should be "I will" because we're gonna do it anyway. That's pretty accurate for me, given that when I put my mind to something, I usually make it happen - but given my penchant for procrastination, a better mantra might be, "I will... later" or "I will... after this nap."
Refinery29 also tells me what my 2019 mantra should be: "I win when I follow my joy." I mean, I think this is probably true of everyone, right? (And therein lies my annoyance with horoscopes.) But the description of my work style (stable traditionalist) & my current feelings about it (antsy, eagerness for some change) are spot-on, so maybe this isn't too far off-base, after all.
Scents
Earlier this month, I attended
Scents & Signs, an astrology & candle-making event at
The Candle Studio at Pinecrest in Orange Village. As we arrived, each attendee received a list of scents tailored to our astrological sign; Leo's were honeycrisp apple & jasmine. I don't love jasmine, but I did end up using honeycrisp in my custom-made candle, mixed with the scents of manuka honey & whipped cream.
(Yes, I basically made a Rosh HaShanah-scented candle.)
Scentbird, a personalized fragrance subscription,
shares three perfumes appropriate for Leos. Two of them sound interesting to me, one with blackberry & vanilla & another made with "leather and tonka bean." Say what? The third features "powdery florals," which sounds like a sneeze.
Me? Well, I wear Old Spice deodorant every day (original scent only, please) & only own one scent, called
"Grit & Poise." It's made with a bunch of words I can't pronounce & smells... rough & tumble, I guess? I wouldn't call it over-the-top, though.
Style
In a holiday gift guide from late 2018,
Refinery29 says to gift Leos, "Something luxe that won't break the bank...They love flashy accent pieces, but hate knowing you spent a ton of money on them — they're the generous ones."
They recommend a candle, a pair of sunglasses, & a gold-flecked vase, all of which are lovely but also... probably not my ideal gifts?
Another holiday list from
Refinery29, "Create An Oh-So-Festive Beauty Look Based On Your Horoscope Sign," says Leos want to be "glitteriest, shiniest, and sparkliest person at [the] holiday soiree." Can I note that this is
almost never the case for me? Like, I wanna look good, but miss me with your glittery texturing spray, please. You'll find me wearing all-black & zero glitter.
Similarly, I'm very much not into
Brit + Co's Leo makeup look, which features bright purple eye shadow. (I am 34 & thus far too old for this look, but even 22-year-old Kate wasn't gonna try this.) I do, however,
always desire bigger, better, curlier, more majestic hair than I currently (or ever) have. Maybe that's the most Leo thing about me: I want a mane.
Know what would look excellent with a proper mane?
Allure's Leo beauty look, which is, appropriately, very golden. Gimme dat. (And fine, I really like that gold-flecked vase, too.)
Books
EpicReads says Leos are "magnanimous, self-aware, aristocratic, & romantic" & our books should be the same. While I've never cared for romance plotlines (& certainly not for romance novels), I can get down with those other descriptors. Alas, I've only read
one of EpicReads's suggestions - the
Selection series, which was cheesy but enjoyable - & their other recommendations sound too fantasy-based for me.
Bustle says Leos' next read should be The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, to which I quote an admirable non-Leo who might as well be one: "thank u, next." What I like better from
Bustle is this list of
books to read during "Leo season," a.k.a. summer: "Some have plots or characters that all feisty Leos will love, others are written with bad ass sensibility all Leos can relate to, and some are even written by authors who are Leos themselves." Accurate, given that at least five of these books are already on my TBR list!
Music
I'm loving
Spotify's Leo playlist, created as part of a playlist capsule for all zodiac signs. I haven't listened to any of the other playlists & would likely enjoy some of them, too, whether they match my sign or not - but for now, I'm content with Leo jams from Kendrick Lamar ("I Love Myself," obviously, because Leos are jerks), Lizzo, Robyn, The 1975, John Mayer, & other faves.
Bustle's 2015 list
"Songs Every Leo Should Listen to Because They Represent Every Facet of the Sign" also speaks (errr, sings) to me. It features Lady Gaga, The Spice Girls, Hozier, & Florence + the Machine. Doesn't that really make you "Wannabe" a Leo, too? (
See what I did there?)
Tell me: Do you identify with your astrological sign or think it's all kind of hokey? Even when I don't buy into it, I do think it's fun!
