A moment to breathe: CLEAN RESERVE hosts “Clean Heart” with Maxene Magalona
Sometimes, taking time for ourselves is the first thing we give up when life gets busy. There’s always another message to answer, an errand to run, or someone who needs something. That’s why I appreciate the idea behind CLEAN RESERVE’s recent community gathering at Nada Concepts: a yoga session with Maxene Magalona that gave everyone a reason to pause. Called “Clean Heart,” the class brought wellness and fragrance together around a gentle invitation to slow down.
“Our class, ‘Clean Heart’ was created as a gentle reminder to pause, breathe, release what feels heavy, and make space for what truly matters,” Maxene shared. What resonated with me was her explanation of the name. “May we always remember that a clean heart doesn’t mean a perfect one,” she wrote. “It means having the courage to release what weighs us down and make space for more love, more peace, and more of who we truly are.”
I like that there’s room for imperfection in that message. Even self-care can feel like another assignment sometimes, another routine we’re supposed to follow correctly. Maxene’s words offer a little breathing room. We can take care of ourselves while still having things we haven’t figured out. There’s also something comforting about making that time alongside other people. Setting aside an hour on your own can be surprisingly easy to postpone. A shared class gives you somewhere to show up and a reason to follow through.
The gathering also featured two fragrances, CLEAN RESERVE Sparkling Sugar and Radiant Nectar. Both pair fruit notes with musk, which makes them an interesting duo to explore if you enjoy a little sweetness in your perfume.
Sparkling Sugar is the more playful proposition. CLEAN lists cassis berries and ambrette seeds at the opening, followed by peach nectar, jasmine petals, and pink sugar. White musk, tonka bean, and blond woods make up the dry-down. It has a soft sweetness to it, with peach and sugar creating an almost vanilla-like effect. The peach-and-musk combination is what catches my interest here; based on the notes, it sounds like a good one to put on your sampling list if you gravitate toward fruity, sugary fragrances.
Radiant Nectar, meanwhile, puts pear at the center. It opens with pear nectar and ambrette seeds, moves into orris butter, carrot seeds, and tobacco flower, then settles into white cedarwood, ambroxan, and liquid musk. Expect a juicy freshness balanced by soft, musky warmth. The carrot seed and tobacco flower notes make me curious about how it develops on skin. This scent offers a woodier direction alongside Sparkling Sugar’s peach-and-sugar profile.
Both fragrances also connect to CLEAN’s ingredient sourcing efforts. The brand says it works with a partner that sources ambrette from farmers in El Salvador, helping support educational programs and income for the farming communities. It’s a useful detail behind the “conscious fragrance” Maxene mentioned when thanking CLEAN RESERVE and Nada Concepts for the gathering. She also acknowledged Prestige Brands Manila and Rustan’s Beauty Source in her posts.
For me, the loveliest part of “Clean Heart” is the invitation to give ourselves a little attention without waiting for everything else to be done. A yoga class, a moment of quiet, even taking the time to choose a fragrance you enjoy can be a small way of checking in with yourself. Having a community to share that pause with makes the invitation a little easier to accept.
