If you've been on TikTok, especially PerfumeTok, you've probably come across beauty content creator Jackie Aina's extensive collection of perfumes and picked up a thing or two about how to layer scents and make them last longer. She's passionate about all things fragrance, as well as making sure that self-care is for everyone and it's more than okay to prioritize it. Enter Forvr Mood, which launched in 2020 during the pandemic. "The one sense of normalcy that I had at that time was fragrance. I was staying home, but I was still wearing perfume, and every single day I was still lighting my candles," Aina says. Amid social-justice protests, too, Aina wanted to focus on taking care of herself and her environment. "It kind of felt like a love letter to what I was going through emotionally at that time, but also my community, and I really put a bigger focus at that time on a brand that centered Black women being taken care of," Aina says.
Working with her now-fiance and co-founder, Denis Asamoah, Aina's vision for the brand was to step away from the overly bougie and intimidating nature of the fragrance industry, and create something that wasn't too kitschy or too niche with a mid-range price point. "I wanted something that was a little bit more modern and definitely luxe, but still attainable," Aina says.
Buying candles, or any fragrance-based product, online is not easy, and that's why the brand prioritizes capturing the feeling and the vibe of a scent. "When we're describing the notes, one person may think Lemongrass Smells like this, and then the other person may have a completely different definition of what lemongrass smells like. But if I describe to you how you feel, I think people connect with that easier. This is the one that I'm burning when I'm turned up. This one makes me feel relaxed. This one actually makes me feel really romantic," Aina explains.
She also gave us plenty of tips and tricks on how to properly care for candles. "Make sure you're trimming your wick before you burn your candle each and every time; even if you don't think you have to, you probably have to," she says. To prevent tunneling, Aina recommends burning a candle for at least two hours to get an even layered burn pool, and if you don't have the time to let it burn, then don't burn the candle. If you've ever noticed the scent of your candles fading, especially if you use it often, it's probably because you're blowing out your candles, Aina says. "That's literally fragrance you're blowing out, and a lot of people don't know that, so never, ever, ever blow out your candles." The best way to extinguish a candle is to use a snuffer, dip the wick back into the melted wax, or use a lid. "Our candles always come with the lid for this reason; I just put the lid right back on them and they extinguish safely," she explains.
Other than candle care, Aina gives us her tips and tricks on how to live our lives lavishly. As she puts it: "A luxury is supposed to be peace of mind. Things that are luxurious are not just tangible things to me. They're like having access, having time, not having to worry about something . . . if something feels like work or a chore, then it's not a luxury and you need to eliminate it, period."
Beyond creating Forvr Mood and offering candle- and self-care tricks, Aina and Asamoah also shared their current must have products with us ahead.
