After graduating in January, with free time on her hands due to the lockdowns, the 24-year-old drew upon her love for scented candles and tried creating her own.
She spent four months experimenting with different types of wax and scents, and in April decided to launch her own Instagram store, Nace Lab.
“It was just a hobby at first, but I was amazed by how beautiful the candles smelt and looked and decided to start selling them,” she tells FMT.
Initially, however, she did not receive many orders. Although discouraged, Anastasiya continued to promote her business by creating TikTok videos and reels on Instagram.
And just when she was thinking of shutting it down, she suddenly began receiving many orders.
Aware that there are numerous other scented-candle businesses out there, Anastasiya knew she had to do something to make her wares stand out.
To that end, her creations come in many unique and different shapes, with the most popular being the Greek god and goddess set, as well as the skull candle.
She also sells candles in the shape of macaroons and owls, as well as a “bubble-shaped” design.
The most recent addition to her product list is a unique wavy candle that customers can personalise with a name or message.
“This design took me some time to perfect as I have to create the wax letters separately and stick them to the candle,” she shares.
Each candle can be customised according to customers’ preferred colours, shapes and scents.
“I try my best to achieve exactly what my customers want by mixing many different colours together,” Anastasiya says, adding that she has experimented with mint, lilac and others to perfect the shades.
The products also come in a range of scents that are subject to availability, with the most popular being rose, jasmine, sakura and gardenia.
And as with the colours, Anastasiya is more than happy to experiment with new scents to make sure her customers get exactly what they want.
The products and packaging are made of all-natural ingredients, in line with Nace Lab being a fully eco-responsible business. The candles are made of a mix of natural beeswax and soy wax.
“I experimented with both as the weather in Malaysia is hot, so I wanted to ensure the candles do not burn too quickly,” she says, explaining that the beeswax allows for a higher melting point and also serves as a natural air purifier as each candle burns.
Anastasiya is on a tourist visa and will remain in Malaysia as long as her country’s borders are closed because of the pandemic. Until then, she hopes to continue making her customers happy, and is immensely grateful for the warm reception she has received for her new venture.
“I really like Malaysians. They are so friendly and supportive, and I do hope I can stay on,” she says. “Malaysia is like my second home.”
Nace Lab delivers throughout Malaysia. To check out the full range of designs and to place an order, visit its website or Instagram profile.