Meet the Makers

Brittany Furnari is proudly a Latina CEO and co-founder of Nose Best Candles, a Brooklyn-based brand bringing scent, music, and mixology together in one multisensory experience. Born in Guatemala, adopted and raised in the U.S., she became the first in her biological family to graduate high school, college, and own a business. Self-funded from day one, Brittany has grown Nose Best from a pandemic passion project into a thriving brand featured in national retailers and beloved by local communities.

Nose Best Candles transforms a night at home into a full sensory experience. Each hand-poured candle is paired with a custom Spotify playlist and cocktail (or mocktail) recipe—like a “party in a jar.” Every product is made to order in their Brooklyn studio. From playful scent names like Bodega Run and Mountain Daddy to immersive candle-making classes, Brittany and her team infuse creativity and culture into everything they do.

As a Latina and Queer founder, Brittany has built her business by bootstrapping it “one dollar at a time,” without outside funding or industry connections. That challenge pushed her to hustle harder, learn fast, and prove that creativity and grit can overcome any barrier. “Being a Latinx-owned business means honoring the passion, resilience, creativity, and community that shaped me while breaking new ground as an entrepreneur of color,” she says.

Growing up in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Brittany rarely saw people who looked like her taking up space. “Back then, it often felt like being non-white was something to shrink away from, to ‘Americanize’ as much as possible. Today, our cultural differences are our strength and beauty, and I’m passionate about speaking to that empowering narrative.”

Teaching is another passion. Whether through candle-making workshops or mentoring high school interns from the NYC Summer Youth Employment Program, Brittany is committed to creating spaces that celebrate diverse styles and identities—especially for those “who don’t fit inside a box.”