WHAT WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR + 30% OFF SITEWIDE!
Happy Thanksgiving beauties! To celebrate, we’re sharing our gratitude + giving you 30% off site-wide until Dec. 1st! So, let’s give thanks, and give gifts to all those we’re grateful for. And maybe a gift for yourself for all that Black Friday shopping stamina ;) Tis the season for gratitude and giving!
Keep reading for:
- What we’re grateful for in the world of beauty
- Our gratitude in the world overall
- Why gratitude matters
- How to inject more gratitude into your life
WHAT WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR – in the world of beauty
Sustainability rising
We’re so grateful to see more brands starting to consider sustainability in their packaging and sourcing. When it comes to wasteful toxic packaging, destructive ingredient sourcing, and unethical labor standards, the truth is being told, consumers are demanding better, and some brands are starting to listen. This is so important - we need to cherish and protect our planet and the people producing our products.
And a special source of sustainable gratitude for us: we’re grateful to have won a Sustainable Beauty Award from Refinery 29 for our fully recyclable eyeshadow palettes!
Clean going mainstream
2019 was the year of clean beauty. The biggest boost was Sephora’s launch of a stricter, more expansive clean beauty program with new regulations and a dedicated clean beauty section in all their stores. Other department stores expanded their clean selection also, and of course, the Queens of Green, Detox Market, and Credo Beauty are gaining more and more popularity with every passing day.
Hopefully, very soon, clean, non-toxic beauty will just be the norm. This year took us one step closer!
Consumers asking hard questions
Almost daily, we get asked questions about how our mica or palm oil is sourced, what exactly our packaging is made of, and in-depth questions about individual ingredients. And honestly, we love this! It’s great to see consciousness rising and you as consumers expecting more. This is the fastest way to create change in the industry – brands will only produce what consumers will buy! #choosebetterbeauty
The women behind the Ingredient Safety Laws
Many laws have been proposed to strengthen cosmetic safety, yet so many of them fail to be passed. Despite this, certain Senators and Congresswomen are still working tirelessly to make these changes happen. We’re so thankful for these women and their unwavering commitment to increase regulation, safety, and transparency in cosmetics.
Who are these ladies and what are their proposed laws?
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins are the women behind the Personal Care Products Safety Act, which would give the FDA the power to truly regulate cosmetics. You can support their bill by writing to your local senator.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky has been championing The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act’ which includes greater ingredient disclosure and ingredient safety transparency.
Progress in animal testing laws
Animal tested products are already banned in the EU, India, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, South Korea, Turkey, Taiwan, and New Zealand. And in the US - California, Nevada, and Illinois have passed laws banning the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. Now we just need the rest of the country to follow suit!
Countrywide animal-testing bans have been proposed in both the US and Canada, but they haven’t gained enough support to become law. What can you do? Write to your US representative (or Member of Parliament in Canada) with your support for banning animal-testing, share your views with beauty brands, and vote with your dollars by only buying verified cruelty-free products. Let’s create more reasons to be grateful!
Credo’s new Fragrance policy
Did you know: brands are not required to disclose any ingredients that make up their ‘fragrance’? So, they could be using dozens of toxic chemicals, but can group them all together under the word ‘fragrance’ and we as consumers have no idea what’s inside. Insane, right?
Well, Credo has just created a new fragrance policy that means even more transparency for the already clean Credo brands:
- All 120+ brand partners are required to categorize the source of their fragrances for every product. The categories are: Fragrance-Free, Essential Oils, Certified Organic, Natural, Naturally-Derived, and Synthetic.
- Credo has challenged its brand partners to fully disclose all fragrance ingredients. And we are happy to report that 71 of them rose to the occasion (so far). This is unprecedented— not just in conventional beauty, but in clean beauty as well!
Disclosing all ingredients is so important – you should know what you’re putting on your body and have the right to choose! At Āether Beauty, all our palettes are fragrance-free and we always list every ingredient on our website and packaging.
More inclusivity and celebration of all
At long last, the beauty industry is starting to move away from the stifling, narrow, non-representative standard of beauty of the past to a new broader beauty world that we can relate to, that feels genuine and non-manufactured. And while there’s a long way to go for true inclusivity, we’re heading in the right direction.
All of you
It fills us with joy every time we see you wearing our shadows – in your car selfies, #motd looks, and oftentimes in your wedding photos – we cannot get enough! Thank you for supporting Āether Beauty, we send you all the love and crystal-charged sparkle!
THINGS WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR – in the world overall
Family and Friends
The humans we were born with, and the ones we chose ourselves, they all bring a lot of joy, connection, laughs, cries, and memories to our lives. There’s nothing more sustaining than connection and we’re grateful for our circle of love and support every day!
From Tiila: "I am so personally grateful for all the family members and friends that have come to support me and my family while I've been busy creating this brand. You've all gone above and beyond to help me in so many different ways. I am eternally grateful for your love and support (and help!)"
A beautiful, supportive community of female founders
As a female-founded brand, it fills us up to see so many talented, innovative, tireless women bringing about change and creating sustainable, healthy, unique creations that enrich our lives.
We're so grateful to be a part of the Female Founder Collective, whose mission is to enable female-owned businesses to positively impact our communities, both socially and economically. These women lift each other up and root for the others' success. It’s a beautiful thing to watch and be a part of.
Online Shopping
Forever thankful to avoid the holiday crowds, shop in our super-soft pajamas (maybe with some wine), and wake up to brand new goodies on our doorstep. It’s a beautiful thing! The only downside to all this instant joy is the impact it has on the environment.
We're grateful to be able to offer a carbon-neutral shipping option that offsets those extra emissions through Cloverly. It means you can still enjoy shopping online, except minus the added carbon.
The snooze button
As sunrise gets later and later, we’re giving thanks for that extra 5 minutes (or 15) to curl up under the covers in warmth!
Mercury Retrograde ending
We’re grateful for every retrograde we wave goodbye to! And this goodbye was perfectly timed to wave hello to the season of gratitude and good vibes!
The Sun moving into Sagittarius
When the sun and moon align with Sagittarius, we begin to feel more courageous, more expansive, and ready to connect with the outside world. We gain confidence and optimism and go forth with a strong sense that all will go our way. It’s the perfect antidote to the contraction of Mercury Retrograde!
Growing awareness about environmental issues
Even the average person is starting to think about their plastic usage and consumption. While we have a long way to go, it’s gratifying to see more people taking our impact on the planet seriously. Read our blog on reducing your plastic usage to learn what you can do personally!
Vegan S’mores
Ok so we can’t roast them outside, but these vegan s’mores are just as good as the campfire classic (and you can stay warm while you make them). Curl up by the fire, and savor the chocolatey, melty deliciousness on a random weeknight when you need a pick-me-up.
John Legend Christmas Songs
It’s officially acceptable to listen to Christmas songs on repeat. And our current favorite Xmas classics: anything by John Legend.
WHY BE GRATEFUL
Experts in Positive Psychology are constantly studying gratitude and consistently the studies show: gratitude is strongly linked with greater happiness. And don’t we all want more joy and happiness in our lives?
It's becoming known that by focusing on the positive parts of our lives, we begin to feel more optimistic overall, to recognize those little bursts of joy more frequently, to handle hard situations better, to interact with people more deeply, and to improve our physical and emotional health. #weareconvinced
HOW TO MAKE GRATITUDE A PART OF YOUR DAILY LIFE
Gratitude Journal
Find a gorgeous, luxurious journal that will bring you joy every time you open it. Or, even better, (and zero-waste), do it digitally! Every morning, take 2-3 minutes to write down a few things you’re grateful for. Try to think of new sources of gratitude every day, and if you run out, thank the universe in advance for what you hope will come to you in the future. We promise, after a few weeks, you’ll start looking for things to be grateful for all throughout your day, and as a result, you’ll feel a lasting boost in your mood!
Reflect throughout the day
If you’d rather not write it out, instead create a habit of reflecting on gratitude every time you get in/out of your car! This will start your traffic-filled drive off on a better note and will have the same joy-boosting effects as a journal.
Thank others
Do you ever notice when you compliment or thank someone, not only do they feel great, but you get a little rush of joy? Sending thank you notes/texts/card/emails will deepen your relationships with others, bring joy to their day, and make you feel better too! Just pick a person every week or so that you want to share your love and appreciation for.
Image: @cosmiccollage
Celebrate Thanksgiving as it was intended
Use this day for the reason it was created – to give thanks! This is a beautiful opportunity to not only count your blessings internally but to share your thanks for all those gathered around the table with you. Why not create a ritual where everyone shares their thanks for a specific thing about someone around the table? #goodvibesallaround
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Thanks for tuning in beauties! Don’t forget to shop our 30% off sale before December 1st – no code needed!
- Āether Beauty xo
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Also in #goodvibesbeauty - Aether Beauty Blog
Plastic Free July Amid COVID
While COVID has had some positive effects on the environment (cleaner air and clearer waters), it’s had the opposite effect on plastic usage. With many grocery stores banning reusable bags and containers, and coffee shops like Starbucks rejecting reusable cups, plastic use is at an all-time high. Not to mention, many areas that previously banned single-use plastic have lifted their bans during coronavirus. Plus, we’re all using plastic-laden, disposable PPE at an inconceivable rate.
So, what can we do? Can we bounce back from this? And how big is the problem really? While a completely Plastic Free July probably isn’t possible during COVID, we can arm ourselves with tips and truths to choose better and bounce back from the plastic pandemic when this is all (blessedly) over.
PRISON LABOR IN THE US & CHINA: IS YOUR MAKEUP MADE BY PRISONERS?
Look up prison labor and you’ll find a whole host of different opinions – some say it’s a chance for inmates to acquire new skills and knowledge, which can lead to employment once they finish their sentence. The vast majority of accounts though, describe prison labor as essentially ‘slave labor’ – unpaid or incredibly low-paying forced labor, exploiting inmates.
How is this relevant to the beauty industry? Many private companies, including beauty and fashion brands, use or have used prison labor, though most of us have no idea it’s even happening. Just like with sustainable sourcing and child labor, it’s essential to know how our products are being made so we can make ethical buying choices.
ĀETHER BEAUTY TURNS 2!
