If you are anything like me, eyeshadows that don’t irritate my eye area are hard to find. I remember my first experience with make up, when I was six years old and started competitive figure skating. Obviously, we had to wear make up for performances, and my coach got me this inexpensive drugstore brand (that will remain nameless). Within minutes of application, my skin had turned itchy, red and swollen, and I was forced to compete with a rash spreading quickly across my face.

It was that moment that I knew I needed to be mindful when it comes to what I apply on my skin. As my dear dermatologist says, “Some people think they have sensitive skin. You, Mira, you actually have sensitive skin.” Lucky me.

However, my allergies have granted me the opportunity to find better brands. When I say better, I don’t mean some “holier-than-thou” bullshit, but brands that strive to do better for their clients and the planet we are all blessed to live on. One of those brands that significantly stands out is Āthr Beauty. Their products are 100 percent sustainably designed in California, and is the first in the industry to create a fully recyclable, paper palette.

I’ve spent some time of late playing with one their products that has quickly become one of my fast favorites, the Rose Quartz Gemstone Eyeshadow Palette.

It has 12 shades, all beautiful and very flattering on any eye color (in my personal opinion), and is the perfect palette to use for a day-to-night look. The lighter shades, such as Stardust, Heart Stone, Divine, Rose Quartz and Reawakening are perfect for the day. To ideally complement, the shades Crystalline, Scorpio, Aphrodite, Aura and Astarte are simply amazing to jazz up your look for the evening.

The shadows apply like a dream, with buttery-smooth application that does not irritate my eyes. They blend together seamlessly, which is something that is sometimes difficult to find with natural eyeshadows, so I definitely appreciate Āthr Beauty’s formula. I love how there’s a mix of matte, shimmer, and metallic shadows, as well as some of the shades being duo-chrome! I’ve never seen that in a natural eyeshadow palette before, so that’s a super fun addition! The shades that are duo-chrome are Reawakening, Divine, Astarte and Aura. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to upload my video showing said fabulous duo-chrome action, but if you hop on over to my IG you can check it out there!

Now, for the ingredient breakdown. The Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette’s ingredients list is:

Mica*, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate*, Zinc Stearate*, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate*, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Rosa (Rose Hip) Canina Seed Oil**, Silica*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil***, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*** Tin Oxide, (Rose) Quartz*, Alumina*

May Contain: Bronze Powder*, Titanium Dioxide, Manganese Violet, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines*, Bismuth Oxychloride
*Naturally derived, ** Organic, *** Organic + Fair Trade

Although some of those ingredients are indeed a mouthful, you’ll be pleased to know that they all score a relatively low number on the EWG’s Skin Deep website, with an average of 2 out of 10 (the lower, the better).

Above, you can see one of my favorite looks I created using the Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette. In this particular look, I started with the shade Rose Quartz all over my lids. After, I mixed the shades Scorpio and Reawakening together and blended that into my crease. I used my finger to take a tiny bit of the shade Stardust and dabbed it on the center of my lids and the inner corners of my eyes to give it a bit more dimension. No eyeliner necessary. This look stood out on its own.

Thank you to Āthr Beauty for creating such a beautiful, clean, eco-friendly palette! I am absolutely in love with it. I’m such a fan already, I already have another palette from the same brand on the way (hopefully it arrives today, actually!) and I can’t wait to play with it!

All my love,

Miranda Renée