Gentle Beauty

Ever Amids' porcelain vessels are handmade in Nadine Boyds' studio

There is slow food and there is fashions quiet luxury – if you shake the approach of both, add a dash of art and blend it into a beauty brand, you get Ever Amid: a Canadian, small-batch eco-friendly design and wellness brand that launched two lip products, the Ceremonial Protection Treatment basic balm and the Nourishing Rouge Stain, last years. Both aren’t just simple care staples, they come in hand made porcelain vessels, filled natural and sustainable ingredients that took four years to develop into a balm and lip stain. Beautiful to see, touch and use – the two pots are stand out in their simplicity and authenticity.

We spoke to Ever Amid founder Nadine Boyd about her approach to beauty.

What made you create Ever Amid?

The only product I wear daily is lip balm. And I deserved a good one. I was on an extended search to find a formula that was organic, effective, long-lasting, and whose packaging didn’t compromise my sustainability ethics. I spent a lot of time and money over the years on products that carried one or two of the above goals, but not all.

I worked with an herbalist to transform an old family recipe into a formula rooted in the healing powers of botanicals and oils, including the energetics of flowers. The formula took four years to perfect and I’m so proud of how slowly and intimately each batch is created. Our raw ingredients pass through a 60-day cold-steep phase before being blended and poured into the handcrafted porcelain vessels. There is no element in our product manufacturing and shipping that was not considered through the lens of design, art, sustainability, quality, and sensorial experience.

What brought you to create beauty products?

I didn’t set out to enter the beauty category. In many ways, it runs contrary to my brand ethics. This has turned into a beautiful point of expansion. The toxic capitalist and patriarchal roots of big beauty force me deeper into my vision of sustainability and art practices in a realm that is in opposition. Creating small waves of conscious change feels responsible and joyous.

Three word to reflect Ever Amid…

Intimate. Inspired. Ceremony.

Which brands, artists, landscape etc inspire you?

Nature. Forever the ocean. I grew up seaside and I see her as a mother. Ever-changing and mysterious and bold and holding so much. Old growth forests. The shrill sides of mountaintops where no human can pass. Creeks, rivers, lakes. Birdsong. Nature gives and gives. Listening and feeling her is such a gift, but requires so much quiet. I trust her more than most. I’m lucky to live at the edges of her rawness and am slowly turning my yard into a wild garden forest so she never has to be too far from me.

I’m inspired by brands and artists who do what they do for the sake of being a student forever and always creating on that edge of failure and growth. It is so evident to me who prioritizes the magic of artistry over the money.

How would you like to see the future of Ever Amid?

The brand and I cohabitate a creative space filled with play. The inspiration available is vast when I shut off the control and focus on flow. I see the brand as evolving far beyond beauty, with next steps in fine jewellery. My priority in being a maker is to follow the flow of joyous inspiration, while being true to my north star of giving more than taking.

[Photo]

Britney Gill

[Editor]

Laura Dunkelmann

August 22, 2023