Vapour Organic Beauty's Summer Gift Set Mini-Reviews

Back in June, Vapour Organic Beauty hosted a giveaway, and I was lucky enough to be one of five winners. The package they sent out never actually made it to me, despite what USPS says (black hole in my mail box, I suppose?), but Vapour was happy to send out a second package when I let them know after waiting what was probably an inordinate amount of time.  

In a post about a month ago I mentioned my decision to go vegan with my makeup and personal care products, which were lagging behind my diet and other aspects of my lifestyle in that regard. This makes the timing of this giveaway a little funny for me, since if Vapour had hosted it just a month later, I probably wouldn't have entered at all. None of the products in the gift set are vegan (in fact, I'm not sure they make any vegan products), so I guess I'll be saying goodbye to Vapour when I finish all of the products and samples I currently have. It mostly comes down to beeswax, which Vapour puts in most or all of their products. I don't know enough about the chemistry behind the formulation of cosmetics to know how feasible this is, but if Vapour were to reformulate to swap out the beeswax in favor of a different natural wax, I would enthusiastically start adding every product on their site to my wishlist. 

All of this said, I fully intend to use (and enjoy, dammit!) what I've received and I certainly can't penalize the products for containing an ingredient that was still on my a-okay list when I entered the giveaway. I'll just ignore the beeswax and it'll go away and not factor it into the mini-reviews below.

L-R: Status Instant Skin Perfector – 902, Atmosphere Luminous Foundation – 090, Solar Translucent Bronzer – Mirage 221, Aura Multi-Use Blush - Radiant – Intrigue 205, Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss – Flirt 320

Stratus Instant Skin Perfector – 902: I actually already owned this product, so I've left the one I received unopened. Stratus is meant to be a moisturizer, primer and "no-color foundation" in one. For my dry skin, it doesn't do much in the way of moisturizing, but as a primer and perfector, it performs quite well. I saw a blurring effect on the capillaries on the sides of my nose and on my pores, as well as a lessening of the appearance of some yellowish discoloration I have around my mouth. When used as a primer, it makes foundation look more skin-like. It is very well suited to go with a cream foundation, like Vapour's own, and also works under powder foundations. When I tried it under a powder foundation that looks less than ideal on my skin (heavy, somewhat cakey), it greatly improved the look of the foundation, making it look, if not like skin, like a really nice foundation.  

Atmosphere Luminous Foundation – 090: This foundation is another product I already had in my stash. It looks very natural and gives a beautiful healthy glow to the skin.  I don't feel the need to set it with a powder, but those with oilier skin probably would (Vapour also has a foundation made for oily skin). This is definitely a light coverage foundation and not very buildable, so it's not a product I reach for when my skin is being troublesome. If you take a look at my vein (too personal?) in the photos below, it will give you an idea of the coverage.

Bottom-top: Atmosphere Luminous Foundation – 090, Solar Translucent Bronzer – Mirage 221, Aura Multi-Use Blush - Radiant – Intrigue 205, Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss – Flirt 320 

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Solar Translucent Bronzer – Mirage 221: I never really wear bronzer because I'm just so pale that sun-kissed looks wrong on me. I'm pleased to say, though, that Vapour's bronzer in Mirage works very well as contour product for me. It looks more warm-toned in the swatch than it does in person, so while it wouldn't be ideal to contour cool-toned skin, it works perfectly for my somewhat warm skin, particularly since, unlike many bronzers, it contains no shimmer. 

Aura Multi-Use Blush - Radiant – Intrigue 205: Vapour's cream blushes have a beautiful texture (I have a sample of the classic formula as well). They blend phenomenally well on top of powder foundations without disturbing the makeup underneath. I like this blush a tad less on top of Vapour's cream foundation; it's a little difficult to build up enough color, probably because the foundation provides a little too much slip.

Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss – Flirt 320: I'm normally not much into lip glosses. They usually look too, well, glossy and tend to make me think of the word "moist." This one, on the other hand, isn't so bad. If you're a gloss person, you would probably love it.  It isn't sticky but it has decent lasting power (by gloss standards). The color payoff is good as well and I don't find it to be too wet-looking. As far as the plumping effect, I can't say I noticed anything.

Final thoughts:
Despite the lack of vegan products, I have a lot of respect for Vapour Organic Beauty as a company. All of their products consist of 70% organic ingredients and 30% minerals. Just take a look at their ingredient glossary, and you'll see the strength of their dedication to using truly natural ingredients. Something to keep in mind is that their blushes, glosses, and lipsticks *may* contain carmine (they explain their reasoning for using this ingredient here), though I strongly doubt the particular blush and lip gloss shades I received do. Despite this, I've found their products (I also have several lipsticks and a highlighter sample) to be consistently lovely. They all have creamy, blendable consistencies and smell amazing. The sleek packaging (which reflects the somewhat luxurious price point) is another plus, and their customer service is clearly responsive and helpful. 

I will be bidding farewell to Vapour Organic Beauty in the future myself, but would I recommend them to others? Yes and no. I can't deny the high quality of their products, so even though their ingredients don't quite meet my (relatively new) standards, I'd say it's a judgment call to be made on a personal basis.

Product Review: Juice Beauty Lash Defining Mascara

Finding a good natural mascara is hard; if you add vegan to the list of requirements, it's even harder.  That said, Juice Beauty's Lash Defining Mascara is only the third natural (or perhaps "mostly natural" is more accurate) mascara that I've tried, so I've far from given up hope of finding the perfect non-toxic mascara.  Since mascara performance is quite subjective, I should say what it is I look for.  My lashes are pretty long but they're thin and slightly sparse, so what I really need is a product that loads on the volume and separates my lashes, which like to grow at odd angles.  Length isn't a big factor for me since I don't need much extra, and if a mascara gives too much length, I can just gently pull the product off the tips of my lashes.

My tube of Lash Defining Mascara just reached the end of its 3-month lifespan, so it's time to report.  

When I first pulled the wand out of the tube, it came out quite clean, as you can see in the top photo.  After that first time, however – gloop city.  It had a seriously wet formula and for the first month or so, it was the gloopiest mascara I'd ever used.  When I pulled the wand out, there were big blobs on the bristles themselves, and the product also thickly coated the rest of the wand, leading to my accidentally applying a nice, even layer of mascara to my hair once.  The solution to this problem was to keep the tube standing upright, rather than storing it lying down in a drawer, as I normally would.  This kept the product at the bottom of the tube and on the bristles only, but because the tube is quite top-heavy, it had a bad habit of constantly falling over, which got pretty annoying, to be honest.  

The mascara became easier to work with (and store) when it started drying a bit, perhaps a month in.  The one downside to this was that it didn't glide on quite so smoothly.  Towards the end of the three months, it started forming itty-bitty clumps on my lashes, which made it a bit difficult to build up layers.  

Curled bare lashes

Single coat on top lashes

Built up on top, very light coat on bottom lashes

As you can tell from the pictures (taken the day I opened the tube), Juice Beauty's mascara gives decent, moderately buildable length but somewhat lacks in the volume department.  It helped straighten out some of my lashes' wonky angles, providing the better definition implied by the product's name, but it can also stick adjacent lashes to each other (those seem mutually exclusive, but apparently not).  The final look was pretty much the same throughout the three months, just a bit less smooth towards the end.  The feeling of the product on the lashes is relatively soft and smooth – not as smooth as bare lashes, of course, but not nearly as crunchy as some mascaras can leave lashes.  A major pro of this product is the complete lack of flaking (on me, at least); I had literally not a single flake, ever.  Also on the plus side: zero irritation and easy removal with water and a little gentle rubbing between thumb and finger.  

Like most mascaras, even those from the greenest brands, the Lash Defining Mascara's ingredients aren't completely pure.  Some of the ingredients don't quite meet my definition of "natural," but they do meet my standards for what I'm comfortable putting on my lashes.


The Bottom Line: Juice Beauty's Lash Defining Mascara would be best for people looking for either a natural look (easily achievable by applying only a single layer) or reasonably buildable length.  Since I'm looking for more volume than it was able to provide, it looks like I'll be leaving it behind for good.  



Ingredients:

Organic botanical extracts of serenoa repens (organic saw palmetto extract)*, aloe barbadensis (organic aloe extract)*, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla wax), triisostearyl citrate, hydrogenated glyceryl abietate, brassica campestris/aleurites fordi oil copolymer, copernicia cerifera (organic carnauba wax)*, vegetable glycerin, theobroma cacao (organic cocoa seed butter)*, persea gratissima (avocado butter), methylcellulose, xanthan gum, tocopherol (Vitamin E), sodium hyaluronate (vegetable hyaluronic acid), ethylhexylglycerin, phenethyl alcohol. May Contain: mica, iron oxide.
* = Certified organic ingredient

July 2014 Empties (and a Few I'm Tossing)

Empties time!  This month, I continued to focus on using up (or throwing out) my many samples, though there are still dozens in my makeup drawer.

Things I used up:

Schmidt's - Natural Deodorant in Bergamot + Lime: I already talked about the Ylang-Ylang + Calendula version of this deodorant in my last empties post and I have pretty much the same feelings about this one: it does a very good job of controlling odor, though for me it's not quite enough on its own.  The scent is fresh and invigorating.
Verdict: I won't repurchase right away, but will eventually.

Real Purity - Deodorant: Real Purity actually carries stick deodorants now, but this one, their original formula, is a liquid roll-on.  It smells amazing!  It's floral, herbal, earthy, sweet.  By itself, it doesn't hold up against my BO, but it adds enough protection to make it perfect for layering under another deo.
Verdict: I will definitely repurchase this at some point.

Maia's Mineral Galaxy - Bath Salt & Body Scrub in Citrus Scent: This was kind of a disappointment.  I found the salt way too scratchy and the base too liquidy.  I think the salt grains are too large to exfoliate well.  It does smell lovely, but I was glad to be done with it.
Verdict: I won't be repurchasing.

Seventh Generation - Protecting Boost: This has been perfectly nice as a moisturizer.  I don't know that it does much else for my skin, but it certainly hasn't caused or exacerbated any issues.  It smells and feels nice, and it definitely hits the mark in terms of price.
Verdict: I'm actually working on a second bottle right now since there was a 2-for-1 deal when I bought it.  However, I will be exploring other facial oils/serums in search of something more effective.

S.W. Basics - Toner: For some people, apple cider vinegar is a miracle product, resolving issues of dryness, oiliness, acne, inflammation...  For me – not so much.  This was the second time I put my faith in ACV to solve all my problems to no avail.  I used up the toner so as not to waste it, but I honestly don't think it did a damn thing for me.
Verdict: I'm sure it's perfect for some, but it's not for me.

Samples of Meow Cosmetics - Purrrfect Puss Foundation in 0-Inquisitive Himalayan & Persian & sample of Meow Cosmetics - Pampered Puss Foundation in 0-Inquisitive Persian: I finally finished up my Meow foundation samples!  Like the others, these were all in shades that are slightly off but wearable.  The Purrrfect Pusses are slightly powdery-looking on my skin.
Verdict: I was perfectly happy to use up the samples, but I'll be sticking to the right shade (Mau) and right formula (Pampered) from now on, thank you very much.

Sample of Terra Firma Cosmetics - Barely There Blush: The idea behind this blush is that it works on every skin tone to give a natural, not overdone, look.  I didn't find it to be the longest-lasting, but it does give a very nice touch of color.  
Verdict: My blush collection is quite well stocked at the moment, but I would consider buying the full size.  

Things I'm tossing:

Elegant Minerals - Natural & Organic Mineral Lipsticks in Pale Roses & Red Blossom: For a detailed explanation of why I'm tossing these, check out the collection review I did.  Basically, they're rancid.  Good riddance.
Verdict: I haven't had the best experiences with Elegant Minerals' lipsticks and on top of that these contain phenoxyethanol, which I now avoid, so I won't be purchasing any more. 

Samples of Maia's Mineral Galaxy - Minerals Lipsticks in Ruby Red & Venetian Red: These samples have gone bad.  I've had them for quite a while, so it's really my fault for never bothering to use them.  I was hunting for the Perfect Red and didn't quite find it in these, although they're both nice colors.  They lean a bit more to the brick/orange side than I tend to like.
Verdict: I do own a full-size Maia's lipstick, and I'm not a huge fan, although based on the reviews on their site I might be the only one.  Won't be purchasing.

Sample of Meow Cosmetics - Flawless Feline Foundation in 0-Inquisitive Persian: This is simply not the right formula for my skin so I decided to just toss it.  The high zinc oxide content results in its looking cakey and gross on me.
Verdict: Not a "bad" product by any means – just not right for me.