I have a lot of love for Vapour Organic Beauty. Their original Atmosphere Foundation turned me into a stick foundation believer as it is so easy to use, travel with and gives my skin a natural, even tone. I also found it on par, if not better than other foundations with silicones, parabens, and a long list of synthetic chemicals I stammer through when reading aloud. By contrast, Vapour Organic Beauty’s ingredient list reads like a botany text as their products are 100% natural and have a high percentage of organic ingredients.

Camellia Seed Oil, the first ingredient in their new Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation, is rich in anti-oxidants including Vitamin E, essential fatty acids and non-essential fatty acids including oleic acid, an omega-9 fatty acid. It provides the Soft Focus Foundation with a silky hydration for the skin and gives a healthy and radiant “satin” finish which is neither matte nor overly dewy. While I do love Vapour’s stick foundation, I have become partial to this new liquid foundation. I like the creamy texture and find it faster and easier to apply than the stick. My typical regimen is to apply it over evanhealy’s Rosehip Treatment Facial Serum in Rose after cleansing. Most days I prefer the light coverage of a tinted moisturizer, so I blend one pump of the Soft Focus Foundation with one pump of evanhealy’s Light Moisture Replenishing Fluid. After warming the mix in my palms, I apply it on my face just as I would a moisturizer. The coverage is smooth, even and radiant. If you like medium to full coverage, you will achieve that by using Soft Focus Foundation over your moisturizer. My skin tone is light to medium olive and looks best with yellow leaning foundations rather than pink so I chose S120, the same color as I have in their stick foundation. My first look at the liquid on my skin had me questioning if I chose correctly as it seemed kind of pink, but once on my face, it was a perfect match.

S120 Soft Focus Foundation top, S930 Skin Perfector bottom not blended

S120 Soft Focus Foundation top, S930 Skin Perfector bottom both blended

Vapour also came out with a liquid version of their stick Skin Perfector, and in my opinion, the liquid is a huge improvement. I found the stick to be drying, especially in cold winter months. Like the liquid foundation, the liquid Soft Focus Instant Skin Perfector has Camellia Seed Oil as its base, so with that comes a soothing moisture for your skin. On its own, the Skin Perfector is a subtle highlighter. When used underneath your foundation, it’s an excellent primer as I noted my makeup (blush in particular) lasted a whole day at work, no touch-ups needed. I ordered the more golden toned S903 for my skin, and again, it’s a terrific match.

Elixir Gloss in Twinkle

With my order came a free gift, the Elixir Lip Gloss in Twinkle. To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes as I have been disappointed in their “lipsticks” which feel like tinted balms without much staying power. Thankfully, I am thoroughly impressed with my Twinkle GWP! The gloss is nourishing and smooth with just enough texture to make it last, but without any gummy or tacky consistency. I love the color Twinkle, as it’s a neutral baby pink that has enough pigment to get it out of the “nude” realm. I find it useful to wear over lipstick that needs some toning down, and I also reach for it when I want a soothing salve for my dry lips. And I love, love, love that it’s all natural, with 70% of its ingredients being organic.

I also love that Vapour Organic Beauty is available at one of my favorite online shops, SpiritBeautyLounge. Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation is $48 for 1.14oz, Stratus Instant Skin Perfector $44 for 1.14 oz, Elixir Lip Gloss $20. Click here for info on SpiritBeautyLounge’s recent promotion through Friday December 17th, 2010.

Posted by ~Trish

All photos by ~Trish

Disclosure: A sample of Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation was sent to me for consideration by SpiritBeautyLounge. I loved it so much, I bought a bottle and a Skin Perfector myself. The Elixir Gloss was a GWP. The opinions in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.

I’ll admit I didn’t know what to expect when I first used Vapour Organic’s Atmosphere Luminous Foundation. I’ve used many loose mineral powder and pressed mineral powder foundations, but Vapour Organic’s is a stick foundation and I had never used a stick foundation, mineral or otherwise. I’m rather partial to my Jane Iredale PurePressed Mineral Foundation, but I went into this review with an open mind and found Vapour Organic’s Luminous Foundation to be their stand-out product.

My skintone is light to medium olive (MAC NC30 for you MUA types), so they sent me shade 120 (light to medium) which was a perfect match. My biggest problem with foundations is they love to turn pink on me. I’m assuming shade 120 has a touch of yellow in it as the foundation not only avoided the dreaded pink hue, it actually quieted down areas of pinkish irritation. The texture of the stick foundation was surprisingly smooth, and glided across my skin with the use of my normal moisturizing routine underneath (either Kahina’s Facial Lotion or Dr. Hauschka’s Quince Day Cream). Using my fingertips, I was able to blend the foundation smoothly and effortlessly.

The Luminous Foundation provides light to medium coverage depending on how much you apply, and gives a wonderful luminosity with what I would consider a matte finish. It’s not dewy like so many other tinted moisturizers and foundations, which I do like, but this is a great option for those who might prefer a different look. It’s also a terrific choice if you have oily skin but still want a luminous quality to your makeup.

And for the record, I’m officially a stick foundation convert! How easy is it to travel with, and carry this little stick in your bag?

The Stratus Instant Skin Perfector comes in the same size stick as the foundation, and according to the Vapour Organic Beauty website, it’s to be used under the Luminous Foundation. Well, I never used it like that. In the colder months, my skins gets pretty parched, and that combination would have been too drying. Instead, I used the Skin Perfector on its own as a luminzer and found it to be very similar in texture and finish to the Luminous Foundation, minus the pigment. In my opinion, it would make a fabulous, very subtle luminizer (no sparkles!) for someone who leans oily or who wants a matte finish rather than a dewy finish. (According to Teri Bly over at FeelGoodStyle.com, she loved the Skin Perfector underneath the Luminous Foundation as a primer).

Their not-so-subtle illuminating stick is the Trick Stick. I tested the color Luster, a pale lilac with a silvery shimmer. And while it’s very pretty, I found it too sparkley for daytime. It would be fun for the browbone or high on the cheekbones for a festive night out, but the Trick Stick is not going to get much play from this mother of two. On the otherhand, I love that Vapour Organic Beauty has the Trick Stick in their line-up as the younger crowd that’s aware of the importance of green beauty will probably love this.

Aside from the Luminous Foundation, the other product that will get much use from this gal is the Aura Multi Use Blushin Spark. If you look at the swatch on the website, you’ll see Spark as a pale peach color. Look at the picture of color of the stick in the tube, it’s far more accurate. Spark a bright peachy pink, with a barely perceptible golden shimmer that blends smoothly over the Vapour Organic Luminous Foundation. It has a nice slip on the skin and a sheer application, but the color builds evenly if you want more intensity. The Multi Use Blush can be used as a lip color, and Spark makes for a sweet nude/pink color on my pigmented lips. I always feel the need to add a little Dr. Hausckha Lip Care Stick for some extra shine, but then I’m a lipgloss girl at heart.

The details on Vapour Organic Beauty are impressive. Everything I have reviewed here has at least 70% organic ingredients and everything in their line is 100% natural. The organic ingredients include sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, frankincense, fruit oils and lotus flowers. The other 30% are either wild-crafted botanicals or are mineral pigments that do not have an organic certification. In addition, Vapour Organic’s products are manufactured using wind power and its packaging is either recylable or made from recycled content. I’m loving the beauty and efficacy of their products, and their dedication to being green.

Atmosphere Luminous Foundation $38

Stratus Instant Skin Perfector $44

Trick Stick $18

Aura Multi Use Blush $28

Vapour Organic Beauty is available at their website

Posted by ~Trish

Disclosure: Samples from the company’s PR agency were provided for this review. The opinons in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.