Tuesday, June 3, 2014

FAVORITES! | MAY 2014 ❤

 
It's that time again!  Monthly faves, yo!  In May, I really focused more on hair and skin and less on makeup.  These five products were in high demand at Casa Bartholomew:

1. Bumble and bumble Creme de Coco Tropical-Riche Shampoo.  I actually never buy high-end shampoo or conditioner but I happened to find the travel size versions of the B&b Gentle Shampoo and Conditioner on the shelves of my local Sephora days before my wedding/honeymoon.  I couldn't find travel sized versions of my go-to shamp champ and conditioner combo, so I gambled on the B&b.  Greatest shopping gamble ever!  I LOVED the Gentle Shampoo and Conditioner!  When I used that up, I found the Creme de Coco travel size on All Cosmetics Wholesale for $3.99 so I decided to try it.  I have fine hair that can't stand up to heavy moisturizing shampoos, but this one is PERFECTION.  My hair has life and my scalp is quite pleased with itself!  It also smells like coconuts which has become my absolute favorite scent lately.  They make a Creme de Coco Conditioning Masque that has me droolin' like a One Direction fan at an impromptu mall concert.  I have to thank my friends Blair and Maggie who have been longtime Bumble and bumble fans for tipping me over the "should I try this?" edge.  SO worth it.  You can find 2 ounce travel sizes of their shampoos at Amazon.com and Sephora.com which is AWESOME because you can try a small one before committing to the full 8 ounce size.

2. Terra Dolce Orange Peel Collagen Boosting Sugar Scrub.  This stuff ROCKS!  Such a delightful citrusy scrub that doesn't leave an oily residue on you or the shower floor.  I love using it to exfoliate before shaving or self tanning.  Full review here.

3. Avène Thermal Spring Water.  A lot of people seemed meh about receiving this in their last Birchbox send, but I'm tellin' ya: this stuff is AWESOME!  Have a mask, facial oil, or serum that requires damp skin?  Spray this on your face instead of flipping tap water onto it and tell me you don't notice a difference the next morning.  Other things I've personally found it useful for: cooling off on a hot day (stick it in an ice-filled cooler with your bevs and sammies for an extra chilly treat), refreshing your hair product (my hair needs water if it's going to do the wave and this is perfect for on the go touch-ups!), soothing sunburned skin before or after applying aloe, and helping to prevent razor burn.  Going to the pool or beach and need to clean sunscreen off your hands?  Spritz this into your hands, rub, and wipe off your paws on a towel.  Eyes burning from chlorine or sunscreen?  Close your eyes and generously spray them with the Thermal Water and pat dry with a towel.  This stuff is a summer savior!

4. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette.  I let the limited edition release of this pass me by over the holidays, but was thrilled to see it made permanent and scooped it up during the last Sephora VIB Sale for 20% off.  Weee!  Dim Light is perfection.  Not too glowy, not too matte.  A perfect "life giver" for skin, even for this oily gal.  Incandescent Light, exclusive (for now) to the palette, is a gorgeous highlighter that doesn't emphasize pores.  Radiant Light, which I always feared would be like a light show in New Mexico, is a divine powder for adding that desired bronze goddess effect without looking like a glitter bug.  This palette is a great way to sample three of the Ambient Lighting Powders, and now that's it's permanent, you can pick it up at your leisure.

5. NARS Lip Gloss in Eternal Red.  Can I just start a slow clap for NARS reformulating and repackaging their glosses?  Gone is the plastic scent that turned so many people off from the original glosses, and now these non-sticky beauties are in gorgeous clear tubes so the color is easy to spot.  Eternal Red has been on heavy rotation for me, along with Salamanca, but as a girl who doesn't think of herself as a "red lips" lady, Eternal Red is my jam.  It adds a lovely neutral-toned true red color to the lips with a gorgeous shiny (and did I mention non-sticky?) finish.  You can layer it on to up the color intensity or just apply one layer for a softer red look.  I would recommend this color to anyone, especially those who fear red lips.  Eternal Red is such a low-maintenance way to up the glam factor this summer!

What were some of your May faves?

23 comments :

  1. Great picks, Kristen! Glad to see you picked up the Hourglass palette! It's good that NARS took the wacky scent out of their glosses, too. I've never really tried the previous formula (you know me. I'm not really big on glosses anyways), but Eternal Red looks like a stunner!

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  2. Slow clap continued...and huzzah for finding a red you enjoy. Gloss is the perfect first step to becoming a red lip addict ;) I found Dermorganic Intensive Hair Repair Masque at TJ Maxx recently a took a gamble on it. Turns out...it's fabulous on fine hair! Maybe worth of looksie if you are looking for a new treatment that won't go overboard.

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  3. Nice faves babe! I want to see that red gloss on you now! I can't do red lipstick, but gloss-maybe!

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  4. Ya know, I realized when I wrote this post I should probably include a picture wherein I'm wearing the gloss I'm so enamored with! I will work on that! You could totes rock this red gloss, dude. I think it would look awesome with your hairs!!

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  5. HUZZAH!! ;) It totally is a great first step in the red lip loving process! And thanks for the tip about the Dermorganic Masque! Definitely going to look into that!

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  6. Me, too! I was so thrilled when the palette was made permanent! I really debated buying it during it's LE run and then when it disappeared, I felt like I should have gotten one. YAY for things going perm! :D I am not big on glosses either! But this formula is an absolute dream. It feels great on the lips and doesn't tear them up by the end of the day. I also like it b/c it won't melt in my purse like lipstick does! I actually lost my favorite lipstick last year b/c it melted in the car on my commute home! It was beyond repair, lol! I had the A/C on. That was loco!

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  7. Noooo your lipstick MELTED??? That's horrible! I don't think I've had that happen to me, although I did manage to break my Fresh lip balm in Taipei because it was too warm and it became a bit too melty.

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  8. Let me begin by joining in on your slow clap for NARS. I kept avoiding purchasing any because of some pretty low reviews. I trust that your jam will be my jam, too. As soon as I'm not BROKEASAURUS NIX you know what I'm after.


    And I have to appreciate that Avene Thermal Spring Water. Being so dry, I love having something (on no-makeup days, which as we've discussed are very often hahah) to spritz my face with just to rehydrate. This stuff sounds like it could do the trick. LOVE the idea of keeping it in the cooler for when you want a cool-down and refresh. YAS PAHLEASE.


    Muchovismio Lovisimo,
    -Stephanicci Evinicci

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  9. Yes, gurl, YES. I didn't even think it was that hot! It was all pooled in the cap, lol! I'm sorry your broke your Fresh LB in Taipei! Ha - my first tube of Fresh LB got jacked by a co-worker who twisted it up into the cap trying to open it! OOPS!

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  10. Slow NARS claps FTW, Stephania Evania! ;) I'm really proud of you for passing on the OG formula. Look how well that turned out - now you'll get pure amazing lip glosses due to you waiting! LOL @ brokeasaurus nix! I like that. Oh mane, you would DIG the Avene water!! It would be such a perfect pal for you! Much love, BBBF!

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  11. That hourglass ambient lighting palette is amazing!!!!! Deff in my wish list! Great faves girl!

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  12. Great picks, Kristen!! I didn't wear a lot of makeup this past month, but I am really loving MAC Full of Joy at the moment. I think that's it, though >.<


    (Also: it's super great to hear that NARS finally took the funky smell out of their formula! That was weird :/ )

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  13. Rae! :D So happy you popped by! I'm certain Full of Joy looks dazzling on you with your lovely skin! And yes - GO NARS! So happy the plastic scent is long gone! Their glosses are now my #1 fave!

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  14. Hey Julie! <3 You would love the Ambient Lighting Palette! It's such a great deal to get 3 powders in one!

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  15. The Ambient Palette is always my favourite forever and ever! I love the subtle bronze glow the Radiant Light gives me and Dim Light is perfect for blurring out my face lol

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  16. This photo just makes me happy! I love Bumble & Bumble, I know their products are really spendy but you really can tell the difference. Based on your NARS review, I think i'm going to have to try this gloss.

    xo, Megan Ann

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  17. i still haven't gotten the HG palette. i've swatched but have never gone for it.

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  18. Nice picks! I also don't buy high end shampoos much, but that has more to do with my dry scalp situation that only works with very few products. I've been dabbling lately because summer is kinder. I was determined not to get a NARS gloss (just threw away the old version of Wonder, yuck) but now... that is one happy and sexy red.

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  19. Thank you so much, Megan! And you are SO right about Bumble & bumble products! I've never spent much on shampoo before, but the difference with their products is pretty amazing! And you will LOVE the new NARS gloss! Eternal Red pretty much shouts "SUMMER!!!" :) Thank you for stopping by!

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  20. Hi Corinne! YES to the NARS glosses! I am with you on everything you said. They have such a gorgeous color range and now that it's freed of that weird scent, it's wonderful! Fist bumps on the Ambient Lighting Palette! ;)

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  21. YES! This! Exactly! I just love the value of getting 3 powders in 1 compact, and every one serves a great purpose! That palette is a true favorite.

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  22. I'm also in love with the new Nars lip gloss formula! I really wanted to try their glosses before but couldn't get past the off-putting scent! Right now I am loving the Orgasm shade, so perfect for everyday wear. I'm planning to buy more colors pretty soon and I'll keep Eternal Red in mind!

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  23. Yes lady! Eternal Red is gorgeous and not too over the top. I really need to get on it and post a swatch pic!!

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