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?