Last week wasn't exactly the best one I've had. July and August are the hottest months of the year in my part of the world, with temperatures soaring up to 116° Fahrenheit on a normal day. On one of the hottest days of the year, our central A/C at home decided to conk out. It happened at eleven o'clock at night when my son was already sleeping, and even at night, temperatures can still be up in the nineties. DH and I had to transfer our son to the coolest part of the house (basically the area opposite the setting sun), turn the ceiling and industrial fans to full blast, but it was still pretty warm. Needless to say, it was a pretty sleepless night for me. The following day, we had to spend the night in a hotel because there was no way in hell that we could have survived another night of no A/C during summer in the middle of the desert. Not that there's anything bad about living here. Nine months out of twelve, the weather here is absolute perfection. When summer hits, though, the air conditioning is your only saving grace.

So cut to the chase, our A/C compressor had been laid to rest and we had to shell out a rather large amount of money for a new one. Our old compressor just thought of the perfect time to die on us: just when school is about to start, and just before we spend our vacation in California. I had mentioned the demise of our A/C to Dayna and basically just forgot about it. Yesterday, though, a card from her was waiting for me with some of her gorgeous products enclosed:

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Here are a couple of looks using the new products from MAC Sonic Chic and Electroflash collections. To recap my previous entry, the pigmentation of the new mineralize eyeshadows is a lot better than the previous releases. I didn't have a hard time achieving the vividness I wanted, and the slip is really velvety and smooth. I used Sonic Chic blush in Gleeful which is one of my favorite mineralize blushes.

I also used my new Minimalist Foundations from LaurEss. I love, love them! I used I think a 50-50 mix of Pure Yellow and Soft Yellow. I used a miniscule amount, a little less than what I would usually use. I thought LaurEss' Original formula was actually the same as Minimalist, but to my eye, I think Minimalist is a tad heavier in coverage, so when I first used it using the same amount I would use with Original, it came off a bit too heavy. I lessened the amount of minerals and I am pleased with the result.

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So since I just bought a bajillion pigments from Aromaleigh, it's just right that I use them, correct? =D Here are a few looks using some of the pigments. All eye products are Aromaleigh unless otherwise specified.

Fox foiled on lid, Copper on outer V, and just a tiny bit of Rock Bottom on crease and outer V. I used MAC Maid of Honor shadow to highlight, MAC Ostentatious fluidline to line, MAC Graphblack technakohl to tightline and on waterline.

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First of all, I am so sorry for the lack of posts lately; I was out-of-town last weekend and when I came back, I got slammed with work that I didn't know what to do first. But I am back!

Here is a neutral look I used using the Cool Heat neutral shadows. I used Warming Trend packed on the lid using the MAC 252 brush (how did I live without this brush? The color pay-off when using this is fantastic!), then I used Mulch on the crease, Tempting above the crease, and Solar White to highlight and on inner corners. I just LOVE Solar White, I think I like this better than Femme-Fi. I applied Almay liquid liner on the upper lashline and Brownborder technakohl liner on waterline. I also used one of my favorite MAC blushes, Petalpoint, and Syrup lipstick.

Here is another look using the same lipstick, but I don't know what I used for the rest. Haha.

Then I got my Aromaleigh loot! Woohoo! I was so excited to finally see my full-size Elemental Lustres and Pure Hues. I am also very happy to see the samples I ordered- the colors are just breathtaking and I can't wait to try them. Best of all, for those in the U.S., Aromaleigh is having a 15% off sale of the entire store until June 19th. Coupon code is MOVE15. So move, move, move, before your favorite colors are gone!

(Click for the rest of DreamWorld hauls and Aromaleigh swatches)

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I decided to use some of my MAC products that I haven't used in months. In this first look, I used my classic MAC neutral shadows in Tempting on outer lid, Mulch on the crease, and the limited edition Summer Neutral on the lid (love this color). I used Graphic Brown to line and Femme-Fi to highlight. I used Blusche full-coverage mineral foundation for oily and combination skin in a 50-50 mix of Brazilian and Creme Brulee. I love the finish of this foundation, and I also like the amazing coverage.  For the cheeks, I used my CARGO blush in Mendocino (it's about time I used my CARGO blushes!) with MAC Lightflush MSF on top. I used MAC lipliner in Whirl, Composure mattene lipstick and C-thru lipglass.

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I am featuring two looks in this entry, and I better do this quick before I forget what I wore in these photos.

First of all, let me say I am truly in love with Milani's Runway Eyes shadows. I have not come across a single review that says they are absolutely atrocious. Most of the reviews I've read say that these are not only good, but great eyeshadows, especially for a drugstore brand. I am particularly mystified over Beach Sand because I love how smooth the pigment glides on my lids even when foiled (and dry gives off a pretty shimmery neutral color that is just chic). I really like how this eye look turned out because I love how light, neutral but definitely polished Beach Sand was. It totally elevated the look in my humble opinion.

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I have amassed quite a bit of FOTDs lately as I have been either too lazy or too tired to post them. As a result, I think (I hope not) I have forgotten some of the products I used for these. I remember vividly though the foundations I used for these looks: Joppa, DreamWorld, and Meow (with a layer of Oceanmist underneath). I love these brands as they control my oilies and yet do not make my skin super dry. I am always amazed by the ultra-smooth finish these foundations give.

For this first look, I used my limited edition and rare MAC eyeshadow in Sunplosion for the first time. Yes, the first time. I'd wanted to really pack it on so that the beautiful vividness of the coppery orange could be seen, but I didn't have the time. Also, I didn't want to wear a very bright eye look for work, so this would have to do. I did commit a cosmetic mortal sin, though - I totally forgot to put on (the horror!) - mascara! I was such in a hurry that it completely slipped my mind. I know, eye makeup without mascara looks funky to say the least - but hey, nobody's perfect!

(Click for complete FOTDs, EOTDs and list of products used)

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As I turn a year older, I chose simple, neutral colors mainly because I was running late. I also used the photo op to feature DreamWorld's creme topping in Butterscotch. This is exactly how I want my finished face to look - not flat-out matte but not uber-glowy either. Butterscotch may look pretty dark in the container but it looks sheer and natural when applied. I had the mistake however of ordering the creme topping in the silk formula, as I realized that it didn't do such a good job of absorbing oil on my greasy t-zone. I had to apply my Milan Minerals Oil at Bay primer on my t-zone using my concealer brush to combat the oil. Oil at Bay is a terrific product, but I want to eliminate that step in order to simplify my routine. That said, I am going to order creme toppings with clay and silica from now on in order to eliminate the extra step of using Oil at Bay. I can't wait to try out my other variants of the creme toppings as they are gorgeous as well.

As for my birthday celebration, the family went out yesterday evening for dinner instead of today because the hubby has work tonight. Co-workers and friends treated me out for lunch, and I received a slew of text messages, e-mails, calls and PMs from family, friends and well-wishers. Hubby is sending me off to New York next week to see my closest cousins and to enjoy the city that never sleeps as his birthday gift for me, and I cannot wait! To everyone who remembered and who sent their greetings, thank you so much, you made this day truly extra special (you know who you are guys!).

(Click for FOTDs)

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I'll just post some recent looks using soft pinks and neutrals for everyday. These were not as festive as I'd wanted them to be because these were for office wear. I just feel I have to post them now because I might forget what I used for these looks if I procrastinate in posting this entry.

(Click for FOTDs and list of products used)

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