Here I’m wearing MAC Refined Golden Bronzing Powder just below my cheekbones…

Like Tabs the Cat, star of screen, stage and glossy magazines, MAC’s $25 Refined Golden Bronzing Powder does it all, deepening tans, thereby allowing me to live out my bronzed beach surfer babe dreams (irrespective of the fact that I spend most of my time with my butt in front of a computer), and sculpting cheekbones like Michelangelo sculpted marble and clay. We’re talkin’ real-deal contouring here.

To my eye, it’s the darkest and most intense of the Temperature Rising collection’s four powder bronzers, making it ideal for skin tones NC42-ish and darker.

So refined…

Flecks of golden glitter spice up this pan of deep golden tan, which I probably would have liked even without the glitter for the color itself, which never looks muddy, ruddy or dirty on my skin, perhaps due to the golden undertones.

Did you say, “hrmpf!” when I said, “glitter?” Not to worry. MAC didn’t go overboard with this glitter (not that there’s anything inherently wrong with going overboard on glitter). This isn’t Bollywood-caliber shimmer, which I also like.

MAC Refined Golden on NC42 Skin

So dainty and cute! I love teeny, tiny versions of Chanel anythings. They’re a weakness…

Buco Con Seta, Halo-Halo (a Filipino dessert that’s kinda like Hawaiian shave ice) served in a fresh, young coconut with ice cream

Just a few pics from my mom’s belated Mother’s Day lunch last Sunday at Patio Filipino restaurant in San Bruno.

OMG, the food was SO GOOD. I was too busy eating to take pictures of everything, which says a lot. I did manage to capture a few shots when I wasn’t busy shoveling food in my mouth, LOL!

Highly recommended for grubbing Filipino eats.

Sizzling Bangus Sisig, boneless shredded milkfish topped with spices

Adobong Kangkong, kangkong (water spinach) leaves blanched in viegar, soy sauce and garlic

Tilapia Crunch, crispy tilapia topped with diced tomatoes and green onions

My mommy!

Wearing the $20 LORAC GLOgetter Palette on my eyes

With its classic summer colors, LORAC’s GLOgetter eye shadow palette was probably meant for fun-filled beach boardwalks, fair food and cruising down the coast with the windows rolled down…but I feel like a beauty bandit when I think of the price — only $20! — like I should be wearing black from head to toe and a mask like a cat burglar.

I can’t believe this 10-pan limited edition palette is only $20 at Ulta. At that price, it’s almost like stealing!

These easy-to-blend powder shadows are consumate summer colors — the kind that look great with a tan — and when I wear them with primer, they last from 8-10 hours on my dry lids before I notice much creasing. No fallout, either.

I bet you could totally Beyoncé it out with these and bang out some intense looks with loads of blending and layering, but I really like GLOgetter for simple looks with one or two shades.

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Bobbi Brown Peach Corrector, $23

I’ve been having one of those Mondays where everything’s been going…great!

Don’t you just love those?

They’re few and far between, let me tell ya, but I’ll take it. Some Mondays I don’t feel ready for the weekend to end or for the workweek to start, but I’ve been in in a pretty good groove so far today.

I don’t know, maybe it’s the heat… It’s almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Novato right now!

Seriously, I think it’s making me loopy because I’m smiling from ear to ear…

I was watching a mama bird feed one of her little ones in the oak tree by my window this morning as I applied under-eye concealer and randomly started singing, “The hills are aliiiiive, with the sound of musiiiiiic!”

The concealer was Bobbi Brown’s bad@ss Peach Corrector. My dark under-eye situation has been triple-rainbow intense lately. I’m officially in my (gulp) late thirties now, and the purplish, bluish dark circles under my eyes have become something of a mainstay of my looks, haha.

Shoot, last night I even got 10 hours of sleep — 10 GLORIOUS HOURS! — and I still woke up with dark circles.

Thank goodness for Bobbi’s $23 miracle working Peach Corrector…

Totally worthy of hitting the pan

A creamy, opaque color-correcting concealer designed to be layered beneath your go-to under-eye concealer, it’s great if you get those real deal, Uncle Fester-caliber dark circles like moi. I use Peach, one of 16 shades in the line.

SHAZAM! It’s like waving a magic wand over my face. When I add it to my mix, I think I definitely look refreshed and considerably less tired, and that whole under-eye sitch looks brighter.

Most of the time I just wear it on its own with powder dusted on top (versus underneath another concealer), and it neutralizes the purple action. Heck, when I use it I think I even look a little younger (says the girl turning 38 in a few weeks, le sigh!).

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