In honor of the first day of summer, here's a look at this MAC palette that I customized not too long ago.  It all started when MAC reduced the prices of their single eyeshadows as well as the inserts to the palettes.  Once I heard the news, I ran my behind to the closest MAC store (which sadly is right across the street from my job) and picked up a few inserts.  I bought 1-six pan eyeshadow insert, 1-two pan blush insert and 1-two pan cream colour base insert.  Then, I added these to a large palette that I already had and made this custom MAC palette that is so perfect for summer.  It has all the warm bronzey, shimmery shades that I love for this time of year.For the eyeshadows, I have a couple of neutral shades for a wash of shimmer over the lids as well as some bolder orange colors.  Don't be afraid of these orange eyeshadows!  I actually have two shades here - Red Brick and Coppering and they are really pretty colors that don't look nearly as bold as they seem.  I love to use Red Brick to blend out shades into my crease.  When used with a light hand, this red/orange color is actually pretty subtle and it adds such a nice warmth to the skin.  Trust me, if you normally use a tan or brown color to blend out your eyeshadow, give this a try! I think that All That Glitters, Goldmine and Tempting are the perfect "one and done" type of eyeshadows because you can just put these all over your lid and that's it.  If you have a few more minutes, you can blend Soba and/or Red Brick into the crease for a little more oomph.  And then Coppering is also really pretty alone for a nice red/bronzey look.  These colors just scream "summer sunset" to me :-)Then for blush, I have Ambering Rose, which is a red/peach with gold shimmer throughout, and Breezy, which is a satin pink.  Both are super pigmented and so pretty for summer.  I think Ambering Rose makes me look like I've just spent the day in the sun - in the best way possible.  It's a very natural flush on my golden brown skin.Last, the cream colour bases.  Shell is a cool-toned peach/pink and Improper Copper is a warm golden/peach.  The thing that I love about MAC's cream colour bases is that they are such good multitaskers.  These light, shimmery colors can be cream highlighters or eyeshadows.  If you avoid cream highlighters because you're worried about your skin looking too "dewy" then give these a try.  Even though they're cream, they sort of dry to a powder-like finish, so they don't feel wet on the face.  Both give a very natural shine that you pretty much have to have during the summer.  Perfect way for those of us always stuck in the office to fake like we get out every now and then.Here's another look at my perfect MAC palette for summer:And for comparison, here's my custom MAC palette and the MAC Burgundy Times Nine palette:I highly recommend that you look into customizing a MAC palette (or two). Besides being convenient, it's actually way less expensive to buy the products and the custom inserts separately.  Let me show you the math:[row padding_top="" padding_bottom="" bg="" bg_light="true" appear="false"] [column size="1-2" appear="false"]

Bought separately:

6 shadows x $16 each = $962 blushes x $22 each = $442 cream colour bases x $22 each = $44Total for products separately = $184[/column][column size="1-2" appear="false"]

Custom palette:

6 shadows x $6 each = $362 blushes x $17 each = $342 cream colour bases x $14 each = $28plus1 large palette = $81 eyeshadow insert, 1 blush insert and 1 cream colour base insert ($1 each) = $3Total for custom MAC palette: $109[/column] [/row]It's almost $80 less to get the palette, so even if you're not super into MAC, if you think you'll ever buy more than one product, it's better to just buy the palette.  There are several different sizes, and I've linked all the details here, so it's definitely something to keep in mind.Also, I didn't go out and buy everything at once (I'm not that intense lol).  I filled this palette over years and years of careful deliberation and thought.  Well...not really, but my point is that you can slowly fill a palette to suit your needs.  And...can we talk about how perfect this would be for travel?  Seriously, it's so convenient to have everything for your face in one place.  You can also buy concealer and contouring powders for inserts.  So, you've got some options.So...have I convinced you that you NEED a MAC palette in your life?  Think of it as a fun DIY project (beats hanging a damn gallery wall, right?).[cta btn_text="Here's makeup look using this MAC palette!" btn_url="http://adiaadores.com/best-makeup-brushes/" bg="" bg_light="true" appear="false"]Update:[/cta]