NOTD: snow falling on sparkling asphalt

 One of the most beautiful things about winter is the way the snow sparkles through the sun, and the black pavement shimmers so bright.

I tried to capture snow falling onto sparkling asphalt in my mani for the holiday nail art challenge on nail polish Canada.

 To get this effect I layered a lot of polishes! Then I added on some 3-D nail stickers, to make it look more like snow.

Polishes used left to right: MAC everything that glitters, SH silver lining, Nails inc sprinkles sugar house lane, covergirl snowflake, random white from Halloween, SH hidden treasure.

What do you think? If you like it, please find and vote for me here tomorrow.

Quick update

To all my friends in the States effected by Hurricane Sandy:  I am sending good vibes and warm hugs your way. Stay safe and blessed be.

Just a super quick personal note...Well, I'm still alive lol My kids were sick on and off all September, then I was very sick with pneumonia most of October, in and out of the hospital. It has been rough and I'm still not 100% better, if you've ever had to take the drug prednisone you know how horrible that stuff is...I had horrible side effects from it and I'm still getting it out of my system. That stuff should be illegal.
Anyways just want to say I have lots of new blog material to post for you, and I will be back up to posting very soon. Thanks for reading,
~Lexa

Chanel tempting beige powder blush photos and swatches

This was my very first Chanel blush. I ended up getting a tester since it's the cheapest way to try it out! (You can find all sorts of Chanel testers for sale on Ebay for about 1/2 the retail price).


Tempting beige is a very warm rich brown toned peach. There are tiny shimmer particles laced through it but they seem to look natural and luminous on the skin.

Tempting beige is super pigmented and packs a nice color even with light application.
I found it very easy to blend, and the color left me with a natural glowy looking finish.

wearing Chanel tempting beige:

I really packed it on here to show the color on my face. Normally I use a less amount and blend it with my highlighter to create a more subltle cheek. 

I have been looking for a nice neutral blush color to wear everyday and just haven't found the right one. I thought tempting beige might be it, but it's just too warm for me.

I think tempting beige is a beautiful color that would suit practically any skin tone. For very fair skin I recommend using a lighter hand or it can make you look sunburned.

I like Chanel blush because it lasts all day and the pigmentation is amazing.
Have you tried any Chanel blush? What is your favorite 'go to' everyday blush color?

Sleek liqueur lipstick photos and swatches

 I've had this lipstick for a while and just found the swatches I took of it, it is really such a great color.


Sleek lipsticks are packaged nicely in little black rubberized cases that are similar to NARS lipsticks.

If you are looking for an everyday go with everything color, this just might be it.
It's a nice neutral beige with slight gold pearl. It sort of reminds me of  MAC viva glam V (swatch here)

Swatch of Sleek  liqueur:

Wearing  Sleek  liqueur:

The finish is a nice creamy satin, and feels moisturizing on. Unfortunately lasting power isn't the greatest, so it needs to be reapplied often.

Do you have an everyday go-to lipstick? Tell me! Mine is MAC blankety :)

NOTD: MAC vintage vamp nail lacquer

I've been looking high and low for a deep blood red jelly polish... I thought vintage vamp was it but it's just not dark enough for my liking. It's pretty sheer and the color in the bottle seems deeper than what you get on your nails.

Still, it's a truly gorgeous vampy red jelly.

I am wearing 3 coats of vintage vamp, and it still looks slightly streaky. That is one thing I didn't like about this color - It's very translucent and hard to get an even application.


It gives a really shiny finish like jellies usually do, love that.


Although expensive, I really like MAC nail lacquers. With a top coat I can usually get 1 week of wear without chipping, which is great for me.

I think this color is super for fall/winter.

Have you tried MAC lacquers? did you like them?

Any suggestions for a deep blood red jelly polish?

Smashbox camera ready BB cream SPF 35 review

Can you believe the BB cream hype lately? It's pretty hard to ignore when every brand around puts out a BB cream weekly (or so it seems!).
Most of the BB creams you see out there are nothing more than tinted moisturizers, hyped up with advertising.
Smashbox did a pretty good job on this BB cream though, I must say.

This BB cream comes in a tiny (1 oz) squeeze tube that has a twist off sort of cap. Not the best packaging but hey, it's not bad.


I got the shade fair, and it was an excellent match on me! It has a very natural finish, and reflects light for a subtle glow.

Swatch of shade fair on my hand:

blended:

And, a (horrible) pic of me wearing just the BB cream by itself. I really should have put more makeup on but I was on holidays.

On my skin you can see this exaggerated dry patches, sunk into pores and didn't cover blemishes all that much. It did cover some redness, gave a glow and evened out my skin.

This BB cream is supposed to: moisturize, prime, perfect, protect and control oil. Seems like a lot for one product to do.

Did it live up to the claims?

- Moisturize? No. I have dry sensitive skin and it did not moisturize, it made dry areas look worse :(

- prime? Yes. It acted as a really good primer for makeup, helped my makeup go on smoother and last longer

- perfect? No. I don't think any product can really 'perfect' skin.

- protect? Yes. The sunscreen actives protect skin from UVA and UVB rays. The formula contains some great antioxidants that will aid your skin as well.

- Control oil? Yes. I do get slightly oily by the end of the day on my nose and chin, and this is where my makeup always slides off. I found the BB cream helped to keep my skin more balanced and less oily in those areas.


I like this product as a primer and sun screen.
It didn't offer enough coverage or hydration for me to wear by itself.
Unfortunately, it started to irritate my skin so I had to stop using it. Turns out I am sensitive to some chemical sunscreen ingredients.

Overall, I think you will like this if you are more oily skinned, and want a good primer with sunscreen. If you don't need much coverage it could be a good light foundation for some.
If you have sensitive skin like me, try a sample first.

One thing I wanted to mention is that this is available in 5 shades!!! All ranging from fair to dark. Now that is impressive, since most BB creams are only available in one or two shades.

It is a very expensive product for quite a small amount, but due to the high SPF rating and inclusion of skin beneficial ingredients I think it is pretty well worth it.
Smashbox did a very good job with this product, and I think it is the closest you will find comparable (locally) to an Asian BB cream. The only difference here is that the Smashbox BB cream does not contain any whitening ingredients like most, and the coverage is not quite as good as Asian ones.

Repurchase? No

Price: $50 CAD

Rating: 4/5