Free Sample Love! Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Illuminating

Stopped by my fav Sephora this weekend and received a free sample of Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Illuminating.  Now I finally understand the tinted moisturizer rage.  Gives a nice dewy look and provides enough coverage that concealer is not needed.   Also, the illuminating effect works just like my favorite, BareMinerals.  Slightly pricey, but you only need a pea sized amount to cover the face.  This is perfect for the Indian Summer heat!

Red Hot Lips for Fall - Do you Dare?

I have definitely shied away from the red lip look, but it is coming back in full force for fall.  From drugstore brands to boutique brands everyone is coming out with new and improved red shades that have deeper pigments, smear proof formulas and the "perfect" shade of red.  There are so many options out there I am definitely going to have to test run a few.  Here are some that interest me:

- Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Adora (available exclusively at Sephora & supports   The Beauty Bus Foundation)

- Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Stain in Fiery (matte without drying out lips)

- Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick in No. 17 Union Red (who doesn't want to try out this new line?)

- Bare Escentuals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Barcelona (vitamin formulated to keep lips soft and smooth)

- Korres Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick in Red 56 (vibrant and protects against free radical damage)

- Revlon Colorburst Lip in True Red (feels like a second skin and can't beat the price)

Hot Nail Polish of Summer: Orangey-Red!

Although the weather in San Francisco is far from hot and summery I shouldn't punish my toes.  I just picked up this fabulous orangey- red color from Sephora by OPI Nail Colour in Lost Without My GPS (opaque bright vintage orange-red).  Perfect color for summer! I usually go with reds or pinks, so this is the perfect new find.  I am going to get a mani tomorrow and test it out.  I'm sure it will brighten another dreary day.  I have used the Sephora By OPI Nail Colour line before, so I am not worried about the quality of the polish.  Check out all the other fabulous shades for summer!

Find it: SEPHORA by OPI Nail Colour Lost Without My GPS

Great Deal: Stila It Girl Eye Shadow Trio Palette - $10!

The Stila It Girl Eye Shadow Trio Palette is one of the best deals I have seen in makeup.  You get three fabulous full sized eye shadows (no thumbnails here!) for the great price of $10! I am not sure how long this deal will be around so pick it up while you can.  The color assortment would look great on just about anyone: a shimmering bronze, gold and pink.  The pink shimmer is Stila's best selling eyeshadow Kitten, which usually sells for $18 on its own.

These colors are great for layering and adding shimmer to your look just in time for summer.

Find it: Stila It Girl Eye Shadow Palette (A $54 value!) 1 ea

Great New Eyeliner: Smudgestick Waterproof Eyeliner

I went into Utla the other day and by chance Stila had a cosmetics expert in the store. I'm not usually a big fan of single brand experts because they only push one product line. As you can tell I like a little bit of everything. This lady was smart though and had the eyeliner in hand, Smudgestick Waterproof Eyeliner. She lured me in right away by having a few of the eyeliner samples drawn on her hand. They have a great new product that is smudge proof and waterproof and she swiped her hands across one another and viola! no smudge or budge. I was convinced . . . thought bubble "perfect for the summer!"

I have been using this product for about a week now and absolutely love it. It's great because it stays from morning to night so no need to touch up when I go out after work. I'm really digging the Purple Tang color, great for hazel eyes and nice to mix things up from brown and black. I have always been a big Stila fan and I'm glad to see they are bringing some inventive products to the cosmetic's game.

Find it: Ulta

Picture: Ulta

Fight Free Radicals with Neutrogena Anti-Oxidant Age Reverse Night Cream

A friend pointed out an interesting article today on AOL entitled "Premature Aging Caused by Ozone, Exhaust, Construction Debris". Right when I saw it I knew I made the right night cream selection when I was at Target. Now, women and men alike need to worry about other premature aging causes besides smoking and harmful UV rays from the sun. Working in San Francisco I have all types of pollution surrounding me from the buses, cars and skyscrapers keeping it all condensed in one area. Choosing a product that contains anti-oxidants can help repair and prevent damage from free radicals. My pick is Neutrogena Anti-Oxidant Age Reverse Night Cream. Neutrogena has created a whole anti-oxidant line, but I decided to start with the night cream since I was searching for a new one anyway. I can really feel this product working. All you need is a pea size amount to cover your whole face and you wake up in the morning with super soft skin. Definitely a great starting place for anti-aging and because its non-comedogenic it won't clog your pores like several anti-aging products I have tried before.

Find it: Target

Image: Target

Lip Brush's New Use? Convert to Gel Eyeliner Brush

Every time I get a brush set or a freebie brush gift with purchase there are always seems to be a lip brush included. In the age of lip glosses and tinted lip moisturizers, who wants to hassle with a lip brush.

A friend of mine had the ingenious idea of converting her lip brush into a gel liner brush. Such a great idea!! Especially when travel is involved because most lip brushes are retractable or come with a cover. Keeps your makeup bag clean from black or purple gel liner residue. Make sure to give your brush a good washing if it has lip gloss on it. Use a brush cleaner or a gentle hair shampoo.

Search through your stash of makeup brushes and see what you have in your collection. The best would be super thin lip brushes or flat lip brushes with a cover or have the ability to retract. Here are some great examples!

Find it: Sephora

Image: Sephora

The Perfect Smoky Eye with some help from Stila

I am a huge fan of the Smoky Eye look, but have never tried to create the look myself. I usually head over to the makeup counters and leave it to the professionals. But, this Smokey Eye Set by Stila, makes creating the look so easy. I have a confession . . I did not even listen to the talking instructions, a little to out there for me. But, that is not necessary. The great part is this set comes with a fold out written instructions with figures to help you along. That was enough for me.

The only issue I had with it was that I have some Stila makeup brushes and do not know the number ids, and I have several brushes from other brands. So it wasn't helpful to know what brush id they used to apply the eye shadow, a description of the brush would have been more helpful.

I stuck with brushes that I use frequently. I used a flat large shadow brush (ex. Bare Escentuals Wet/Dry Shadow Brush), a crease/contouring brush (ex. Bare Escentuals Crease Defining and Brush), a small shadow brush/smudge brush (ex. Sephora Collection I.T. Smudge Brush) and lastly, a liner brush, either flat or slanted (ex. Sephora Collection Professionnel Platinum Angled Eyeliner Brush #23 or Sephora Collection Professionnel Platinum Angle Liner Brush #22).

You probably have similar makeup brushes in your bag, so look around and try and find the closest match. The beauty of a smoky eye is that its not meant to look perfect so you can probably get away with using your fingers and some q-tips.

This is a good starter smoky eye set. The eye colors can be layered on to build intensity and to quickly address mistakes. If you are looking for a more intense eye I would recommend combining with a black matte eye shadow color. Also, I finished off the look with jet black gel liner from MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack. Great start to mastering the smoky eye!

Find it: Amazon

Image: Perfumezilla

Murad Essential-C Cleanser - perfect for city living

This cleanser by Murad is packed with Vitamin C to take the day off your face and fight against free radicals which can damage the delicate facial skin. The Murad Essential-C Cleanser is a nice addition to the skincare routine because of its gentle cleansing action. After washing, my face feels clean, hydrated and glowing from the vitamin packed wash. The fresh citrus smell is amazing and leaves skin soft, not dry. I would highly recommend this product to women who are ready for some age prevention and work or live in a city setting.

Find it: Ulta

Image: Ulta

Bare Escentuals 100% Natural Lip Gloss - Wild Honey - Perfect for Day use

I am usually not a huge fan of 100% Natural products because I have noticed they do not typically live up to their more chemically enhanced counter parts. This product is great though for a gloss. Just the right amount of pigment and a gloss sheen. Bare Escentuals 100% Natural Lip Gloss does not feel sticky and although some people have said "they dont care of the taste of it"...I say to them ... why are you eating your gloss? The perfect color for day use is the golden peach shade called Wild Honey. I would recommend it for all skin tones. Check it out!

Find it: Sephora

Image: Sephora

Clarisonic Skincare Brush: Was my face ever clean before?

The Clarisonic Skincare Brush has turned my skincare habits around. It gently exfoliates the skin and removes impurities that I thought my plain face wash was ridding my skin of. This brush helps to scrub pores clean and get rid of trace amounts of makeup, oil and other pollutants trapped on my face. I have seen a huge increase in skin tone evenness and less breakouts. It magnifies the effectiveness of the face wash you already use. I use the delicate brush head since I have incredibility sensitive skin and mild rosacea. I would recommend starting with the delicate brush if you are unsure and then adjust from there. I would love to pick up the Clarisonic Mia skincare system - the travel size version - because I definitely notice a difference when I haven't used the brush while on vacation. Be sure to check it out! Definitely worth the price!

Find it at: Sephora

Image: Sephora

Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads: Waxing bliss . . . how to keep ingrown hairs at bay

Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads This product is great! I use to use the Tend Skin solution for ingrown hairs, but having to apply it using cotton balls was quite debacle. The Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads are perfect in size and are ready for use straight out of the tub. They are a bit pricey, but I have found them well worth it. No more ingrown hairs from shaving or waxing. To stretch the amount out a little longer I try to just use them every other day and still have successful results. Highly recommend these for people who are ingrown hair prone.

Find it at: Sephora

Image: Sephora

Its been awhile . . but I'm back

Sorry for the long hiatus from Sweep of the Brush . . lots going on at work and in my personal life. But, I'm ready to continue my crusade to finding the best makeup and beauty products out there.