Ulta/CVS Haul and Review + First YouTube Video EVER!!

Hey Hopeful's,


I've been wanting to start a YouTube channel for a while now but just didn't have the guts so here it is. I finally bit the bullet and uploaded my first video.  Yes I know it's terrible quality and I'm sure I'm very awkward but I'm working on it :)


I love watching hauls so I figured that would be a good place to start.  If you want to check out my most recent Ulta/CVS haul feel free to take a look at the video posted below!  Love you all!


xoxo -Hopeful Alyssa

IT Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Swatches and Review

Hey Hopeful's,

It's been a while since I posted but I've been trying to get out of my comfort zone and start up my YouTube channel.  

I have been obsessed with IT Cosmetics for a while now but don't have too many of their products.  When I saw that the IT Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner was on sale during the Ulta 21 days of beauty I couldn't resist picking a few up.  I got the shades Lucky Jade and Black-Brown.  Lucky Jade is a beautiful mossy green and Black-Brown is a great neutral that's not as harsh as a regular black eyeliner.  

These eyeliners are smooth and creamy and boy do they not budge once they are set.  I am so beyond impressed.  Not only are they a great eyeliner but they are paraben and cruelty free.  Plus they are infused with hydrolyzed silk, collagen, peptides and anti-oxidants. Those are all things you never hear of in an eyeliner so those are just a happy bonus.  

Take a look at the video for swatches and video of my crazy cat :)

xoxo -Hopeful Alyssa

Tarte: Kiss and Makeup Butter Lipstick Kit Review

Hi Hopeful's!  I'm back!

I was perusing the Ulta website the other day and I came across this kit from Tarte.  This kit has been out for a while now but I finally decided to pull the trigger.  The colors looked amazing and I'm always willing to try out anything that says it has a buttery texture.  As a New Englander I get very dry lips year round so I really need that added moisture from my lip products.  

The kit was adorably called "Kiss and Makeup".  Tarte did it again with their beautiful packaging.  The lipsticks themselves have a cardboard outside which I have no problem with since the design on each of them is so beautiful.  Just as promised the lipsticks have a super creamy and buttery texture and provide tons of moisture.  I'm not sure how long they will last on the lips as I haven't tested them too much yet.

Tarte 5-piece Amazonian Butter Lipstick Set

The lipstick shades range from a pinky nude to a bright pinky red.  All are a cream texture but Merry Berry, the center lipstick, has sparkle in it.  The lipsticks have a nice subtle minty smell to them which I love.  If everything that went on your lips could be minty I would be a happy girl!

Sorry for the blurry pictures, I was taking them with my phone and boy do I have shaky hands :p

The colors in the picture are pretty much right on color wise though.  I would say my two favorites are Angelic Nude and Sweet Peach but that's probably because those are the types of colors that I'm comfortable with.  After trying on all of them though I can say that they are all beautiful colors and I can even see myself wearing Pink Poinsettia a good deal this fall and winter season.  

From L to R: Angelic Nude, Sweet Peach, Merry Berry, Pink Poinsettia, Candy Red

As someone who has been trying to branch out of the nude lipstick rut that I'm in, I think this kit was perfect.   It gives me the opportunity to try out some lipstick colors that I wouldn't normally have tried at a much more reasonable price tag. At $33 you are getting five full sized lipsticks coming in at $6.60 a piece.  That's an amazing deal since one butter lipstick comes in at $16 a piece!  Now that's an amazing deal! 

I hope you found this helpful!  I can't wait for the holiday season to roll around since that's when all the great kits come out again :)

Love,

Hopeful Alyssa

Bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12774835/?claim=8zdt7s4c7xf">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

NYX Haul and Swatches

Hey Hopeful's!

NYX is slowly becoming one of my favorite drugstore brands, their makeup is amazing quality and the price is reasonable for a more high end drugstore brand.  

I made a small order on the NYX website to pick up a few more of my beloved NYX Black Label lipsticks.  While I was browsing around I saw a few other items that caught my eye.

I have been hearing great things about the NYX blush in Taupe which is supposed to be a great contour for pale girls so I decided to pick that up along with a few other round lipsticks and their pot concealer.  

The order came in an adorable black lace pouch, they even threw in a free lip liner with my order.  While I don't use lip liner often at all it's great to have and I'll definitely give it a try.

I plan to do a whole blog post about the NYX Black Label lipsticks along with swatches so I won't be showing that part of the haul in this post, but I will show the rest of the haul!

It seems like all everyone talks about from NYX is the round lipsticks, while I like them I find them to be a little thin for my liking.  Either way they have a great color range and they have no scent (I like scented lipsticks if they are sweet or fruity but if you don't like scented lipsticks then these are the ones for you).

L-R: Lip Liner - Nectar, Round Lipstick - Hope, Round Lipstick - Thalia

The liner is kind of frosty but is a nice neutral pink.  I had to just buy the Hope lipstick for the name but it's a nice nude-y red.  I've heard great things about Thalia on social media but when I put it on it was a little too cool for me, it came off as an almost grayish purple nude but it's still a beautiful color. 

The blush in Taupe seems like exactly what I've been looking for.  It's a very light taupe-y brown that I think will work well on my fair skin and hopefully won't look muddy.  

The concealer in Porcelain seems like it will be a good match, the concealer is thick and creamy and I can't wait to give it a try! 

My Top Nude Lipsticks

Hey Hopefuls,

As a pale girl myself I find that a mauve nude looks best on my skin, it doesn't wash me out and provides the perfect "my lips but better".  I have naturally pigmented lips so the nudes I like tend to be a little darker than most would expect.   

Shown below are my top 7 (I know random) nude lipsticks.  I have a mixture of high end and drugstore but most tend to be drugstore options.  

From Left, Top to Bottom: Rimmel - Nude Delight, Rimmel - Airy Fairy, Maybelline - Born With It.

Nude Delight is a moisturizing peachy nude, Airy Fairy is creamy mauve-y nude and Born With It is almost a true pale pink.

From Right, Top to Bottom: Make Up For Ever - N9, Too Faced - In the Buff, Loreal - Fairest Nude, NYX Black Label - Heiress.

N9 is a dark red-ish nude, I find that this lipstick is a shade or two darker than my natural lip color but it helps get me out of my nude comfort zone.  In the Buff is a creamy sheer mauve-y nude, Fairest Nude is a cult favorite I would say it resembles a brick nude and Heiress is a grape candy scented pinky mauve-y nude that is almost exactly my lip color.  

I would say my two favorites would be Rimmel's Airy Fairy and NYX Heiress.  I don't see the NYX black label lipsticks talked about nearly enough on blogs or on YouTube.  They are an amazing line, but I'll talk about those another day.  

Love,
Hopeful Alyssa

Welcome To Hopeful Alyssa

Hello All!

Welcome to Blog #1.  This whole blogging thing is new to me so bear with me as I get the hang of it.  I thought an interesting way to start out my blog would be to explain where "Hopeful Alyssa" came from.  I have always been very drawn to anything related to Hope.  It was quite a struggle for my parents to have children and when they were finally blessed with me they viewed me as their Hope that they would be blessed with more children.  I always loved this story and I believe to this day that having Hope with me at all times has made me into the positive and happy person I am/try to be.  

I'm not sure what I want this blog to turn into yet, I love makeup and nail polish but I equally love cooking and baking.  Perhaps it will turn into a little big of everything!

Love,

Hopeful Alyssa