Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025

[itsfi]

Hi there, BIC and happy spring! Whether (a) you're spring cleaning, or (b) returning to the office and wanting to use the makeup you have (new and old) or will pick up along the way, or (c) interested in putting together a collection (big or small) of "go to" or Top Shelf product for every day, the season, a special event or occasions, or just in general, or (d) for any other reason, please join us here at the Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025. 

How does this work?

To add a little bit of fun and creativity to curating a makeup capsule, there will be a weekly theme or prompt on which that week's group of beauty products will touch upon. There's no need to have every single product for the week fit the theme exactly. All you need is one product. And, truth be told, how that product fits into the weekly theme is subject to interpretation. Yours, primarily. So, please feel free to be creative. This is about finding a set of makeup products that work for you and your lifestyle, whether already in your collection or waiting to be found by you. 

For me, I've found having a bag of makeup ready at the start of a week to be helpful in getting me out the door more efficiently, and feeling and looking put together. Some weeks my makeup bag has a minimalist look and feel; other weeks, the makeup capsule I've curated for use during the week resembles a more maximalist approach, with several products to choose from. There are weeks when I use the beauties in my capsule every day, and, there are weeks when I may add products into my existing bag of makeup during the week to meet my needs. 

How Can / Do I Participate?  

There are several ways you can participate - You can post a photo of the products you use or tag and list them, as you like. You can give someone's post a heart and / or ask questions about products in someone's capsule. You can post a different capsule every week or once a month or every once in a while, when a theme grabs your interest or draws your attention. 

When and where are/will the weekly themes posted?

The weekly themes are (or will be) included in the original post - under the section titled "Current Makeup Capsule Theme" or "Upcoming Makeup Capsule Theme". Occasionally, I will post a link to a separate post with the monthly themes.

▶️  CURRENT MAKEUP CAPSULE THEME  

Week 18 (April 28 - May 4) - The Makeup-Artist-Founded/Owned Brand Makeup Capsule 

Is there a makeup artist that you've followed or admired. Here's a chance to celebrate the makeup artists whose work have caught your eye - curate a makeup capsule made up ofone or more products from a makeup-artist founded / owned beauty brand. [See below spoiler for non-exhaustive list of makeup brands that fall within this category.]

Spoiler

beautyblender

Bobbi Brown

Charlotte Tilbury

Ciele Cosmetics

Danessa Myricks

Em Cosmetics

Half Magic

Huda Beauty

Isamaya

Jason Wu

Jones Road

Kevyn Aucoin Beauty

Lisa Eldridge

MAC Cosmetics

Makeup By Mario

Make Up For Ever

NARS

Natasha Denona

One/Size by Patrick Starr

Pat McGrath Labs

Patrick Ta Beauty

Pixi

Rokael Beauty

Uzo

Wayne Goss

Westman Atelier

UPCOMING Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 4.28.2025]

Spoiler

May Capsule themes can be found through the below link - 

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Makeup-Is-Life/Capsule-Makeup-Collection-Challenge-2025/m-p/7158267...

Previous Capsule Themes: [Updated: 4.28.2025]

Spoiler

1 - The "New Year, New-To-You" Makeup Capsule  
2 - The "Mocha Mousse" Inspired Makeup Capsule
3 - The "Favorite Feature(s) Focus" Makeup Capsule  
4 - The "How Low Can I Go?" Makeup Capsule
5 - The "Lunar New Year 2025 Zodiac Sign Lucky Colors" Makeup Capsule  

February 2025 Capsule Themes <Click on link ⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes>
6 - The "Black Founded/Owned Beauty Brand(s)" Makeup Capsule
7 - The "Dynamic Duo, Trusted Trio or Killer Combo" Makeup Capsule
8 - The "New York Fashion Week Inspired" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Celeb-Inspired" Makeup Capsule
9 - The Throwback Makeup Capsule

March 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
10 - The "International Women Founded / Owned Beauty Brand" Makeup Capsule and/or The Palette(s) Makeup Capsule
11 - The Samples Makeup Capsule  and/or The "Attitude of Gratitude" Makeup Capsule
12 - The "Spring Is In The Air" Makeup Capsule
13 - The "Take 2" / Do Over" Makeup Capsule 

April 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
14 - The Spring Sticks Makeup Capsule
15 - The Flush of Color Makeup Capsule 
16 - The Spring Refresh Makeup Capsule 
17 - The “Green” Makeup Capsule 

Additional FAQs

Spoiler

Why weekly? 
Years ago, beauty & lifestyle blogger Serein Wu, did a weekly series (on her blog and YouTube channel), Makeup Bag Monday, where she rotated her makeup bag each week with new product launches and makeup already in her collection. Every Monday, she shared the products she selected for the upcoming week and provided detailed makeup reviews on the makeup she used for the previous week. My reviews here will likely not be as detailed, but I will at least try to include a few thoughts about the products at the end of the week or beginning of the next week.  If weekly works for you, great. If not, feel free to join in based on what works best for you. 

Having a weekly capsule at the ready at (or near) the beginning of the week has also been helpful with making getting ready in the morning easier and more efficient, and that, has made it more fun too. It's also a great way for me to see how well a product performs with other products and that makes the decision to keep, donate, re-home or toss an item a lot easier. Also want to note that if the makeup for the week's capsule is not something you want to use for the entire week, that's fine, too. I generally use the makeup in the week's capsule 4-6 days during the week, sometimes more, sometimes less. 

When are the weekly themes posted?
I generally try to post the themes for the next month about two weeks before the start of that next month (so around the 15th of each month, give or take a few days), except that, for this month, weekly themes for weeks 2 thru 5 for January will be posted by or before end of the day on January 2. Weekly themes are updated at the end of the then current week (e.g., Sunday). This year, I will plan to update the weekly themes the Sunday before the start of the next week's theme, around 9pm Pacific / 10pm Mountain / 11pm Central / 12midnight Eastern Time.

What if I don't have enough products to fit the theme for a full face?

There's need for your entire makeup capsule to fit the weekly theme(s). Just one item will do. And, even if you don't have one that fits squarely within a theme, feel free to post your makeup capsule. We'd love to see what you're using and hear your feedback on the products as you put them to use - are they a favorite or a potential favorite? Are they just 'meh'? Or, is it time to declutter the item(s) from your stash?

Is there anything else I should include in my capsule?
It's all up to you what to include in your capsule. Some weeks, my capsule consists of completely different items than the week before. Other weeks, I've swapped out just a few items or have included additional items in one category of products - some of us refer to this as giving us options for the week. 

You may see reference to "fits." That was creatively coined by our fabulous @danielledanielle and refers to the bag or component that will hold the week's makeup and, specifically, does all the makeup for the week's capsule fit into the bag / storage component. You ca also include the makeup brushes and tools you use for application, if you wish.

[CynthieLu]

There really is so much to learn from everyone. @peculiarzmakeup Mee too! I am always learing from everyone here and so grateful. 🙏💝

[peculiarzmakeup]

I think it’s so great as well because of the ideas that click sometimes I find I’m missing that one thing or one idea and something just inspires it, this is a wonderful place to be. I absolutely relate 🩷 @CynthieLu 

[itsfi]

Week 1 (December 31 - January 5) - The "New Year, New-To-You" Makeup Capsule   

I have a few new-to-me beauties in this week's capsule. I've marked them in the product list below with an asterisk (*️⃣) following the product's name. 

COMPLEXION:

Primer: I'll alternate between Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base Moisturizer & Primer with Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid 1.7 oz/ 50 mL  🐐 and Saint Jane Beauty Luxury Sun Ritual Pore Smoothing Face Sunscreen SPF 30 1.7 oz / 50 mL  which has a beautiful formula and finish. For those sensitive to fragrance, it is noticeably perfumed. I don't mind it at all, but want to know that it's there and is decidedly floral. 

Foundation: Cle de Peau The Foundation SPF 22 evens tone, has a slight blurring effect and a lovely lit-from-within radiant finish. And well it should for the price tag that comes with this beauty! 😅  This will be one of my pan it! challenge products. 

Concealer: Armani Beauty Power Fabric + Longwear Matte Concealer  is a throwback choice for this week - it was the first product (other than sheet masks) that I finished and repurchased since discovering BIC.

Setting Spray: Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Mini Always an Optimist 4-in-1 Mist 1.18 fl oz / 35 mL  - I have a few primers and setting sprays that are being put to a battle / throwdown over the next few months and this one from Rare Beauty is one of them battling it out for a permanent spot in the makeup collection. @ather, I may be reaching out to pick your brain for more info on how you did your head-to-head battles when your brow products. 

CHEEKS:

Blush: Saie Dew Blush Liquid Cream Blush Chilly  *️⃣ (gratis)

EYES:

Primer: NARS Pro-Prime™ Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base  🐐 - for the most part, I'll be alternating between this and the about-face eyeshadow primer for most of the year. 

Eyeshadow: Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadow Palette 100 Stora Dolls  *️⃣ (I've used this maybe once or twice before) - she's a beauty inside and out, and another product that will be part of my 2025 pan it! challenge items. Yes, I'm gonna give it a go @blackkitty2014. Another eye shadow palette but a smaller one. (Will tag the 2025 pan it! challenge as soon as the thread has gone up)

Mascara: Yves Saint Laurent Lash Clash Extreme Volume Waterproof Mascara Black  - my intro to this was at Sephoria 2023; New York when the reps applied the blue version of the mascara to the tips of my lashes. This is black and waterproof. The blue may make an appearance later in the year. 😉

LIPS: 

The beauty category most likely to see options in this year's capsules will be the lips. 💋 

Lip Balm: Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment (Vanilla) (not pictured)

Lip Crayon: Ere Perez Coco Crayon (Grace)

Lipstick: DIOR Rouge Dior Forever Liquid Sequin Lipstick 323 Dazzle *️⃣ 

Lip Oil: NARS Oil-Infused Lip Tint (Reef) - I've been enjoying pairing this with Ere Perez Grace and am interested to see how the rosy-bronze/copper tint looks over Dior Dazzle. 

The "Fits":  

Not a new bag, but one of my favorites. I don't remember when this came out or where I picked it up but I love how spacious yet compact it is.

Here we go, another year of makeup capsules! 😚

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Beautiful capsule to start off 2025! I love your bag! The YSL quad is also so pretty to look at! The shades you chose are beautiful. I am going to add it to my loves (not that I need another eyeshadow...but how can I not?) .How do you like the formula of the Dior Liquid Sequin? It is so fun and festive!

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, here's an up close look at Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadow Palette 100 Stora Dolls  

It's a beautiful palette, definitely a good one for every day and also in line with the mocha mousse trend. I have a few 😅 things that can fall into that color family. Will post to the Pantone Colour of the Year 2025 - Mocha Mousse.

 This one leans more neutral-cool but YSL released a more warm toned one last year - Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadow Palette 710 Over Brun  

The Dior liquid sequin is really a fun one - it's not a daily lip color for me but I reach for it more than just on special occasions now. Do you have one? 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Thank you for sharing and swatching!  I tend to lean towards buying and using more warm toned palettes but Stora Dolls is sooo pretty. I can definitely relate to owning a lot of shades that fit into the mocha mousse category too! I do have two shade of the Dior Lip Sequin. I have the shade Masquerade and I can't remember the other shade. For some reason it is not showing up in my order history.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@itsfi pretty quad!

[Mcakes]

@itsfi you are the cutest!! Love so much about this post, and that they all fit in that adorable Sephora bag, and that Wink snow globe in the background?!? 

[itsfi]

Ahhhh @Mcakes! 🤗 Happy New Year!!! Miss you. This has been a good way to work through my stash, and so fun to see what everyone is reaching for.

[Sunnysmom]

What a great group @itsfi ! I’m going to really try and work on some capsules this year. It’s such a terrific idea for many reasons! Your ideas are so good! Thanks for creating such a fun thread as always. 

[itsfi]

@Sunnysmom, thank you. Last year was a great year of capsules - Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2024.  Everyone put together such marvelous capsules.  😍 

We'll be here all year, and there'll be "Take 2" / Do Over themes throughout the year, similar to last year's challenge for anyone, new or old to the challenge, to curate a capsule based on a previous theme.

[CynthieLu]

Good luck with your panning this year @itsfi This is a fantastic grouping, you really have such a lovely collection. It's so fun that we get t o see it through your capsules. 

I think the new to you lippie Dazzle really piques my interest. What is the draw to this sparkly lippies, I don't know, but they sound magical. 👌✨

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, sparkles, lipstick, Dior - what's not to love, right?! 😅 I was nervous about how much sparkles these would hold but it's not too much and there's a fun element to it with them coming through after you press your lips together. Thank you - panning has been one of those things on BIC that have really been so good for me and kept me around!

[CynthieLu]

That is a fun little do it yourself element of the lippie 😉 @itsfi 

I appreciate the panning challenges and the amount of work it takes to really use up a palette etc.. It's a good motivator too. Seeing everyone's hard work makes me want to go use and pay attention to everything I have in my collection, it's really mindful. 💖

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, the pan it! challenges has been such a rewarding experience, and ones filled with so many lessons learned and to be learned. @ElleElleG really creates such an amazing space for anyone and everyone to participate at their own rate and with as many or as few products that work for them. Do you think you might have a potential pan it! product for this year?

[CynthieLu]

Nothing in particular, I love following along with the happenings in that thread thou! Even if I'm not tagging myself in. I get really into watching everyone's progress as the months pass and just rooting for everyone. 🎊

Very well said. @ElleElleG has threads that I find really mindfull and just so healthy imo. I'm trying to use the Pan It! Mentality across my entire collection atm. Especially this year where I'm trying to really stick to a low buy year. I want to finish my products and enjoy them. Hopefully only pick up things that are extra special in my eyes. 

[itsfi]

I like that @CynthieLu - only picking up things that are "extra special" to your eye. That's a good strategy. Good luck with your no/low buy this year.

[CynthieLu]

Thank you, I need all the luck I can get. But I do feel good about this year. 💪 Thou..we are only 5 days in, there's quite a few ahead. I need to keep this resolve going longer ⌚ 

[ather]

@itsfi  yay for another year of capsules! I am going to try my best to participate more this year! Hmmm maybe it should be my New Year’s resolution! 

This lineup looks awesome. The cle de peau foundation sounds amazing. Blurring is the best! And the added lit from within a perfect touch! 

Do you like Saie Dew Blush Liquid Cream Blush Chilly ? it’s one of my favs. I also have the darker one in Spicy! I love how it browns. 

Oooo so happy to see Rhode in this lineup! Vanilla is so yummy!! 😋 

[itsfi]

@ather, jump on in whenever you can! However suits you best - no picture, just picture, etc. CdP' base products have skincare infused in it so my skin is happy about that and I like this one because it's glowy without being GLOWY!! 🤣 There's a time and place for the strobe light effect and this one is not for that time and place. Hahaha! 

I do like Chilly; it took a little getting used to but that's normal for me and blush - first it was too much, then I blend, blend, blend and blend it all away so it's not enough and then I eventually figure it out. 😅 Do you have a preferred method for applying these Saie blushes - fingers? beauty sponge? brush? some combination of those? something else? I'm all ears.

[ather]

@itsfi  So this is probably bad or just me being lazy but I just use one brush for most my makeup! I have a few and I wash it every few days. But I just use it to do my skin tint/foundation and if I use a bronzer same and same with blush and highlight if I use it! It kinda reminds me of the MERIT Brush No. 1 Tapered Blending Brush  but it works for everything. I start with 2 dots on each cheek and blend till I am happy! 😊