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 21 (May 19 - 25) - The Vacation Makeup Capsule  

Alright, we're heading into Memorial Day weekend, often an informal kickoff to summer. Whether or not you're on vacay that week, assemble a capsule containing one or more of makeup products that are "must have" when packing for vacation.

Optional (month-long theme): May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) National Heritage Month and to celebrate, we're bringing back the optional month-long theme in addition to the weekly themes. So, if you're up for the challenge, consider doing a tie-in of both, be it one product that fits both capsule themes, or one or more product from the then current weekly theme below and one or more product from an AAPI founded or owned beauty brand.

Spoiler

Below is a non-exhaustive list of makeup brands founded or co-founded / owned or co-owned by Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) - the brands listed are primarily ones that offer makeup / color cosmetics.  To the extent the founder's identify cannot be determined by the brand name, his/her/their name(s) will appear in parens next to the brand name. Brands with an asterisk (*) next to their name denotes that that brand is available at Sephora.

CLE Cosmetics (Lauren Jin)

CTZN Cosmetics (Aleena Khan, Aleezeh Khan, and Naseeha Khan)

Em Cosmetics (Michelle Phan)
Finding Ferdinand (Nhu Le)

* Glow Recipe (Christine Chang and Sarah Lee)

Jason Wu Beauty

Kimchi Chic Beauty (Kim Chi)

* Kulfi Beauty (Priyanka Ganjoo)

Live Tinted (Deepica Mutyala)

* Mango People (Sravya Adusumilli)

Meloway Makeup (Aiden Kim and Ash Kim)

* One/Size by Patrick Starrr

Orce Cosmetics (Yu-Chen Shih)

Ourself (Lauren Otsuki)

* Patrick Ta Beauty

Purlisse Beauty (Jennifer Yen)

Seraphine Botanicals (Sylvia Phann)

The Creme Shop (Theresa and Lawrence Kim)

* Tower 28 Beauty (Amy Liu)

U Beauty (Tina Craig)
* Velour Lashes (Mabel Lee)

* Wander Beauty (Divya Gugnani)

Yensa Beauty (Jennifer Yen)

UPCOMING Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 5.18.2025]

Spoiler

Week 22 (May 26 - June 1) - The Musician Founded / Owned Beauty Brand Makeup Capsule
We've got the American Music Awards (AMA) taking place on May 26. Use actual red carpet looks from this year or past years for inspiration when putting together a makeup capsule with one or more products that fit this week's prompt. Or, show us what product(s) you'd use if you were attending the AMAs. 🎶🎵🎶 Or, curate a capsue if one or more products from beauty brands (focusing primarily on makeup) that are founded or owned by a musician.

Spoiler

Below is a non-exhaustive list of brands founded or owned by a musician that have makeup products as a primary focus. Prodcts with an asterisk (*) after the brand name are available at Sephora. 

about-face (Halsey)
Fenty Beauty (Rihanna)*
GXVE by Gwen Stefani*
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga*
Kesha Rose Beauty
Keys Soulcare (Alicia Keys)
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez*
R.E.M. Beauty (Ariana Grande)
Victoria Beckham Beauty

Capsule themes for June will be posted to the thread sometime during the Memorial Day weekend (most likely near the end of the long weekend).

Previous Capsule Themes: [Updated: 5.18.2025]

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 
18 - The Makeup-Artist-Founded/Owned Brand Makeup Capsule 

May 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
19 - The  Asian American Pacific Islander Founded / Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule
20 - The "Tailored For You" 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.

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much! I think it’s okay, it’s not something I would get a again neccesaraly and I know 54 thrones is so generous @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Week 6 (February 3 - 9): The "Black Founded/Owned" Beauty Brand(s) Makeup Capsule 

I've been super excited for this week's capsule, in large part because I'll be working with a full set of brushes from Danessa Myricks. *squee   I spent some time editing this Bob capsule - I pulled out almost every single Black founded/owned product in my collection for last year's capsule and while it was super fun, I didn't get a chance to really dig in and play with everything the way I wanted. So I tried this year to narrow it down (with notes for using different items for different themes during the year). 

This Week 6 capsule contains a handful of products I have been enjoying for a while now - Juvia's Place The Taupes Eyeshadow Palette is my go-to taupe eyeshadow palette. It's goes on easily for a soft, natural look that's not too cool tone nor too grey, but the shades can be built up for a more glam eye. I'm also excited to pull out my full size Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Hydra Vizor Huez Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Mineral Spf 30 Sunscreen  (I took it out of its main component so I could fit everything into the bag) and LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation . 

Products that I will be putting to use for the first time this week include:

• Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder - Tinted Primer & Foundation  (tinted version) - I have mixed feelings about the universal, clear version of this balm so it'll be interesting to see how the tinted version performs. A quick test in store suggests I may have better luck with this tinted version. 🤞

• LYS Beauty Lash Confidence Curling & Lengthening Clean Mascara Influential  (SEPHORiA 2024: ATL) mascara is also new to me. It's not waterproof so I have some concerns right there. I have plans to put together a non-waterproof mascara throwdown/battle sometime this year. The participants for that battle will be determined based on how they perform in certain makeup capsule challenge - if a non-waterproof mascara stands out in its weekly challenge, it will be included in a future throwdown. 

Category	Product	Notes / Comments
Primer:	Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Glow Serum with Hyaluronic Acid & Niacinamide Fresh Pressed	Performed alright in the summer and fall seasons. Interested to see how it does in the winter. She recently released another shade of this serum that looks like I'd like more so I may pick up a sample of that another day.
Base/Foundation:	Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder - Tinted Primer & Foundation 3	I had mixed results with the clear version of this product so it'll be interesting to see how the tinted version performs.
	LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation
	Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Hydra Vizor Huez Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Mineral Spf 30 Sunscreen	For the "no makeup" makeup days
Concealer:	LYS Beauty Triple Fix Brightening Concealer	Primarily for under eyes
Setting:	Beauty Bakerie Loose Flour Setting Powder - Oat (Translucent)	I've only used a sample of this for baking and am curious to see how it performs all over the face.
Cheek Palette:	Pat McGrath Labs Divine Blush Bronzer and Glow Trio  - Fleurever Nude	Bronzer is a good color, but the blush and highlight shade aren't the best for me.
Blush:	LYS Beauty Higher Standard Satin Matte Cream Blush Self Love
Eye Primer:	PAT McGRATH LABS IntensifEYES™ Longwear Eyeshadow Primer IntensifEYES™ Longwear Primary  (Sephoria)	Works fine enough, but not my favorite
Eyeshadow:	Juvia's Place The Taupes Eyeshadow Palette	One of the best taupe eyeshadow palettes
Mascara:	LYS Beauty Lash Confidence Curling & Lengthening Clean Mascara Influential   (Sephoria	This will be my first time using this product.
Lipstick:	Beauty Bakerie Bite Size Whip Lip Makeup - Syruptitious and Versailles	Sandwiching both lip whips between layers of TLB gloss is the lip cocktail I'll be wearing for most of the week. It's a winning combination for color and helps to keep my lips hydrated slightly.
Lip Gloss:	The Lip Bar Lip Gloss - Girl Boss
Fragrance:	Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Fenty Eau de Parfum
	FORVR Mood I Am Her Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.34 oz / 10 ml eau de parfum spray  (SEPHORiA 2024: ATL)
	BROWN GIRL Jane Carnivale Eau de Parfum Travel Spray .34 oz / 10ml eau de parfum spray  (SEPHORiA 2024: ATL)	I have this in a couple of sizes - another sample size from a discovery kit and a mini from a trio set I picked up last year. I like this one but feel like it would be better if I layered it with another fragrance, something with vanilla in it. I'll be spending the week layering with this one to find a combo I love.

                                          

The "Fits":

I have two bags this week - one for the Danessa Myricks brushes and one for the makeup products. Both hold a lot of goodies; I was pleasantly surprised with how spacious The WYN Beauty bag (gratis) turned out. 

January Debriefed: 

I didn't have many declutters or nay's from my makeup capsules last month. It was a month of standouts - the good kind. These were the very best of the new-to-me makeup products I used, and one that was nice but not meant for me. I didn't include the beauties that have been tried-and-true or products that I've already tagged as  GOATs.

• MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Skin Face Essentials – Longwear Full Face Cream Palette Palette 1: Light to Medium  

• The powder foundation in the Dior Fall/Winter Ready-To-Wear Palette (Limited Edition) (discontinued) is amazing - it sets my makeup, blurs imperfections and gives my complexion an airburshed look without it being overdone.

• Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadow Palette 100 Stora Dolls  is a gorgeous palette - the packaging is superb and the quality of the shadows themselves are fantastic - easy to apply, blend well and wear smoothly all day with a primer on my oily lids.

• Cosnori Perfect Setting Mascara Waterproof Long & Curl (Brown) - while I don't have a lot of lashes, they are dark lashes and the brown doesn't show up unless you look to the side and up close in certain lighting - which is oddly specific and rare, lol. It is waterproof though - it stays on until I remove it with an eye makeup remover. No smudging or flaking at all during the day. I know what you're thinking - you don't need another waterproof mascara, Fi, even if the brand makes a black one. Don't worry, I'm not going to purchase one in black ... at least not right away. 😁 I have more in rotation than I ever have had. 

• Danessa Myricks Beauty Infinite Chrome Waterproof Micropencil Eyeliner Bronzite  - I've been reaching for Bronzite more and more and it's definitely one of the surprise hits from last month's capsules. Love how I can get close to my lash line with this; it deposits a pretty bronze that gives some dimension to my upper lashes and it can be easily smudged - in fact, if I'm not wearing eyeshadow, I just apply this to my lash line, leave it be for some time so the oils from my lids can meld with it and voila, a subtle smokiness to my lids. Set with powder and we're good for the day!

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi What a thoughtfully curated BOB capsule! I am curious about how thehr Lys mascara preforms for you. I have not tried it yet either, but I was a little nervous to after reading the reviews and having oily eyelids. I hope you have fun digging into these goodies! I am excited to hear your thoughts on the Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder - Tinted Primer & Foundation 3  

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, if you set your lids with powder, it should be fine. I have occasionally gotten some fall out (?) during application on the lid and below my eye. That's not uncommon even when I use waterproof mascara and is probably more about me being les careful in my application than the product. Setting my lids with a translucent powder helps to control the oils but with other mascaras I've found that they can still smudge and smear during the day. I did not have that issue with the LYS on my eyelids when I set them with a translucent setting powder. 👍 I did, however, experience some slight smudging just below my eyes after 6+ hours. It wasn't too bad at all and was easy to clean up. 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Thanks for letting me know 🙏. Did you have any makeup like concealer or setting powder under your eye when it smudged?

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, I did not have any makeup on directly under my eyes when it smudged. I only had foundation on my cheeks but not high enough to reach the under eye area. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

@itsfi  I saw somewhere you asked about the Danessa Myricks Beauty Beauty Oil with Gold Leaf 1 oz/ 30 mL   or I was dreaming lol my notifications are acting a little funky. I like it but it’s not necessarily my fave I’ve used it a few times and it’s in my closet that’s where I store my makeup. I may have answered this already I am studying for a huge exam and my brain is melting. I wouldn’t repurchase but I think it’s lovely that it’s in her collection ❤️ 

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, thank you! You did let me know how the oil has been working for you!!! 😊 Sending well wishes for good and productve study times and quality breaks and rest between study sessions! 

[ather]

@itsfi  Wow!! 🤯 I love how you took the time and really thought this out! New brushes squeeeeeee how are they? This capsule is amazing! 

[itsfi]

Thanks @ather! I've been enjoying my capsules so far and this year, I challenged myself to keep my capsules (on average) between 8-12 products, which means some weeks I'll have 5 or 6 items in my makeup capsules and other weeks, it'll be 15-18 if I want more options or have different events on my schedule to take into account.

The brushes she created on her own are all good; my favorite of those three is probably her first brush because it's so versatile - Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Face 1.0 All Over Complexion Brush - For Foundation, Blush, Bronzer & Powder  (though the Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Face 2.0 Teardrop Kabuki Complexion Brush  makes my foundation application go so quickly when I use more creamy, full coverage formulations - not often). 

Of the brushes that I have from her collab with MyKitCo., I've been enjoying these two - 

The tip of the top brush is really great for pinpoint concealing of acne dark spots that are healing. Mine take a long time to heal so depending on where they are on my face, I sometimes like to use concealer over them and the brush tip is helpful. It reminds me of the pinpoint concealer brush in Kevin Aucoin's first line of brushes - I loved that brush (I still love it, it's just been discontinued). 

The bottom brush is a nice all over foundation brush that works well with a host of formulations. I usually like to apply my lighter coverage foundation and skin tints with my fingers but sometimes reach for a brush if I'm just wanting to do a very quick pass over and I don't want to get my fingers full of makeup.

[CynthieLu]

I really appreciate the presentation of your capsule @itsfi from the photos, to the organization of your product break downs. It really feeds the curious part of my brain that is hungry for all things makeup/beauty related. 🙏🩷

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, thank you. BIC is definitely the right place to be to feed our beauty related hunger. 😀

[CynthieLu]

It keeps us coming back again and again 😉 @itsfi 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Gorgeous Capsule! That’s amazing to have Danessa’s brush set. I really admire the quality of them they are constructed so beautifully for their purpose and focus! The chart you made is so meaningful you really gave each product an amazing representation of how it shows up in your routine. Amazing photo. I appreciate your thoughts and how you elegantly and mindfully you pick out the tried and true fits for you! Amazing read! @itsfi  ❤️ 

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, I have all 3 of the brushes she has available at Sephora. Last year, I picked up the starter edition of her brush set collab with MyKitCo. It was part of someone's haul, maybe @danielledanielle? and includes some great brushes. 

"... mindfully you pick out the tried and true fits for you!" Thank you, that's so good of you to say. I have a lot of products, even with my no/low buys and donating and decluttering beauty items over the years, so I have a large pool of beauties to choose from. This challenge and just shifting my focus on different things has been helpful in keeping me focused (errrr, most of the time 😅) on going through and using what I do have. I'm motivated by the idea of having a collection of tried-and-true products and a selective handful of new or new-to-me I pick up from season to season. That's the goal; fingers crossed we keep making progress towards that! 🤞

[danielledanielle]

Good memory @itsfi  I think the Danessa set was the official end of my lowbuy.  I have the face edition, and I've kept myself from getting the detail eye brushes, thankfully.

But her Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Face 1.0 All Over Complexion Brush - For Foundation, Blush, Bronzer & Powder is such a fantastic brush.

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, the face edition set is beautiful. I initially had my eye on that but I had another face brush set on the way at the time so that helped me refrain and go with this one. 😆 

Her 1.0 is great - I’ve picked up two now - my justification is that one is for blush and the other for bronzer.  

[danielledanielle]

I feel like that's fair.  @itsfi , I justified one for travel since it barely picks up product.. it's the perfect travel complexion brush.  Justified a second one for regular use, then I misplaced it and was was like....a third is needed. Logic - No, no need to look for the lost one, which I did find .. unopened and put somewhere else again.  "Just get a third 😑😂, you can't remember things, so why struggle?"

I have Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Face 2.0 Teardrop Kabuki Complexion Brush , haven't hit a match in that one just yet.  Like @Mellmars1185 , it picks up A LOT of product.  I know it's great with her blurring balm, but I've tried that twice and get little whiteheads, so that's a no for me ... What are y'all tried and Trues, Danessa and non-Danessa, for that one @itsfi @CynthieLu @peculiarzmakeup 

[peculiarzmakeup]

I really love it I use it for the skin tint mostly I haven’t tried powder tho that’s a good idea. Sorry to hear that it didn’t go well. @danielledanielle 

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, after you've had time to test it out with powder (no rush at all), I'm curious to know how it goes for you. I tried it with the powder foundation in my Dior palette and got some kick back when I dipped it straight into the product. It worked fine when I applied the powder onto my skin with my fingers and then blended out with the kabuki. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Definatley gonna try it sounds fun 🙂 @itsfi