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.

[itsfi]

Week 7 Capsules Debriefed

There were a lot of hits with the makeup from last week's makeup capsule (week 7). Nothing from either of thos capsules was decluttered. The major standouts from last week (other than products I've already mentioned in past debriefs and ones that have been previously designated as a GOAT or Top Shelf product) include the following beauties. 

• LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation  has been such a great addition to my collection. I'm very happy to have received a good shade assessment during Sephoria 2024: Atlanta. 👍 It's lightweight, blendable, feels like nothing on my skin, and gives me soft, dewy (but still natural) finish. Coverage is light-to-medium. 

• Ami Colé Desert Date Cream Blush & Lip Multistick Hibiscus  is one of last year's Top Shelf product. Its pairing with the Vieve Lip Dew Glossy Lip Oil is what lands it in this debrief. AC Hibiscus on its own can be a bit brighter and cooler on my lips than I typically go for, but combined with the shimmery sheen and slight warmth of the Vieve Lip Dew, it's a pretty my lips-but-better-and-dewier shade. 😘 I feel like this Lip Dew may be 🤔 the thinner, less glossy version of the Ami Cole holiday lip oils that I've been waiting to open. 

• Dior Forever Perfect Fix Face Mist - Makeup Setting Spray - Long Wear & Instant Hydration was paired with a Guerlain primer and the combination is excellent but it also has been performing very well for me on its own during the cooler seasons. It has a fresh cucumber-like scent and is hydrating. I've been using it to set by itself as well as in combination with the Sephora Collection loose powder or the ONE/SIZE mattifying setting mist - it keeps my normal-to-dry skin hydrated and that is much appreciated.

• Fashion Fair Lip Teasers Lip Gloss Supreme Brown  is one of those shades that surprised me by how well I love the color. The formulation is light and easy to apply and spread over my lips - I've not had any issues with reddish-brown color migrating outside of my lips. 🙌 It's been reached for often this month! 

On a different note, incorporating the Natasha Denona Biba Eye Shadow Palette into last week's capsule and the BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows was a fun way to bring it back into the fold. Though the majority of the remaining shades lean on the warm side, it worked out well, and I'm looking forward to using it again this week, for both this week's capsule and the shadow showdown - the red carpet / runway theme sounds like it will be so much fun! Excited to see what everyone puts together! 😍

[itsfi]

Week 7 (February 10 - 16): The "Dynamic Duo, Trusted Trio or Killer Combo" Makeup Capsule

Spoiler

My "killer combos" in this capsule are:

• the primer and setting spray combo of the GUERLAIN Parure Gold 24K Radiance Primer 1.2 oz / 35 mL  and the Dior Forever Perfect Fix Setting Spray. This duo has performed well with pretty much every foundation with which they've been paired, so why not see they play together with the LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation ? I'm some combination of LN6 and MN1 throughout the year, but as we are in the thick of winter, the LN6 works just fine. 

• another recent pairing I've happened upon is the lovely lip duo Ami Colé Desert Date Cream Blush & Lip Multistick Hibiscus  and Vieve Lip Dew Original, which has made its way to Sephora UK (wondering if it will make it to the Sephora North America stores at some point 🤔). Ami Cole Hibiscus hit my radar last year and it was love. It still is; I really enjoy it as a blush and will use it this week as such as well as my go to lip color. The formula can be a bit dry on my lips especially this time of year as they are already prone to dryness, but that's where the Lip Dew comes in - the shimmer adds a soft glow to the color and the slip from the lip gloss gives the blush stick movement and some hydration. 

• I'm using this week's capsule to test out the combination of Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadow Palette 100 Stora Dolls  (as eyeshadow and as a liner on the upper lashline) with the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Brightening Pencil  - Light 1 (discontinued) on the lower lashline, for a soft, natural eye look. I'll include LYS Beauty Lash Confidence Curling & Lengthening Clean Mascara Influential  in my look a couple of days during the week, but will otherwise, will just curl my lashes. @Mellmars1185, the LYS is still holding up pretty well when I set my eyelids with powder to keep the oils at bay. 

Other capsule items:

• PAT McGRATH LABS IntensifEYES™ Longwear Eyeshadow Primer IntensifEYES™ Longwear Primary   - I can't remember exactly but I think I received this as part of a SEPHORiA bag. It's not my HG primer but it works just fine and I'm working to use up all my open eye shadow primers.
• Beauty Bakerie Pinch of Flour Oat (Translucent) (not pictured) to set my eye lids since the LYS is a non-waterproof mascara
• If I need to add some warmth to my complexion, I'll mix a drop or two of either Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi™ Bronzing Drops with Peptides  or First Aid Beauty Bronze + Glow Drops with Niacinamide 1 oz / 30 ml  into the LYS serum foundation.
  
  

It all fits in this very bright yellow, lined, mesh bag from Supergoop (SEPHORiA 2024 Atlanta). I love this bag - it's so bright and yellow - love that it stands out (and that it's squishy). It holds a good amount of product, too. 

A second capsule (see spoiler) will come into play this weekend, partly for a "no-makeup" makeup look and partly for a look I'm aiming to do for the BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows .

Spoiler

The focus of this second capsule is on the eyes, hopefully, with the DM bronzite, MUBM liner, the 7 shadows from ND Biba that remain to be fully panned, if at all; and, if I can get the look to work as I envision it, there will be one other surprise (non-palette) eye product to complete the "nature" theme look for the Balette Royale: Showdown of the Shadows.

A tighter fit requiring more Tetris-prowess, but I got it all in and (barely) zipped up. Phew.

Fragrance choices for this week are from a Brown Girl Jane Set I picked up a year ago, a couple months before the brand launched at Sephora. The brand also offers a BROWN GIRL Jane Discovery Set  that is also very nice.

• Brown Girl Jane Bahia Eau de Parfum
• BROWN GIRL Jane Casablanca Eau de Parfum 1.7 oz / 50 ml eau de parfum spray  
• BROWN GIRL Jane Lamu Eau de Parfum 1.7 oz / 50 ml eau de parfum spray  

[ather]

@itsfi  Both of these capsules look amazing! I can’t wait to read the showdown of shadows! Love a good showdown! Both of these are great! 😊 can’t wait to hear how it goes! 

[itsfi]

@ather, I haven’t reached for the ND Biba palette much after hitting pan on every shade but with the new challenge I figured why not bring it back in the mix and see if I can use it to create a different weekly eye looks for that challenge. We shall see how it goes. Ultimately I think the neutral to cool tones in the YSL palette are more me - it makes sense - the shadows in Biba that I have already fully panned ran more neutral than the warmer ones I have left. 

[danielledanielle]

Week 7: The Fenty Edit

The Dynamic Duos...At first I was focused on the lip liners and lip colors, but I included duos in multiple ways, like color ways (Riri the liner and gloss bomb, drama cla$$ as powder and cream, trophy wife in gloss bomb and highlighter) and the dynamic quartet of Riri Showstoppers (Riri LE gloss bomb, the showstopper lipstick case, invisimatte and diamond Bomb, Fenty glow cream blush and gloss bomb, hot chocolit gloss bomb and gloss bomb stick).  Also I have duo snap shadows, but I'm sticking with one for BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows The only non Fenty items are my brow pen (Uoma) and my eye primer (Nars), but I've used the Fenty versions of these.  The eye primer was decent, but I don't know if it's still available.  The brow pen has a cute little brush head instead of a spoolie, so I kept it for awhile after the pen ran out, but I went through it muuuuuchhhh too quickly.

Fragrances are a repeat, but with DIOR J'adore L'Or Eau de Parfum added because Rihanna is the face of it

The little circle things are cleansing cuffs, one of my face GWPs ever

[itsfi]

Loving the Fenty focus @danielledanielle 😍 The Riri Showstoppers - yes!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I love her gloss bombs, too! She's done so well with her product line; it's been awesome to see. Is there anything you'd like to see her add to her collection that she hasn't yet?

[danielledanielle]

Quads, maybe.  The eyeshadows haven't been the greatest, honestly, but maybe a cream to powder formula in a quad...🤔🤔🙌🏽💸 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, eyeshadows would be a good one. I feel like that something may be in the works - the snap palettes seem to be phasing themselves out on the website and in the stores near me. I liked the color stories  when they were released, but some newness would be great to see. 

[ather]

@danielledanielle  This is a great capsule! So many choices! Do you have a favourite duo? 

[danielledanielle]

Oooh, that's hard.  Like this edit itself was already a task 🤣 @ather .  Going to have to think about it 🤔

[blackkitty2014]

Drum roll for Black Owned Beauty Brand please. I have way too many PMG palettes but I just pick a random one and make sure I used every single shades in the palette last week. I forgot how many PMG lipsticks I have. I think I still have about a dozen of brand new PMG lipsticks balm/gloss/lipsticks besides the ones I already used. Sigh 😮‍💨 

Here are the swatches of my PMG lippies; from left to right (right is closest to my hand) Flesh 7, Executive Realness, Love Supreme, Rose Quartz Astro gloss, Soft Core, Rose Divine Rose gloss, 1995 top and Dream Scape gloss and the last one is just 1995+Dream Scape

[ather]

@blackkitty2014  Wow you have so much PMG!! 

[itsfi]

Beautiful swatches @blackkitty2014! Which Pat McGrath eyeshadow palette is that one? The colors are lovely.

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @itsfi . It’s mothership IIII Subversive. I bought it when she first came out with 3. And the rabbit hole keeps getting bigger and bigger and deeper and deeper 😘

[danielledanielle]

It's so pretty, fuchsia and rose colored with a touch of gunmetal @blackkitty2014 

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @danielledanielle ❤️

[itsfi]

Checking in early with my recap from this week's Black founded/owned beauty brand makeup capsule. 

Nothing was an absolute miss (just not my preference) but there are a couple of beauties I am on the fence about, as well as some fabulous standouts (see spoiler, below 👇). 

Spoiler

🙌  Yay: 🙌

• Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder - Tinted Primer & Foundation  - the tinted version agrees with me so much more than the universal shade which is just so odd. 🤔 I have it in Shade 3 and I love how it smoothes, evens tone, and blurs.

• Lip pairing 💋: I really enjoyed the color from sandwiching the Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip Matte - Versailles between layers of The Lip Bar Vegan Lip Gloss - Girl Boss. 👍 This dynamic duo will be one I continue to pair together moving forward. The pink tones in TLB Girl Boss keeps the mauve tones in Beauty Bakerie Versailles from leaning too grey on my lips, a plus. The BB Lip Whip i more hydrating than most liquid lipsticks but TLB gloss adds a little extra hydration and slip. 

• Pat McGrath Labs Divine Blush + Bronze + Glow Trio - Fleurever Nude has been a palette I've been iffy about but I think I've gotten the hang of it, both in terms of when it works best for my skintone (cooler seasons and now, mid-to-late winter) and how to apply it best. I went back and forth on whether this stay or goes, but I've made a decision - it stays. 
  
  

Nay:

• Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Glow Serum with Hyaluronic Acid & Niacinamide Fresh Pressed  just doesn't suit me. It has a great list of ingredients, and, at some point, I might pick it up in the new pinkier tint and the bronzy one, but the original is one I'll pass on to someone who will get more out of it. 

Meh, It's Ohhhhkay(?):

• Beauty Bakerie Bite Size Lip Whip - Syruptitious - is pretty but leans more rust hued than I prefer. I have a couple other similarly situated lip colors in my stash. That said, this will be part of a rust-hued lip throwdown. 

• LYS Beauty Lash Confidence Curling & Lengthening Clean Mascara Influential  will also be part of a product batttle, focusing on non-waterproof mascara - this will be a longer-term battle as I'll want to put teh various mascaras through a couple of seasons. The product is fine and I am happy with how it performed when I set my oily eyelids with powder beforehand.I'm just not sure whether it stands out enough for me as someone who prefers waterproof mascara. I'll continue to use this one to test it, along with other similar products. 

Week 7 Makeup Capsule Theme and Cross Collab Challenge: 

This week's theme is about pairings or combos that you love or work beautifully for you. 

Week 7 (February 10 - 16): The "Dynamic Duo, Trusted Trio or Killer Combo" Makeup Capsule -  

Are there certain product or shade pairings that you love or that just work beautifully for you? Let's build a makeup capsule around them. Here's your chance to shine a spotlight on the dynamic duos, trusted trios, or killer combos that are go-to's for your everyday and/or special occasion look(s).

[OPTIONAL]: In addition to the Week 7 theme, if you are up for a cross-collab challenge, consider incorporating an eyeshadow palette in this week's capsule to weave together the look in the ... wait for it ...  BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows challenge. I've seen several phenomenal eye shadow palettes from folks in the last few weeks that I think would make fierce contenders in the shadow showdown! There are a few ways to take part in both challenges. Edited to add [2.10.2025] - The Balette Royale theme is Nature. See thread (link above) for more details.

My plan is to try to incoporate an eyeshadow palette into my weekly capsules that also fit into the Balette Royale challenge. Some weeks it'll be seamless and other weeks, I my have a slightly different capsule that I'll use either on the weekend or one day during the week to do the Balette Royale challenge.

@peculiarzmakeup @PrettyPaint @blackkitty2014 @PDXXXX @caitbird @ather @CynthieLu @danielledanielle @Mellmars1185 

Ohhh, and remember, you can always post your beautiful faces and looks for the Community to see, including on any of the following threads:

What are you wearing in 2025?? 

100 Days of Lipstick Challenge 

100 Shades of Eyeshadow Challenge 

💖 100 Days of Eyeliner Challenge 🌈 

and, of course, the Gallery! 📸  Or, if you have a head-to-toe look, be sure to stop on over to theThe Fit, The Fab and The Face: Outfit and Inspo Thread 

[ather]

@itsfi  Awesome recap! Only one nay that’s good!!! 😊 those lip colours are beautiful! 😍 

[itsfi]

@ather, thanks so much. I love that I have fewer "nays"; and the ones that I have had are really because the products are not suited for me. The formulations themselves are fine; it's just not a good fit, which happens. I love the lippies this week. 💗 I'm going to have to do more lipstick battles this year if I'm going to whittle down my stash. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

I really love the idea of the checkin at the end of the week. It was nice to read about what helps you determine if a product is a good fit for you or not and why. I think it’s so helpful to picture it and put in perspective of how it plays out in real time. Such a beautiful summary! And oo this weeks challenge is so neat I have an idea in my head about how to make it happen. Thanks for your honest input and reflections they are always appreciated ❤️ @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, I love hearing about how people in the Community use their products. I fully appreciate that some pick up items as collectibles, but for those who use products regularly (or semi-regularly as I know that with a larger collection of treats it can be hard to use everything regularly), it's great to learn what works and doesn't work for folks. And it's also nice to see the looks created if/when those are posted. Sometimes a product might not perform well one way but when used another way, it's amazing!!