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 20 (May 12 - 18) - The "Tailored For You" Makeup Capsule- The Met Gala will have occurred on May 5, with the theme "Tailored For You" inspired by the exhibit "Tailoring Black Style". For this week, curate a capsule with one or more products that are either "tailored for you" or that suits you impeccably and/or that caught your eye from the Met Gala or if you visit the "Tailoring Black Style" exhibit. 

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 5.11.2025]

Spoiler

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

Alright, we're heading into Memorial Day weekend, often the 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.

Additional 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...

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

Previous Capsule Themes: [Updated: 5.4.2025]

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

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.

[caitbird]

@itsfi  love this capsule (and I see you are using your new Sephora GWP bag! It looks like a very nice one!)! That Fenty gloss stick and Rare Beauty blush are such pretty colors, and I love your thoughtful approach to building and rounding out your beauty collection by "filling in the gaps". I really need to try to do this more, I think. I definitely am drawn to certain shades in particular categories, which is fine and all since I'm more likely to use things in colors I like, but on the other hand, how many cool pink blushes or teal eyeshadows do I really need? 😂🤔 I have enough duplicates in certain categories that I could/should probably declutter some of them - maybe some category throw downs/showdowns in my future...one of these days!

[itsfi]

Thanks so much @caitbird. 🤗 I've been trying use what I have, both the things already in my collection and the new things I pick up, though I'm not always able to get to it right away with the latter; or, sometimes, it's just not the right timing (e.g., picking up a foundation shade or formula that is my match for another season, or if I am working on finishing up something, etc.

Oh, I get that, caitbird; I sure do get that. I have a plethora of "my lips but better" shades. It's just the shades I'm drawn to, even before I found this community and continues to be what I naturally gravitate towards. Over the years, I've dabbled into other color families - pinks, reds, browns, even some corals/oranges last year and this year as well as different types of products - mattes, liquid lipsticks, etc. It's been fun and I've found products and shades I wouldn't have otherwise - win, win. I don't know about you, but it's not always easy finding that right balance between picking up a shade that is like so many of the ones I already have and venturing out just a little bit  and choosing something a little bit different (but that will still be flattering on me). 

Filing in the gaps is working out nicely for me, right now, both for rounding out my collection and with helping to rein in purchases even more (or, at least, for the most part, since we're a little more flexible with purchases this month, lol), which has been a very pleasant (and appreciated) surprise. We'll see how long I can keep at; I still purchase the shades I instinctively gravitate towards but not nearly as frequently, and I like it. I'm also finding I have a lot more hits than misses; I've been pretty good about that for a while but it seems to be getting even better - of course, having fewer newness may mean there's a smaller pool of candidates to be duds. Hahaha! That, and I try to be even more diligent with my pre-purchase research on products. We're getting there; all a work in progress.

Yes, yes, if a capsule with a couple of throwdown pieces is helpful, do it! Or, just a good old battle of products a la Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs and Showdowns 🥊

[itsfi]

Week 15 - The Flush of Color Makeup Capsule(s) 😉

but first, a quick recap - pretty much all of the items from last week's The Sticks Makeup Capsule get a 👍. I'm a little iffy on the Chanel Le Volume mascara. To be fair, their mascaras are not what I tend to gravitate towards from the brand's beauty collection. 

Now, Week 15. I have a few different capsules lined up for this week. But they're on the minimalist side; well, the first two, at least.

Spoiler

Flush of Color Capsule 1: Today's look, done in well under 5 minutes. I timed myself but inadvertently hit "reset" instead of stop. I'll reach for this bag again this week and will capture the time and post to Sephora Six - Fast & Furious Edition when I do.

• Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation  
• HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer with Fermented Arnica  
• Tower 28 Beauty GetSet Blur + Set Matte Powder Blush Samo Spritzer  
• Glossier Boy Brow Volumizing Eyebrow Gel-Pomade  
• Yves Saint Laurent Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara Noir  
• Shu Uemura Lash Curler
• SEPHORA COLLECTION Glaze Hydrating Lip Balm 02 Chocolate Shake  

Spoiler

Flush of Color Capsule 2: 

• MILK MAKEUP Hydro Grip 12-Hour Hydrating Gel Skin Tint  - coverage is between a skin tint and a light coverage foundation
• DIOR Backstage Concealer  (not pictured)
• HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Color Fuse Longwear Hydrating Glassy Lip + Cheek Blush Balm Stick Glassy Hibiscus  for lips and cheeks - one of my favorite mauvey-pink lip colors
• Thrive Causemetics eyeshadow stick (in shade Q)
• Danessa Myricks Beauty Infinite Chrome Waterproof Micropencil Eyeliner Bronzite  
• Glossier Boy Brow Volumizing Eyebrow Gel-Pomade  
• MAKEUP BY MARIO SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer®  
• Westman Atelier Mini Petite Lit Up Cream Highlighter Stick Nectar  
• LYS Beauty Lash Confidence Curling & Lengthening Clean Mascara Influential  

I'm waiting on a couple of products to arrive this week that I want to include in a third capsule. It'll get posted here and/or theThe Fit, The Fab and The Face: Outfit and Inspo Thread 

[danielledanielle]

OKAY TBD Capsule @itsfi , I see a nice interweaving of newness with some of your HGs.

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, it dawned on me the other day that my online spring savings orders are coming from the East Coast so they've been taking a little longer than they normally do. It's actually worked out well for me, since it spaces out when things arrive and gives me some time to make my way through products. I thought I'd have one of the items for this week's capsule but there's a slight delay, so a TBD capsule, it is! 😂 

[nafiyad]

<i>this is the best thing </i>

[itsfi]

Thanks so much @nafiyad! Welcome to BIC! I can only speak for myself but it's been a fun way to use what I have and see and hear about what others are using. It takes some of the guess work out of deciding what to wear too and that helps to make my mornings less rushed (which is always welcomed, lol). Feel free to join us!

[itsfi]

Week 14 - The Spring Sticks Makeup Capsule   

I don't know why but I really love stick makeup products. This week's capsule has a mix of beauties we've seen before and a few new products to the capsule challenge, with two that will be used for the first time this week (marked below with an asterisk (*) next to the product name or tag). It's on the larger side for me as far as capsules go (and this was pared down from what I originally had set aside for the week), but I'm hoping to get in a few different, but same, but different looks this week. There's quite a bit of pink in this capsule, my spring tie-in.

Complexion:

• Primer (Face): ciele prime & PROTECT SPF 30+ Smoothing Primer * - I've had good results with the Ciele products I've used and was happy to see the brand release this primer, not that I really needed another primer, but ...  
• Foundation: DIOR Forever Skin Perfect 24H Multi-Use Foundation Stick  - twinning it with @danielledanielle this week with this foundation stick. My skin is rather sensitive this week (I'm having a throwdown with Rudolph to see whose nose is the most red, ugh)
• Concealer:  MERIT The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick  will be put to the test as the usual redness around my nose is even more red this week. I will also be testing how just this stick and the Ciele primer pair together later in the week; thinking it could be a good weekend combo for a better-than-bare face.
• Setting Powder: DIOR Forever Natural Velvet Matte Compact Foundation  (in the Dior Fall / Winter Ready-To-Wear Palette) has really won me over. Since my skin is on the more dehydrated side this week, I may also use a hydrating mist, either Gucci Brume de Beauté Beauty Mist 2.7 oz / 80 mL  (not pictured) or the EADEM Mami Wata Barrier Strengthening Face Mist with Cica, Panthenol, Ectoin for Sensitive, Irritated Skin 3.38 oz / 100 ml  (not pictured)

Eyes:

• Primer (Eyes): Her eyeliner get a lot of buzz, but the Victoria Beckham Beauty Eyewear Eyeshadow Stick - Trench are quite good as well, though, for me, the mattes perform better consistently among the set of finishes (vs the shimmery shades) in the line. Trench wears beautifully as a primer or on its own for evening the tone of my lids and creating a simple eye look. 
• Eyeshadow: From this bunch, I'll primarily be using Victoria Beckham Beauty Eyewear Eyeshadow Stick - Cashmere this week. I may use one of the shadows from the Dior palette and will pull from some other shadows in my collection as I continue to recreate lookks from The Devil Wears Prada. 
• Eye Liner: My options this week are  Urban Decay 24/7 Inks Easy Ergonomic Liquid Eyeliner Pen Zero  which I need to use more and DIOR Diorshow On Stage Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner 781 Matte Brown 
• Mascara: I'll either choose between or try layering the DIOR Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Waterproof Mascara Black  and Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara. 
• Eye Brow: Glossier Boy Brow Volumizing Eyebrow Gel-Pomade  

Cheeks:

• Blush: I'll go back-and-forth between musician and actresses owned beauty brands this week - HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Color Fuse Longwear Hydrating Glassy Lip + Cheek Blush Balm Stick Glassy Hibiscus  and Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Mini Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Hope  (from SEPHORiA). I'll use the Dior blush (Framboise / Raspberry) from the Dior palette to top both.
• Highlight: Westman Atelier Mini Petite Lit Up Cream Highlighter Stick Nectar  

Lips:

• Lip Liners: This week's capsule will be about the lip liners when it comes to the lips, and primarily the ones from Freck, which have some amazing longevity - Freck Beauty MAKEOUT CLUB Nude Muse Lip Liner Shade 02   Freck Beauty MAKEOUT CLUB Nude Muse Lip Liner Shade 04  and Freck Beauty MAKEOUT CLUB Nude Muse Lip Liner Shade 05  * I'll pair them with the glosses in the Dior palette. Haus Hibiscus blush stick can double as a lip color, and if I'm feeling a bolder hue, I'll go for HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Le Monster Lip Crayon Vegan Lipstick and Lip Liner Mauve Matte . 

Fragrance:

• For most of the week, in keeping with the spring theme, I'll go with Elorea Inflorescence Eau de Parfum. I know. To quote Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.”  🤣

Spoiler

Spoiler

I'm not sure whether to be surprised or not, but this Valentino gwp bag / clutch holds a good amount of products. Not a complaint at all, just an observation. I may have found my travel makeup bag for my next few trips this year; definitely a contender. 🤔

Here we go, Week 14.

[caitbird]

@itsfi I always love the capsules you put together and how much thought goes into them! So fun to read through all of your thoughts and plans. I love the Devil Wears Prada tie-in too!

This is also reminding me I need to try one of the Freck lip liners at some point...

[itsfi]

Thank you @caitbird; I have been having fun putting capsules together. I can easily overthink something and there are weeks when I find myself having to do a lot of editing - there are only 7 days in a week, after all, and I have just this one face. 🤣 Errr, not that I haven't pulled out another set or capsulse for an evening look. Hahaha! The weeks with a tie-in from The Devil Wears Prada add a little extra fun to picking which products to use. 

The Freck lip liners are good!! They have some good staying power. It's one of those brands that should really get more attention than it does.

[curlychiquita]

I love the Valentino clutch, @itsfi!

[itsfi]

@curlychiquita, it's come in handy. I use it more often than I thought I would. 👍

[nafiyad]

this is the best

[CynthieLu]

Ooooh your collection is just so beautiful!  @itsfi I just popped in after the pictures on the main page drew me here. That's a sweet red bag from Valentino ❤️ and you filled it nicely. I was hoping that the D'ior foundation stick would make the cut for your Stick Week capsule. One day I'm going to pick that up. 🙂

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, thank you. The Dior foundation stick is fabulous! It's probably my most oft-reached for foundation stick at the moment, though that could change when the weather gets really warm. 

[danielledanielle]

(Yes, two separate replies were needed ) @itsfi 

The Valentino bag gives me peace (?) ... IDK, I'm a strange one.  It makes me aspire to be elegant, streamlined, and the red just pops

R/t products...I like the choices, with some I'm eyeing, but I will not ask because it'll make me want them with a sale afoot 😂

[itsfi]

I get what you mean about the Valentino makeup bag @danielledanielle  - I feel more calm for some reason just looking at all the products laid out and some in the elastic band. I'm sure those bands were meant to hold brushes (that I don't recall Valentino Beauty having in its collection 🤔), but you know, we do what we need to make things work for us. 😉 

Thank you, that's kind of you to say. I felt a little rushed with putting this capsule together - my own fault, as I knew what the prompt was. It is less cohesive than the one I did last week for the Jacqueline Follet inspired look. That being said, I've pulled items from it (with some add-ons) for the couple of TDWP inspired looks I hope to get to for the week - did one yesterday I need to post and, weather permitting, I'll get to the other one(s) too. 

"It makes me aspire to be elegant, streamlined," - ummmm, have you seen your suit-looks?! You're already there. Those are elegant and streamlined. And, lovely color pops (and prints too!) 

[danielledanielle]

 

@itsfi 

[itsfi]

😂🤣😂 

Yesssss @danielledanielle!!! That's the scene. The line. The look. The judgment. 😆 

P.S. I wish my bangs would look like that.

[danielledanielle]

I have to have this gif at the ready this time of year, so np.  Bangs are the devil, but they cooooulllddddd look like that .. Curl mousse and flexirods? 🤔 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

I hadn't even thought of curl mousse @danielledanielle - thank you for that rec! Something to research ... and add to my shopping list for the savings event. 😲  Ahhh, but first, I will dig through my bin of random products / samples to see if I have something that will fit the bill. I have to say there's a really, really good chance I'll find something that will. (and, maybe that can be another opportunity for me to do some spring cleaning through that bin 😅).