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]

@danielledanielle  thank goodness for BIC, so enabling, I mean, empowering! 🤣

[danielledanielle]

Week 18: Candy Coated Coquette featuring the gals...

I was going to take reuse last week's for this week, but I decided to refresh the blush and lips.  And then it grew 👀😦...I dunno how

There's stuff missing/added, too

I didn't think it had as much MUA but, we've got some Danessa, Natasha, Violette and Ciele...the gals!

Fit, there was really only one

 

[caitbird]

@danielledanielle  fabulous capsule! Wow, that makeup bag is a workhorse! 😲

[itsfi]

"and then it grew" 😂🤣😂 It's funny how often that happens to so many of us, lol. Ahhh, I spy Kulfi @danielledanielle - I need to pull out some things for next week / month. How have you've been liking the Armani bronzer? I think it's a bronzer?

[danielledanielle]

I hate that I like it @itsfi .  It's really good, it looks shimmery, but gives more warmth than anything and it's huuuuge! I was mad that they didn't release many shades, but the deepest actually works well on some deeper tones.  Would prefer if they had like 8 shades vs 4.

[itsfi]

Here they are - the capsule themes for the month of May. 

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.

🎨  Week 18 (May 1 - 4) (continued from April) - The Makeup-Artist-Founded/Owned Brand Makeup Capsule 

[NOTE: this is a continuation of the theme that begins April 28]  

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 of one 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

🎏  Week 19 (May 5 - 11) - The  AAPI Founded / Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule - To celebrate May's Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) National Heritage Month, let's put together a capsule with one or more products from an AAPI  founded or owned beauty brand. A non-exhaustive list with brands falling within this theme will be posted to the original thread (and this post will also be updated) on the earlier end of the week of April 28. 🎋

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)

* 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)

* Wander Beauty (Divya Gugnani)

Yensa Beauty (Jennifer Yen)

Youthforia (Fiona Co Chan)

👔  Week 20 (May 12 - 18) - The "Tailored For You" Makeup Capsule - The Met Gala took place 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. 👗

🏖  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.

🎤  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

Spoiler

@ather, @blackkitty2014,  @caitbird, @cianni, @Mellmars1185  

[ather]

@itsfi  These are so good! Can't wait to see what everyone puts together! I will try and get a few capsules done!

[itsfi]

@ather, 💯, it’s fun to see what folks put together - both as a sneak peek of sorts into everyone’s collection, and also, some folks are pretty creative with their selections. 😃 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  thanks for the tag! These themes look very fun, I'm excited! Hoping to participate at least a couple of times this May...thanks as always for all your work running this thread/challenge! 💜

[itsfi]

Thank YOU @caitbird ! The capsules have been a fun way to go through my collection in a more structured way. For me, at least. The themes add a fun element to it. And, the challenge gives me a chance to see what folks are using. 😉 

[itsfi]

Week 17 - The "Green" Makeup Capsule

Last year, I had several theme-focused capsules for “green” week, including a cheeky one with “green” referring to a capsule consisting of products that means my wallet has less green in it 💸💸💸. 😂 This year, I’m harkening back to that angle for my “green” capsule, but just going with this one capsule for the majority of the week. It’s a mix of newness and some throwbacks, many of which are part of this year’s pan it challenge - 

• Cle de Peau Beaute The Foundation really is a fabulous skincare - makeup hybrid, the tres luxe edition. It applies, wears and performs beautifully and gives a pretty, healthy glow to the complexion. Spendy but worth the splurge if you find a shade match. 

• Armani Beauty Power Fabric + Longwear Matte Concealer  was one of my go-to’s when I first found BIC. There have been some phenomenal concealer releases in the last couple of years so there’s some legit competition, but this beauty still holds its own.

• Blush for the week will be a mix of Yves Saint Laurent Make Me Blush 24H Buildable Powder Blush 42 Babydoll Pink  and Yves Saint Laurent Make Me Blush 24H Buildable Powder Blush 44 Nude Lavalliere . Some days I’ll aim to do a gradient; other days I’ll blend the shades together. I'll use both approaches for Sakura Slay Week on Spring Cheek Challenge 2025: Style Awakening and see which look I like more. [NOTE: I just realized that I have the shade Restless Rose in the photo, versus 44 Nude Lavalliere which is the shade I'll use this week]

• Dior Forever Couture Luminizer 01 Nude Glow - this was from one of last year's collections; can't remember if it's limited edition

• Dior Backstage Contour Palette 001 Universal (discontinued) is a @heartsmyface-approved palette. I spent some time trying to track it down, and wouldn't you know it? I finally did but it wasn't at all planned. A couple of the shades will do double duty as eyeshadow.

• Dior Forever Perfect Fix Fresh Setting Mix - was a rediscovery last year and one I contine to reach for consistently. It sets my makeup and hydrates my skin. As I've neared the end of the bottle, I've been finding that the mist can occasionally be a bit more aggressive than I'm accustomed to from it. 

• Setting my makeup this week with Givenchy Prisme Libre Blurring & Color-Correcting Matte Pressed Powder 03 Voile Rose  - I caved @Mellmars1185 🤣 but I’m not at all mad that I did.

• I’ve not been good about using the Hourglass Mini Ambient® Lighting Powder Dim Light  this year. It’s part of my pan it project, a neglected part. Moving forward, my plan is to include this powder in at least one capsule every month. We're starting now...

• I haven’t decided if I’ll do a full eye look this week but if I do, I plan to reach for DIOR Diorshow Waterproof Liquid Liner 781 Matte Brown. It’ll look nice with the shades from the contour palette.

• Another @heartsmyface connection - finally have gotten around to giving the Gucci L'Obscur Lengthening Mascara 1 Eve Black  a go. It passed a test earlier this month and will be put to a weeklong test.

• Byredo Lipstick Satin - 9AM is an earthy, deep burgundy brown. It's one of the few lipsticks that I would repurchase in a heartbeat after I use up this tube.

• HERMÈS Barénia, Eau de Parfum 1 oz / 30 ml eau de parfum spray  - another pan it! challenge product

And they all fit comfortably in this pretty, lined, cotton linen bag that can double as a clutch. This is one of my favorite makeup bags. If I'm remembering right, this was part of a promo in spring 2023, possibly earlier than that. 🤔

Recap: Week 16

Last week's capsule performed pretty well. Two new, well liked pairings and one product I'm not certain about.

• Neither Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Stix High-Shine Gloss Stick N-10 - C U in Maui   nor about-face Cherry Pick - The Mini (For Your Pout) - Pink Pina are shades (a coral and cool-toned pink, respectively) that I instinctively gravitate towards.  Their pairing, however, works really well for me on so many levels - the color the combination produces, the finish and formula of the blend - the sparkle in the Fenty mixed with the creaminess of the about-face gives me a pretty glossy and shimmery color without being too sparkly

• A wash of Thrive Causemetics Eyeshadow Stick (shade: Q) all over my lids and the Danessa Myricks Beauty Infinite Chrome Waterproof Micropencil Eyeliner Bronzite  on the outer V will make up one of my go-to eye looks this spring and summer.

• Merit brow gel neutral  (discontinued) is a clear brow gel / pomade - this version is pre-reformulation. I'm not so sure about this one - I don't know if it's me and clear brow gels in general or I've just not chosen ones that perform well on my lids. Whether I applied this as the first step in my makeup routine or near the end of it, I always seemed to experience flakes on / throughout my brows that I needed to take extra special care to address that I don't or haven't needed to do with tinted brow gels / pomades. I'll keep playing around with this one for a little while longer but it could find its way to the declutter bin. 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  fabulous "green" capsule! Love your creative definition of "green", haha! I always enjoy reading your detailed breakdown of your capsule products, why you chose what you did and how they performed for you. Also, you're reminding me that I need to get with the program re: Project Pan this year - I'm so behind (again!) 😭 Hoping to post to Pan It! - 2025 Challenge  thread this week!

[itsfi]

lol, it was a fun way to go about "green" - had to bring it back this year @caitbird! Never too late to jump on board a project pan. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about your progress there and on the seasonal shop my stash challenges, which reminds me, I need to give my spring selections some more attention. 😬 It's all a work in progress...

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Stunning green capsule! How are you liking the new Givenchy pressed powder? Do you have a preference between the loose and the pressed? The Dior Contour palette is pretty. I have never seen in before! I should try your idea of combining the Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Stix High-Shine Gloss Stick N-10 - C U in Maui   with another gloss. It is a pretty shade, but I am finding it too sparkly on it's own.

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, I like the Givenchy pressed more than the new, reformulated loose. Compared to the older version of the Givenchy loose, the pressed is similar, but not exactly the same; both are wonderful! The Dior contour palette is from a ways back; it'd be great if Dior re-released it. 

Oh yeah, 100% agree - the color of C U in Miami is gorge, but it's got its own sparkle party going on. Pretty, but it's too much for me for an every day look. Because of how intense and how much sparkle is in it, I just lightly dab it on my lips and then liberally layer the creamier lip color over it. A heads up though - be sure to carry that creamier, non sparkly color with you. Even as that was wearig down / wearing off, the sparkle in the Fenty was still around. Having it with me allowed me to reapply after I ate a meal or to touch up throughout the day, to keep the sparkle at a volume I could handle. 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Thanks for the feedback. Yes I noticed that the sparkle from the Fenty stays on similarly to the Holiday Dior Sequin Liquid Lipstick.

[danielledanielle]

Oooh, that gives me an idea 💡 @Mellmars1185 

Sparkle City 🌆 here I coooooome

[Mellmars1185]

@danielledanielle I am looking forward to hearing (or seeing) more about his idea!

[PDXXXX]

Ooh; there are some goodies in there @itsfi ! I'm curious to try the Armani Concealer now. I like your version of, "green."

[itsfi]

@PDXXXX, I have a good amount of redness around my nose and along my cheeks, and for some reason, it's a lot more lately. 😟 The Armani Power Fabric is high coverage so a little is all I need; I like that the consistency is on the thinner side even with it being a fuller coverage concealer. I used to pair it with the Armani LSF (keeping it in the family, lol) but now, I find I reach for it more when I use lighter coverage or skincare/makeup hybrid base products. 

Hahaha, I stretched that definition of "green" last year and it's stuck. 🤣 I love it, it's fun. I thought about adding the Prada green tinted setting powder to actually add a bit of green to the capsule. Ha! The CdP and a couple of the Dior purchases have some vibes to them similar to some of our fashion finds - that Dior contour palette in particular. I had that on my radar for many years, so finding it made for a spectacular surprise - at an outlet store made it even better. Good memories. 

[PDXXXX]

@Ipshi definitely always cancelling out red in those areas as well. Some of the packaging in your capsule like the Dior and YSL are just so pretty too. Pretty packaging alone won't do it for me but it *does* feel so extra special when it's there. Just checking out the Dior summer makeup line-up and this compact in particular has me in awe - reminds me of something you would have in your stockpile:

)