Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025

[itsfi]

Hello BIC! Whether having a set of makeup products all picked out in advance makes it easier to get ready in the mornings or if you're looking for a fun way to use the new-to-you and tried-and-true products in your collection, welcome!! 👋 Please feel free to join in as a theme suits your style or piques your interests. We love seeing and being inspired by what beauties everyone is using. 💋

Here we are, last month of 2025, and we have a couple more capsules to squeeze in before the year is over. We've been doing weekly capsules but for this last month, we're going to switch to 2-week periods. That said, if you like the weekly format, there are options this month that you can choose to do, to keep up with a rotating weekly capsule.

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 discovered (or, in some instances, re-discovered) by you. 

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 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  [Updated 12.14.2025]

Switching things up a bit with the cadence for our capsules as we head towards closing out 2025 with the makeup capsule challenge. For the last month of the year, we are going to go with 2-week capsule periods.

☃️Weeks 51 - 52 (December 15 - 31) - The "Holiday Glitz & Glam" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Best of 2025" Makeup Capsule

Put together a capsule consisting of one or more makeup product(s) that aligns with one or the other (or both) of the themes - 

• 🌟Holiday Glitz & Glam: Shine a spotlight on one or more of the beauties you love to use to get glammed up for the holidays.

• 🏆The Best of 2025: Curate a capsule with one or more makeup product(s) that made (or would make) your "best of" list for 2025. Alternatively, assemble a capsule that includes your favorite (or mix of favorite) theme(s) from this year makeup capsule challenge.

[NOTE: I will provide a sneak preview of a couple early 2026 makeup capsule themes during the week of December 22. 😲]

UPCOMING Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 12.14.2025]

Spoiler

A sneak preview of a couple early 2026 makeup capsule themes during the week of December 22.

Previous Capsule Themes: [Updated: 12.14.2025]

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
21 - The Vacation Makeup Capsule
22 - The Musician Founded / Owned Beauty Brand Makeup Capsule

June 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
23 - The Love Is Love Makeup Capsule 
24 - The Sleeping Beauties Makeup Capsule and/or The "Shop My Stash Makeup Capsule
25 - The "Welcome, Summer!" Makeup Capsule
26 - The "My Best Self" Makeup Capsule

July 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes> 
27 - The Indie Brands Makeup Capsule and/or The Canadian Founded/Owned Brands Makeup Capsule  
28 -  The Multi-Taskers / Repurposed Makeup Capsule and/or The "On The Go: Summer Edit" Makeup Capsule 
29 - The Sizzling Summer Samples Makeup Capsule
30 - The Pop of Color: Summer Edit Makeup Capsule

August 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes>
31 - The (Lip)Sticks (aka Lips + Sticks) Makeup Capsule
32 - The Athlete Founded / Owned / Endorsed / Influenced Beauty Brand(s) Makeup Capsule
33 - The Savvy Savings and/or Spectacularly Splurge-y Makeup Capsule 
34 - The Gifts (With Purchase) Makeup Capsule and/or The Gift-Worthy Makeup Capsule
35 - The Palettes Makeup Capsule

September 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes>
36 - The Workhorse(s) Makeup Capsule
37 - The "Summer Favorites" Makeup Capsule 
38 - The LatinX Founded/Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule 
39 - The Runway / Red Carpet Inspired Makeup Capsule

October 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes>
40 - The FALL into Color Makeup Capsule
41 - The Beauty Brands Supporting Mental Health Awareness Makeup Capsule and/or The Makeup Artist at Sephora Makeup Capsule
42 - The Indigenous People's Day Makeup Capsule, The Canadian Thanksgiving Makeup Capsule, and/or The Samples 2.0 Makeup Capsule
43  - The Global Makeup Capsule
44 - The "Baubles, Palettes & Sticks" Makeup Capsule

November 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes>
45 -  The "Sweater Weather" Makeup Capsule
46 - The "Collabs & Crossovers" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Sleeping Beauties 2.0" Makeup Capsule 
47 - The "Take 2 / Do Over" Makeup Capsule 
48 - The "Thing(s) I'm Grateful For" Makeup Capsule

December 2025 Capsule Makeup Themes <Click on link ‌‌⬅️ for more detailed description of capsule themes>
49 & 50 - The "Out With the Old, In With the New" 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. If weekly works for you, great. If not, feel free to join in based on what works best for you. 

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.

[Mellmars1185]

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

[greeneyedgirl107]

@itsfi pretty quad!

[Mcakes]

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

[itsfi]

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

[Sunnysmom]

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

[itsfi]

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

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

[CynthieLu]

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

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

[itsfi]

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

[CynthieLu]

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

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

[itsfi]

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

[CynthieLu]

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

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

[itsfi]

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

[CynthieLu]

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

[ather]

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

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

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

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

[itsfi]

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

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

[ather]

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

[peculiarzmakeup]

I was just eyeing this brush on their site yesterday this looks like it has great coverage! Love the design as well @ather  @itsfi  ❤️

[ather]

@peculiarzmakeup  Yes!  Gotta love an all purpose brush!! 

[itsfi]

@ather, that's impressive you use one brush for most your makeup; it's very in keeping with the modern miniminalist feel that I love about your capsule and your approach to being selective of what you purchase. 😍 I would hardly call you lazy. Thanks so much for the feedback; I'll have to pull out that Merit brush and give it a try with the Saie blush.

[ather]

@itsfi  Definitely sounds better to call myself a minimalist over lazy!! I like that! Although my nail polish collection is not minimal at all. Baby steps! 

[itsfi]

Hahahaha, I just side-eyed my polish collection as I was reading your comment @ather. Some major paring down needs to be had but I think it, too, will be baby steps for most of it - I mean, it has so far. 😆 You and lazy are not synonymous with one another. Which makes your recent vacation even more fabulous!