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.

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, that looks like a sound trio. The CT spray is a classic. I'm hoping to narrow down my "must have" setting sprays this year - I doubt I will have just one. 🤣 3 would be ideal (a waterproof version, a hydrating one, and one that is alcohol free), but a max of 5. We'll see how that goes; I have these ideas but sometimes there are just too many great products. And then with setting powders, 2 or 3 there would be good, max - a loose powder, a pressed powder, and maybe a placeholder for one I'm testing. Again, the plans in my head don't always come to pass exactly as I envision it. For the sprays, I have a waterproof and a hydrating one I really like so that should give me some focus, "should" being the operative word! 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Your plan makes complete sense to me! I currently am using a Waterproof setting spray for evenings out where I don't want my makeup to budge and the CT. I have to say I have many other setting sprays in my stash but I alwayd go back to the CT as my go to. I think my strategy is to try a new one once my CT is finished. We shall see how many I get through before I cave and go back to CT...or maybe I will find a new favourite!

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, have you tried the combo of the  Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Waterproof Setting Spray 3.3 oz / 100 ml  and Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Refillable Setting Powder ?

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi I actually have not. Have you? 

[itsfi]

I've paired those two setting products a couple of times @Mellmars1185, way back when, and my recollection is that it was good. Our chat is making me want to try that pairing again in a future capsule - thank you! I may incorporate those two Charlotte Tilbury setting products in my routine for next week (Week 14) or the last week of April for the makeup-artist-founded/owned theme. Or, for both weeks!!

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Ohh great idea! I am interested to hear how it goes if you decide to do it!

[ather]

@itsfi  This is a great capsule!!! I love the bag!!! Interesting about the Kosas. I haven’t tried the tinted but I felt the same about the clear! The Milk makeup tint sounds perfect!  I love the extra usage of foils!!! Great job!

[itsfi]

A little goes a looooong way with the Kosas tinted brow gel, @ather; I was surprised because I thought I only picked up a small amount of product. There’s a ton of product in the sample blisters too so I need to figure out a way to keep the open sample blisters from drying out. 🤔 

I was surprised too by the Milk skin tint. Their previous foundation / tint wasn’t a good fit for me and I haven’t had the best results with some of their other makeup items but this new tint has been a hit!! I know, another tint. But I reach for those types of foundation most often for every day especially in spring and summer so it would be put to good use. 

[danielledanielle]

Week 12: The Miranda Priestly Edit AKA Bougie Spring

I wanted to do a lux capsule and then remembered @itsfi  DWP looks and was like, " there's a wayyyy"

Spoiler

 

 

I tried to stick with fashion houses, but there's some things I already had opened.  Also, trying to keep things at a minimum with brands.  I asked myself "would Miranda wear this or be friends -ish with these brands?" I left out VBB because I felt that would be more of a Jacqueline brand 🤣

Spoiler

I think I put too much time and thought into this, but it's the little things that you've gotta do at times

 The fit :

This poor victim is a Tartan + Twine valet.  I felt a valet made sense.  It held a lot more than I expected.  In theory I could've put some of the lips in there.  The Bloomie's bag is keeping my lippie together and J'adore for scents and lashes

This little gem is matching my work tote, plus I felt like I should be extra because Miranda is, so I added some fude to the equation.

[itsfi]

A bevy of Bougie Brilliance, @danielledanielle. J'adore Dior so your luxe choices definitely get two thumbs up from me. As do the Gucci, Valentino, Tom Ford, et al.  Ahhhh, seeing Kevyn Aucoin in the mix warms my heart. 💞 And, of course, gotta include one (or two or ...) fude brushes. 

Yes, yes, a valet in a capsule inspired by The Devil Wears Prada? Absolutely a must. 🤣 Will this Boujie Spring curation inspire aThe Fit, The Fab and The Face: Outfit and Inspo Thread worthy Miranda Priestly-esque ensemble?

btw, yes to the Jacquelline Follet reference - need to add her to my list of TDWP inspired looks to try. 

P.S.  What are your thoughts on the Paco Rabanne perfume?

[danielledanielle]

The Paco Rabanne smells like what I think a rich lady smells like, 😂, it's floral, yet kind of ol' school @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Week 11 (March 10 - 16) - The Samples Makeup Capsule  and/or The "Attitude of Gratitude" Makeup Capsule

This is one of two capsules I will put to use during the week - samples and (mostly) women-founded/owned beauty brands. I considered doing a capsule consisting of sample size and full size Dior products, but ultimately came up with this set of beauties. I have several fo the Dior foundation packets and and am doing some testing to see which, if any, of these items I will take with me on a couple of excursions later in the year. Will be back later to tag products and give my thoughts on certain items. 

• DIOR Dior Forever Glow Veil Makeup Primer 1oz / 30ml  - some sample packets contain the primer; others do not. The majority of mine do and I like the Dior primer; it pairs nicely with the foundation in this packet.
• DIOR Dior Forever Skin Glow Hydrating Foundation  is one of my fave foundations
• HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer with Fermented Arnica  was in my top 5 concealers from last year and I'll use this to conceal some PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation aka dark spot after a pimple) and redness around my nose
• I'm going with Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skincare Blurring Talc-Free Setting Powder Translucent  to set. This'll be my first time using this setting powder. I have the Charlotte Tilbury Mini Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray 1.1 oz/ 34 ml  as a backup. Or maybe I'll use both?
• For eyes, I'm going with a couple of sticks - Victoria Beckham in Trench and Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow Stick Golden Bronze . These two sticks are ones I can usually get away with not using a primer for my lids. We shall see if that holds true; if not, I'll use the concealer and setting powder to primer my lids.
• Through BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows, I've discovered that the  Danessa Myricks Beauty Linework Paintbrush Fluid Liquid Eyeliner 0.034 oz / 1 ml  has been a good one for me to do a mini wing. I want to practice a wing a couple of times this week. 
• Danessa Myricks Beauty Infinite Chrome Waterproof Micropencil Eyeliner Bronzite  
• HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA B Structural Volumizing and Lengthening Mascara Black Onyx  is still in the testing phases. I ended up reaching for other brands more last week and want to give it a decent trial.
• Kosas Air Brow Tinted Clean Volumizing Eyebrow Gel  - I need to go back and see if this was included in @ather brow gel battle. I feel like she's used it before and liked it, along with other BIC members. Hoping these blister samples of the product haven't dried out. 🤞 
•   ISAMAYA 5 Point Lift Illuminator Fair  - my sleep pattern hasn't been great lately so my undereye area could use some help.
• All my cheek products this week will be from the Dior sample packet, which contains DIOR Forever Glow Maximizer Longwear Liquid Highlighter 014 Rosy  (blush / blushlight); DIOR Forever Glow Maximizer Longwear Liquid Highlighter 013 Gold  (highlighter); and DIOR Forever Glow Maximizer Longwear Liquid Highlighter 016 Bronze  (bronzer / bronzelight). I have full sizes of 014 Rosy and 016 Bronze and now they'll work well for me. We shall see how 013 gold performs.
• Giving about-face Lip Fix Lip Primer a try - their eyeshadow primer works very well so I have high hopes for this one, but it'll be tough to beat MAC Prep + Prime.
• Another Dior sample packet, this time for lips. I love the formula for these - DIOR Dior Addict Shine Lipstick ; shades are Dior 8, 100 Nude Look, 525 Cherie andd 720 Icone. I have 100 Nude Look and 720 Icone in full sizes so I will probably stick with the other two shades. I say "probably" because both are red or red-adjacent and I'm not sure I'm up for a week full of red lips, but we shall see. I can do a stain with them if I want a more toned-down red lip. 💄
• Perfumes are a plenty, but the sample sized one is Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet.

[danielledanielle]

I love all the Dior satchets! They are really nice for traveling, too @itsfi ... Work them foils!

[itsfi]

Satchets!!! That's a better name for them @danielledanielle. I feel like the only Dior products that I don't (currently have samples of are liners/pencils - for brow, eye and lip. Oh and powder, but I had one at some point way back when. 🤣  I do appreciate the generous amount of products in these satchets. 

Foils. Project Pan. Palettes. Etc. You'd think with all these things I need to work on using or using up, I wouldn't be inclined to buy more things. 😂 

[ather]

@itsfi  Wow that capsule is amazing! I love that you incorporated foils too! Such a great idea! Those Dior products look awesome! Great job! 

[itsfi]

@ather, I need to put these makeup samples to use. It's funny that I picked up full sizes before the samples with these Dior products. It's the opposite of Love At First Sample. And, yet, it's more my MO - I get a full size, love/like it a lot and then go for foil or deluxe sample sizes. Hahaha! It's nice to have them for trips or to just keep in my purse, in a desk for those moments when I need some makeup but didn't pack anything. I mean, suuuure, those moments don't come up too often but I do like to be prepared. 😂

[blackkitty2014]

Week 10 (International Women Owned brand):This was a truly no brained week. We have so many power houses. 

it’s official that I need a nude is my favorite palette from ND. Chantecaille Holiday duos are super great. I recommend them if you can get them on discount. VBB eyeliners are simply the best. I like them more than Chanel eye liners . Picture here is only one but of course I use more than 1 color 😘 I totally forget about I owe many many CT pop blushes. Picture here are only 3 but I pretty much used 7 different colors. Sorry I put them away and don’t want to dig any more stuffs out. Unrelated story: I dug all my makeup out to find my lost Hermes LE highlighter and still couldn’t find it. I must accidentally throw it away. I feel so dumb. It’s expensive as heck and I only swatch or wear it once.

[itsfi]

Gorgeous, gorgeous capsule @blackkitty2014‌‌ ❣️ I'm spying some significant dents in a couple of the shadows in ND I Need A Nude 😍 I love Natasha Denona eyeshadows; they're so good. Oh my goodness, is that the Chantecaille Bronze Glow Tint? It looks like you've almost polished it all off, wow! 

Okay, my heart sank when I read that you thought you might have inadvertently thrown out your Hermes highligher. Oh noooooo!  😢 Maybe you just misplaced it? Put it somewhere other than where you normally do? Maybe in a purse? Or your suitcase? Or, in another drawer? 

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @itsfi . I’m looking the whole entire weekend for this but no luck. I even made my husband pulled all the drawers out to make sure it didn’t fall out due to overflow makeups. Now I can’t decide if I need to buy a replacement. Ugh

  

[danielledanielle]

I want to believe it's in a really weird place @blackkitty2014 .

I once found a pair of eyeglasses in my fridge, so you never know.

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @danielledanielle @itsfi