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.

[peculiarzmakeup]

I am in love with blue and green those have always been my fave so sometimes I will do that or I’ve been gravitating to the purples and pinks I really like the white on it it has a bit of a shift in it which is really fun it’s really fun to see all the different surprises and shifts in this palette 🙂 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, Danessa Myricks does a wonderful job with color and her shifts are absolutely gorgeous!

[blackkitty2014]

Week 3: Favorite Feature practically none of these are inspired from film but the Chanel quad was featured in Golden Globe (or some similar film reward couple weeks back) 

Week 4: How low can you go: I forgot the first day and use the Chanel gloss but corrected myself by using gift or gwp or deluxe sample the rest of the week on the lipsticks. I had to cheat by testing out the YSL new blush on 2 days  out of 7 😘

[curlychiquita]

I love this picture, @blackkitty2014! You own the most amazing makeup!

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @curlychiquita 🌹 I have to remember to use them and not hoarding any more 😘

[Mellmars1185]

@blackkitty2014 Great capsules! Ooh a Chanel quad! I have never troed Chanel eyeshadow. How do you like the formula? The YSL blush sounds lovely. @Sunnysmom definitely has great taste! I hope you enjoy your new blush!

[blackkitty2014]

They are hits and misses liked all brands. Most of the time they’re solid. If you like quiet luxury kind of type makeup you would love them. I don’t go to the office anymore but back in the day, whenever i have to go to the office, Chanel and TF are my to go quads. They simple to use @Mellmars1185 

[Mellmars1185]

@blackkitty2014 Do you find you are wearing less makeup now that you don't have to go to the office? I am Hybrid and my favourite thong about going into the office is doing my makeup 💄☺️

[itsfi]

Ohhhh, so pretty!! I'd be happy to just shop your capsules @blackkitty2014! 😍 

Week 3 - I say that a capsule inspired by the red carpet runway works beautifully! That Chanel quad is gorgeous - the shades look so much more striking in your photo than in the promos.

Week 4 - ooooooh, the YSL blush is such a stunning shade. You should have kept it in your rotation for the entire week. How do you like th formula on it?

[blackkitty2014]

@itsfi Our good friend Sunnysmom enabled me on that quad which I meant to skip but I’m glad she talked me into it. It’s very versatile. I can see one of these beach or summer trip I will pack it with me to use for both eye and face. You need to try at least 1 YSL blush. I got no37 and 44 but I want more. The matte (no 37) is very smooth. The only complaint I have is YSL didn’t have the rest of the line in the US. 

[itsfi]

@blackkitty2014, I think I will make you proud - I picked up the YSL 44 😊 I only opened it to make sure it wasn’t damaged and have plans to put it to use soon. 💯 on the other shades. I waited a bit to see if we might get a couple of the other shades but since it wasn’t looking like it, I said “mine” to 44. 😆 This may be it for me for a little while as far as luxe makeup hauls (and Asian beauty skincare hauls and …) - I have “a few” I need to put to use first. I live vicariously through BIC. Heehee!!

[peculiarzmakeup]

Beautiful capsules and photos! I love how these capsules help show how products are used and appreciated throughout the week. These are both stunning ❤️ @blackkitty2014 

[blackkitty2014]

Thx you @peculiarzmakeup 🌹

[itsfi]

Week 5 - The "Lunar New Year 2025 Zodiac Sign Lucky Colors" Makeup Capsule

Went with a mix of all the different ways listed to go about the theme. I know there are more approaches so if there's something that comes to mine or that someone utilizes here in their capsule, I may do a weekend edit of the LNY Year of the Snake capsule. 🤔

Product Details: 

• My favorite type of foundation to use are skin tints or BB/CC-type creams. Don't get me wrong, I like a more coverage, full face look from time-to-time, but for my every day, a lighter coverage, better-than-bare / 'no-makeup makeup" look is my go-to. This week I'll alternate between two of my favorites that were and still are GOATs 🐐🐐 in their respective categories - Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation  and CLE Cosmetics CCC Cream Foundation. 

• PATRICK TA Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo She's Flushed  will be my blush of the week, and an additional option for lip color. This is a shade from his previous release, not one of his recently released new shades, which are beautiful by the way. 😍 [Slightly random comment - As a side note to the 🏫🎓BIC University 🎓🏫 / Flatlay Skillshop 101 thread, the PT blush duo is being used as a prop in the photo as well as one of the products showcased - I placed it atop the MAC palette to (i) keep the top from closing on the palette (and therefore being able to show off the shades) and (ii) minimize / avoid my phone and fingers from photobombing the frame through the mirror on the MAC palette.]

• In the spirit of not letting products I purchase pile up (or using what I have 😉), the MAC Multi-Use Face Palette x 4 / Luxe Luck is will be getting put to use now, in the year it launched and that I purchased it, and not a few years or a decade later 😞. I'm trying folks, I really am. To maximize its usage, this will be the week's go-to for bronzer, (possibly contour), highlight and eyeshadow. As I'm looking at it, it seems that at least one of those shades has a mocha mousse vibe to it. Making a note to add swatches to the Pantone Colour of the Year 2025 - Mocha Mousse thread. 

• Setting it all together with Prada Beauty Reset Rebalancing Refillable Setting Powder  - the green color from the powder does show up on my complexion but the color does a lovely job of blurring and reducing the appearance of redness, both of which I'm all for! 

• In addition to using the MAC palette for my eyes, I'll also give the new-to-me Em Cosmetics Illustrative (Liquid) Eyeliner and the Clio Kill Lash Superproof Mascara Long Curling. I've ventured off of my 'no more than 2' liquid eyeliners in the rotation sometime last year so what's another one?! I would ordinarily try not to have too many open, but I'm working on a battle of the liquid eyeliners so I'll have more open and in use than I otherwise would. I'll (hopefully) be able to narrow down the liquid eyeliner(s) that are standouts for me and get in more practice with liquid liners. 🤞 

• Going with some shade of red for my lips this week, both from Charlotte Tilbury and both part of her limited edition Lunar New Year Collection. Charlotte Tilbury Blossom Red, an orange-based red, was part of the 2023 collection (and one of the very, very few orange-tones and orange-red lipsticks I reach for) andCharlotte Tilbury Lunar New Year Kiss of Mystery Satin Shine K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick Kiss of Mystery which isn't a true red but is red-adjacent and from this year's Lunar New Year - Year of the Snake collection. 

The "Fits": 

It all fits - just barely though - in this pouch, which looks a lot roomier than it actually is. Another opportunity to practice my Tetris skills. 😉 

I can get all of this week's beauties in the bag but it took a few tries to zip it all up. Also, I ended up swapping out the Mizon eyeliner for the new-to-me Em Cosmetics liner. 

Debrief - Week 4 - The "How Low Can I Go? Makeup Capsule

Week 4 in Review - The How Low Can I Go? Makeup Capsule

Spoiler

I enjoyed last week's capsule a lot.  When it comes to putting that capsule together, I start off with the palette(s) if I need / want a more full face look (all or most of the bells and whistles). Ultimately, I was able to do a look I really lied with just the two palettes, along with the mascara and brow gel. Using one of the complexion or contour shades from the Make Up Forever palette and the foundation powder shade from the Dior Fall/Winter Ready-To-Wear Palette worked like a charm to prime and set my eyeshadow. I'm someone who typcially needs primer for most eyeshadows (exceptions being the Bobbi Brown and Thrive Causemetics eyeshadow sticks) but this combo did the trick - yes!! Also, the foundation powder from the Dior palette? 😘😘😘 

February themes will be up shortly. 

[kariyava]

I just love Charlotte Tilbury's new Lunar New Year Kiss of Mystery lipstick!  

[itsfi]

@kariyava, it's a really pretty color and the formula is great - I love how easily it glides across my lips and it wears comfortably throughout the day. I went back and forth over whether to get it and did without seeing it in person and it has turned out to be a great buy! 💄

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi It sounds like you are going to get some great use out of some of your tried and true products and some more fun goodies! How do you like the formula of the MA C quad? 

I love that you discovered that the MUFE and Dior palettes work well together. Do you find that the MUFE creams need to be set? I haven't opened mine yet but I am thinking of taking it with me for travel.

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, this year is going to be about mixing the tried-and-true and new-to-me items. At least that's the plan. I hopeful that will be a good plan for keeping to an even lower beauty spend this year. 🤞

I've been impressed by the MAC quad - the product pick up easily with finger or brush; I don't get any kickback or fallout either. It's MAC, so the shades have a good color payoff to them, but are easily blendable. 

I think you'll like the MUFE palette - it's creamy but settles into a demi-satin / demi-matte finish. I have not experienced any tacky or stickiness that you might sometimes get with cream products. It dries down smoothly and seems to set nicely. I do use either a setting powder or setting spray though, because most makeup will just wear off or disappear if I don't. I haven't tried using it without a setting product, but I made a note to give it a try later in the week / over the weekend. I'll let you know how it goes - feel free to ping me if I don't get back to you by Sunday.

[peculiarzmakeup]

Gorgeous capsule, the photo was such a light of joy to see, it really encompasses you and your tastes love the inclusion of accessories really sets such a beautiful scene and visualization of how everything fits. I love seeing how these products play out for you whether it be in the coming week or your thoughts on them are all so detailed and beautiful! Love the fit as well! She’s flushed is so pretty! And I know what you mean about the new shades they need a shout out haha. Lovely lunar new year capsule for the lovely @itsfi ❤️

[itsfi]

Thank you @peculiarzmakeup! It's been loads of fun using what I have. The MAC quad is more versatile than I thought it would be and I like the options the PT provides - cream blush, powder blush, combo, and it works on the lips too. Lovin' the multi-purposes each offers. 💕

[danielledanielle]

Week 5 - Lunar Year Capsule aka Red, Gold & Bold

 

The Fit: