Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025

[itsfi]

Happy New Year, BIC! It's year 2 of the capsule makeup challenge. 

What is this challenge about?

It's a mix of curating a group of products that are "must haves" for you and your lifestyle and shopping your stash by putting your beauties to use and seeing what, if anything, you need to declutter from your stash and/or to fill out your collection. 

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 exactlay. 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. For example, last year for "green" week, there were a host of possibilities for what it means for a product to be "green" - capsules that included one or more products that were (a) green in color; (b) "clean"; (c) contained in green packaging or that (d) cost a lot of "green" 💸💸💸 fit the bill. 😉 For more examples, you might want to check out last year's thread - Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2024 to see what beauty products others in the Community have used and posted about. 

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

• Capsule Theme 1: The Samples Makeup Capsule - Got any makeup samples lying around that you've been wanting to try? Put together a capsule with one or more makeup samples. Here's your chance to shine a spotlight on your stash of samples. And, after you make your way through your samples, consider heading over to the Foil Challenge to share your thoughts on foils you've used up or on your way to using up via your samples capsule.

• Capsule Theme 2: The "Attitude of Gratitude" Makeup Capsule - Put together a capsule with one or more makeup product(s) for which you are thankful / grateful. It could be a product you love, a product that expresses who you are, that brings back a pleasant memory. It could be a product gifted to you or sent to you in PR, or a makeup product that helps you put together a look that expresses who you are, or that has special meaning to you. 

This theme comes from a prompt we did last year in connection with the respective Thanksgiving holidays in Canada and the US - makeup products I'm thankful for", but I thought, why not include a similar theme earlier in the year as well? The spirit of Thanksgiving or an attitude of gratitude doesn't need to be limited to once a year. 

OPTIONAL (month-long theme): We're having another month-wide theme in March in celebration of Women's History Month. For this month, in addition to the weekly themes, consider incorporating into your weekly capsules, one or more beauty products from a woman-founded / owned beauty brand. 

UPCOMING Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 3.9.2025]

Spoiler

🌷  Week 12 (March 17 - 23) - The "Spring Is In The Air" Makeup Capsule  

Spring has officially arrived (or will on March 20) and it's time to pull out those makeup products that give you those springtime feels. Maybe that means a pop of pastel to your eyes, or cheeks, or lips. Or, maybe your spring look is one you wear year round. Whatever the case may be, let's put together a capsule with one or more makeup products that makes you think of spring.

🎬  Week 13 (March 24 - March 30) -  The "Take 2" / Do Over" Makeup Capsule 

Was/Is there a previous capsule theme from this year's challenge that you'd like to give a second take, that you'd like to have a do over, be it because you loved the theme, or you have another way you want to approach the capsule, or you were unable to do a capsule the original week it was in the spotlight and you'd like another chance at it? Whatever the reason, here's your opportunity to create (or re-create) a capsule with one of this year's previous themes. Don't remember the capsule themes we've done to date? Check out the spoiler section for "Previous Makeup Capsule Themes" below. 

⏩  April Capsule Themes will be posted at or before the end of Week 12.

Previous Capsule Themes: [Updated: 3.9.2025]

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
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
10 - The "International Women Founded / Owned Beauty Brand" Makeup Capsule and/or The Palette(s) 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.

[CynthieLu]

Lovely mix of products for your capsule and right on, so many women founded brands!! @ather 🩷 I'm looking right at the Ami Cole, that looks really pretty and like a hazelnutty shade?

You know I feel the same, I don't have enough products to do my entire capsule with the themes but I usually can find a few. 👌 

[ather]

@CynthieLu  Yes! I seem to gravitate toward certain brands and only use them. I don’t venture out more. Also sensitive skin girlie. So I use what works! Yes. I love the Ami Cole lip gloss. It is bliss. It’s wonderful! 

[CynthieLu]

It's hard to adventure with new products when you have sensitive skin, a tad too risky sometimes isn't it? @ather.

I get really pleasantly surprised when I try something new and my skin actually tolerates it.  Like the DDG peel pads and the exfoliating mask from D'ior. 💕 I'm soo lucky I can get away with these exfoliators.

Have you tried anything that you were surprised your skin was cool with?

[ather]

@CynthieLu  Hmmm nothing so far. I feel like it is so reactive. Today I was lucky to get random hives. I couldn’t pinpoint what did it. The only thing I can think is I put food colouring in my pancakes (for my little guy) and maybe that did it. But they were like clean ones. So odd. 

[itsfi]

Fun capsule @ather! It's all woman founded / owned brands - woohoo! It's one or more products and you hit all of them with the theme for this coming week and the optional month-long theme. Niiiiice! Which shade/flavor is the Rhode balm? And the Rare Beauty eyeshadow stick? I love eyeshadow sticks - so quick and easy! 💖

[ather]

@itsfi  Thank you! 😊 this is one capsule I knew I could hit the mark! I can likely do 3-4 capsules with it. I must gravitate towards women owned brands which is an awesome thing!! The Rhode is in Shortcake which is so pretty! And the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez All of the Above Weightless Eyeshadow Stick Integrity  did you see that Ilia has some new eyeshadow sticks out? I saw a video where a girl had one eye done and omg it looked insane. She was showing all the colours that looked good on brown eyes. I may pick one up during the sale! 

[itsfi]

Yes, I read about the Ilia eyeshadow sticks and they sound and look nice @ather. That’s a good one to put on your sale list. If you do pick one up, would love to know how it compares to the Rare Beauty. 

[itsfi]

A few thoughts on my Week 9 Makeup Capsule  - I have a few standouts from this week, good standouts, that is. Also, like Week 8, I didn't have any items to declutter, but I do have some products that I'm not so sure about. 

🏆  The Standouts:

• Fashion Fair Lip Teasers Lip Gloss Supreme Brown is more a standout from the month of February, as evidenced by it being one of my February Faves - I found myself reaching for it a lot even on weeks when it wasn't part of that week's capsule. It's got just the right mix of reds and browns for my liking. 
• PAT McGRATH LABS Mini Eye Shadow Palette: Midnight Voyage is one of those items I didn't use as much when it first came out and that was a mistake. Thanks to the week's theme and challenge on the BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows it's one that I plan to rotate into my makeup usage more frequently - if only to get that deep matte aubergine shade to work for me as an eyeliner. 
• PAT McGRATH LABS MatteTrance™ Lipstick Flesh 3 109 - while the beautiful Elson shades are 'go to's for many Pat McGrath fans; it's the Flesh shades, and specifically, Flesh 3 that I find myself drawn to most. It was a good week/month to revisit it; I'll be keeping it within my line of site more this year. 
• Buxom Full-On™ Plumping Lip Polish Gloss Dolly was one of my first glosses - a throwback indeed! I must have gone through at least a dozen tubes back in the day (back in the day when I had a more streamlined collection of products - that was a long time ago 😅). This week reminded me of why I loved (and still love) this one so much. 

🤔  The Undecided: 

• Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Translucent - this isn't a bad product. It's just that there are so many loose powders on the market, as well as in my stash that I want to try or work through, and they take a lot of time to use up. I donated a mini of this last year. I don't think I'll declutter this teensy-tiny-mini right now but will probably do so sometime this year - either with my declutter halfway through the year or at the end of the year, if not sooner. 
• PAT McGRATH LABS LuxeTrance™ Lipstick Beautiful Creature and PAT McGRATH LABS MatteTrance™ Lipstick Guinevere will be part of the next round of red lipstick throwdowns! Yes, there will be another round; coming soon @ather @PrettyPaint 
• I'm not sure about the PAT McGRATH LABS PERMA PRECISION Liquid Eyeliner Xtreme Black - on the one hand, I loved the mini wing I was able to eventually create with it and a cotton swab. On the other hand, it was messier getting there than I would like. For now, I'm keeping it and will make it part of an ongoing liquid eyeliner battle! 

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi That swatch of Guinevere is beautiful. Speaking of red lipsticks, have you tried any of the reds from Violette_FR? 🙂

[ather]

@itsfi  Wow! This look awesome. And another red lip battle contender and an eye liner battle royal! Oooo can’t wait to see them! I forgot about Buxom! It’s such a solid brand!! Good thing you brought it out for this capsule!

[itsfi]

@ather, it's a repeated repurchase for me, even after all these years! 😀 I wore it earlier this month and was reminded how well I like it, so I've been including it in other capsules. A definite tried-and-true. Ohhhh yes, I am finding I have a handful of products that could be part of a beauty battle. I'm going to try some different approaches / formats for my weekly capsules to give myself more opportunities to battle them out. 

[itsfi]

Week 9 (February 24 -  March 2): The Throwback Makeup Capsule 

I have two capsules this week, one that I plan to reach for during the day, and another that I'll make use of one or two nights this week. 

Throwback Capsule 1:

This throwback capsule consists entirely of products that were my go-to's when I first found my way to BT (the platform that preceded BIC) or that have been staples in my collection for the past 3-5 years. Interestingly, these are beauties I keep (and will continue to keep) on hand in my collection. 🏆

Spoiler

COMPLEXION

• Prep my under eyes with the discontinued Sephora Collection Caffeine Eye Mask
• Dr. Jart+ Mini Cicapair Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30 15 mL/ .50 fl oz to conceal redness on my cheeks and around my nose
• Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Natural Glow Foundation remains an oft reached for foundation. I ocassionally mix it with a face oil to thin the consistency and coverage, and to infuse my skin with an extra dose of moisture. There's so much product in this bottle - I've been working on using up the last bit of it for months. 
• Conceal (undereye and blemishes) with NARS Mini Radiant Creamy Concealer with Medium Coverage - so happy these now come in mini sizes in all shades that are in the full size range! 👏 I have two different shades - one for my under eyes and one to conceal dark spots, blemishes, and redness.
• I'll set my makeup with the OG, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Translucent - this gwp deluxe size is the original formulation
  
  

EYES

• Prime my eyelids with NARS Pro-Prime™ Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base Original (not pictured)
• Gotta go with the Natasha Denona Biba Eye Shadow Palette if we're talking about throwbacks - I'll primarily be using the two grey shades this week - tor and sculpture
• Another OG, Lancome Hypnose Drama WP Mascara - this was my HG for the loooooongest time.

CHEEKS

• Stila Convertible Color Lillium - my use of this beauty pre-dated BT/BIC; Stila had such geat product and packaging
• MAKEUP BY MARIO SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer®  - this is a lighter shade that I picked up after receiving another shade as part of a gratis package a few years back
• Kevyn Aucoin Contour Duo - ahhhh, a true throwback! This KA contour and a long discontinued  Chanel item were my into to contour powders.
  
  

LIPS

• Chanel Longwear Lip Pencil - 162 Nude Brun
• Buxom Full-On™ Plumping Lip Polish Gloss Dolly 

Throwback Capsule 2:

My second "throwback" capsule is one that I feel was/is meant to be. My initial plan was to do a "throwback" with a dual meaning -

• one, a throwback to purple eyeshadows, a color family that I seemed to always be recommended by makeup artists / sales associates when I first started wearing makeup 
• two, a throwback to the 90s, which I had planned to use for a throwback eye look in BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows  - a throwback to the 90s is meant to be as @danielledanielle has set a 90s theme for this week's showdown of the shadows.   

Spoiler

To close out February's month long Black founded / owned beauty brands and to kick off March's month long International Women founded / owned beauty brands theme, I'm going with an all Pat McGrath Labs capsule. The only thing I don't have is a PML setting powder / spray - I'll use a skincare mist to set my makeup. 

PAT McGRATH LABS Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Weightless Foundation 
PAT McGRATH LABS IntensifEYES™ Longwear Eyeshadow Primer IntensifEYES™ Longwear Primary (not pictured)(from Sephoria?) 
PAT McGRATH LABS Mini Eye Shadow Palette: Midnight Voyage 
PAT McGRATH LABS PERMA PRECISION Liquid Eyeliner Xtreme Black 
PAT McGRATH LABS FetishEyes™ Lengthening Mascara 0.27 oz/ 8 mL 
Pat McGrath Labs Divine Blush + Bronze + Glow Trio Fleurever Nude

PML red lippies - this trio will also be their own throwback - to the throwdowns that were part of the monthly capsule themes in last year's challenge. Another battle @ather, of red lipsticks no less - we'll see if any of these three lippies get tossed. 
PAT McGRATH LABS MatteTrance™ Lipstick Flesh 3 109 
PAT McGRATH LABS LuxeTrance™ Lipstick Beautiful Creature 
PAT McGRATH LABS MatteTrance™ Lipstick Guinevere 

For the day(s) I try a 90's eye look, I may carry the 90s throwback theme to my lips as well and may need to reach for a different set of lip products than in the capsule to do so, maybe something in the brown color family?

Looking forward to seeing what folks are reaching for this week!

[ather]

@itsfi  I love both of these! The case with the clear is so amazing. I love it! You can peak at what is inside. I see so many great products in both of these!!! Amazing! 

[itsfi]

Thank you @ather! The makeup case with the clear panel is one of my favorites. There's a clear panel on the bottom, too, on this one. 

[danielledanielle]

@itsfi Ahhhh, another Pat Edit!  I loved @blackkitty2014 's, too.   Guess to show how diverse her releases were, there's so many collabs and different versions.  Excellent pick.  I miss this Pat, but I'm still a fan, even with the rehashing.

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, it was such a hard decision choosing which Bob brand I wanted to use for a full capsule - I'm 1-2, maybe 3(?) products short in each brand of having all the items I need/want for a complete look with Pat McGrath, Fenty, LYS and Danessa, but hers comes the closest. I came close to breaking out one of the Mothership palettes but I have just been hoarding them. One of the few things I'll continue to hoard even though I am leaning more towards using what I have. I've really been enjoying her foundation this month too - the shade is a really good match for me this time of year and looks good; I just need the teensiest bit.

[danielledanielle]

February needs a fifth week 😂, I wanted to do a Danessa capsule, too

Use them Motherships!!!  (Do you stare at them from time to time...I used to do that 😂). Which ones do you have 🤔

[itsfi]

Carry Danessa into the first week of March - Week 10 - (March 3 - 9) - The "International Women Founded / Owned Beauty Brand" Makeup Capsule and/or The Palette(s) Makeup Capsule. She definitely fits into both themes! Or, week 11 has an attitude of gratitude component to it - she's super humble and she and her whole team for that matter are always so gracious and grateful for their successes, of which there are many and of which she has earned!!! I had to edit big time this year for my Bobs because I really wanted them to get time, quality time in the capsules! 

Some palettes haven't even ever come out of the packaging @danielledanielle! I know, I knooooowww. And yes, I would stare at them - at the packaging in real life and then I'd look at photos or swatches of the shadows inside. lol I have Mothership I, V, and VI - the blue one (Subliminal), the bronze one (Bronze Seduction) and I think it's Midnight Sun. I think after VI it was her phase of reds and pinks and more pink and rosey shades. The shades are beautiful but my eyelids don't do well with those colors - something in the ingredients for those shades are a no-no for me, so they were easy for me to pass on. I also have quite a few of her 6-pan palettes... I'll get to opening and using them. Remember, I spent 5 years with ND Biba and 2, maybe 2-1/2 of those years with it exclusively or almost exclusively. So, I'm working on getting back to rotating through my eyeshadows AND actually using them. Ha! 

[danielledanielle]

The Ami x Pat Edit, for throwback week

There's more Pat here than I originally planned, but I'm still going strong with #PAT McGRATH LABS Mothership X Eyeshadow Palette: Moonlit Seduction for BALETTE ROYALE: Showdown of the Shadows so it made sense to keep PAT McGRATH LABS PERMA PRECISION Liquid Eyeliner Xtreme Black , PAT McGRATH LABS Dark Star Volumizing Mascara 0.43 fl oz / 13 mL in green, and PAT McGRATH LABS IntensifEYES Artistry Wand .  Also bronzers, because Ami Colé didn't have a bronzer and I've been using PAT McGRATH LABS Sublime Perfection Concealer MD26 as a light brontour.  And there's also some guest stars (Fenty, Poundcake)

Also, I forgot to add Ami Colé Lid Joy Matte Liquid Eyeshadow , so they aren't in the pic

The Fit

Everything in there! I think this is my fourth one (?) like this..  I have the Ami Colé pouch, but didn't need it... The Ami Bag, y'all 🙌🏽

[itsfi]

I've absolutely looooved seeing your beautiful Bobs collection @danielledanielle - the main cast, supporting characters and guest stars!!! 😍 How do you like the McGrath artistry wand? Ahhhh, that Ami bag!

[danielledanielle]

@itsfi  It's best suited for the fall out shades.. which is good for X since there's 3 of those. I've been subbing  as a primer, which I originally thought it was until she came out with a primer, but noticed it didn't hold well today. I don't think it's repurchase it, like I can use a fixing spray to the same effect... The only upside is that I did have to wet a brush or an eyeshadow.