Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2026

[itsfi]

Hello, BIC! 👋 It's year 3 of the Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge. Whether you're looking for a fun way to use the new-to-you and tried-and-true products in your collection or if having a set of makeup products picked out in advance makes it easier to get ready in the mornings, welcome! 

Please jump right on in from the get-go, or feel free to take part during a week when the theme suits your style or piques your interests. We love seeing and being inspired by what beauties everyone is using. 

▶️  NOW PLAYING: CURRENT Makeup Capsule Theme:

Week 1 (January  1 - 11) - The "New Year, New-To-You" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Mentally Minded" Makeup Capsule 

The New Year, New-to-You Makeup Capsule: Let's start off the new year by putting together a capsule made up of one or more makeup products that are new-to-you or that you want to incorporate into your routine in 2026. Maybe there's a beauty that's been sitting in your stash for a while that you've been meaning to try, here's your chance! Or perhaps you're looking to hone your contouring skills (or if you're like me, get those skills to begin with) à la the face mapping lessons on the curriculum at🏫🎓BIC University 🎓🏫, make contour products a focal point of your makeup capsule. Or you might focus on primers this month as part of theBeauty Challenge -- Twelve Months of Beauty Inventory.

The "Mentally Minded" Makeup Capsule: January is recognized a Mental Wellness Month. Curate a capsule made up of one or more product(s) from one or more makeup brands that supports or promotes mental health (or mental heath awareness (which is historically recognized in October)). 

Spoiler

Makeup Brands Supporting Mental Health Awareness*
Kiehl's* 
KimChiChic Beauty*
Maybelline*^

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez^

* Included in Forbes' October 10, 2025 (updated December 15, 2025) online article titled "Beauty and Fashion Brands Supporting Mental Health" 

^ Identified in Who What Wear's online articled titled "10 Must-Know Beauty Brands That Empower Mental Health Initiatives" 

*^ Recognized in both the Forbes and Who What Wear publications for its support of mental health and mental health awareness 

⏩  UPCOMING Makeup Capsule Themes

Spoiler

Week 2 (January 12 - 18) - The "Glowing & Golden" Makeup Capsule 

The Critics Choice Awards were handed out on January 4 and Golden Globes will have taken place on the 11th. Take inspiration from a look (or two) from a Critics Choice or Golden Globe nominee or attendee, or anyone who walked the red carpet or attended an after party, and put together a capsule inspired by that look. Didn't watch the award shows? No problem. Curate a capsule with one or more makeup products that make you feel glowing and golden ... like you were born to be!! ⭐ 

Additional January capsule themes can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Spoiler

What is a makeup capsule?

A makeup capsule is a collection of makeup products curated by you with the intent of simplifying your makeup routine without compromising quality or functionality. It typically includes essential products that can be used to create a variety of look. A makeup capsule can reduce clutter, help save time getting ready in the morning or for events, and provide you with a streamlined and versatile makeup wardrobe tailored to work for you, your budget and lifestyle. While makeup capsules generally include a few pieces, the size of your capsule collection is ultimate up to you.

Why a makeup capsule challenge?

Many of us here have a robust collection of makeup and it can be difficult to pare that down to a handful of pieces for capsule. This challenge, with its weekly themes, is meant as a fun way to try your hand at curating a makeup capsule for yourself. Each week you'll have an opportunity to go through your collection, identify one or more product(s) that fits the weekly theme (all you need is one product for this challenge), and put together a makeup look with that and other products.

The challenge is also another way to use your stash, allowing you a chance to discover products you might have missed out on or re-discover past favorites.

For more info on this challenge, check out the previous years' challenges:  Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025 
Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2024 

[itsfi]

Week 1 - The "New Year, New-To-You" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Mentally Minded" Makeup Capsule 

For the new year, going to take a different approach to my makeup capsules, at least on a trial basis for the first three months. I'll go into more details about that in a reply to this post but for my first capsule of the new year, I went with these beauties for a mix of the two themes.

Product Details:

Spoiler

Complexion:

Primer (Face): Going to try the Rare Beauty Long-Lasting Setting Spray (💪🏼) as a primer or Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base Moisturizer & Primer with Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid 1.7 oz/... (🐐) for days I reach for the UD foundation.

Foundation: Urban Decay Face Bond Self Setting Waterproof Foundation (medium-to-full coverage) (🔥) or Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation 40 Runyon (🐐), the latter of which I'm including in this capsule as I'm a handful of uses from finishing the tube. 

Concealer: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Medium Coverage Liquid Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid 8 Neutral (💪🏼) 

Setting Powder: KimChiChic Beauty Puff Puff Pass Set and Bake Powder (Ivander) (💪🏼)  

Setting Spray: Rare Beauty Always An Optimist 4-in-1 Prime & Set Mist or Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray (💪🏼) - Both are fine enough, just not among my Top 5 setting sprays. I decided last year that I'd keep both in my collection and try to use them up by end of 2026, which means I need to keep them in the rotation, so here we are.

Eyes:
Primer (Eyes): NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (🐐) - this holds some sentimental value for me as it was one of the first, if not THEE first eyeshadow primer I used. 

Eyeshadow: Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadow Palette - Stora Dolls (🥘)

Eye Liner (upper lash line): Heme Shade Liner 00 Shadow

Eyeliner (lower lash line): Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Brightening Pencil - Light 1 (discontinued) (🔥)

Mascara: Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Waterproof Mascara (🔥) - one of my current top 2 favorite mascara

Brows: either L'Oreal Faux Brow Eyebrow Tint Double Brush Brow Pen - Dark Brunette (Ulta Beauty World) or Merit Brow 1980 Volumizing Tinted Eyebrow Gel-Pomade - shade is a limited edition color from a holiday set a couple of years ago. I'm close to finishing it and will be rotating it in capsules to get more use out of it as I work my way through the final use.

Cheeks:

Blush: Tower 28 Beauty GetSet & Blur + Set Matte Powder Blush - Samo Spritzer (💪🏼🥘) - we'll be seeing this in a lot of capsules this year. Powder blush is a challening product for me to pan and I need to keep it in the rotation in the first few months as I try to build a habit of reaching for it.

Contour: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Match Stix Contour Stick - Amber (💪🏼) - this is the Snackz size (love this size) - I'm going to try to learn how to contour this year, at least that's the plan. Got distracted last year from really digging deeper into it so we'll be seeing contouring products coming through my capsules a lot more often this year.

Lips:
Lip Contour: Melt Cosmetics Slick Waterline Eye Pencil (Ivory) - is one of the products I've purchased with the hope of being a suitable replacement for when I've finished the Makeup by Mario Light I liner generally work well as lip contour. Love being able to repurpose products.

Lip Liner: Rare Beauty Admired (part of limited edition holiday set from a couple of years ago) or Maybelline Lifter Liner Lip Liner Pencil with Hyaluronic Acid - On It (strong)

Lipstick: HUNG VANNGO BEAUTY Creamy Matte Longwear Lipstick with Hyaluronic Acid - Call My Agent or Sephora Collection (discontinued) (🎉)

Lip Balm: rhode Peptide Lip Treatment Nourishing Glaze - Peppermint Glaze (limited edition, December 2024) (discontinued) (🛒) or OLIVIAUMMA Glow Ceramide Liptox Napa Valley (🎉). I've been reaching for this Oliviaumma balm at least 4 times a week for the last couple of weeks - nourishing, wears comfortably & fairly long for a lip balm, and the color is gorgeous! 😍

Tools:

Going with the SEPHORA COLLECTION 8-Piece Pro Face and Eye Brush Set (limited edition) (🎉)

emoji key

💪🏼fits the Mentally Minded themeI
🎉a new to me product or a product making its first appearance in this challenge
🐐  GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) product
🔥Top Shelf / Favorite

🥘 Pan it! Challenge item
🛒Shop Your Stash: Winter 2026 item

The Fits:

And they all fit nicely, snugly, in one of my favorite makeup bags, this puffy one from Rare Beauty (💪🏼) - it reminds me of a puffy winter coat.

[itsfi]

Going to take a slightly different approach to my capsules this year, at least for the first three months of the year, on a trial basis: 

• Instead of curating my weekly capsules from my entire makeup collection, at the beginning of the month, I'll put together a group of products that I'll use as my pool of products from which I will curate my weekly capsules for that month. This monthly pool of products will be larger in size than a typical weekly capsule but much smaller than my entire collection.  My intention here is to provide myself some opportunities to see what size capsule (and what number and mix of each category of products - foundation, blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, etc.) gives me the variety I need to put together a variety of looks. 

• I may elect once a month to curate a one of the weekly capsules with products from one brand (or 80%) of my capsule from one brand. I'm including this option to offer up a change from what will be the new capsule routine and also to provide me an opportunity to use all my products from one brand for looks throughout a particular week. Other than when I started wearing a semi-full face of makeup for the first time (and didn't really have any products except for a few (6 or 7) products from one brand), my makeup look has never been made up of just one brand. I'm not sure how many brands I can do this with but I guess we'll find out. We'll also find out if I can see myself just having my makeup (or most of it) be from one brand. 

I'll assess how this new approach is working out for me at the end of March; if it's something I'd like to continue with, I'll extend the trial run for another 3 months. If not, then I'll go back to curating my weekly capsules as I have in the past, pulling products from the whole of my collection.  Why extend it just for 3 months? That would take me through June. I tend to wear less makeup in general in July, August and September so my makeup routine/looks don't require more than a handful of pieces. I'll probably come up with something different for those months, but haven't really thought through that. 

The pool of products I will draw from (for the most part) for January's capsules: 

I will occasionally swap out something from this set for another similar product, either to meet a capsule them, to work towards using up a product, or for some other reason. I'll keep those instances to a minimum because I really do want to see what a good "capsule" size for me would be. For January, we have 41 products which took me by surprise; at the same time, I look at these items and feel like I could have added a couple of more products. 😬 

[itsfi]

January Makeup Capsule Themes

Spoiler

Week 1 (January  1 - 11) - The "New Year, New-To-You" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Mentally Minded" Makeup Capsule 

The "New Year, New-To-You" Makeup Capsule: Let's start off the new year by putting together a capsule made up of one or more makeup products that are new-to-you or that you want to incorporate into your routine in 2026. Maybe there's a beauty that's been sitting in your stash for a while that you've been meaning to try, here's your chance! Or perhaps you're looking to hone your contouring skills (or if you're like me, get those skills to begin with) a la the face mapping lessons at BIC University, make contour products a focal point of your makeup capsule. Or you might want to focus on primers this month as part of the Beauty Challenge - Twelve Months of Beauty Inventory.

The Mentally Minded Makeup Capsule: January is recognized a Mental Wellness Month. Curate a capsule made up of one or more product(s) from one or more makeup brands that supports or promotes mental health (or mental heath awareness (which is historically recognized in October)). 

Spoiler

Makeup Brands Supporting Mental Health Awareness*
Kiehl's* 
KimChiChic Beauty*
Maybelline*^

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez^

* Included in Forbes' October 10, 2025 (updated December 15, 2025) online article titled "Beauty and Fashion Brands Supporting Mental Health" 

^ Identified in Who What Wear's online articled titled "10 Must-Know Beauty Brands That Empower Mental Health Initiatives" 

*^ Recognized in both the Forbes and Who What Wear publications for its support of mental health and mental health awareness 

Week 2 (January 12 - 18) - The "Glowing & Golden" Makeup Capsule 

The Critics Choice Awards were handed out on January 4 and Golden Globes will have taken place on the 11th. Take inspiration from a look (or two) from a Critics Choice or Golden Globe nominee or attendee, or anyone who walked the red carpet or attended an after party, and put together a capsule inspired by that look. Didn't watch the award shows? No problem. Curate a capsule with one or more makeup products that make you feel glowing and golden ... like you were born to be!! ⭐ [Edited 1.5.2026 to add Critics Choice Awards]

Don't feel like you need to stop at your makeup either! Have a fly outfit waiting to be shared, get yourself decked out, take some snaps and head on over to the The Fit, The Fab and The Face: Outfit and Inspo Thread to share your beauty from head to toe.

Week 3 (January 19 - 25) - The "Less is More" Makeup Capsule

Is less really more? You tell me. Curate a makeup capsule consisting of:
(a) no more than six (6) makeup products; or
(b) makeup products having an aggregate total (pre-sale/pre-discount) retail price of $100 USD / $137 CAD (I will update CAD based on conversion rate Sunday evening before the start of the week)
(c) one brand (this is for the maximalists among us; "less" = one = one brand)

Week 4 (January 26 - February 1) - The "Musical Artist Founded / Owned Beauty Brand" Makeup Capsule 
The Grammy's are taking place February 1. The beauty industry has seen a wave of makeup lines founded by musical artists, including, but not limited to those in the spoiler below. For this week, curate a capsule made up of one or more product(s) from a musical artist founded/owned makeup brand.

Spoiler

A non-exhaustive list of musical artist founded / owned makeup brands will be posted in this space during Week 3

FYI: For 2026, I'll update* the original thread post (OP) with the current weekly theme and the theme for the following week. All other capsule themes (subsequent weeks and previous weeks) will be posted here with a link to this post on the OP in an effort to keep the OP tidy while having a record of the weekly themes available. 

*OP will generally be updated with new weekly theme(s) by or before 9pm Pacific Time on the Sunday before the start of the new week/theme.

[danielledanielle]

Hurray 🙌🏽 Thanks for keeping this going, @itsfi