Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge

[itsfi]

Hey BIC! One of my goals this year is to try to put together a makeup capsule with a handful (okay, maybe a large handful in my case) of products that will work for me for an every day look and special occasions. Given my current collection, I won't need to be starting from scratch. 😂 So, I'm treating this capsule makeup collection challenge like a shop my stash and declutter adventure all in one. Would love for you to join me if and when you can.

If this is something that interests you or just piques your curiosity, please feel free to use this thread to document and challenge yourself to (1) use what you have / shop your stash; (2) determine which products in your collection to keep, which to declutter, and which to try again another day. All with the goal of curating a set of makeup products that will help you achieve a signature look - and maybe a few additional products for other looks in your daily life, including looks for special occasions or events.

Every week, I will post a group of makeup products I plan to choose from (i.e., shopping my stash) for my looks during the week. I plan to post a photo of the products and tag those that may be available at Sephora. To keep things interesting and add a bit of fun to this experiment, I will try to have most of the products used fall within the weekly prompts/themes (see below), but, even though I have a fairly robust amount of makeup, there will be weeks when there may only be a few items that will fall squarely within that particular week's theme. All that to say, if you don't have a product that fits wholly within the prompt, don't let that keep you from participating. 

CURRENT WEEKLY THEMES: [UPDATED 4.16.2024]

Spoiler

Week 14 (April 1 - 7) - The "Do Over" or "Take 2" Makeup Capsule - Was there a prompt or theme in the previous 13 weeks that you loved and want to repeat, with or without changes? Or that you want to "do over"? Or, was there a capsule that you missed out on and want to give a try?  If so, this is your week! Don't remember all the prompts we've been through over the last 3 months? No problem. Check out the Past Makeup Capsule Collection Challenge Themes. 

Week 15 (April 8 - 14) - The Makeup-Artist-Founded Brand Makeup Capsule and/or The Sephora Spring Savings Makeup Capsule - Curate a capsule that includes one or more products from makeup brands created by makeup artists.  A non-exhaustive list of celebrity makeup-artist-founded beauty brands can be found in the spoiler below. 

Or, did you pick up any makeup beauties during the Sephora sale that you want to play with? Share your newness with us and incorporate one or more of the goodies you hauled during the sale into your capsule this week. 

Week 16 (April 15 - 21) - The BIC Inspired (Spring Edition) Makeup Capsule and/or The Sephora Spring Savings Makeup Capsule - Has there been a product (or two, or three...) you were inspired or enabled to pick up after seeing or hearing one (or more) of your fellow BIC beauties talk about or show it off in a look of the day?  Incorporate one or more BIC enabled product into this week's capsule. Or, curate a capsule with one or more items you picked up from the Sephora Spring Savings Event. Or, combine both prompts this week. 

Week 17 (April 22 - 28) - The "Green" Makeup Capsule and/or The Sephora Spring Savings Makeup Capsule - In honor of Earth Day (April 22), let's assemble a "green" capsule for the week. What does it mean to be "green", you ask? You tell me! Here are a handful of meanings "green" can have - 

• Sustainable
• "Clean" by whatever standard you want - Clean at Sephora? Natural? Non-toxic? 
• The color - either the product itself or the packaging, or both
• New or young
• Other - your definition (oh, inquiring minds will want to know, so do also share your definition of green)

Or, if you have one or more products you picked up from the Sephora Spring Savings Event, show them off with a capsule highlighting one product or all of them. A shop-your-Sephora sale-stash, if you will.  

Week 18 (April 29 - May 5) - The April 2024 "On Top" or "On The Chopping Block" Makeup Capsule - Were there makeup products from April that stood out to you - good or bad? Did you discover any new (or rediscover any tried-and-true) favorites this month? Are there products you've been on the fence about? Create a makeup capsule with one or any combination of these ideas. Or, if you just want more time to spolight your newness from the Sephora Spring Savings Sale Shopping Spree, have at it and put together a makeup capsule with one or more products from your sale purchases! 

 Upcoming Makeup Capsule Challenges: [Updated 4.16.2024]

Spoiler

Week 18 (April 29 - May 5) - The April 2024 Edition of "On Top" or "On The Chopping Block" Makeup Capsule - Were there makeup products from April that stood out to you - good or bad? Did you discover any new (or tried-and-true) favorites this month? Are there products you've been on the fence about? Create a makeup capsule with one or any combination of these ideas. 

Week 19 (May 6 - 12) - The AAPI Owned / Founded Beauty Brand Makeup Capsule - To celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Month, let's curate a capsule with one or more makeup products from AAPI owned or founded makeup brands. [NOTE: A non-exhaustive list of AAPI owned or founded beauty brands can be found in the spoiler below ⤵️]

Week 20 (May 13 - 19) - The "Sleeping Beauties" Makeup Capsule and/or The "OMG, More Stuff From the Sephora Spring Savings" Makeup Capsule - I was inspired by the theme of this year's Met Gala, "Sleeping Beauties" - go through your stash and create a makeup capsule with beauties that have been sleeping in your stash and could use love and attention. Or, were there makeup products you picked during the Sephora Spring Savings Sale that are just now making their way to you (or that you are now getting to)? Put them in a capsule, by themselves or mix in a few "Sleeping Beauty" products. 

Week 21 (May 20 - 26) - The "My Best Self" Makeup Capsule - May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Curate a capsule with products that make you look and feel your very best

Week 22 (May 27 - June 2) - The May 2024 "On Top" or "On The Chopping Block" Makeup Capsule - it's that time again, curate a capsule with your standout or favorite products this month or products you're trying to decide whether to keep or declutter. 

AAPI Owned / Founded Makeup Brands

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)

* 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)

* Wander Beauty (Divya Gugnani)

Yensa Beauty (Jennifer Yen)

Youthforia (Fiona Co Chan)

Q&A:

Spoiler

What is a capsule makeup collection?  

A capsule makeup collection is a selection of makeup products that can be used to put together different looks for a variety of occasions. For some of us, that may mean a group of essential products for your everyday look plus a few extra items for a more glam or dramatic look; and, for others of us, that may mean, a lineup of our holy grail product(s) in each makeup category. My ideal capsule makeup collection probably falls somewhere in between - we'll (hopefully) find out at the end of the year! I don't see myself as a minimalist, but I don't have an extensive collection of makeup either. I appreciate the collections of people who fall within both camps but I float somewhere in between - on the one hand, my brow product collection would earn a gold star if we were using a minimalist approach to makeup; my lip product lineup, on the other hand, would not. 🤣 It would most definitely not.  

Why have a capsule makeup collection?  

Everyone will have their own reasons for having (or not having) a more streamlined makeup collection. Over the years, I've just become more interested in having less beauty products on hand (well, except for lip products, lol) - a handful of items I use or reach for more frequently with maybe a few additional products that are go-to's for me for special events or occasions.  Don't get me wrong, I love trying new products and I don't see that changing. I just like the idea of having a simpler collection (I appreciate that "simpler" can be relative), curated to my needs and lifestyle.

Why Weekly? 
A few years ago, beauty & lifestyle blogger Serein Wu, did a weekly series (on her blog and YouTube), Makeup Bag Monday, where she would rotate her makeup bag each week with new product launches and makeup already in her collection. She would post every Monday the products she selected for the upcoming week and provide detailed makeup reviews on the makeup she used for the previous week. I may not post detailed reviews but will at least try to include a recap of what products I like and which ones didn't work for me.  If weekly works for you, great. If not, feel free to join in based on what works best for you.

Other Challenges On the Forums Worth a Look:

Spoiler

These are just a few of the many, MANY challenges on the forums. I've included links to ones that are active and will try to update accordingly. Some I participate in regularly, others I post to every so often, and others still I visit to learn about makeup products, tips and tricks, or just to see what's going on. 

Shopping Your Stash / Using What You Have: 

* Project Pan: Pan It! - 2024 Challenge
* Foil Challenge: Foil Challenge

* No Buy / Low Buy:2022 & 2023 - THE NO-BUY, LOW-BUY, BUDGET - to be updated with link to 2024 thread

Nails: 

* General: Show Me Your Nails 2.0

* With Monthly Themes: Monthly Manicure Challenge 2024

Makeup:

* General: What are you wearing today Pt2

* With Weekly Themes: Makeup Challenge of the Week

* Lipstick/Lip Products Focused: 100 Days of Lipstick Challenge 

* Eyeshadow Focused: 100 Shades of Eyeshadow Challenge

* Eyeliner Focused: 100 Shades of Eyeliner 

* Cheeks Focused: [Edited 1.20.2024] Cheek Challenge Winter 2024: Mocktail Makeup

* Beauty Inventory: 2024 - Twelve Months of Beauty Inventory 

Skincare:

* Masks: 2024 Masking Challenge

Fragrance: 

* Perfume: The Perfume Challenge

* Home Fragrance: Home Fragrance Thread

I'm excited to see what results from this experiment and I welcome everyone to join in this adventure, whenever and however is most effective for you. 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi I'm loving the use of multitaskers in here!  I'm behind and need to make up my capsule tonight... I'm pulling inspo from everyone else!!  Such great ideas. 

[itsfi]

Excited to see what you choose for your capsule this week @missjeanie! I think a multi-tasker like the alleyoop pen and using products that I can easily apply and blend out with my fingers was key, for me at least. My oily lids missed having an eyeshadow primer but colors from the alleyoop pen held up pretty well despite not having used a primer. 👍

[sister13]

Great 5 minute capsule @itsfi !!

[itsfi]

Thank you @sister13! It made it super easy and fast to getmy face on this morning. 😅 Still a little rushed to get out the door; how does that happen so often?!! 

[ather]

@itsfi  I love this lineup! And I am so curious about that pen sorcery!! I thought it was just a prop but it’s a beauty product!!!! It brings me back to middle school and was lucky enough to get a pen with 4 colours so I could write the most colourful notes to my friends. Although I feel like I also had those blue,purple, pink and green pens that are sort of a neon colour and those also wrote the best notes! Very cool!!! 

[itsfi]

lol, I know the pens you are thinking of @ather - I have a couple now that I use. 😅 This is completely modeled off of that! I need to give it some more time, but it surprised me, in a good way. I thought it would be gimmicky, and there's a touch of that. This go round, the highlighter presented some challenges - it's the pen format and the color is very close to my skintone so it's harder to get to show up. The brown and black work well as eyeshadow, with the combo giving me a smokey look that I have the hardest time achieving with regular eyeshadows. In full disclosure, I was not at all going for a smokey look, but the combination of the two colors melding together on my oily lids created some smokiness. I have a feeling an eyeshadow primer will be a must for me when it comes to this alleyoop pen. I'll have to give something up from the capsule to bring in a eyeshadow primer - and that product will likely be the D-Bronzi. Or, maybe the SPF mist. There may be a day (or perhaps more two) where I will have to roadtest how the brown and black shades perform as eyeshadow if I use a primer. 

In the meantime, here are a couple of swatches (put together fast-and-furiously 🤣) of the shades in the alleyoop Pen Pal (Make A Mauve):

[ather]

@itsfi  Ahhhh ok could be my age and the similarities but I love it. And if it creates a Smokey look that’s even better!!!! So fun! 

[itsfi]

Love that @ather! Okay then, if you could choose any colors, which colors would you choose for this type of pen - an acutal pen, not a makeup pen. Go! (and anyone else can chime in as well. Please do, in fact!)

[ather]

@itsfi  Well I would need pink, purple, baby blue and black!!! I have a planner and those are my most frequent colours I use in it!! I’m old fashioned and I like pens and paper!! 

[itsfi]

Love pen and paper @ather. 💖 And yes to being old fashioned! 

[ather]

@itsfi  Which colours would you choose? 

[itsfi]

Hmmmm, good question. For work, I'd go with blue, red, black and if the pen allows for a 4th selection, a mechanical pencil. For non-work, burgundy, navy, emerald green and if a 4th color can be had, then either French blue or a gunmetal grey - none are very common colors @ather. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oooo both great choices! I love the colours you chose for personal very different! 

[Sunnysmom]

That Alleyoop touch up pen looks very interesting @itsfi ! Is it worth it do you think? Effective? I just tried the YSL mascara this weekend from a mini sample and I really liked it! It lasted forever and dried down so nicely! I  have to look this up if it’s waterproof or water resistant. Do you think it is? Enjoying everyone’s capsules! 

[itsfi]

@Sunnysmom, YSL recently came out with a waterproof version of the Lash Clash - Yves Saint Laurent Lash Clash Extreme Volume Waterproof Mascara Black, but so far, I have not seen a mini, though I have been hoping one will be available soon. The one you have is likely the original Lash Clash, which I believe (but am not certain) is water resistant. They have a blue mascara in that line which is gorgeous! 

I'll let you know about the Alleyoop Pen Pal after I've had some more time with it. So far, it's good. Happy to hear you are enjoying everyone's capsule. Jump on in if you feel like it - next week (first week of April) is a "Do Over" / "Take 2" theme - pick any of the previous capsule themes to do over. Or, if you missed a week, you can curate a capsule based on that week. 

[Sunnysmom]

Yes @itsfi it’s Lash Clash . I bet the blue is a gorgeous pop! Thank you I may just do that! I had every good intention of it but challenges getting signed on and life got in the way! I love the idea of a do over! 🥰

[itsfi]

Yep! There'll be a few "do overs" sprinkled throughout the year. It'll give folks a chance to revisit some prompts. I may just add it permanently to the last theme of every month - "On Top" / "On The Chopping Block" / "On Repeat"?! Will see how the capsules go next week for everyone. 

[missjeanie]

I did do the Womens owned brands week... but apparently I didn't take any photos... then I missed the one brand week and just kept using the women owned brands capsule. We're just gonna move on from those lol.

For pops of colour/spring I was excited to pick out products.  It was looking very spring like here, almost all the snow was melted, I broke out the Birkenstock sandals, and took my big winter coat to the dry cleaners.  Then came another snow storm.  I needed some colour and spring vibes to boost my mood!

Spoiler

I find during summer spring I'm really moving into lighter feeling base products.  The Clarins tinted SPF is a bit dark for me, but I can make it work.  I also like to use the Dr. Jart Camo Drops to cover redness and just use a concealer some days as well.  The Gucci concealer is new to me, I like the shade quite a bit, but I'm still waffling on the formula.  It may just be that it's not enough coverage for my preferences.  Still playing with it to make a final decision, but two concealers I've picked up the last 6 months have a hold on me. 
The tinted colour corrector is also still a question mark for me.  The delivery method of crayon is a love.  But is this making my concealer move around on me?  I have to be quite light with the application since the shade is so dark.... needs more use to determine where this one will fall for me. 
Nars cream bronzer is another love for me.  I'm finding that it goes on light enough that I don't look like I'm way too dark, it blends great and the shade is the perfect balance of bronze but not too warm.  I don't wear bronzer a lot, but it just feels like a great summer product to me.  
I picked three blush shades, because I'm loving blush the last few years.  The Victoria Beckham is a love.  It's easy to blend, easy to apply, and I love the shade.  The Glossier is such a fun colour, but I find I have to go super light with it on my pale skin.  Then my skin ends up eating the product to the point where I look like I have nothing on.  I picked out a powder shade from Benefit that is... old as the hills.  That said... what a lovely surprise how much I've enjoyed this over the week.  Just a touch over the Victoria Beckham has kept it lasting all day and it's such a pretty peachy shade.  This blush is exactly why I'm loving this challenge.  Finding those gems I'd forgotten about in my stash. 

Spoiler

I knew that I was going to some more colourful products on my eyes this week so I wanted some lighter, pinky, summery shades for lips that I hadn't used in ages to see if they were still good. 
Kosas Sport Lip Balm in a mauvy shade... do they still make these?  This was never a favourite lip balm, but it's a contender for a panning product.  I actually like the shade and found that I was reaching for this more than I thought I would all week.
Stila Lip Stain... I didn't grab for this all week.  That said, it's another that I should be contemplating panning.  It's old, but it's a solid formula that I like.  I think I just grabbed too many lips this week for it to make the cut.
Innisfree my lip balm.  This one... isn't great.  It's thick, waxy and the shade can look a bit concealer ish on me.  I have two other shades of this.  They may turn into overnight lip masks... if I can figure out if they'll stain my silk pillowcases lol. 
The NARS lip oil gloss... I forgot they even made these?  Are these still around?  If so... I might need more.  What a wonderful formula!  It feels nourishing, not too thin, not too thick, and the shade is quite sheer so it doesn't look garish.  Nars just does some great lip products. 
Gucci Lip Balms.  I saw @Sunnysmom mention these a few weeks ago and knew I needed to work them in here somewhere.  Gucci is another brand that does some great lip products.  I really enjoy everything about these balms.  I like the shades best mixed together, but like them alone as well.  Gucci should be expanding this shade range.  The packaging, formula, and shades are a win.
I have a Bite Beauty products that I can't quite part with.  This week I was using the lush lip tint in watermelon.  Still smells great.  Still looks great.  I'd love to use this and the other shade I have more often.  I think of all the companies that went bust in the last few years, Bite is the one that I miss the most. 

Spoiler

This 'eyes' section is where most of my colour came into play.  Keep in mind it's year end at work and I'm in quite a few calls where people will be seeing me.  I'm also working a ton so my looks needed to be on the quick side.  That said, I had a lot of fun with some colours this week that do not normally get use from me.  
The ND Tropics palette called to me for a mix of easy to use peaches that would go well with my project pan neutrals and some brighter colours I could use as liners.  I used the kelly green first as a liner and loved it.  I tried the pale matte blue and it just didn't work as well as the shimmer, so I turned that into a dark blue day.  Loved it.  I sprayed a liner brush with a little UD All Nighter in lieu of water that I would normally and the liner lasted longer than any other product on my face. I used the GXVE liner as a tight liner and though it's supppper creamy.  It worked.  That said, I had to be careful to not touch my eyes.  The GXVE moves around if touched.  I also did a day where I used the darke blue and then added a line of the pale blue shimmer on top of that and thought it looked it great, if not a bit much for my usual day to day.  
The DM Colourfix looked great, but I did find that if I went with too heavy of a line it would start to crumble a bit by the end of the day.  
I also had the blue YSL mascara for a fun pop and I want to pick up the black.  Such a great formula.  I just need to finish some of the mascara I already have first... so maybe in another 10 years. lol
The black mascara for the week was the Mac, and she's done now.  I'm not loving the brush on this, I prefer bristles and this is more plastic nubbies.  It was fine, but nothing to write home about. 

[ather]

@missjeanie  So many great products you picked out for pops of colour!! Such a spring vibe! 

[missjeanie]

Thanks @ather !  I don't wear much colour wise so it was nice to break some of these out of hiding!

[Sunnysmom]

You have so many wonderful products @missjeanie ! So fun to see them. I think there should be an expansion of Gucci shades as well. What a good formula. How I miss Bite! Agree with you! I think it’s my most missed brand too!😭