Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge

[itsfi]

Hey BIC beauties! 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; and

(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. The themes / prompts are guides and if you have a certain interpretation or approach you want to take with it, go for it! Not every product has to fit squarely within the theme; it can be just one item.

CURRENT WEEKLY THEMES: [UPDATED 4.27.2024]

Spoiler

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 Edition of "On Top" or "On The Chopping Block" Makeup Capsule and/or The "More Play Time With My Sephora Savings Event Hauls" 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. OR show us what beauties you picked up during the Sephora Savings Event. Now's the time to play (or to keep playing) with that newness (and those beloved restocks) you hauled during the sale! 

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)

FAQs: [Updated 4.28.2024]

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 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. I may not post detailed reviews, but will at least try to include a weekly recap (probably at the end of the week) 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.

What if I don't have enough products to fit the theme for a full face?

No need for your entire makeup capsule to fit the weekly theme(s). Just one 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. 

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. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Great capsule!! How do you like the Sweed tint? Looks good! I don’t think I have seen that brand before!! How is the Merit lippie compared to the SF? If you could only choose one, which would you choose??? 

[itsfi]

@ather, thanks so much! I had some fun putting together a few capsules this week, but it's been a little tiring writing up the summaries. But worth it. I have really enjoyed most, many, of the beauties this week. I don't think there will be that many declutters, which is hilarious given that there were so many products I used. Many of these were open already so it does bring home the point that I need to use them more ... or, if not, then to possibly re-home them or declutter them. 

Ohhhh, good (and tough) question. The Merit and the Summer Fridays lip oils are different enough that for someone who, say, really loves her lip oils 😅, having both could be ... justifiable (of course it could be! 😆) The Merit lip oil is on the thinner, sheerer, wash of color side. The Summer Fridays lip oil has an opaque finish from the get go. It has a richer (but not heavy) consistency. The opacity of the Merit can be built up and additional layers will not make the wear heavy, but the Merit probably couldn't get to the level of opacity that the SF one starts with, no matter how many layers are applied.

Swatches are going to be more telling than anything with these two. In the photos, the Merit swatches involves 3 swipes of the product; that is, I dipped into the tube 3 times to build up to this consistency. The Summer Fridays, I just pulled the wand out of the tube and swiped once. Merit Mapleton lip oil actually shows up deeper in the photo than it appears in real life. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oooo thanks for the swatch! I can definitely see why you need both! They are very different!!! Both beautiful 😍 

[caitbird]

👋hi, @itsfi ! It's been a while, hasn't it! I am suuuper late to this party, but what a fun thread idea! I am going to try to start posting in BIC again (bc I miss all you awesome peeps! 💜), and I will definitely try to join in on this challenge when I can.

I hope you're doing well! 🥰

(Ps that eyeshadow palette is so pretty! I don't think I have any in my stash with that particular color scheme)

[itsfi]

@caitbird ❣️ So good to see you! You are not late to the party. Jump on in whenever you feel like it. We all have a different way of approaching this challenge and sometimes our approach changes - like mine did this week! It was nice getting to rotate through a bunch of my makeup but whoowee! I'm beat. Will be going back to a mix of both smaller more minimalist quick & easy makeup routines and a more full face mix of beauties! Would love to see what makeup products you've been loving or ones you're on the fence about. 

Thank you, thank you. My eye palettes are generally of the same varietal - basic, browns, taupes, nudes - with warm, cool and neutral tones. This Bobbi Brown Jadestone was taking a little detour - the greens efinitely caught my eye on it. 😍 

Hope you are well. You've been missed! 

[itsfi]

Week 17 - The BIC Inspired (Spring Edition) Makeup Capsule and/or The Sephora Spring Savings Makeup Capsule  

I got a little (read: A LOT) carried away with pulling products I wanted to use for this week's green theme. I think between Friday night and this morning, I must have put together a few different "green" capsules, with several sub-capsules. By the time I finally made up my mind on the products I wanted to use, I had the makings of 6 capsules from all the products I tossed into my makeup bag for the week - an ample sized green corduroy bag. I really didn't intend to stuff it to the gills, but ... 

So, I decided the other night to take a different approach to the capsule challenge this week - a little less structured approach. 😰 Rather than try to whittle down and weed out products from this makeup bag (I was too tired that night), I decided I would mix and match products from the bag for a different capsule for almost every day of the week. I have 6 "pre made" capsules from this bag already - pre-made in the sense that I should have 6 different foundations in here to use that I'll focus each day's capsule around - I've tried all of these base products at least a couple of times and most a lot more than that, so I know my skin is good with them. My 7th will probably be based primarily on products I picked up from the Sephora sale - I won't be able to put together a full face but I'll fill in the gaps with other products, "green" or otherwise. Or, maybe I'll just pick my favorite mini capsule of the week to use again.

I'm hoping this means that I'll have more declutters, but there's a part of me that thinks that with my luck, I'll end up having zero declutters this week, even with 6 different variations on a "green" capsule. 😂 And there will be different interpretations of "green", be it packaging, color, clean at Sephora, and the one I'm looking most forward to - a capsule of beauties that have left my wallet with a little less green in it! 💸💸💸 Using the good stuff will happen this week, with the special occasion being a day that ends in "y" 😝

[ather]

@itsfi  Omg! Love this! And I love that you only use the product that leave you with less 💵 on days that end in Y 

[itsfi]

Lol. Had to have some fun with this @ather! 

[danielledanielle]

Okay, I don't feel as bad for stuffing my capsule @itsfi .  We're just being really enthusiastic about being green, that's all.

[itsfi]

Hahaha @danielledanielle! This makeup bag is sooooo roomy, and clearly I felt the need to fill it up! How else am I going to know how much it can hold without actually seeing how much it can hold! 😅 Had to be done. All in the name of being green! 💚 

[danielledanielle]

Week 15 recap..

I didn't use a few things, which tells me that lipstick purgatory is purgatory for a reason.  I didn't gravitate towards those lips at all, just because I either didn't like something about them or there's a version/product that I prefer.  Like I had my too faced cocoa bold in triple fudge ready to go and just totally went for a different lip in the end 🤣🤷🏽‍♀️.  But, it was fun using a lot of "BIC made me do it's.". I could totally do another version of this.

Week 16 - Clean and Green

I was thinking of this week constantly because I don't really look for clean beauty, a part of me is like... It's marketing, mainly, even though I do understand sensitivity and desire to reduce exposure.  Also, do I have enough?!?  I just don't actively buy them and do happen to have some items from brands that I like.  Some Several.  I had no idea of how much of it is actually clean (whatever that means) .

Spoiler

I'm missing a couple of lip liners and lip oils, too and I only picked two of the Gxve bullets, too 

I managed to edit it down somewhat. 

Spoiler

And it fit into the bag

Spoiler

Well, until I realize I forgot brows

Close  enough 🤷🏽‍♀️

Day one.  I also realize my beef with clean beauty, a lot of them still don't perform as well for me in comparison to my "dirty" beauty 🤣.  I remembered why GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Eye See in Color Clean Multidimensional Eyeshadow Palette Just A Girl fell to the wayside.  Chalky on me as it can be.  I have hopes for GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Eye See in Color Clean Multidimensional Eyeshadow Palette Rich Girl , though.  Neither of them look like they do in the pan, though.

[itsfi]

@danielledanielle, I like having options, especially in the lip category. Because it sometimes really does depend on my mood what lip item or color I want to wear. There wil definitely be more BIC inspired / BIC Made Me Do It themes - probably about every 6-8 weeks, there will be either BIC-Inspired prompt or a "Do Over" / "Take 2" theme where folks can opt to do a BIC inspired capsule.

lolololol "I managed to edit it down somewhat." I love that you made the effort. I tried to just put together 2 capsules from all the items I put in the makeup bag. Then 2 became 3 ... 4 and, finally we arrived at 6, which then made me think, why not just make a 7th capsule and be done for the week?!!! 😄 

What's in the Theory case?

[danielledanielle]

That's a Viseart palette, Absinthe, because I also figured a literal Green should be included @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Yes to being literal @danielledanielle! 💚 And I bet Viseart makes a gorgeous green shadow! 😍 

[missjeanie]

@danielledanielle Like those below I also found the Gxve shadows disappointing.  I'm working on panning my quad this year and it's getting harder and harder to reach for it.  I do like a very low pigment shadow and I'm still not in love with them.  I heard the word chalky used by a lot of people when describing these, but I low key thought the general population would like the lack of pigment that more who are more into beauty would shrug off.  I strongly suspect the formula was enough of a dud that they scrap the line and start fresh. 

[curlychiquita]

I wasn’t a fan of the GXVE shadows, @danielledanielle. I think they’re chalky, too.

[makeitup305]

@curlychiquita @danielledanielle me either. I passed that on really fast after I received it in gratis. There was no depth no matter what you did. The eye liners and lip products were much better. 

[danielledanielle]

@curlychiquita, okay, so I'm not alone.  I wonder if they are being reformulated, because only rich girl is available here 🤔

[missjeanie]

My last weeks capsule was actually pretty small for me.  I had a few different sale items start to trickle in and so I got to using the first batch which was pretty dang close to a full face.  I have to say... so impressed with just about everything!

I've still got one package on the way that should be here on monday so I'll be doing another week of sale items this coming week once they get here.

Look... could I have come up with a prettier background? Sure. But this is my current reality. I have two boxes at the moment. One on my kitchen table and one in my washroom where I get ready. lol

Spoiler

One could also say that this is a bic inspired haul... Most of what I purchase from Sephora is. 
- ciele tint & PROTECT SPF 50+ tinted serum foundation 02 | Fair I picked up after seeing a few youtubers like it.  I liked the SPF that would be a bit of a top up to the SPF I wear daily.  I have to say... delivery system is not a favourite.  It's a dropper style and while it's been clean so far, I can see it getting gunky with more use. So far... this has looked outstanding on my skin and lasted about 10 hours without touch ups which is quite a good time for me.  
- Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Brightening & Hydrating Medium to Full Coverage Crease Proof Serum Concealer ... This is a formula I enjoy a lot lately.  I picked up one shade down from what I've been using and I quite enjoy both and feel like both will work with me. Gotta say though... when I had this on with the Ciele serum foundation... the foundation lasted longer than the concealer.  Keep in mind... I do touch my face a lot through the day.
- HUDA BEAUTY #FAUXFILTER Under Eye Color Corrector Peach is a really nice formula.  It's thin, but pigmented and blends in very nicely to my skincare.  It covers great, and my concealer sits on top of it well. 
- MILK MAKEUP Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush Stain Splash is quite nice.  I saw a few reviews before mine came in and was going very slow and deliberate at first.  I found using a brush for cheek stain worked really well for me and it blended out with no problems.  I tried this on my lips as well and I like the shade quite a bit, but I do need a mirror and to be careful.  I can see myself using and enjoying this quite a bit!  
- Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil for Moisturizing Sheer Coverage Love it.  Sheer colour, but very wearable, feels lovely on the lips.  A thinner formula that I'm so glad I was talked into. This could be something that is beyond easy to toss in a bag and reapply without mirror while matching pretty much everything.  
- Danessa Myricks Beauty Groundwork: Blooming Romance - Palette For Eyes, Brows, Face & Lips I've used this pretty much every day since it came in.  The creams do crease on me if I don't use a primer.  I have loved how it's looked so much though that I haven't even tried using just the powders yet.  I'm someone who never tires of the pink palettes so I'm quite happy to have this one.  I've tried it on my cheeks once and quite liked that as well.  While I do get a bit of creasing after a full day even with primer... it's super easy to pat the creases out. 
- Tower 28 Beauty LipSoftie™ Hydrating Tinted Lip Treatment Balm Blood Orange Vanilla .  This smells amazing.  It's more pigmented than I expected and because of that, I think the delivery system, the rounded tip, isn't' the best idea.  When I did apply it, it was a bit.. messy, and grainy.  I saw others mention the grainyness online and figured it had to be a one off.  Don't get me wrong, it's not the most awful thing going, but the grainyness and applicator tip will make me skip picking up others from the line. Kinda disappointed, as Tower 28 has been a favourite brand. 
- Other non sale items, the Nars Pro Prime was used with the shadows, the Kokie powder is used to set my under eyes and my Tzone.  It's quite nice for a random product and I'll try to push forward with this to pan it as there isn't much left. The ABH brow wiz is a sample size, so only 1/3 of the regular size and should be done shortly.  The Lancome liner is a random one I chose to use on my upper lash line.  Nothing special, but works fine.  The Stila lip liner was just fine.  It's a bit too pale for my liking. 

Overall, quite a few things I really enjoy.  Can't wait to try a couple out a bit longer next week with some other new products! 
-

[itsfi]

There were so many "yes"-es and nods as I was looking over your capsule beauties @missjeanie! A huuuge one for the Summer Fridays lip oil and that NARS primer. Those MILK jelly blush sticks look fun. I'm sure glad I'm not into blush as much as I am a few other products because I'd probably have a (lot larger) pile of blush right now if I did 

As for the background, I love it! ❤️ It's absolutely perfect for the week's theme ❣️❣️❣️ As much as I usually find it calming to photograph things, capturing shots in or looking at shots taken of things as they are real life is one of my favorite things to do and look at. Interested to see how that Ciele plays out for you over the next week or so. I'm debating what base / foundation to break into next and that's one of the contenders. 😉 I'm sure I shouldn't open up another, but I'm on this kick to work through some products as part of distracting myself while on a low/no buy. 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi Lol I swear I don't normally have cardboard boxes in my washroom... but sometimes you just roll with how things play out.  I wore the Ciele all last week and I realllllly like it.  It wore so well though the day and lasted way longer than I was expecting.  I tried something new today... maybeeeee influenced by this thread, and was comparing them every time I looked in a mirror.  Funny enough, this weeks capsule is also in a delivery box lol.