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 MAKEUP CAPSULE THEME:   

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.

Upcoming Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 5.21.2024] Take a sneak peek at the themes to come.

Spoiler

Week 22 (May 27 - June 2) - The May 2024 "On Top", "On The Chopping Block" and/or "On Repeat" Makeup Capsule - it's that time again, curate a capsule with (a) your standout or favorite products this month; (b) products you're trying to decide whether to keep or declutter; (c) products that repeatedly find their way inito your makeup looks; or (d) all of the above. OR, treat the "On Repeat" theme as an opportunity for a "Do Over" or "Take 2" of a previous makeup capsule, from earlier in the month or any of the themes to date.

Week 23 (June 3 - 9) - The Equal Love Beauty Brand Makeup Capsule

Let's curate a capsule of one or more products from LGBTQ+ founded/owned makeup brands to honor Pride Month. Check out the spoiler below ⬇️ for a non-exhaustive list of LGBTQ+ founded/owned beauty brands focused primarily on makeup / color cosmetics.

Week 24 (June 10 - 16) - The Repurposed Makeup Capsule and/or The Multitasking Makeup Capsule

Do you have a product(s) that you've repurposed for a different use or ones that perform more than one function (lip and cheek, eyeshadow and bronzer, etc.? Let's pull them out of your stash and put together a capsule with one or more of those beauties. Shout out to our marvelous @missjeanie  for the repurposed theme. 

Week 25 (June 17 - 23) - The "Welcome, Summer!" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Good Stuff" Makeup Capsule  A couple of fun themes this week. Summer is officially here (well, on Thursday)! Let's kick things off with an ode to the sunny, warm, bright & breezy days to come! Or, use this week to focus on the "good stuff" in your collection, be it one or more products you looooove or the "good stuff" that only comes out every now and again (or, maybe for some of us, for the first time this week). 

Week 26 (June 24 - 30) - The June 2024 "On Top", "On the Chopping Block" and/or "On Repeat" Makeup Capsule - Last week of the month, BIC! You know what that means. We have options! Let's shine a spotlight on one or more products from the capsules this month that's (a) one of the best products of the week (on top); or (b) something you're thinking about tossing or decluttering from your stash (on the chopping block); or (c) made a recurring appearance in your capsule all month (on repeat); or (d) all or some combination of the above. Or, curate a capsule that's been done before - a "Take 2" or "Do Over" - with or without any adjustments as you like.

LGBTQ+ Founded/Owned Makeup Brands:

Spoiler

Below is a non-exhaustive list of LGBTQIA+ founded/owned beauty brands that primarily include makeup / lor cosmetics in their collection.  An asterisk (*) next to a brand name denotes that the brand is available at Sephora.

about face (Halsey)

Flower Beauty (Drew Barrymore)

Formula Z Cosmetics (Zach Dishinger)

* Freck Beauty (Nasera Alayon)

Jason Wu Beauty

Jecca Blac
Kevyn Aucoin Beauty

KimChi Chic Beauty

* Makeup by Mario

* One/Size by Patrick Starrr

* Patrick Ta Beauty

Tanais
* Tom Ford Beauty

Trixie Cosmetics

W3ll People

Completed Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 5.22.2024]

Spoiler

1 - The First (of the Year) Makeup Capsule

2 - The Quick & Easy Winter Edition Makeup Capsule

3 - The $20 USD ($27 CAD) & Under Makeup Capsule

4 - The "On the Go!" Makeup Capsule

5 - The Best of January 2024 Makeup Capsule

6 - The Black Owned / Founded Beauty Brand Makeup Capsule

7 - The Lunar New Year - Year of the Dragon Makeup Capsule and/or The "Things I Love" Makeup Capsule

8 - The "BIC Inspired" Makeup Capsule

9 - The Best of February 2024 Makeup Capsule and/or The "On The Chopping Block" Makeup Capsule 

10 - The International Woman Owned / Founded Beauty Brand Makeup Capsule

11 - The "One Brand" or "All The Brands" Makeup Capsule 

12 - The "Springing Forward" Makeup Capsule and/or The Pops of Color Makeup Capsule 

13 -  The Fast & Furious / Quick & Easy Makeup Capsule and/or The March 2024 "On Top" or "On The Chopping Block" Makeup Capsule 

14 - The "Do Over" or "Take 2" Makeup Capsule

15 - The Makeup-Artist-Founded Brand Makeup Capsule and/or The Sephora Spring Savings Makeup Capsule

16 - The BIC Inspired (Summer Edition) Makeup Capsule and/or The Sephora Spring Savings Makeup Capsule

17 - The "Green" Makeup Capsule and/or The Sephora Spring Savings Makeup Capsule

18 - The  April 2024 "On Top" or "On The Chopping Block" Makeup Capsule and/or The "More Play Time With My Sephora Savings Event Hauls" Makeup Capsule

19 - The AAPI Owned / Founded Beauty Brand Makeup Capsule

20 - The "Sleeping Beauties" Makeup Capsule and/or The "OMG, More Stuff From the Sephora Spring Savings" Makeup Capsule

21 - The "My Best Self" Makeup Capsule

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. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Haha I love your various green themes. That Armani is good stuff!!!

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian! I had fun with the different takes on “green” - it doesn’t just have to be about clean. 😆 Ohhh yes, Armani LSF is a must have for me. It’s been good to me over the years! 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  great choices! So interesting to hear your thoughts on each item & your reasoning for choosing them ("now I have less green in my wallet" had me rofl 🤣). I love your pics (as always, you inspire me!) & how you incorporated some pops of green in them!

💜

[itsfi]

Thank you @caitbird! Thats very kind of you to say. 

I had a good chuckle over the less green 💸💸💸 take on this week’s capsule. 😂 I have a good amount of products that I don’t reach for often or sometimes that I don’t even open. 😔 If I were a collector that would be one thing and it’d make sense but I’m not. I spent the 💴 on them so I should use them, right? Going to try to make that happen - shopping my entire stash during my low buy. 

[itsfi]

Week 17: The "Green" Makeup Capsule - Days 1 thru 3

Okay, coming in with a mid-week check-in - my goodness, how is it already mid-week?!! 😦 Here are my "green" makeup capsules to date. Products with an asterisk (*) next to its name denotes a product I'm using for the first time with the capsule. 

Day 1 - Green = Clean at Sephora or as denoted by the brand. 

We're going to pretend that the Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Mineral SPF 30 Refillable Moisturizer (that I used as primer) is really a part of my skincare routine that photobombed my capsule pic. That way I have 6 products to make another capsule for the Sephora Six - Fast & Furious Edition, which is where I'll post more detailed thoughts later tonight on the products used. As a teaser, this combination of beauties turned out pretty well and made for a quick & easy look. Exactly what I needed this past Monday. 

Spoiler

🌻  Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Mineral SPF 30 Refillable Moisturizer 
⭐  Sweed Glass Skin Foundation mixed with Isle of Paradise Sunny Serum Instant Face Bronzer 1.01 oz / 30 mL 
‌‌💖 HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer with Fermented Arnica 11 ... 
👁  MERIT Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer Clay 
💗  Victoria Beckham Beauty Bronzing Brick Duo (#2)
😎  Soleil Toujours Clean Conscious Body Sunscreen Mist with Vitamin C SPF 30-50 6 oz / 178 mL SPF 30 

Day 2 - Green = packaging, product color/hue & Clean at Sephora

Spoiler

💐  Primer - Dr. Jart+ Mini Cicapair Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30 15 mL/ .50 fl oz  - green hued cream that neutralizes redness. Wears well alone or as a primer. 

❤️ Founation / Tint - Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy Finish SPF 50+ PA+++, one layer by itself, followed by a layer mixed with Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi™ Bronzing Drops with Peptides - this is my favorite way to use the D-Bronzi.

👁  Eyeshadow Primer - about face Shadow Fix Eye Primer* - not bad but I'm going to need to play with this more before deciding how I feel about it.

👁  Eyeshadow - Bobbi Brown Jadestone Eye Shadow Palette (limited edition) - this has some beautiful greens and browns. Swatches in spoiler below.

😍  Setting Spray - Soleil Toujours Clean Conscious Body Sunscreen Mist with Vitamin C SPF 30-50 6 oz / 177 mL SPF 50  

🏵  Mascara - #SEPHORA COLLECTION Love The Lift Curling + Volumizing Waterproof Mascara Ultra Black 
 has really been performing beautifully. This is seriously giving my Lancôme Monsieur Big Waterproof and all my waterproof mascaras some solid competition. 

💋 Lips - yes, I had 2 lippies for the same day. One for the morning (Merit Lip Liner Bespoke (limited edition) and MERIT Shade Slick Classics Tinted Lip Oil Au Naturel)  and one for the afternoon ( Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil for Moisturizing Sheer Coverage Blush Dreams) 😂 Both were great. I'm going to have a hard time whittling down my lipstick stash. 

Day 3 - Green = Clean at Sephora / Self professed clean beauty & one dirty product containing the color green 

Spoiler

🌷  I wanted to test out the LAWLESS Skin-Smoothing Talc-Free Perfecting Powder as a powder foundation and not as a setting powder. Because my skin is really dry at the moment, I first applied the Farsali Skintune Perfecting Serum for its blurring and skin smoothing properties before applying the Lawless powder with the Sigma F80 Kabuki brush. Ohhh, the powder looked amazing. I'm working my way through MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation and when that's been used up, the Lawless will be one of my primary powder foundations in the rotation.

🌌  MILK MAKEUP Sculpt Cream Contour Stick - this is going to take some practice on my part but these types of sticks are generally easier to use. I just need to work on my blending.

🤔  I'm not sure this Iris & Romeo Ceramide Multi-Balm - Radiant Glow (can't seem to tag this) is best suited for my complexion. I'm on the fiar-to-light (maybe light-medium) side and this didn't show up on my skin no matter how hard I rubbed it in. I'm thinking this may not be long for my stash.

💄  MILK MAKEUP Odyssey Hydrating Non-Sticky Lip Oil Gloss Werk Trip is a beauty! 😍

Swatches of Bobbi Brown Jadestone Eyeshadow Palette (limited edition): 

Spoiler

[makeitup305]

@itsfi what are your thoughts on the Isle of Paradise? I was tempted by them during the sale and then remembered I don't tan or get sun so skipped them lol

[missjeanie]

@itsfi I had a chuckle at your two lipstick looks in a day situation... I find myself in that same situation... oh... three times a week.  Maybe more.  I support making use of your lip collection like this.  #daytoafternoon #afteroontoevening #eveningtobed 

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi I am definitely curious about the Sweed! 

[itsfi]

@PrettyPaint, Sweed describes its Glass Skin Foundation as "A hybrid between skincare and foundation with a silky, elastic texture that feels comfortable and looks like a second skin." I think that's a fair assessment. The first few times I wore it, I was very suprised how much coverage it provided while still feeling lightweight and that it did give off a glass skin-like effect. I will say that my skin has been more dehydrated of late than normal and it's been eating my foundation. The Sweed is still there at the end of the day but it has more of a satin, demi matte finish than the dewy, glass skin effect immediately upon application. 

Coverage-wise, this is between a tint and a foundation, closer to the foundation side. I don't know if you've tried Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation - that's my HG tinted foundation and I think it has more coverage than a traditional tinted moisturizer (like NARS or LM) but a lot less than a foundation - Tower 28 would be between a tint and foundation but closer to the middle). My skin has been in the healing phase of a breakout. With the T28, I need 2 layers plus a fuller coverage concealer (like Haus Labs concealer). With the SWEED, I feel like I get a good amount of coverage with one layer. I might go over the areas where I've broken out with another layer and then use a concealer - a medium or even sheer-to-medium coverage would be fine in combination with the Sweed. 

Sweed 03 is a little light for me at the moment - it's more my late-fall-winter-early-spring shade, but I can add some liquid bronzer to it or add bronzer to my face after applying the Sweed. It does oxidize slightly. Adding @ather since she also asked about the Sweed foundation. I do like this one. Will continue to use it to see if it's something I think I need in my collection given the other complexion products I have. I'll use it every now and again but will set it aside until the fall / winter to see how it performs when it's a better match for my skintone.

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi Thank you so much for such a detailed description of the Sweed foundation. A silky and elastic texture sounds pretty neat. I definitely gravitate toward tinted moisturizers these days, though it doesn't look like this one contains SPF. 

By the way, I'm loving the microfiber face towels you posted a few weeks ago. I'm actually a little horrified at how poorly I had been cleaning my face, though, because the towels show any tiny bit of foundation I may have missed. 

[itsfi]

No SPF in the Sweed foundation,  @PrettyPaint. What tinted moisturizer(s) are you currently using / loving?

The microfiber towels are so good, aren’t they? Yeaaaahh, I know what you mean about seeing how much product stays on your face 😬 The beauty of white towels - on the one hand, it’s good to know so we can get it all off. On the other hand, it’s eye opening, as in “I still haven’t removed everything?!!!” 

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi The tinted moisturizer I've been using lately (and really like) is Saie's Slip Tint. I somehow misplaced the bottle, so I may need to reorder. 

Saie Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oh that one looks pretty good!! I can’t wait to see if it makes a place in your collection. Or if you decide to pass on it. It’s pretty hard to beat the Tower 28! And the Armani foundation so it really has to be good!! 😊 

[itsfi]

Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see where this one lands @ather. I’m impressed by it.
 Armani LSF & Tower 28 SunnyDays are staples for me. The Sweed is different enough from both for me to justify keeping it along with the Armani and Tower 28 - the coverage and consistency is different from the Tower28, but we’ll see how it compares with what other base products I have in stash. At some point, I’ll need to figure out how many base products is a good working number for me. 🤔 

[ather]

@itsfi  Hmmm deciding what a good working number may be more difficult than deciding to keep it in your collection!!! 

[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" 😝