Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge

[itsfi]

Hello, BIC Beauties! If the idea of makeup capsules piques your curiosity, or you're interested in seeing what's in the beauty collection or weekly makeup bag of your fellow BIC beauties, jump right on in - with questions, comments or a capsule of your own to share.

To add a fun take on putting together a makeup capsule, I've included theme(s) for the weekly capsule - some weeks, I have enough products in my stash (eek!) to make a whole capsule based on the prompt; other weeks, I have just one or two items that fit neatly within theme.

Whether you find yourself in the same place or somewhere in between, jump right on it and share your weekly makeup capsule. Check out the FAQ section below ⤵️ for more info on this challenge.

CURRENT MAKEUP CAPSULE THEME:   

Week 50 (December 9 - 15) -  The Sticks 2.0 Makeup Capsule and/or The "Favorite Theme From The Challenge" Makeup Capsule 

Ahhhh, stick products - they're easy to use, portable,and get the job done! Shine a spotlight this week on one or more stick products that bring you joy. Thank you to @danielledanielle and @missjeanie for their love of stick makeup products.

Sticks not your thing? Not a problem. Curate a capsule based on your favorite theme from this year's makeup capsule challenge.

Upcoming Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 12.2.2024] Take a sneak peek at the weekly themes to come. 

Spoiler

Week 51 (December 16 - 22) -  The Winter Wonderland Makeup Capsule and/or The "Take 2" / "Do Over" Makeup Capsule - With the winter solstice coming December 21, let's put together a capsule of one or more product that celebrates the season!

Week 52 (December 23 - January 5) - The Holiday Glam Makeup Capsule and/or  The "2024 Makeup Capsule Collection" Makeup Capsule - A few options for us to close out the makeup capsules for 2024 (or to kick start 2025)!

Show us the beauties you use when you want to add glitz and glam (or, that up the glitz and glam element) to your makeup look.

and/or 

Curate a bag with your go-to, GOAT, ride-or-die products that would make up your ultimate makeup capsule collection (for 2024). If it's too much to put together a creme de la creme capsule or if you're at your best with options, consider putting together a makeup capsules of one or more favorites you discovered (or re-discovered) in 2024. 

Previous Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 12.8.2024]

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 (Spring 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
22 - The  May 2024 "On Top", "On The Chopping Block" or "On Repeat" Makeup Capsule
23 - The Love Is Love Makeup Capsule
24 - The Repurposed Makeup Capsule and/or The Multi-tasking Makeup Capsule
25 - The "Welcome, Summer!" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Good Stuff" Makeup Capsule
26 - The June 2024 "On Top", "On the Chopping Block" and/or "On Repeat" Makeup Capsule
27 - The Indie Brands Makeup Capsule and/or The Summer Vacation Makeup Capsule
28 - The "If I Were To Curate My Ultimate Makeup Capsule" Makeup Capsule (aka The "These are My Favorite Products" Makeup Capsule) 
29 - The Sticks and (Gem)Stones Makeup Capsule and/or The Pops of Colour: Summer Edition Makeup Capsule
30 - The BIC Inspired Summer Edition Makeup Capsule and/or The Pan It! Makeup Capsule
31 - The July 2024 New, Old, or "Is It Time For This To Go?" Makeup Capsule
32 - The Take 2 / Do Over Makeup Capsule and/or The "Sleeping Beauties" Makeup Capsule 
33 - The Day-to-Night (or Date Night): Summer Edition Makeup Capsule and/or The "Outside My Comfort Zone" Makeup Capsule
34 - The Samples Makeup Capsule and/or The Newness Makeup Capsule 
35 - The August 2024 Throw Down!, Throwback, and/or Throw Out? Makeup Capsule 
36 - The Workhorses Makeup Capsule
37 - The Runway or Red Carpet Inspired Makeup Capsule and/or The "BIC Inspired" Makeup Capsule 
38 - The LatinX Founded / Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule
39 - The September 2024 Throw Down!, Throwback, and/or Throw Out? Makeup Capsule and/or The Brands at SEPHORiA Makeup Capsule
40 - The "Pop of Colour": Fall Edit Makeup Capsule and/or The Musician Founded or Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule
41 - The "Dynamic Duos (or Trios)" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Products with Interesting / Attention-Grabbing Names" Makeup Capsule
42 - The "Makeup I'm Thankful For" Makeup Capsule and/or The Do Over / Take 2 Makeup Capsule
43 - The "How Low Can I Go?" Makeup Capsule and/or The Global Makeup Capsule
44 - The "Sleeper Hits" Makeup Capsule and/or The October 2024 Throw Down, Throwback, and/or Throw Out? Makeup Capsule
45 - The Sweater Weather Makeup Capsule and/or The Holidays Savings (Shop The Sale) Makeup Capsule
46 - The Time Capsule Makeup Capsule and/or The Awesomely Affordable and/or Spectacularly Splurge-worthy Makeup Capsule
47 - The "Please, Don't Go!" / Discontinued Products Makeup Capsule and/or The Newness Makeup Capsule
48 - The Things I'm Thankful For Makeup Capsule and/or The “BIC Inspired” Fall Makeup Capsule
49 - The Beautifully Bold or Delightfully Demure Makeup Capsule and/or The "Savvy Shopper" 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. 

[itsfi]

@caitbird, I started out with 2 lip liners and it stayed that way for a long while (with the exception of gwp’s) and then a couple of years ago, I thought, “maybe I should expand my lip liner collection a little.” Between BIC recommendations and  “trying things for science” 😝 I now have more than 2 lip liners. 🤣

Yeaah, what falls within the definition of “indie” brand is a harder one to narrow down, and to me, it may have a more subjective component to it in terms of how someone views a brand’s or organization’s independence. 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  I hear you on BIC recommendations (which of course I always appreciate!) and "I just want to try this bc I'm curious" and next thing you know, your collection has mushroomed...😅

It makes sense that what's considered an "indie" brand or not is pretty subjective in a lot of cases. I guess I never thought about it really, but it's not really like there's an official classification from The Powers That Be (whoever that would be in this case?) of "oh Brand X is indie and Brand Y is not". So I suppose for all intents and purposes, if you personally consider a brand to be indie or not is good enough!

[danielledanielle]

@caitbird, same in the indie brand space, I had to think hard for this week

ETA, I forget 9/10 BIC usually has a thread for that:

THE INDIE AND UNKNOWN BRANDS THREAD 

[caitbird]

@danielledanielle  thanks for the link, I forgot about this thread too!

[CynthieLu]

Oooh both of your makeup bags for this challenge are so magically roomy. 🪄🎩 The fits are fabulous!

I'm so glad to see this lip liner lineup. I had questions about your thoughts comparing your Huda liner to liners in your collection, it looks like this week they'll be put to the test. I'm here for this and eager to see the results @itsfi 😀

[itsfi]

I know, right @CynthieLu?! I wondered whether that meant I was doing better at streamlining my capsules. 😉 But no, that’s not the case, as I’ve had a few different capsules in rotation this week. 😱🤪 

That pale pink faux croc makeup bag? I had originally planned to use it to hold my makeup for the sticks capsules and I was using it as I was collecting my stick products  in preparation for curating a capsule when it came time to do so. Weeeeeellll … I quickly ran out of room. 😳 Not enough space in this bag. Or, I have too many stick products. Or, maybe both. 🤭 

[ather]

@itsfi  Ooo I like this theme! I feel like I may have a little more indie makeup brands!! Maybe I can put a quick capsule together tonight for tomorrow!!

Yes!!! Battle of the line(rs) will be sooo fun. I can’t wait to see who will come out on top and which ones will be repurposed or tossed in the trash!!! This will be a super exciting one!! Can’t wait to see which liner will reign them all!! 

[itsfi]

To quote Bon Jovi, "Whoa, we're halfway there" 

And that we are indeed. Technically just a few more hours. 

A quick check-in to see how we're doing with these weekly capsules. 

1.  What, if anything, has surprised you about this challenge and/or your participation in it?

2.  What, if any, goals do you have for your weekly capsules, for the last half of the year? By the way, it's a fabulous goal to keep with the status quo as far as capsules go - nothing like keeping steady with the game plan you already have going. 

Curious to hear from everyone. I'll post my responses below in a reply to this post. 

[danielledanielle]

1.  What, if anything, has surprised you about this challenge and/or your participation in it?

I wanted to participate from the get go, but literally just finishing making a person, so the fact that I was able to organize most of my stash and get in before the midpoint made me happy.

I also got rid of a few things.  I gathered a bunch of hippies and created lipstick purgatory, but I didn't get into it right away.  Once I did, I found some goodies, and then I realized that I gotta be realistic.  Some things had their last hurrahs about two weeks ago and I can't even recall what lips the were.

(I did start buying things to add into challenges, OOP, but not surprising)

2.  What, if any, goals do you have for your weekly capsules, for the last half of the year? By the way, it's a fabulous goal to keep with the status quo as far as capsules go - nothing like keeping steady with the game plan you already have going

Honestly, not sure.  If I can declutter a few more things that I'm having trouble letting go of, that'd be good.

[itsfi]

And an absolutely adorable person you made @danielledanielle! 😍 

That's impressive that you've organized most of your stash. I'm organizing as I go 🤣 decluttering along the way and adding to a bin for "things I should really get to before the end of the year" 😮

Yaaaay, you decluttered some lippies. 🙌 Do you have a particular process you go through when deciding what to let go?

[caitbird]

@itsfi  I love your idea to have a "halfway there" check in!

A quick check-in to see how we're doing with these weekly capsules.
1. What, if anything, has surprised you about this challenge and/or your participation in it?

I have been (pleasantly) surprised by how much fun I've had participating in this challenge as I've been able to, and what a great way it has been to nudge me into trying and using more new-to-me items from my stash. Like @CynthieLu  said, this challenge makes me look at my makeup collection with new eyes, and that has been a lot of fun. One of my biggest surprises/accomplishments (?) that came out of this challenge was my success in putting together a pared-down makeup routine that took me about 10 minutes to do - I didn't know I could do that and I'm very happy to have this new simpler routine as an option now!

2. What, if any, goals do you have for your weekly capsules, for the last half of the year? By the way, it's a fabulous goal to keep with the status quo as far as capsules go - nothing like keeping steady with the game plan you already have going.

My main goals for this capsule challenge going forward are 1) to participate as often as I'm able to - setting a goal of participating every week is probably not going to be realistic for me, but I hope to be able to participate 2-3 times a month. 2) to include at least one new or little-used item in each capsule - I have so many makeup products that I've bought and then haven't used yet, or have barely used, so I'd like to make it a point to try new things and give different products a chance in the rotation. 3) to incorporate the makeup items I am working on for this year's pan it! challenge - I would really like to make more progress with those, and I think this will be a great way to encourage me to do that.

[itsfi]

I love, love, looooove that you've been able to put together a more pared down makeup routine that you're happy with @caitbird! It's great to have that for days when you're short on time or just days when you want something quick & easy, but you still are able to create a look that feels like you. 😍

Those are great goals. I struggle sometimes with that balance between using what I already have open and opening up a product in my stash sooner rather than later because I want to make use of it before it gets closer to its expiration date. Yes, to incorporating into your capsules, products you are looking to pan - it's a great way to keep your capsules fresh and use your pan items. Definitely tailor your participation on what works for you, including how you like to do your makeup. Having a weekly capsule generally works for me because I'm fine with having a set of products for the entire week, with maybe some options for lips. Or, some weeks, having more than one capsule. But that's not everyone's cup o' tea - I completely understand that. Jump on in when you have time and as it fits into your routine. Always love seeing your capsules and looks. 

[caitbird]

@itsfiI am really pleased that I now have that pared-down makeup routine/look as an option - now I don't have to only choose either a full face look and the requisite time that takes, or no makeup at all. It's nice to have an option in between those two.

Thank you so much (both for running this fun challenge and for your unwavering encouragement and support, always)! 💜

[CynthieLu]

1. What, if anything, has surprised you about this challenge and/or your participation in it?

What surprised me most about this challenge was how much fun I had participating. Putting together these capsules for thier different themes etc.. challenged me to think about my makeup stash differently. It made me appreciate my collection more and see it different ways.

2. What, if any, goals do you have for your weekly capsules, for the last half of the year? By the way, it's a fabulous goal to keep with the status quo as far as capsules go - nothing like keeping steady with the game plan you already have going

My goal is just to have keep having fun with this and make time to participate as often as I can.  

[itsfi]

Awwww, I'm thrilled to hear that this has been a fun challenge for you @CynthieLu @caitbird. Between this challenge and the no/low buys I've been having during the first half of the year, I feel like I've made better choices for myself when it's come to my purchases, curbed the frequency and volume of retail therapy purchases, and discovered and rediscovered some great products from shopping my stash! 💗

[caitbird]

@CynthieLu  I couldn't agree more, this has been such a fun challenge to participate in and it has really made me see my makeup collection with fresh eyes!

[itsfi]

1. What, if anything, has surprised you about this challenge and/or your participation in it?

      What surprised me? That I've stuck with it and not just with the same items from week 1. 😂 For as much makeup as I have, I tend to reach for the same things time and time again, with the exception that my lip products vary depending on my mood or what I'm wearing, so having some newness added has taken some getting used to, but it's been a lot of fun and I am happy that I am working through other products i my collection.

Also, there have been weeks when it's been more challenging than others to find the bandwidth to curate a new capsule, but I try to remind myself how good it is have the capsules all set in advance every morning. Having a makeup bag curated with products - for a simple, quick & easy look and for a full face - has streamlined my getting ready efforts in a marvelous way; everything seems to just go by so much more swiftly, smoothly and seamlessly. 👍 

2. What, if any, goals do you have for your weekly capsules, for the last half of the year? By the way, it's a fabulous goal to keep with the status quo as far as capsules go - nothing like keeping steady with the game plan you already have going. 

      I've come up with 2 goals I'd like to work on with my capsules over the last half of the year. 

      - Pan It / Project Pan - I'd like to incorporate the makeup products I have for the pan it! challenge more often in my weekly capsules, especially the ND Biba shadows I'm working to pan. My current plan is to try to incorporate one of those items into a capsule, be it the main capsule I've curated for a particular week or as an add-on for a weekend look using some of the items from the week's capsule. 

      - Battles / Showdowns - I really enjoyed my Week ​22 capsule, where I compared (read: tested) a few products against each other over the course of the week. Over the next 6 months, I plan to incorporate at least one battle per month in my capsules. In Week 22, I had 3-5 products in each of the complexion, cheek and eye categories, respectively, that I rotated through that week. A battle of the beauties within 3 different product categories seems a little too much for me on a monthly basis, but setting up a once-a-month battle of one category of products feels a lot less daunting and that will help me to stick with it on a regular basis. Since I know letting go of a lip product will be a major challenge for me, I think I will challenge myself by setting up a showdown among a lip product category in July. Which category? Going to noodle on that a little longer. Stay tuned!

[caitbird]

@itsfi  I love your goals for this challenge for the rest of the year! I think your idea to have "showdowns" that compare products against each other head-to-head is so fun; I'm glad you've been having fun with it as well! And I think I may need to copy your goal of including items from the pan it! challenge (really would like to make some more progress with my items for that challenge).

[itsfi]

@caitbird, thank you! These battle / showdown set ups have turned out better than I could have hoped. 😊  

Oh my goodness, if it helps you to work through products in your pan it! challenge, go for it! I totally understand and appreciate needing to make time or carve out time to work through those items that we set aside to use and work through. The themes / prompts are meant to be fun but our capsules just need one item within the prompt. Or, actually, none, if it doesn't work for you. It's nice to see what people are using and also provide an avenue for folks, if they choose, to put something together around a certain theme or concept. 

I'm starting with trying to incorporate at least one pan it! product in a capsule every week. Some weeks, it may be for the entire week; other weeks, that pan it! product may just be part of a subcapsule or a weekend look. We shall see how this goes. 🤞

[CynthieLu]

I definitely appreciate and am a fan of you product showdowns @itsfi Seeing them go up against each other and getting your results at the end of the week was thrilling! 🥊🎉

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, thank you! The battles / showdowns have provided a fun and practical way to work through products - it helps me to see how certain items compare vis-a-vis one another so I'm able to do that for the week, or, in the case of the lip liners, I may make them an ongoing battle for more than one week, or maybe even the month if I don't get distracted by something else. 🤣  This set up may also help me get over the hurdle of decluttering some lip balm / lipstick / lip gloss / lip oil products. Maybe. Not right away though. Hahahaha!