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 41 (October 7 - 13) - The "Dynamic Duos (or Trios)" Makeup Capsule and/or The "Products with Interesting / Attention-Grabbing Names" Makeup Capsule -  Are there certain combinations of products that are just so exceptionally well suited for you, be it a go-to lip liner and lipstick pairing, or a smokey eye and red lip combination that slays, or a blush and highlighter mix that makes your cheeks pop? Curate a capsule with two or more products that fit better together, or if you have a set of products that just work seamlessly, please share your all-star beauty combinations. 

OR, 

Put together a capsule with one or more products bearing interesting or attention-grabbing names. I'll leave it to you to define what falls within the definition of "interesting" 🤤 or "attention-grabbing". 😮

Upcoming Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 10.6.2024] Take a sneak peek at the weekly themes to come.

Spoiler

Week 42 (October 14 - 20) - The "Makeup I'm Thankful For" Makeup Capsule and/or The Do Over / Take 2 Makeup Capsule - To celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving (October 14) with our Canadian BIC beauties 🇨🇦, let's curate a capsule this week of products you are thankful for, be it: 

• because it was gifted to you by a friend, family or brand
• because it's a HG or a tried-and-true product you can't be without
• because it holds sentimental or nostalgic value to you
• or, just because

OR, use the week to repeat or "do over" a past makeup capsule or capsule theme. Consider posting your "Do over" / "Take 2" 🎬 look on the Makeup Challenge of the Week 2021/2022/2023/2024 thread. 😍


⏭  Additional October themes can be found here - October 2024 Makeup Capsule Themes

Previous Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 10.6.2024]

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
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

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. 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  re: the never-ending cycle of making lists and not getting to everything on them and making new lists: same 🤣

With the low buy struggles - I keep getting tempted by sales and/or new releases. Especially sales! I am weak for sales. I know if I want to really get serious about saving/buying less beauty I should unsubscribe from mailing lists/uninstall apps, etc., but then I'm like, but what if I do that and then I miss out on some great deal/new drop?? Lol the FOMO is real 😅

Also, I have chronic insomnia and I have a bad habit of impulse buying things in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. It's a problem 😅

[itsfi]

Ugh, chronic insomnia. I'm so, sooooo sorry @caitbird! When I was younger, I didn't need a lot of sleep, but I do now and it's rough when I can't get it to sleep or stay asleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  aww, thank you 💜 Yeah, when I was in high school I used to be able to get by on a few hours a night, but I can't do that anymore! I am hoping to be able to talk to my doctor soon about my sleep issues, and fingers crossed she can help me figure out something that will work, whatever that may be (I am just about willing to try anything, at this point).

[itsfi]

@caitbird, I hope you and your doctor are able to find a resolution for you and you are able to get both good quality sleep and hours too. 

Mine has ebbed and flowed over the last 5 years; had a bit of a relapse last month but have been making some adjustments with my bedtime routine and life that seem to be working or veering in that direction. 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  thank you so much 💜 I hope your sleep continues to improve too!

[danielledanielle]

Now I feel like I should go back and add sub capsules 🤣🤔🤔🤔 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

I mean, it is only Monday @danielledanielle. Plenty of days left in the week for subcapsules. 😂 

[CynthieLu]

3 subcapsules? Oooh that's a fun way to look at this week's challenge. @itsfi and great way to separate all your Ultimate Capsule contenders, this way everyone gets a little love. 💖

Your vacay capsule I hope gets to put to work this summer 🏝️ 🌞 

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, I’m good with having a few categories with more than a couple of products but I have a whole lot more than a couple of categories with more than that so my thought is if I’m going to have a larger makeup capsule, I should be using the extras, so subcapsules it is 😆. 

[CynthieLu]

That makes sense 😉 @itsfi a little more work involved but it's a fun way to organize a bigger capsule. Do you enjoy organizing your collection? I feel like I definitely do, it's therapeutic a little or something. It just feels good to sort it out. 💖💖

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, my feelings are usually mixed when it comes to organizing my collection - I definitely like love the idea of an organized collection, an organized, well curated one at that would be the goal. And, by "well curated" I don't necessarily mean a very minimalist collection, but I'm not sure what the magic number would be. 😣 It does feel good when I've been able to do that, even partially. So I completely understand it being therapeautic. 😀 

Sometimes I can get overwhelmed and stuck when I see how much I have to organize. Doing it bit by bit but consistently here has helped. It also helps having the accountability - I've put it out there and so, I feel like I need to at least make the effort, even if there are weeks when I don't have anything to declutter. Those weeks, in particular, I try to think through what made that group of products (or theme) one where I didn't have anything I'd let go of. Was it me and just having a hard time passing on something? Or, is there something about that prompt or that group of makeup products that suits me? It's nice to have an idea of that and it actually helps me when I think about what I might want to buy. 

The battles / showdowns have been very good for helping to whittle down my stash to get it to a place where organizing my collection all at once will feel less ... daunting. And those throwdowns are a lot of fun, too! 

[itsfi]

Week in Review (Part 2) - Week 27: The Weekend Edition  

It seems that I had more makeup capsules I wanted to put together. 🙄  

Week 27: The Indie Brands Makeup Capsule - The Minimalist Edit

 

Spoiler

💟  Em Cosmetics Daydream Cushion Foundation SPF 50 PA+++ - a nod to Michelle Phan, the OG of social media influencer. This is a beautiful cushion compact - my third (?) box, so this makes this cushion #5. Serum-like formula glides on smoothly. It evens tones, offers some blurring effect, and leaves a lovely natural finish with a soft, healthy glow.

🌻 For my cheeks, I'm going with minori beauty, a San Francisco, California (woohoo!) based, eco-friendly brand founded by a Kazakhstan-born Canadian and her husband (who she met when they were studying in Montreal) - Cream Blush (Orchid) and Cream Highlighter (Champagne) - these are easy, peasy to apply and blend. 

👁  Kept the eyes simple with a wash of brown (so surprising, right?!! 😄) from Makeup Revolution I Heart Chocolate Palette - Salted Caramel and added a pop of color with Ere Perez Natural Almond Mascara - Mauve (a pretty, plum shade)

💄  In preparation for our upcoming sticks makeup capsules, I went with two lip crayon sticks - Ere Perez Coco Crayon - Grace and Reina Rebelde Mini Bold Lip Color Stick - Divina - one for the morning and one for the evening when I added a light dab of the blue shade from the Makeup Revolution palette to my eyes (outer V) for a little (but not too, too much) extra. Touched up my lips throughout the day and night as needed with Seraphine Botanical Apple + Baume Glow Lip Mask, an oldie but goodie I found while doing a little summer cleaning last weekend.

Week 27: The Summer Vacay Makeup Capsule  

I'm extra low maintenance when it comes to my makeup on vacation, especially if I'm going to warmer, tropical climates. For this makeup look, we'll start off with the fits - 

Spoiler

😎  Sunblock as primer is a winning combo for me. OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright Mineral Face Sunscreen SPF 30 1.7 oz / 50 mL is great for providing sun protection along with adding some brightness to the complexion. It has a creamy but not heavy consistency that works well for me when my skin is normal-to-dry and slightly-to-moderately dehydrated underneath.

🌹DIOR Backstage Concealer is a beauty for spot concealing or, in a pinch, subbing in as a foundation. Good for the under eyes too.

🌸  Minori Beauty Cream Blush - Orchid for a little color to my cheeks and lips

💗  MAKEUP BY MARIO SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer®  for all over warmth and wash of color on my eyelids.

⭐  Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Brightening Pencil  - Light 1 (discontinued) has been a workhorse - I just love how it brightens my eye area when used on the lower waterline. Also great for giving more definition to the cupid's bow. Love this. 

👁  Shiseido Eyelash Curler Eyelash Curler is a tried-and-true favorite. I look better with my lashes curled, with or without mascara. I prefer waterproof mascara but the Tower 28 Beauty Mini MakeWaves Lengthening + Volumizing Mascara Jet has been impressing me with its staying power so I thought I'd put it to the test today.

💋  This makeup bag holds quite a few beauties for something so compact, so why not add a lip balm and gloss to the mix - I'm pretty sure I'll use both the CAY SKIN Isle Lip Balm SPF 30 with Sea Moss and Aloe Stem Cells Clear and the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Crystal Holographic Lip Luminizer - Holla'gram (discontinued) throughout the day, on their own or atop of the minori. I can't be the ony person who wants Holla'gram brought back permanently, right?!

😘  These days my bag, makeup or handbag, would not be complete without a Touchland Power Mist Hydrating Hand Sanitizer (this is in the Lemon Lime version, apparently only available directly through the brand's site?) and the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Find Comfort Stop & Soothe Aromatherapy Pen 0.16 oz / 5 mL 

No declutters this week as the products in my weekend capsules are either tried-and-true or items I'm trying for the first time and, unless they break me out (and none did), I want to give them a fair amount of use before letting them go. 

I'm both excited for next week's capsule and also dreading having to put it together - it's not so much what to include as it is what will be excluded. 😩 I'll definitely be working on my editing skills when it comes to picking which makeup products would currently make up my ultimate makeup capsule. Ack! It sounded like a good theme when I came up with it, but now, picking my favorite child / children doesn't seem so easy. 🤣 Will aim to be back later today for an early post with that capsule.

[caitbird]

@itsfi  I love your approach of putting together multiple capsules for each theme - weekend editions, minimalist edits, etc.! At the moment I am happy if I manage to put together *a* capsule for the week's theme, but I love that you do more.

I know what you mean about how hard it can be to pick a favorite product (or favorite child if you will) in each category, though for me personally it depends on what type/category of makeup it is. For some things, like primers, I don't have many and pretty much use the same tried and true couple that I know I love and work well for me, so that choice is a no-brainer. But picking a favorite eyeshadow single or palette? Impossible! 😅

[itsfi]

@caitbird, at first, when I did the subcapsules, I was using different products from the main weekly one. Recently I've been trying to modify that approach and do a true subcapsule - so, I have the capsule based on the week's theme and I've been making it a smidge larger - on an every day basis for makeup, I'd generally be fine with a tint/foundation, a lip product, mascara, a cheek product of some sort (usually bronzer or blush in the warmer seasons), an a setting spray/powder to seal the deal. 😅 But I like options for my foundation and lip products - even if I go for the same item, I still just like the idea of having something else to pick from, in case I need it. lol Going forward, I'll aim to do a subcapsule one week per month, with the "larger one" being 12 - 15 products and choosing from within that group, some mix of 6 - 10 products for a weekend/minimalist subcapsule. 

I love seeing the categories that folks here have specific go-to's for and which categories people like having more options in their collection. Two categories I can whittle down to just a small, small few are brow products and liquid eyeliner. If my collection was assessed based on those two categories, I'd be in the running for being a minimalist. If we're talking lip products, maximalist. 🤣 I love that your primer collection is so well edited. I want to get there with my setting spray / powders, which I think I can; I just have so many that are open and haven't been reached for very often - there's a showdown there at some point.

[itsfi]

Week In Review (Part 1) Week 27: The Indie Brand Makeup Capsule

It's a throwback to the original setup of my weekly capsule recap for Part 1 of this week in review. 

Top Shelf: 

🏆  No makeup additions to my Top Shelf, but I'm shouting out Touchland Power Mist Hydrating Hand Sanitizer and the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Find Comfort Stop & Soothe Aromatherapy Pen 0.16 oz / 5 mL - both can usually be found in either my purse or makeup bag. I suspect it will come as no surprise that the Touchland is 🐐 and I can see that being the same for the RB aromatherapy pen at some point - this is pen #4 for me (I've also purchased a handful as gifts but have personally gone through 3, so far, at least). I stopped counting how many of the Touchland I've gone through. 😅

Undecided: 

❓  No declutters (yet) from the battle of the lip liners but I have 2 on the chopping, for different reasons. More details below.  

Declutters:

🗑  Sadly, neither shades of the LYS Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation are a good shade match, which is a shame as I enjoy the formulation on this one. I can certainly make them work with bronzer or blending with other foundations. I even tried mixing the two shades themselves. Not truly a declutter as I've used up all the product but I haven't come up with a category for something like that. I'm also keeping these jars as they are very convenient for travel (or for future samples at a non-Sephora store (that carries more shades in store) and since there are a couple of other shades that may be worth looking into). For purposes of my own declutter count, I'm not going to include samples like these in the tally, though I will count them in my empties tally. 

And now, for the main event ... Battle of the Lip Liners, Round 1 @ather @caitbird @CynthieLu 

Isn't it interesting how similar in shade / color these liners appear to be? I was actually surprised by that and I know I really should not have been. 😅 In any event, all but the HUDA BEAUTY Mini Lip Liner Contour Set and the Freck Beauty MAKEOUT CLUB Nude Muse Lip Liner Shade 02 survive to fight 😉🤣 another day and back into the stash they go. So, where did the Huda Beauty and Freck Beauty liners falter? 

Shade 02 of the Freck lip liner (described as a "warm pink nude" on the produt page) looks so pretty in the swatch, but when applied onto my lips, it takes on a chalky, pasty, and patchy pink hue that isn't my cup of tea. I did not experience this with Shade 04. Wondering if it's just a fluke so I'm going to give it another go at different intervals during the month. Stay tuned.

Ahhhh, the Huda lip liner. I have a feeling my lips are not its intended audience. Used just to line the lips, it's fine. It's when I use it to line and fill in my lips where I struggle with it. It makes my lips feel dry, leaves a tacky feel, and accentuates all the lines on my lips. To be fair, that last bit will likely be true of most liners - it's my lips, not the liner in that regard - some of it has to do with me needing to be better with my lip care and some of it is just part of the aging process. That said, the Huda lip liner performed pretty much the same when I filled in my lips with and without a lip primer - I used MAC Prep + Prime. ☹️ 

Open the spoiler at your own risk. ⚠️ 

Spoiler

Spoiler

To give the Huda a fair shake, I'm going to give my lips some more TLC and will bring back the Huda again later this month. To be continued .

Edited to add: One other hiccup with the Huda lip liner is the sharpener. First, brava that it comes with a sharpener at the end. Performance-wise though it is not the best. I cannot get it to a fine point, no matter how many times or different ways I've tried - turning the sharpener and holding the pencil straight, and vice versa. Also, didn't matter how much of liner product I twisted up to sharpen. It wouldn't sharpen to a fine point and I feel like with this lip contour pencil, a fine point is a plus! Thanks for reminding me about the sharpener @CynthieLu!

[caitbird]

@itsfi  thanks for the tag! And thanks for your detailed thoughts, as always, they are both interesting and helpful. Out of curiosity, do you have a favorite lip liner brand (out of these ones or others)? I am looking for a sort of neutral pink/nude lip liner and it seems like you have a few of those 😉

PS I love your glossy sage green nails in that pic with the sharpener, so pretty!

[itsfi]

@caitbird, yeah, just a few 🤣 Brand-wise, Givenchy for lip liners - I have two I have yet to swatch, which I'll do and post tonight or tomorrow and will tag you so you can compare the shades - one of the colors I think you might like for a pinky-brown shade. Of these lip liners though, I like the Dominique Cosmetics (wish it was part of her regular collection) and the exa liner (it's the closest to my natural lip color) best.

Edited to add: Thank you for the compliment - and the reminder. I'll post that mani to the nails 2.0 thread - it's Chanel 131 Cavalier Seul - part of their summer collection last year. It's one of my favorite green polishes. 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  thank you for the answer - you are so kind! I will definitely check out those brands you mentioned. 💜

[CynthieLu]

I was very curious about this lip liner outcome @itsfi thank you for sharing this with us. 🙏 But I will add, in regards to your swatches, I see them all as being distinctly different in color. 😉 

It's been a successful battle by the looks of things, two opponents just got knocked out of the ring. 🥊( Well, possibly two depending on how Huda behaves for you with little more tlc. ) I hope you feel good about this outcome. 😀

I have a random question, Do you have a preferred liner sharpener? I fell like ones I've come across are all manglers. 

[itsfi]

Ahhh, I know; I really appreciated how invested you were in this lip liner battle @CynthieLu! Thank you. And especially so about your astute eye - I'm going to let anyone who might comment that all my stuff looks the same know that that is in fact not the case and the cynthielu agrees! 😁 I am feeling good about the outcome; thank you. It's helpful for me to breakdown the decluttering certain beauty products. It's also been a sobering reminder of the ... let's say, bench strength 😂 of my makeup collection, even more so coming off of my no-buy last month. Still buying 😆 but I'm much better at pausing and thinking through whether I really want to pick up something and the why. 

Ouch, very sorry to hear about your liner sharpeners. Tried-and-true OG sharpeners for me are the NARS Pencil Sharpener and the old Chanel sharpener from decades ago. The NARS is still available, but just a note - at least with my older one, the lid on it is not the most secure, so if you are going to toss it in your makeup bag or purse, or take it with you when you travel, empty it before you include it in your bag/purse, etc. Otherwise, the liner shavings from previous sharpenings may spill out. The sharpener itself is excellent. 👍

Sephora had a 5-in-1 sharpener a couple of years ago, but it's been discontinued. That offered good variety for different sizes of liners. They do have a SEPHORA COLLECTION 3-in-1 Pencil Sharpener that is also good - on the US site it's currently 50% off - hoping this might be something available in Canada, also at half off. 🤞 

[CynthieLu]

I really do feel a sense of excitement waiting for the results of your showdowns @itsfi Comparing products and having them pitted against eachother in a week of wear tests could be a show I would watch each week. 😉 I would be a loyal viewer lol.

Okay I'll have to order the Sephora one, I get so much apprehension as a pencil wears down and I know I'll have to sharpen it. 😭