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]

I would never say "no" to poutine, @ather. 🤣 I remember the first time I had it. I told everyone we were going to try a different poutine place every day we were in Canada. And we did. 😋

[ather]

@itsfi  Aww that sounds like the best time!! 

[CynthieLu]

That looks like it! @Mellmars1185 I think your right about Parliament Hill too. That looks like a gorgeous place. 🏞️

[itsfi]

Ohhh, Lake Louise is beautiful @Mellmars1185! That is definitely a place to visit! 😍

[danielledanielle]

I love this rundown.  Didn't even think of doing Canadian brands 🤦🏽‍♀️.  It's great to highlight our friends up north!

Happy Thanksgiving to our Canuck BIc'ers

[itsfi]

I was trying to think of another tie-in to it being Canadian Thanksgiving - I had options for the thankful / grateful prompt and then my little noggin' came through at the eleventh hour with the Canadian founders/brands angle, @danielledanielle. I *may* have already eaten all my Canadian snacks so I couldn't use them in my photo - 👍 for my tummy but 👎 for my flat lay. 😜 

[itsfi]

Going to go with a longer side-theme(?) starting this week - a lipstick battle from Canadian Thanksgiving (today, October 14) and US Thanksgiving (November 28). I had originally planned to do this in conjunction with the Week 33 Outside My Comfort Zone Makeup Capsule, but sometimes things happen, plans change and we pivot. And here, we're pivoting to Week 42. 

Many, if not all, of the ones I own have been either gifted to me or sent to me as gratis. I'm thankful for both because I rarely purchase reds on my own. It gives me an opportunity to go out of my comfort zone and that's a good thing. Admittedly, I don't reach for these often and thought I'd use this period to do a longer term, more expansive battle with most of my red lipsticks. I'm interested to see which ones will stick around after this battle and which ones I'll rediscover and bring into my holiday lipstick rotation. 

Tagging @ather who loves a good beauty battle and @cianni and @missjeanie for previous conversations being the inspiration behind this pops of fall colour lippie battle. Thank you! 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Magnificent read, photos, thoughts, mentions, and gratitudes @itsfi I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving 🙂 I love that you have some red lippies to try and I think it’s great to step out of comfort zone! That’s something BIC has taught me which I am extremely greatful for! I once heard that if something doesn’t work out or is a “no” it means new oppurtunity or next oppurtunity. I love the positivity and exciting to hear of new! Great job 🙂 

[itsfi]

@peculiarzmakeup, I love the idea and promise of new opportunities. 💖 Thank you for sharing that. Stepping outside of the comfort zone isn’t easy but I appreciate that there are some great folks here with wonderful ideas and encouragement to support that, 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi I'm clearly behind in catching up with all the BIC news, but this... This was posted a week ago, I need to find some results!  I love the showdowns!

[itsfi]

@missjeanie, a quick update - the liners are being put through the gauntlet this week, with each being paired with a Sulwhasoo lip balm for one day. I'm not sure I'll let go of any liners before next month. The Armani sample packet has suddenly gone MIA - which is so odd because I have zero recollection of moving it from the makeup bag I've been keeping all these reds in 🤔. I'm not sure that Rose Inc liquid lipstick is going to stick around; and that Gucci one is also more tempermental than I remember - or perhaps, I'm being more hard nosed about getting rid of product. 😂 Tagging @CynthieLu because she expressed an interest in this battle.

Oh, I started a Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns thread for others on BIC, including those on this thread, who may be interested in doing something similar, with 2 products or a handful. I know @ather has a serious throwdown going on with eye brow gels. 😍 I'm very interested in seeing what the results of that will be. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oooo you are being more serious on whittling these down! I am impressed! And especially with the Gucci! But no matter the brand of it is temperamental it’s no fun. 

Yes!!! So happy there’s a battle thread. I have some news to share about my brow gels I have been battling. I can’t wait to add it to this thread! 

[itsfi]

I can't wait to hear your new findings on the battle of the brows @ather! Yeah, this round of decluttering this year involved a lot of getting things that just don't work for me (and that I don't reach for because they don't work for me). It also was about getting into a mindset of letting go of things while simultaneously picking and choosing when I'll make a retail therapy purchase, and when to buy because I'm really interested in or intrigued by a new release. This year, I've been slowly filling in the different cateogry of makeup with products that are loves, go-to's and for some categories, GOAT products for me. It's a process, a long one for me. 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi I remember getting one of the Gucci liquid lips and hoping that it would somehow transform into someone who loved a liquid lip.  It's a gorgeous colour, but its... a liquid lip.  I'm just in my tinted balm/stains phase and so it does not get used.  And yes, a bit temperamental is a good way to describe it!

[itsfi]

@missjeanie, I remember picking up one of the Gucci liquid lips when they were first released - I loved it, color, consistency, wear time, etc. - and, as a result, I picked up pretty much all of the shades over time. Yeah ... as in the Sesame Street segment, (some) of these things are not like the others. 🤣

[ather]

@itsfi  This is such a fitting battle! I love it. Red goes with both Canada and USA colours! So it’s the perfect battle! I can’t wait to see which one(s) reign over the others!! 

[itsfi]

Ahhh, I hadn't even thought of the tie-in with the red - brilliant @ather! Having an extended time for these battles have been helpful and Canadian Thanksgiving to US Thaksgiving seems like a solid amount of time for it, too. Going forward, I'm going to try this more often - sometimes it'll just be two products battling it out during the week; other times, it'll be products throwing down for multiple weeks. The variety in terms of products and testing period will be good - it'll allow me to tailor it to what type of product I'm testing and the number of them. 

I'm hoping this battle of the reds 🥊💄 will be fruitful on multiple fronts - coming up with a red for the holidays, whittling down my collection, and just putting some of these lippies to use. For someone who doesn't wear reds often, I have a ... healthy ... amount of red lipsticks and I have had a hard time letting some go. I have 20 red hued items here - I haven't firmly set a number of products I'm hoping to declutter from here, but I've been considering maybe going with an 80/20 split as a general target - aim to destash 20% of the reds from this group, so 4 items 😲. I dunno, thinking aloud here, that seems like a lot, but I can try.  Wish me luck. 🤞

[ather]

@itsfi  such a pleasant coincidence with the red! Wow 4 is a huge number to declutter! I can’t wait to see this play out!! 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Beautiful line up of reds! I beleive there was recently a challenge over on Re: Makeup Challenge of the Week 2021/2022

for a red lip look. The M.A.C lippie is cute with the hearts on it! 

[itsfi]

Oooh, thanks for tagging that thread @Mellmars1185. I'm bookmarking your post so I'll remember to go back and post to the thread. I love the MAC lipstick case - 

[CynthieLu]

That's a beautiful collection of reds 🍎 I'm eager to see which one of the pretties will be a keep or a pass. @itsfi 

Because you rarely purchase a red, I'm a little curious to know what ones you picked up yourself and what drew you to them. I feel like it had to be a special red you get you to take the purchase plunge. 💋