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 49 (December 2 - 😎 - The Beautifully Bold or Delightfully Demure Makeup Capsule and/or The "Savvy Shopper" Makeup Capsule - The "Beautifully Bold or Delightfully Demure" Makeup Capsule prompt was inspired by a comment by the mom of our marvelous @caitbird. Mama caitbird is a gem - bringing broken mugs back to life, making delicious meals and treat. She's a superwoman and it just made me laugh heartily when caitbird shared about an occasion when her mom gave her major side-eye over one of caitbird's stunningly vibrant and beautiful makeup looks of the day.

Curate a capsule with the one or more products you use for a beautifully bold or delightfully demure look. Or, a capsule with a mix of these two looks. Also, for this theme, you may want to consider a tie-in with Cheek Challenge Winter 2024/25, The Frost, The Glitz and The Wardrobe for a princess / prince - like flush of color.

Discover a loved product from the Sephora sales event? Or, did a holiday savings event item just find its way to your front door? Were there beauties too good to pass up during the Black Friday, Green Friday, Small Business Saturday,  Cyber Monday, or general holiday sales? Share a makeup capsule consisting of one or more beauties you picked up during the holiday sale season. 

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

Spoiler

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.

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 12.2.2024]

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

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. 

[makeitup305]

@itsfi oh ok. I feel you, most of my kbeauty lippies are from brands that do more muted or neutral tones.

[itsfi]

@makeitup305, that’s the thing that’s so interesting - I expected the lip shades to be on the paler, doesn’t show up well on my more pigmented lips. I went with this shade thinking the color payoff would be higher intensity. It was. Just higher wattage than I’m comfortable with. 🤣 I’m getting a slightly better idea for how to pick lip shades from Kbeauty brands. 

[itsfi]

Week 44 - The "Sleeper Hits" Makeup Capsule (with a red lips throw down for good measure! 😅)

Spoiler

COMPLEXION: 
  Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder has been a product I've had in my collection but haven't really used but a couple of time. This week seemed like a fitting one to put it to use on a more regular basis. Stay tuned to find out if this stays or goes.

🎵  Em Cosmetics DayDream Cushion SPF Cushion Tint (Gentle Light - Light/Medium) has been wearing well for me and I wanted to carry it over to this week's capsule. It's a sleeper in the sense that I always end up picking up another one of these but I don't know if I've ever really given it the attention it may deserve.

🎶  Likewise, the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Hue Drops Sun Glow Serum has sorta come out of the dark for me and I wonder if I just didn't know how to best utilize it in my collection. It really pairs nicely with the Em Cosmetics cushion compact so this week is a great time to give it more love.

CHEEKS:
🎵  The lilybyred Luv Beam Glow Veil (03 #Sugar Beam and 05 #Soda Beam) were a pleasant surprise from last week; so pleasant that I want to use them for another week. 

🎨  Cheek products probably get the least amount of attention when it comes to my daily makeup looks, so  blontour a la Cheek Challenge Fall 2024: Fall Flushing Forward is on the agenda for the week. I've set aside these four items - 2 cream products and 2 powder products to use for trying my hand at blontour. 

Edit 10.28.2024 - Hahahaha! I messed up blontour because I completely made up my own definition for it. 🤣 Okay, major edit to be made tomorrow!  I will not be using the products tagged below , but will reach for my Rhode Pocket Blush in Toasted Teddy. I may get into BIC University because of their lenient admission criteria but ouch, I may not graduate. 🎓 😜

Ami Colé Desert Date Cream Blush & Lip Multistick Hibiscus is a Top Shelf product for me and the DIOR Forever 24H Skin Contour Stick Sculpting and Bronzing Face Stick seems like it will find its way there eventually as well. 

For powder products, I'll pair SEPHORA COLLECTION Sephora Colorful® Contour Matte Powder with Dior Rouge Blush 556 Cosmic Coral (Limited Edition). I'll post swatches and thoughts on the performance of these products and results to the Cheek Challenge Fall 2024 thread later in the week. 

EYES: 

🥊  This'll be the last week of my eyeshadow primer testing battle between NARS Pro-Prime™ Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base Original (discontinued(?)) and the about-face Shadow Fix Eye Primer. The about-face has been a sleeper hit as I've been surprised how well it has performed.

🎶  My lashes haven't historically paired well with non-waterproof mascara. Then came Tower 28 Beauty Mini MakeWaves Lengthening + Volumizing Mascara Jet - it had a huge following everywhere, including here on BIC. It took me a while to give this a try - Tower 28 released this baby in early fall 2022 and I just gave it a try this year - and wow, I shouldn't hav waited. This is my go-to non-waterproof mascara and the one that makes me more comfortable with trying other similar non-waterproof mascaras.

🎵  Another sleeper mascara for me is the CLIO Long & Curl Up Waterproof Black Mascara Volumizing & Lengthening Long-Wearing Mascara, which is quickly becoming my choice for my everyday mascara. My lashes have more definition to them volume-wise and the length this gives is noticeable. Love that it wears long and well. 

💮  I have two brow gels in my current rotation, the Glossier Boy Brow and this MERIT Brow 1980 Volumizing Tinted Eyebrow Gel-Pomade - this is an older version of the product - the shade is blonde but has been renamed Taupe (a cool toned blonde). I tend to only have 1 or 2 brow gels open at a time and I don't foresee opening a new one until @ather's battle of the brows have concluded and her results have been tabulated and shared. #BIC Science Team 😚

🎶  Mizon Vegan (Liquid) Liner has come out of the gate strong! I've only used it a few times but it's performed beautifully each time. It will be a long way before any of my current liquid eyeliners earn GOAT status, but this one is a contender for a space in my ultimate makeup collection (which at this point will consist of 2-3 black liquid eyeliners - it should only be 1 or 2, but I'm thinking this will be one of those categories where I'll need want options. 😅

LIPS:

My Thankgiving (Canada) to Thanksgiving (US) battle of the red lips continues. Unlike previous weeks, I'll make an effort to wear some combination of these red lip product every day this week. <<insert deep breath here>> Not gonna lie, this will really be outside of my comfort zone - I very rarely wear red lipstick, but here we go. 

💋  Will prep my lips with Tatcha The Kissu Lip Scrub 0.4 oz / 12g 
💄  Dior - I'll come back with the name / tag of this shade later tonight.
💋  Hourglass Unlocked Satin Creme Lipstick- Red 0 Red 0 
💄  Jack Black NightMode™ Lip Treatment 0.25 oz / 7 mL 
💋  SEPHORA COLLECTION Retractable Rouge Gel Lip Liner 35 bad apple 
💄  Gucci Long Lasting Bold Lip Liner Rubis 
💋  Gucci Long Lasting Bold Lip Liner Bordeaux 

Swatches and thoughts on performance will be posted to the Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns after I've had time to work my way through these items.

The "Fits":

Everything, including the blontour and lip products (which I added after taking the photo) all fits in this bag - it was given out at the Drunk Elephant booth at SEPHORiA 2024: Atlanta (along with some deluxe samples of a few of their products) and was one of my favorite smaller bags from the event. 

[makeitup305]

I love that bag @itsfi !

[itsfi]

It’s such a fun one @makeitup305, and the bright orange means it stands out. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Incredible capsule! I immediately noticed the NARS Pro-Prime™ Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base Original  it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I love your goals and organization! I always learn so much ❤️ @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Thank you @peculiarzmakeup! I like having both structure and flexibility so the capsule concept works well for me and it’s been a great tool to helping me to whittle down the overall size of my collection and to identify the all star pieces in it. ♥️

[ather]

@itsfi  Great lineup! I think you would definitely still pass Sephora University. One little mistake wouldn’t take you out of the runnings! We all make mistakes!!!

How is the battle of the reds going? Have you been wearing them more! 

[itsfi]

@ather, Ohh, I need to post an update about the battle of the reds; thank you so much for the reminder. This week has been all reds - I miss my neutrals and MLBB (my lips but better) shades 😆 but at the same time, I’ve been enjoying working my way through my red lipsticks. I’ve surprisingly been inclined to keep more than I thought I would, but I will work hard to be realistic in how many I keep. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oh that’s so interesting! Good job you have been sticking to using them! I agree I have a hard time using reds. It’s just not something I use all the time. 

[itsfi]

@ather, if I didn’t have them set out on my line of sight, I wouldn’t have reached for them. A couple of times my hand instinctively went towards shades I would normally wear. 😆 

[CynthieLu]

You've set some exciting goals this week's @itsfi it's the season of reds! 🎈🍂, I hope your not the usual lips this week feels fun. 😃 

Oooh the orange jelly bag is so swell! And it came to you filled with DE mini's? That's too good!  There's something about the jelly style, it's 80's nostalgia or something.. I dig it!

I appreciate the blush/blontour edit. I don't think I fully have grasped this week's challenge. I've read it and looked at the BIC University @danielledanielle put together but I'm hoping I can watch a video to help me put all the pieces together on this one. 🔎

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, I went the blush + contour route but that's not it. As far as I can tell, it's using blush in the areas and how you would apply contour. I'm thinking a cool-toned brown-leaning or a brown hued or tinged blush may be how to do this, but yes, further research required. 😅 @danielledanielle 

[itsfi]

For anyone who may have missed the edits to my original post above, ummmm....there are edits to my original post. My "interpretation" of blontour was off ... way off. I really hope BIC University grades on a curve ... like a circle curve. 🤣

[itsfi]

Sit back, there's a lot to digest with my look back at what worked and what didn't with Week 43 - The Global Makeup Capsule.

Top Shelf:

I don't feel that I've used most of these beauties enough to give them a Top Shelf designation. There are a couple of items that are Top Shelf contenders but I want to be thoughtful about this. 

The Standouts / The Rising Stars: 

Impressed. Very impressed with these products. I can see a couple of these getting added to the Top Shelf at some point, maybe this year, maybe next.

🌟  Em Cosmetics DayDream Cushion SPF Cushion Tint (Gentle Light - Light/Medium) is lovely. It has always been one that I've liked; I have a handful of cushion compacts that I need to put to a test (or showdown) before determining which one(s) are Top Shelf. 

🌟  CLIO Long & Curl Up Waterproof Black Mascara Volumizing & Lengthening Long-Wearing Mascara - Okay, this one totally took me by surprise. It's not going to give thick, lush and long, va-va-voo lashes, but your lashes will stand out in length and volume, especially if your natural lashes are sparse or minimalist to begin with, like mine. Thank you @makeitup305 for sharing how great the CLIO mascaras are. I'm definitely a fan.   

💋  Ooouh, the combination of the SEPHORA COLLECTION Retractable Rouge Gel Lip Liner 35 bad apple and Charlotte Tilbury Lunar New Year Matte Revolution Lipstick Blossom Red was a hit this week! The deeper red of the liner helps to mute the rust-tones of the lipstick. The CT is a beautiful color and one of, if not, the only orange-leaning reds that I like but the liner helps me to line it more. I'll post more details on status of the red lipstick experiment before the end of the month on Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns 

Spoiler

Oooh, these have promise: 

I would ordinarily add these to the standout list, but I've only used each of these products once this week. It was a good one-time use, but I want to give each of them a solid testing. And that we shall do next week as I'll be including them in my "sleeper" hits capsule.

🌼  Lilybyred Luv Beam Glow Veil (03 #Sugar Beam and 05 #Soda Beam) surprised me. Their glowy beauty really shines 😉 with movement, when I turn my head this way and that. When I look at my reflection head on in the mirror I don't see any highlight (or maybe I used too soft a hand) but when I turned my head ever so slightly, there it was! Such a pretty glow. Of the two, I have a slght preference to the Soda Beam shade, which surprised me.

🌼  Mizon Vegan Eyeliner has a firm tip that makes it realy easy to just press the ink/color onto my lash line. I was impressed! I need to get myself back into using liquid liner more often - I used to wear it every day - and this is one I will be reaching for a lot. I sense a battle may be coming with a couple of my current favorite liquid liners as well as other top performers from a couple of Japanese brands.

Spoiler

Undecided:

I'm undecided about these 4, but for different reasons. 

❓  Touch in Sol Pretty Filter Icy Sherbet Primer is a light but balmy, silicone-based primer that has a subtle cooling feel upon contact with the skin. Undecided as I have a good number of primers that I like and am trying to be more selective of any additions.  

🤔  Jung Saem Mool Skin Nuder Foundation Light (gratis) - Not sure if it was the primer I used with this foundation not jiving with the foundation or the foundation itself and my skin, but it pilled on me - big time. I plan to give this another go, with other tried-and-true primers before deciding whether to keep or toss this one.

❓  fwee Lip&Cheek Blurry Pudding Pot (Faded and Slayyy) - I like both colors, just want to give them more uses to make certain it's not a fluke and they really do perform well for me. These are very pigmented and glide onto the skin; you really just need the teensiest bit of this bouncy jelly cushiony blush.

Spoiler

Declutter: 

💝  Blithe InBetween Aurora Second Skin Primer & Setting Mist - I just have too many and this one didn't stand out one way or the other for me, even if it holds itself out as functioning as both a primer and setting spray. The scent also isn't great and while that is a small detail, they matter when we're dealing with the number of setting sprays in my stash. This will be donated. 

💝  Missha Perfect Cover Serum BB Cream - I have a Missha BB cream in my rotation and was excited to try this new addition to the brand's BB cream line. Sadly, this is not meant to be. It's very greige. Veeerrry greige. Maybe so much that it would be better described as a grey tone. 😬 

🏡 Etude BIG Cover Concealer Skin Fit Pro 17N1 is a nice under eye concealer but I just have too many concealers that I like more. I was good about applying product from the tube to mixing plate (I think that's what it's called) and so the tip of the applicator hasn't touched my fingers or back of my hand. I'll find a new home for this.

🗑I have to toss the Touch in Sol No Poreblem Eye Primer because I've applied the "cushiony" applicator directly to my lids. "Cushiony" is in quotes because I feel like it is anything but - it could be that I have extra sensitive eyelids, but ouch!! 😬 It hurt when I was applying it to my lids, and I was using a light hand, so it has to go.

🏡  This Amuse Seoul Dew Tint 14 Pleasing is a very pigmented and bright, bold shade - even the stain it leaves. It's too bright for my preference, and will be re-homed.

Spoiler

That's 5 items decluttered this week, bringing this month's total to 8. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Gorgeous collection! I love reading about what works well for you! I love seeing unique perspectives especially since I’ve never tried any on this list this is inspiring! I love learning. Thank you for the through and thoughtful assessments of each. It not only educates me on products out there but inspires me as well @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Awww, thank you @peculiarzmakeup for your kind words. My knowledge of Korean beauty leans more heavily on the skincare side - it was my intro to Kbeauty years ago and still a part of my routine. On the makeup side, it’s usually been foundations or skin tints. I was surprised by how much Kbeauty makeup I have when I went to pick products for this capsule. 😆 

[makeitup305]

@itsfi Glad it worked out for you! I have one for when I need a waterproof mascara. 

[itsfi]

I wear waterproof mascara most days so tje Clio is a good rec; thanks again @makeitup305.

[CynthieLu]

Your dedication to using and evaluating your entire capsule really pays off @itsfi 5 declutters is pretty fantastic. 🙌

I love the look of your tiny little blush pods by Fwee. The close ups I gotta say are so satisfying. 🤩 

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, thank you. The fwee blushes are super pigmented. And there’s so much product so these pots will last for a long time.