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. 

[missjeanie]

@Mellmars1185 Thanks!!  It was a good challenge last week for sure.  I'll have to try setting the LYS going forward with a powder blush. I'm into a strong cheek at the moment so I'm always up for adding more!

[itsfi]

@missjeanie, I love the variety in your lippies for your capsule. Completely understand having options, especially if you are attending events, etc. I don't think it was too much. Part of this whole adventure is to figure out what a good capsule is for you. I have a feeling that at the end of this, my personal makeup capsule will have a larger, healthier lip product section and muuuuuch smaller eyeliner or eyebrow section. 

[missjeanie]

I can totally see having fewer brow and liner products.  I think my collection is naturally like that... though you may not know it from the number of eyeliners I seem to have... how did they all get here????

@itsfi Lips and Shadow can just change up a look so easily!

[itsfi]

Ohhh, you’ve seen some growth in the eyeliner camp, @missjeanie?? It’s funny how quickly they increase … you add one new liner to the mix one day and suddenly there’s a whole lot more than 1 the next time you look. 🤭  Do you have a preference for eye liner formulation - liquid? pencil? gel? 

lol, 💯 on lips & shadows easily changing up  a look, missjeanie. Suuuurre, all the MLBB shades and neutral / taupe palettes might look the same at first glance to the untrained eye, but they’re all unique & the look they create are all different. Everyone else just needs to look harder to see those nuances. Hahahahaha❣️

[missjeanie]

@itsfi I swear every time I clean up my makeup stash it somehow has more liners?  I've literally used the same eyeliner for over a year now... where do they all come from?  Do unmatched socks from the laundry turn into eyeliners?  I actually think a lot of them come from subscriptions, gwp, or sets that I buy for other products and the liner is what I consider a freebie with the items I really want.  

I do love a nice black liquid liner for a bit of a retro look... alas I'm lazy and not willing to take the time to do that often.  These days I just like to tightline my upper lash line with a darker shade and call it done.  I am however finding that the Victoria Beckham liners that I loved are now feeling a bit too soft for me.  I'm going to need to explore my stash a bit once I finish my project pan liner and see what I have that 2024 me loves. Any faves for you?  I'm always willing to be influanced!

[itsfi]

I think you're on to something with excessive amounts of eyeliner from subscriptions @missjeanie! Before I canceled all my beauty subscriptions, I gathered all the unused products I wouldn't use and organized them by product type - so many black eyeliner pencils!!! 

I have a couple pencil liners from Victoria Beckham Beauty, GXVE, Patrick Ta, Dior, Chanel, Sephora Collection, UD, but I'm partial to liquid liner - they've generally been the ones that stay put on my lids. Or, are more likely to as well. My favorite is/was a since discontinued Dolly Wink liner. Before that, it was the Laura Mercier product for tightlining. I'm currently on a search to find a suitable replacement for the Dolly Wink. And, to be clear, by "currently on a search", it's not an active search by any stretch of the imagination. 😂 I mean, I have several liquid liners still in their boxes, waiting to be opened and tested. I just haven't gotten around to that, or made much of an effort to get around to it. Ha! Something to add to the "to do" list. 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi Oh my gosh yes... so many black liners... I'd feel guilty buying any eyeliner for the next 10 years!  I'll be curious to hear which liquid ends up being crowned the new champion in your collection.  I feel like the perfect liquid liner is a quest not to be rushed... pencil liners are so much more forgiving and interchangeable... but those liquids... you gotta do some solid testing!

[ather]

@missjeanie  Great job!! I had a different experience! I thought I had more $20 and under products then I actually had. I couldn’t even get a whole look together!!! 

[itsfi]

@ather, please feel free to use the products you have that fit in the prompt and build your capsule around those items. I'll make a point to be better about including that as an option; I did try to include note of that with the February themes. I would rather have folks join in than feel they need to have everything fit into theme.

[ather]

@itsfi  Aww thank you for making me feel included. Although it really opened my eyes to see that I have a liking to more high end makeup 🤪 still was a challenge for me even tho I didn’t put a full capsule up I did use my few cheaper items last week! 

[itsfi]

Of course @ather! Jump in any time! The more, the merrier! 😍

[itsfi]

Week 3 Recap: The $20 USD / $27 CAD & Under Makeup Capsule

Week 3 Everyday Look

I reached for each of these items at least once, most items a few times this week. An early outster was the e.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer - I noticed my skin was irritated and breaking out in the areas where I was using this concealer. 😟 So I did a further test and just used it on around my nose and, yep, it was the culprit. So, it was an easy "bye-bye!" to it and I ended up subbing in the SEPHORA COLLECTION Best Skin Ever Full Coverage Multi-Use Hydrating Concealer 11.5P  in its place. 

Week 3 was about choosing makeup products that were awesome and affordable, to the specific tune of $20 USD / $27 CAD or less. My main focus this past week was to work through some cheek products that, for the most part, have been in my stash for, let's say, longer than they should be. Eek. 

Cheek Product Details:

Spoiler

Undecided:

* SEPHORA COLLECTION Sephora Colorful® Contour Matte Powder - my main basis for indecision is just lack of sufficient use. I just need to reach for it more, both to get back into contouring and also to see how I feel about this beauty - the color is good.

* My initial thoughts about the A'pieu Juicy Pang Water Blusher - Guava Pearl are good, but I didn't have enough of an opportunity to play with this one so I'll include it in another capsule. The packaging is super cute, as is often the case with Kbeauty products. The color, a light pink (a cross between a pale pink and a blush pink) is pretty and buildable. Gives my cheeks a nice flush of color.

Relocated: 
Of the three e.l.f. putty primers, my favorite is the original, poreless version. The other two, matte and luminous, are fine, but I feel like the matte is comparable to the poreless version and the luminous one is just ever so slightly more illuminating than the original version. I'll be moving the matte and luminous versions over to my desk drawer at work, for those days when I need to get ready at my desk. Who knows? By or before the end of this challenge, I may have a set of makeup for my office drawer.

To make sure these e.l.f. primers are not forgotten, I plan to check back in about them at the end of May or June to see whether either primer (along with whatever else I may have in my current work makeup bag)  should be decluttered as a result of non-use or sub par performance.

Decluttered:

* Physician's Formula Strawberry Jam Blush - the strawberry print is really cute; it's an overspray and goes poof with one swipe. The color is nice but it applies a smidge chalky on my cheeks. I gave it a good go, wearing it for most of the week to see if I could get it to work, but alas, not a good fit.

* e.l.f. Hydarating Camo Concealer - Unfortunately, my skin did not take kindly to this concealer so it clearly will not be sticking around for future capsules. 

* I hemmed and hawwed over the NYX Wonderstick Light and NYX Wonderstick Medium, all week. Objectively, the highlighters on both are 'meh' at best, and the contour shades when used as bronzers are fine, but not loves. I have a hard time with letting things go and these two were very reflective of this. This challenge for me is about working through my stash and seeing what products are ones that are best suited for my personal capsule makeup collection. With those objectives in mind, these would be products I pass on, so I have. Decluttered x 2.

Declutter Dashboard: For those keeping count ... 

Spoiler

Week To Date (WTD): 4 

Year To Date (YTD): 6

For this coming week's "On the Go!" capsule, I am planning on actually doing my makeup at my desk tomorrow. I'm not planning on bringing my personal laptop with me so I'll post product photos after I get back home. 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Sorry to hear the Elf concealer didn't work well for you. I am glad you were able to figure that out and part with it. Awesome job on decluttering this week. Did you have a favourite item out of the bunch?

[itsfi]

Ooooh, fun question @Mellmars1185! The SEPHORA COLLECTION Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Powder Foundation 15 Nude is one I've repurchased repeatedly for years. Of the newer to me items, I'm impressed with SEPHORA COLLECTION Sephora Colorful® Waterproof Eyeshadow & Eyeliner Multi-Stick 11 Truffle Shimmer and The Lip Bar Lip Gloss - Girl Boss. Those 3 stood out and I was also really happy with the e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer - I would consider picking up a full size of it (if I didn't have plenty of primers to work through).

[ather]

@itsfi  Great job! Is the SC the new concealer that just came out? I’m glad you figured out who the culprit was!! 

[itsfi]

Thank you @ather. No, it's the concealer that came out in 2022, after the serum concealer. I'm intrigued by the new Sephora Collection Best Skin Ever concealers, but will plan to hold off on them until the spring sale. I have several other concealers to work through, including ones I enjoy. I also want to see the new SC concealers in store, to swatch them, before purchasing. 

[JoSometimes]

@itsfi I know how you feel about the NYX Wondersticks. That was my first foray into cream contour. I found it really thick and more effort to blend. I’m glad I found Tower 28 instead. 

[itsfi]

@JoSometimes, I thought it was just me with the NYX Wonderstix. Conceptually, great! In practice, not so much for me. The Tower 28 contour products are well loved! 

[JoSometimes]

We’re in the same boat @itsfi! It’s too much like a lipstick. If it were softer, it might be better. 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi I'm so impressed at how well you're looking at everything and objectively decluttering!  Can't wait to see what makes your January final capsule!

[itsfi]

Thank you, @missjeanie! I'm trying to not hold onto things for too long. 😬 I mean, if it's something better suited for another season, I want to give it a fair shake so I'll wait until that season rolls around, but if not, and I don't have a good reason to hold onto it, it's got to go. Easier said than done though. I have to just look back at what I have and remind myself that I'll be just fine letting something go. 🤣 

I'm a little nervous about the best of January capsule - lots of good stuff this month and we still have this week's prompt. I will try to curate a more edited capsule at the end of the month but I have a feeling that there may be some room made for extra product. I like options... hahaha!