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 38 - (September 16 - 22) - The LatinX Founded / Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule - LatinX Heritage Month is celebrated annually in the US from September 15 to October 15. As one way to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic and Latin Americans in the beauty industry, let's put together a capsule that includes one or more products from a LatinX owned or founded beauty brand. See spoiler below for a non-exhaustive list.  

Spoiler

Below are some LatinX founded or owned makeup brands. This is a non-exhaustive list. Brands with an asterisk (*) next to the name are available at Sephora (in store or online, or both). If the founder/owner is not easily identifiable by the brand name, his/her/their name appears in the parens. 

*Artist Couture (Angel Merino)

*Beautyblender (Rea Ann Silva)

Besame Cosmetics (Gabriela Hernandez)
Carolina Herrera Beauty

Dominque Cosmetics (Christen Dominique)
Ere Perez

*Melt Cosmetics (co-founded by Lara Arellano)

*Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez

Reina Rebelde (Regina Merson)

Upcoming Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 9.16.2024] Take a sneak peek at the weekly themes to come.

Spoiler

❤️💋  Week 39 - (September 23 - 29) - The September 2024 Throw Down!, Throwback, and/or Throw Out? Makeup Capsule and/or The Brands at SEPHORiA Makeup Capsule ❤️💋  

Multiple themes this week. You know the drill with the first prompt - curate a capsule with one or more beauty products that you want to compare against each other in a battle to see which reigns supreme; or that is a throw back to a different era (80's makeup, anyone? 90s? 2000s?, etc. ). OR, throw back to a past makeup capsule theme in a Do Over / Take 2. OR, put some products on the chopping block to see if they're keepers in your stash or if it's time to throw them out.

OR, in celebration of SEPHORiA Atlanta, show us a capsule made up of one or more products from one or more of the beauty brands participating in SEPHORiA this year. See spoiler for a non-exhaustive list of participating makeup brands - I also tried to list skincare brands that offered makeup as well, and will try to update this list as new brands are added on the SEPHORiA webpage.

Spoiler

Ami Cole

Cay Skin

Charlotte Tilbury

Danessa Myricks Beauty

Fenty Beauty

Glossier

iNNBeauty

innisfree

Kosas

Laneige

LYS Beauty

Makeup By Mario

NARS

Natasha Denona

Rare Beauty

Sephora Collection

Sol de Janeiro

Supergoop!

tarte

Tatcha

Tower 28

Urban Decay

Valentino

Yves Saint Laurent

Week 40 - (September 30 - October 6) - The "Pop of Colour": Fall Edit Makeup Capsule and/or The Musician Founded or Owned Beauty Brands Makeup Capsule 

Fall is in full swing. Show us some pop of fall color, be it lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, etc. Shouting out @missjeanie for the great theme suggestion and @cianni  who I think mentioned earlier in the year some fall-worthy red lippies in her collection. 😉

With the American Music Awards airing on October 6, thought it might be a fun way to jazz up the prompts with a capsule consisting of one or more products from beauty brands founded or owned by musicians. See spoiler for non-exhaustive list.

Spoiler

Below are some musician founded or owned makeup brands. This is a non-exhaustive list. Brands with an asterisk (*) next to it are available at Sephora (in store or online, or both). If the founder/owner is not easily identifiable by the brand name, his/her/their name appears in the parens.

about-face (Halsey)

Dolly Beauty (Dolly Parton)

*Fenty Beauty by Rihanna

*GXVE by Gwen Stefani

*Haus Labs by Lady Gaga
Keys Soulcare (Alicia Keys)

*Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez

R.E.M. Beauty (Ariana Grande)
Victoria Beckham Beauty

Previous Makeup Capsule Themes: [Updated 9.16.2024]

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 

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]

@itsfi I also love a good mauve... I feel like I'm forever on the hunt for the next great mauve and the next great taupe.  I love to look at all the colours... but they really rarely make it on to my face lol

[JoSometimes]

@missjeanie It sounds like you’ve always had this capsule at the ready! Smart think about keeping it with you when you’re on the road. At least you have the essentials to freshen up. And I love that you have a shenanigans lippie too! 😃

[missjeanie]

@JoSometimes MAC Rebel has been a lipstick that's been in my collection for at least a decade... maybe closer to two (different tubes lol) But it's always been a go to that I know I can use.  Now it's officially been renamed a shenanigan lipstick in your honour!

[JoSometimes]

Awww! You’re so sweet @missjeanie! 😊

Thats awesome that you found something you like all those years ago and it’s still in production. I’m only few years into my beauty journey but I’d hate to lose any of my HG products. 

[ather]

@missjeanie  You are so cleaver. I rarely think to pack anything extra just in case!! I love products that I can use my fingers with!! 

[missjeanie]

@ather I actually use brushes and sponges at home all the time, but I've found fingers are easiest if I'm on the go.  My full face never seems to last the entire day so if I want to go out after work I like to be able to touch up.  It doesn't hurt that this time of year my purse is able to accommodate toques, scarves and mittens lol

[missjeanie]

Week 3 Recap.... I'm looking at everything I had going last week and it looks like so much, but I was away for work for two nights and then also had an event to go to this week as well so I wanted to be prepared!  I learned that I have more drugstore/less expensive products than I thought I had and that I should try to use them more often!

Spoiler

-The Missha foundation is one that I've used and loved for a few years now.  
-Becca Colour Corrector is the one item that I had over the $ limit.  I need a colour corrector in my life, and I have to say... This isn't a favourite, but it could be the combo of products I was using.  I'm going to try this out later in the year and see if it works better with other products since I've never had issues with this in the past. 
-Sephora Big by Definition mascara.  Not a favourite.  I prefer a volumizing mascara and this felt like a very natural look.  It didn't smudge or flake, just not the look I prefer. 
-Benefit Fan Fest is actually the first Benefit mascara I've really enjoyed in a long time.  I do however think this little tube is starting to dry out a bit more than I like (I usually prefer mascara after it's had a few weeks of use so that it's not a 'wet' formula) and I'll be trying to finish it off soon. 
-Cover Girl tru Blend powder.  I need to try this with other base products.  I think it looked kind of heavy in some areas of my face where I had more skincare/moisture going.  It also sat heavy under the eyes.  I was using this with a new concealer so.... tbd on what combo would work seeing as how this didn't. 
-Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer.  I think this could be good for someone, I'm not sure that someone is me.  It's almost too low coverage?  I might try mixing it with the Sephora Collection Best Skin Ever concealer that I find a bit too thick for under my eyes. I could also see this being an easy concealer to add to my summer face as a foundation only on certain areas of my face.  I need more time with this one to figure out how to use it.  This weeks use was a huge no, but I'm not convinced yet that it's a product I can't work with. 

Spoiler

-Blush -- Both of these were lovely, but I really just prefer the Tower 28 formula over the LYS that can disappear though the day much quicker. 
-Rare Beauty liquid shadow -- Great formula, easy to use and blend, and I can easily get a look with just the one shadow.  I see these were on sale on the Sephora site and I fear they're being discontinued.  I was hoping to see a shade expansion on this one.
-Laura Mercier Shadow Sticks -- I need to use these more.  They were so easy to use in a hotel room, fit nicely into a make up bag and gave a lovely look either alone or paired together.  I think these will be moving into my purse make up bag going forward. 
-Colour Pop Super Shock Shadows.  I used the matte and one of the sparklier shadows and I really like the matte.  I used this as a one and done and it's just so easy and gives a great everyday eye for me.  I wish they had kept more of the matte shades.  Actually no... I do not need more... lol!  
-MAC shadows... I didn't use these at all this week after figuring out they were over the $$ limit.  I didn't miss them at all and was pretty good with the shadows I had on hand. 

Spoiler

I learned a few things in my lips category this week.  I think lipstick in my pocket is a comfort product for me.  I re apply gloss several times a day and having a good one on me is a delight, hence my desire to always have one around.  
-Rare Beauty Lip Balm Glosses.  Great products, easy to use, look a bit better when my lips are defined but these are gems for both ease of use and formula.
-Inn Beauty Lip Glazes.  I actually found out this week that I very much prefer the Rare Beauty formula as I use the two products interchangeably in my life.  The shades were nice to have around this week though to give me some variety.
-Ulta Beauty Lip Stain.  This one was a more matte formula that I enjoyed but felt the need to reach for a gloss almost right after applying.  I'm just not much of a matte gal these days. Great shade though!
-Glossiser Ultra Lip in Vesper was a hit with me this week.  I haven't used the formula in way too long and I really liked it.  It gave punchier colour than the other products I chose and I'm going to be happy to use this one again.
-NXY lip liner.  This is drying out, or is a dryer product to start with.  I think I'll try to pan this this year and then move on to others I prefer.  I did find since it was a wooden pencil style it would go quicker since it needs to be sharpened. The shade is also a bit more pastel than I'd normally grab. 

[Mellmars1185]

@missjeanie Great feedback! It is good to know thay you find the Tower 28 blush lasts longer than the Lys. I have tried the Lys and found it lasts pretty long when I set it with a powder blush. I have a T28 i still have to open and I am looking forward to it being long lasting. I also think it would be great if the Rare Beauty liquid shadows expanded their shades because it is a great formula. Great job this week! 

[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?