You've heard about the benefits of building a wardrobe capsule to simplify your closet and focus on curating high-quality pieces that are timeless. The same holds true for your makeup: building a makeup capsule is an excellent way to streamline your beauty routine and ensure you have a carefully curated selection of makeup products that suit your personal style and needs. As a former professional organizer and longtime fan of minimalism, I wholeheartedly endorse making careful decisions when it comes to makeup purchases instead of succumbing to every influencer-led trend.
At the heart of every great makeup capsule are versatile products that give you a variety of timeless looks.
To build your perfect makeup capsule, start by assessing your makeup goals. Are you a full-on glamour person who enjoys spending 45 minutes on a makeup ritual? Or does your routine need to be 10 minutes or less? Do you often wear a variety of makeup looks or do you use makeup more for natural enhancement? If, for example, you like to wear a variety of looks then you might be happier with an eye palette that has 6 or more different colors. If you tend to use the same natural colors repeatedly then you might only need 2-4. Be honest with yourself about how you like to use makeup so that you aren't tempted to purchase more than you will use.
I hear from so many of my clients that they have drawers full of makeup but wear the same colors over and over. That is completely normal! The Pareto Principal (AKA, the 80-20 rule) says that we use about 20% of what we own 80% of the time. So why not make sure that that 20% is of high quality and meets your needs? The beauty industry is overpriced and wasteful. This is an unpopular opinion, but here it is anyway: so much of the makeup out there is complete garbage in terms of ingredients, and comes in packaging that will clutter up our landfills. Yes - I said it! I'm all about helping you find what works for you so that you can ignore the noise and save your money to spend on other areas of your life that bring you joy.
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you build your own makeup capsule:
Declutter and Assess: Begin by decluttering your current makeup collection. Sort through your makeup and categorize items into groups such as foundation, eyeshadows, lip products, and brushes. This will give you a clear picture of what you have. Now, discard any products that are expired, unused, or don't match your skin tone.
Identify Your Must-Haves: From what remains, determine the makeup products you use most frequently and feel the most confident wearing. These are your essentials and form the core of your capsule. For most people, this will include foundation or tinted moisturizer, concealer, mascara, a neutral eyeshadow palette, lipstick (or a great lipliner + gloss), and blush and/or bronzer. These colors should be versatile and adaptable for both everyday and special occasions.
Select High-Quality Products: Quality is key when building a makeup capsule. Invest in products that not only match your skin tone but also provide good coverage and color longevity. High-quality makeup tends to require less product per application, so it's more cost-effective in the long run. Now is the time to consider replacing any conventional products with clean beauty. There's never been a better time to switch - clean beauty options are abundant at every price point, so there's no barrier to entry to switching to products that are free from the most common skin irritants and endocrine disruptors.
Experiment and Adapt: Your makeup capsule should be flexible and evolve with your changing style and needs. This is particularly true as we age and our skin tone and texture changes. I have found that what worked for me 5 years ago doesn't really work anymore. Don't be afraid to experiment with new products and update your capsule seasonally or when your preferences shift. Remember, the goal of a makeup capsule is to simplify your routine while ensuring you always have only the products you love at your fingertips.
Building a makeup capsule is about simplifying your beauty regimen and ensuring you have the right products to create your desired looks. By decluttering, identifying your essentials, choosing high-quality items, and staying adaptable, you can maintain a makeup collection that enhances your natural beauty and is exactly what you need - no more, no less. If you still need inspiration, check out some of my favorite clean beauty brands that are excellent foundations for makeup capsules here:
Westman Atelier Makeup Capsule Do you need to build your makeup capsule all from the same brand? Not at all! Most clean beauty brands all play well together. But as a former professional organizer, I love to see packaging that was designed to go together in my makeup drawer.
Feeling like you could use additional support figuring out which colors, tones, and products are best for your makeup capsule? Book a 1:1 session with me: beauty@tabithacolie.com.
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