There are 3 types of makeup lovers..
#1 – those who like wearing makeup everyday and try to hoard all high end/drugstore makeup products that are launched in the market. #2 – those who wear makeup occasionally and purchase only essential makeup products. And lastly, #3 – those who wear makeup on the rarest of the rare occasions.
Makeup for them is usually just applying a lip balm, kajal, compact powder and go! ? One thing which is common in these 3 types of people is the love for makeup. Some of them are obsessed with it while the others consider it a nice way to look a little glammed up once in a while.
I fall somewhere in between category number #1 and #2. I love wearing makeup (and I will be more than happy to wear it daily. Sadly, I have nowhere to go!), but I usually don’t have enough budget to get my hands on each and every new launch.
Even if I had enough money to buy all of them, I would still prefer to buy only those products which I would actually use (that excludes a purple or black lipstick). What is the point of spending so much money to build a large makeup collection when half of the products would just sit idle in a corner of my room? You guys might agree with me on this!
Currently, I have only some basic makeup products like a foundation, concealer, eyeshadow palette and so on in my makeup stash. I can say it is kind of like a “capsule” makeup collection.
What Is A Capsule Makeup Collection?
Let me tell you about the term “capsule collection” first. It simply means having a very small collection with some key and essential products. The term is mainly popular as capsule wardrobe collection which means having a collection of versatile clothing items which never go out of fashion and can be paired with each other easily.
A capsule collection does not always have to be of clothing, it can be of jewelry, bags, shoes and of course, makeup! In this post, you will get to know about the products which you can include in your own capsule makeup collection. I have also listed affordable recommendations for all the products. So keep on reading if you are interested to know more!
How To Build A Capsule Makeup Collection
1. A Foundation / BB or CC Cream
Not everyone likes to wear base makeup on a regular basis. But a foundation or BB cream comes helpful when you are going for a photo shoot or a special event like a wedding. On such occasions, you may feel like using a product which would cover your dark circles or blemishes so that they don’t look too obvious in the pictures.
People who don’t have dark under eye circles or a lot of blemishes on their skin that require coverage can stick to BB or CC Cream like Lakme CC Cream. Those with moderate blemishes or dark circles can go for drugstore foundations like Maybelline FIT ME! Matte + Poreless Foundation (Rs.525 / $7.99 USD). Its Dewy + Smooth version is available at Amazon International. L’Oreal Paris Infallible 24h Foundation is also a good option at Rs. 1400/-, Those from UK/USA/Canada can buy it here. Lastly, people with heavy dark circles and blemishes can invest in a high coverage foundation like MAC Studio Fix or Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation.
I don’t have either of these two high end foundations due to their price point, but I definitely want to try them in the future because I have a problematic skin which is never in a good condition! Splurging Rs.2000-3000 on them may seem a lot, but they will be worth your investment if your skin really needs them. They will last you long anyway!
2. A Concealer
No matter how flawless your skin might be at the moment, you can end up with pesky little pimples on your face at wrong times! Such is the life of us women (and men too, but mostly, women. ?). Keep a concealer handy for those times when you have uninvited guests aka pimples on your face. This is kind of an optional product if you don’t get pimples that often or hate using makeup to cover them up. I would still recommend having one to use before any important event! My recommendations would be The FIT ME! Concealer by Maybelline (available in 6 shades internationally, 3 in India) and L.A. Girl Pro HD Concealer. Both of them are in the same price range, but the L.A. Girl Concealers have an array of shade options (priced at $2.38 USD with discount).
They also have colour corrector concealers in green, yellow and peach shades which can be used before the concealer to correct any discoloration. The green shade is used to colour correct acne and red spots, yellow is used for brightening the skin (mainly the under eye area) and peach to correct severe dark circles as well as pigmentation.
3. A Black Kajal / Gel Liner
Drawing a thick black line across the eyelids somehow makes every girl look 10 times prettier! ? In my case, it makes me look more awake and less grumpy. ? My eyesight is really bad and I wear glasses 24×7. Glasses draw a lot of attention to my eyes – which is why I love to wear kajal or eyeliner to “frame” my eyes! In general, a lot of Indian women love to wear kajal. After all, its use was originated in south east / middle east Asia.
A long lasting black kajal is a must have in every girl’s makeup stash and if you are a teenage girl reading this post, then I am assuming that you already own one as it is usually the first makeup product we get our hands on when we enter our teenage years. Still, if you are looking for an affordable long lasting and smudge proof kajal, I can suggest you two – Maybelline Colossal Kajal 24 Hour and Plum NaturStudio All Day Wear Kohl Kajal. The plum one is on the expensive side, but it has good reviews!
Adding a black gel eyeliner to your collection is more beneficial because it can be used in various ways – to line your waterline and lash line, to create smokey eyes, etc. I will recommend my favourite Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner (Rs.525 / $8.99 USD) for this. It lasts really long and doesn’t budge easily on my oily eyelids for up to 5-6 hours! Moreover, it comes with its own brush which is of GREAT quality! Highly recommended.
4. A Tinted And Non-Tinted Lip Balm
I don’t even need to mention this because you guys must be already having a couple of lip balms in your stash. But my post would have been incomplete without this! A tinted lip balm comes handy for the days when you don’t feel like applying any lipstick, but you want your lips to look plump and stay moisturized. I apply tinted lip balm almost daily, when I am going out somewhere nearby or if there are any guests coming over at home. My lips are a bit pigmented so a tinted lip balm like Maybelline Babylips Bright Out Loud Vivid Peach helps me to hide the pigmentation.
At night, I prefer to use a non-tinted lip balm before I hit the bed. Reason? Tinted lip balm can get transferred while I am asleep and ruin my pillowcase as well as bedsheet! ? Non-tinted lip balm can also be used to prep the lips before applying a matte lipstick. I am currently using the Mantra Kiwi Lip Balm which I received in my February Fab Bag.
5. A Peach Lipstick
I have seen that Indian girls prefer wearing pink shades of lipsticks over peachy or coral shades. Pink is girls’ favourite colour, no doubt. But I feel peach colour flatters more on various skin tones, especially Olive / Indian skin tones. Am I right? ?
A light coloured peach lipstick (or a pink one, if you like it more) should be a part of your makeup stash as it is a great everyday lipstick shade. It can also be paired with brown and black smokey eye makeup looks which you would ideally wear to parties. In short, a peach lipstick can be used in both, everyday basis and special occasions. That is like hitting two birds with a single stone! I have the Peach Personality shade from Maybelline Colorshow Creamy Matte range.
I am not a huge fan of this shade because it is a bit lighter for my fair-medium skin tone, but it works well for me if I pair it up with a darker lip colour underneath it. If you are of fair skin tone, then you can carry this shade with ease. For someone with my kind of skin tone or deep skin tone, I would suggest Colorbar Velvet Matte Peach Crush lipstick which is on my wish list at the moment! I have seen its swatches online and it seems like a beautiful medium peach lipstick with a cream finish. A higher end option would be MAC Whirlwind.
You would not find a blush listed in this capsule collection post because a blush does not necessarily need to be a part of your collection! You can dab a tiny bit of tinted lip balm or lipstick on your cheeks to get a flushed look! Certain Eyeshadow shades can also be used as a blush. Be creative!
6. A Red Lipstick
“Put on some red lipstick and live a little.”
Forget about all the makeup products in the world, if you have a red lipstick in your collection, I believe you have everything in the world! ? You can check out the first point of my post 6 Tips To Save You From Committing Common Lipstick Mistakes to know about the perfect kind of red lipstick shade for your skin tone. My favourite is Lakme Absolute Matte Lipstick Coral Flare which is a orange based matte red lipstick and suits my warm Indian skin tone perfectly. Most makeup lovers would suggest you to invest in the iconic MAC Ruby Woo lipstick which is considered the most loved red lipstick across the world. But of course, it is not budget friendly!
7. An Eyebrow Product
It is the era of flaunting well-defined, bold brows! In the past couple of years, the people’s obsession with bold brows has increased significantly. The trend of bold brows is not going to go away anytime soon, and I am glad that it is here to stay because I love bold brows! I am lucky enough to be born with thick eyebrows, I just have a couple of sparse areas which I fill in with a taupe eyeshadow shade from my MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette. If you have a similar palette with dark brown, taupe or grey eyeshadow, then you don’t have to spend money on a separate eyebrow product.
Such shades are multitaskers. Those who are planning to invest on an eyebrow pencil or kit can go for Maybelline Fashion Brow Duo or Makeup Revolution Eyebrow Kit. They are both very affordable and available all over the world. Maybelline recently launched two new eyebrow products, a Fashion Brow Pomade Crayon and Fashion Brow Cream Pencil so you may check them out as well.
8. A Compact Powder
Compact powders are a life saver for people with oily to combination skin! They help to control oil and keep the face shine free for long. Those with dry skin may not like to use a compact powder all over the face as it accentuates dry patches, but it is good to use one to set concealer under the eyes so that it doesn’t crease throughout the day. A good quality compact powder can be bought at fairly cheap prices, my favourite one is the Maybelline White Super Fresh Compact which I purchased for only Rs.120 with discount on Amazon India. Another good affordable option is the L’Oreal Mat Magique Compact.
9. A Highlighter
And we are on the last product that will conclude this post about how you can create your own capsule makeup collection – at a budget! Having a highlighter in your kit is totally optional, but I am including it in the post as it can be used in three cool ways and plus, it is in-trends these days! You can use it in the following ways ~
- To highlight your cheekbones, that’s its main use by the way!
- On your lips ~ on top of a lip balm for an added glam.
- As an eyeshadow to brighten up your eyes.
A peach or gold toned highlighter suits most of the skin tones. You can try Makeup Revolution highlighters. They are pretty affordable, I don’t have a separate highlighter but I have their palette called Blush Bronze & Brighten in shade Rave (pictured above) which has a gold toned highlighter. Isn’t it pretty?
That was it, makeupholics! I hope you all liked this post and found it useful. Please do share it with your friends who are just starting out with makeup, it might come helpful to them! Also pin this image below so that you can come back to this post later!
