The 2015/2016 No-Buy List

 

UPDATED - January 2017: I have to say, despite not following this as closely as I did in 2015, I did quite well in 2016. I didn't buy a SINGLE mascara, body wash or bronzer. I did buy one blush (I'm looking at you Star Trek!) shampoo/conditioner for colour-treated hair after I dyed my hair this summer and one hand lotion from Burt's Bees in DECEMBER. And I ALSO cancelled all my beauty boxes too, cleared over 25 nail polishes and gave away DOZENS of excess productgs. That's NOT BAD AT ALL. I'm giving myself a pass here! //

Every beauty blogger encounters this problem from time to time, the overload of beauty products in their makeup bags, drawers, cupboards and cabinets. I basically store my stuff everywhere and 'find' old things from time to time that I simply misplaced! To combat this consumptive amnesia, in 2015 I've decided to nip this in the bud and to actively stop buying certain products that I have an over-abundance of. I am not allowed to purchase any of these products in 2015! 

Keep Calm and Don't Buy: My Mantra

Keep Calm and Don't Buy: My Mantra

  • Mascara - I didn't buy ANY new mascara in 2015, but I did get some more in sample bags and promotions. I currently have a few that I'm finishing up, Cover Girl Super Size me in particular. But I'm STILL PROBABLY GOOD through most of this year.
  • Body Wash - I got rid of a LOT OF BODY WASH last year, gave some away, used a lot up, but I still have another year or so of stuff left over. Eeep.
  • Hand lotions -Still swimming in hand lotions, body butters, creams, you name it.
  • Bronzer - There's only four months a year that I use more than the occasional sweep of bronzer across my face, so I don't really go through it really quickly. Sooo much to finish.
  • Shampoo & Conditioner - I can't even remember the last time I BOUGHT shampoo and conditioner because I've accumulated so much of it! I think I'll never have to buy it again in my life.
  • Blush - I'm pretty much set for life, but I do NOT have an orange, that's about it.
  • Lip Gloss/Balm - I have a giant collection of lip gloss right now. Clear, tinted, glossy, balmy, flavoured, plain! The only exception I will make for this is Blistex to get through the winter because OH MAH GAWD.
  • Perfume - I somehow have an entire mini-drawer dedicated to perfumes and I still don't have a signature scent. Why don't I try some of the DOZENS OF SAMPLES I HAVE?

Caveats

  • I will still accept samples of these products for review purposes
  • I may choose to swap for these products if no money is exchanged
  • Obviously anything I get in my beauty boxes I get to keep!

2015 Monthly Check-Ins

January - I'm actually doing a full no-buy for all makeup products this month, so we'll see how this goes! (I ended up only spending $4 on beauty products this month! I'll consider this a pass!)

February - No nail polish! (SUCCESS! I didn't buy a single bottle!)

March - Purge, purge, purge. (SUCCESS! I got rid of over 20 polishes, had a big product purge and started setting up April's challenge to continue)

April - Use a lot of my already-owned lip colours with the #AprilLipstickChallenge on Instagram @darlingmagpie and on the blog. [Days 1-8], days 9-12, days 13-16, days 17-21 and days 22-30. (SUCCESS! At the end of this I purged NINE of the THIRTY lippies I tried!)

May - Yet another no polish month. Think I can survive? I also finished a LOT OF PRODUCTS this month in my quest to go through my samples.

June - Questing for another no-buy! I will ONLY receive my Birchbox and Ipsy subscriptions and nothing else. See how I fare! (So this was a bit of a fail! I think I need to stick with SPECIFIC challenges!)

July - I've been trying to focus on my Finish 5 by Fall challenge right now, go products go!

August-October - I realllly didn't do a very good job no-buying these months. But I did purge a lot of nail polish! I got rid of at least thirty bottles, go me!

November - This month is all about purging. I donated a gift bag worth of mildly used stuff to a clothing swap, including perfumes and hair products, and have put together two boxes for the Shoebox Project of unused beauty products. I also got rid of more polish and traded some stuff away.

December - I bought a few things in December, but nothing ridiculous.

January, 2016 - A low-buy begins! This month I chucked 9 lipsticks and bought 2 more, bought concealer and hyaluronic acid. And that's it.