No Back Ups Challenge for 2013

One of my favorite and the most resonating with me posts ever written by Beauty Reductionista has to be the one describing her habit of purchasing the favorite products in every size - just in case she needs it. Well, I have to confess I suffer from a very similar affliction: I tend to overbuy my beauty staples, not the same exact product but the same category, be it facial cleansers, bar soap or mascaras. Why? You guessed it - just in case I'd need them like right now because hey, you never know, maybe they'll stop making body lotions entirely at some point in the future and what then? Surely I wouldn't be able to continue such a miserable existence...
No, but seriously: enough of hoarding beauty products for infinity. I've decided to make 2013 my 'No Back Ups Challenge' year, where the twelve months will be devoted to minimizing, reducing, decluttering - well, simply put, using up my stash of back ups. I have had enough of dozens of little pots, tubes, bottles and jars rolling around in my drawers, waiting to be used. Off you go!

I've decided to be very strict with my skincare, with a bit more leeway for make-up and nail purchases. For skincare bits, I will not purchase any new items until the last of the following types of products have been used up/discarded/given away: facial cleansers, make-up removers, toners and mists, serums, moisturizers for day and night (including facial oils) and eye creams. You see, I don't necessarily have full-sized back ups in all of these categories but I do have a lot of deluxe samples I've been hanging on to for a very long time and I want them gone. With my skincare routine, I've been craving the life of a reduced simplicity lately - a small array of tried and true products, no clutter, no unncessary steps. Here's to hoping, especially when I haven't found very many Holy Grail products so far!

For bodycare, I won't buy any new bar soaps, shower gels, body lotions/butters/oils, body scrubs or lipbalm until I'm down to the last remaining back up. I feel that with bodycare, it'd be so much nicer to buy fresh products when I need them and not having to store them for a couple years until the scent has all but dissipated into a cupboard.
In terms of make-up purchases, I only have 3 strict categories (no more new items until the last remaining one is being used): mascara, make-up primers and black eyeliner pencils. As you can see in the photos, I've accumulated 6 mini tubes of mascara; given that they last me 2 months on average, this comes to exactly 12 months. Same goes for primers, which I don't even use on a regular basis, and black khol pencils, for which I have 3 full-sized backups. Insane!

More beauty products I would like to reduce the number of are foundations (no more until at least 2 have been used up) and perfume (same rule applies). I will also strictly monitor my spending for other make-up bits, especially eyeshadows, lipsticks and lip glosses as well as nail polish; only 2 items a month shall be allowed, the non-used allowance can be transferred to the following month, if need be. I hope this rule will allow me to focus more on quality rather than quantity.
To finish off on a positive note, there are things I wish to spend more money on in 2013 - beauty products organization and storage solutions. I have most of my space pretty well set-up but there's definitely room for improvement in both practicality and esthethics. Other than that, I will of course be reporting back on my progress in my regular empties posts - wish me luck, lovelies!

Have you planned any stash-reducing challenges for 2013? What are your top tips?