ARCHIVE - 2020 Mask of the Week Challenge! - PART 1

[eshoe]

Please join us on Part II of this year’s challenge:

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/2020-Mask-of-the-Week-Challenge-PART-II/m-p/5433327/...

Welcome to a new year of masking adventures! ***The second half of the year thread will be up June 28th (or earlier), thank you for the suggestion @heartsmyface, @Kim888 & @quspork!***  

Thank you @Aaliaa for starting this thread and giving us a place to share our love for masks💗 Below is the 2020 schedule. Post as frequently or infrequently as you would like, with or without following the challenge. We love hearing about every masking experience, and suggestions are always welcome. Looking forward to sharing some new masking 💖 with you all this year!

This Week’s Theme: Masking Duel - Dare to compare 2 (or more!) masks in one session

Letters of the Week: “Z” and “A”

Spoiler

Jan 1 - Jan 5	A & Z	Mask Stash Clean-Out! Finish those masks before they expire.	l8totheparty/ShortErica
Jan 6 - 12	B & Y	Masks that Make you Hungry	itsfi
Jan 13 - 19	C & X	Favourite Mask in your regular routine - What do you buy in bulk, so you always have it on hand in case of masking emergency?	itsfi
Jan 20 - 26	D & W	Clean Week - Masks that give your skin a boost without the guilt	eshoe
Jan 27 - Feb 2	E & V	Transportation Masking	@lmaster/@ShortErica/@missjeanie
Feb 3 - 9	F & U	Best fitting mask - Mask that best fits your facial features	PrettyPaint
Feb 10 - 16	G & T	Special Occasion Masks - the mask(s) you use to pamper yourself	itsfi
Feb 17 - 23	H & S	Gross Masks - whether it's the scent or results, share the details please!	Aaliaa
Feb 24 - Mar 1	I & R	Snubbed It: Masks you don't want to use & are continually passed over	ShortErica
Mar 2 - 8	J & Q	Female Owned Brands - In honour of Women's Day March 8th	Aaliaa
Mar 9 - 15	K & P	Masks Good Enough to Eat	heartsmyface
Mar 16 - 22	L & O	Sample that made you buy the FS - You tried it, and decided to buy it!	itsfi
Mar 23 - 29	M & N	Favourite Smelling Masks - Watermelon, Kale, Spa??
Mar 30 - Apr 5	N & M	Mask While You Task	l8totheparty
Apr 6 - 12	O & L	Most Outrageous Mask Claims	ShortErica
Apr 13 - 19	P & K	Hi-Lo Week: Mix or duel of $$$$ and $ masks
Apr 20 - 26	Q & J	Sample Dive - I know we have them!	Aaliaa
Apr 27 - May 3	R & I	Targeted Skin Concern - Mask to address a current skin issue	PrettyPaint
May 4 -10	S & H	Overnight Masks - Sleeping miracles in a jar
May 11 - 17	T & G	Mask with a Partner	Alphaboo
May 18 - 24	U & F	Vitamins Week - masks that nourish your skin with vitamins and minerals	kim888
May 25 - 31	V & E	Best/Cutest Printed Mask	Shosh85
Jun 1 - 7	W & D	Mask that best describes your personality or mood	PrettyPaint
Jun 8 - 14	X & C	Fruits & Veggies Week - masks that use natural goodness to nourish your skin	Keana1
Jun 15 - 21	Y & B	Forgotten Wonders - Shop your stash for an unloved mask	missjeannie
Jun 22 - 28	Z & A	Masking Duel - Dare to compare 2 (or more!) masks in one session	eshoe
Jun 29 - Jul 5	A & Z	Masking Pet Peeves - use a mask that has some component that drives you crazy!	ShortErica
Jul 6 - 12	B & Y	Masking Hacks - share your masking secrets that make your life easier and your skin happy	eshoe
Jul13 - 19	C & X	Lip, Hand or Foot Masks to help that summer skin
Jul 20 - 26	D & W	’Weird Mask' Bubbling, Peeling, Colour changing other worldly wonders!	Aalia
Jul 27 - Aug 2	E & V	Multi-Masking How many masks can you use at one time or in One Day??
Aug 3 - 9	F & U	Blind Pick Your Mask - Let's make it fun to use the masks in our stash!	veronika23
Aug 10 - 16	G & T	Sheet Mask Focus - from cotton to cupra, coconut gel to bio cellulose, what are your favorites and why?
Aug 17 - 23	H & S	Drugstore & Grocery Brands Week	eshoe
Aug 24 - 30	I & R	3-Step Masks/Multi-Step Masks	heartsmyface
Aug 31 - Sep 6	J & Q	Rainbow Week - Bring out the colorful masks in every hue	Sonnydee
Sep 7 - 13	K & P	Autumn Masks - Fall goodness in a mask
Sep 14 - 20	L & O	When you are getting GLAM for a night out and want that inner GLOW
Sep 21 - 27	M & N	BIC Made you do it! Masks recommended/inspired by other BIC members
Sep 28 - Oct 4	N & M	Sephora Collections Week - House Brand Goodness
Oct 5 - 11	O & L	Masks that Make you Hungry - Fall/Winter Edition	itsfi
Oct 12 - 18	P & K	Forgotten Wonders - Shop your stash for an unloved mask
Oct 19 - 25	Q & J	Overnight Masks - Sleeping miracles in a jar
Oct 26 - Nov 1	R & I	Masking Duel Week II
Nov 2 - 8	S & H	Buddy Up! Dare to compare the same mask with another BIC-er	eshoe
Nov 9 - 15	T & G	Gross/Odd/Unusual Ingredients - Spirulina, donkey milk, bee venom, snail mucous - what masks have you used that have strange ingredients?	Aaliaa
Nov 16 - 22	U & F	Flash Masks - masks that do doubly duty in half the time	eshoe
Nov 23 - 29	V & E	Morning Masking - Masks that help give a pep to your step
Nov 30 - Dec 6	W & D	Mask that would make a good band name (kinda silly, I know)	PrettyPaint
Dec 7 - 13	X & C	Holiday Party Prep Mask
Dec 14 - 20	Y & B	Most Artistic Sheet Mask	Kim888
Dec 21 - 27	Z & A	Favourite Masks of All-Time	itsfi
Dec 28 - 31	123	Masks you discovered this year

Mask of the Week Misc. Info & Previous Year's Links:

Spoiler

To Post:
Each week features a different theme, as well as a letter of the alphabet for coming up with new masking ideas. 

Please include the brand and name of the mask you are trying out, as well as a photo if possible. Any other details are greatly appreciated, including scent, if it's an exfoliating mask (include acid info if known), your overall experience, and whether or not you would repurchase. Don't forget to include a grade (thanks to @ShortErica for the idea) to help others along the way.

Most importantly, have fun and merry masking!

Mask Hacks - Here are a few to get started thanks to our lovely BIC-ers, a big thank you for these fabulous ideas!

Spoiler

Trim off long chin and add to forehead for sheet masks	itsfi
Squeeze tube lip balms (like Bite) into pans and place in magnetic palette	sonnydee
Layer lip sleeping mask (such as Laneige) over regular balm	cianni
Derma plane prior to a peel-off mask to ease the pain of removal	heartsmyface
Warm water helps remove clay masks quicker than cold	cianni
Lay sheet masks flat prior to use so the serum is more evenly distributed	eshoe
Remove clay/difficult masks in the shower to keep towel clean and removal easy	itsfi/BIC
Use an HA serum prior to trying a mask with alcohol high on the ingredients list	keana1
Use a Makeup Eraser to remove wash-off masks	lmaster
With a detox mask, apply a thicker layer where pores are	Ather
Use a resurfacing exfoliating spray (such as Kate Somerville’s Liquid ExfoliKate) before a detox mask to better clear out your pores	Miamia27
Re-use a large sample jar for a blank sheet mask pellet and fill it with essence/toner	Itsfi
Use a nail clippers to trip a mask if scissors are not on hand	ShortErica

2019 Mask of the Week Challenge:
https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/2019-Mask-of-the-Week-Challenge/m-p/4497678/highligh...
2018 Mask of the Week Challenge:

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/Mask-of-the-Week-Challenge/td-p/3615125 

NEW!!! Got an idea for next year's challenge? Let me know! Was there a challenge you'd rather not repeat? Share below, so we can start building the 2021 schedule:

Spoiler

https://forms.gle/JYfmPU7YXR4k6Sb19 

[quspork]

Yes- this is such a lovely mask, @faeriegirl! Maybe they'll put out another set with some minis around the holidays. 

[ather]

@faeriegirl  I’ve been hoping for a mini on this one too!!!

[Shosh85]

@faeriegirl  Glad to hear you liked this one! This is my most favorite Summer Friday's mask 😃

[faeriegirl]

It is definitely a great one @Shosh85! If I didn’t have so many masks now I would get one.

[lmaster]

@faeriegirl I hope summer Fridays comes out with more masks, in general they are all pretty nice

[faeriegirl]

I hope they do @lmaster, I have really liked everything I’ve tried from them.

[WinglessOne]

Ha, I found my notes on the Leaders Daily Wonders Detox and Chill Charcoal Purifying Mask. I tried this mask 2 weeks ago, having never used it before. I did not like it. Not at all. And not just because of its terrible name. 😄 

I’m beyond tired of brands using the word “detox” to market skincare products. SKIN IS NOT A DETOXIFYING ORGAN.

Notes: 

Spoiler

Claims: Exfoliates, removes impurities, and deeply cleanses skin. Provides very hydrated, smooth, and radiant skin with minimized pores. 

Ingredients: Purslane is high on the list, followed by niacinamide and sugar maple. I always have trouble thinking of sugar maple extract as an exfoliating ingredient, but it’s a natural source of malic and tartaric acids—2 AHAs. There are also some good algae extracts in this mask. Questionable for me is arnica, which I’m still not convinced is all that helpful. Good thing it’s low on the list, followed by mugwort, yarrow, and skin-soothing gentian. That last ingredient is the only one of that group that’s probably doing my skin any good. 

Spoiler

Water, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Niacinamide, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Betaine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Fragrance, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ecklonia Cava Extract, Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Saururus Chinensis Extract, Volcanic Ash, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract 

Performance: Thick black non-stretch sheet, fully saturated in serum, with nearly a handful of serum left in the sleeve. Didn’t fully cover my jawline. Was about as long in the chin as most other masks; nothing a little folding-under couldn’t fix. It kept creeping down my forehead though, enough to make me snip the eyeholes for lash clearance—and even then, I almost broke out my mask holder to keep the forehead in place. It stuck quite well to the rest of my face; that made the forehead slippage even more annoying. 

I hate the scent of this mask, which unfortunately smells like several other Leaders masks: floral bar soap floating in a pan of photo fixer, with a hint of stop bath. As someone who once loved working at enlargers in dark rooms, photo chemical smells don’t bug me—unless they’re plastered on my face for 20 minutes. The scent was inescapable and I could hardly wait to remove the sheet. Once I did, I spent 3 minutes trying to massage-press all the residual serum into my skin. It felt and looked so greasy on my face, I gave it another 20 minutes to sink in. Afterward, my skin was still quite tacky. No pilling, though. 

Results: My face felt very moisturized—overly so, actually, in a rather bad way. My oily zone didn’t look too greasy but did feel swamped, as if I‘d applied too much rosehip or grapeseed oil there. It felt gross enough that I almost rinsed that part of my face, but I decided to leave it alone and see how my skin felt about it in the morning. My oily zone pores did look slightly smaller. None of my skin looked more radiant than usual. Can’t say my skin felt “cleaner,” either. And that yucky scent refused to leave my skin. YTTP Superfood Moisturizer didn’t completely mask the smell, but did tone it down enough that I could go to bed. 

The next morning, my oily zone was surprisingly not a grease pit. It felt okay. But I can get “okay” or better results from many other masks without dealing with this one’s performance issues and initially subpar results. So nope, this Leaders mask is a no-go. 

[ather]

@WinglessOne  Sorry this was a no go for you. I don’t know how I feel about maple extract on my face. I think I’d rather use snail goo!! 

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne  Sorry this was a no-go for you! I've always been confused at the detox claim, but I'm not at all an expert in skincare so I just thought it was a skincare term I didn't know about 🤷‍♀️

[Samtian]

Look at the cute little dragonfruits! I used these masks last night. The dragonfruit one you sleep in, so I'll post a comment update later about my thoughts on it. The hairnet is kinda tight, I'm glad I don't have a lot of hair. Smells really good. It was a bit hard to apply though, didn't want to spread out very well. 

The foot mask had a lot of promise. My feet in the socks felt amazing. So much moisturizers in them. It did have that fake rose smell I hate though. Unfortunately when I woke up this morning my feet felt extremely dry. 

[ather]

@Samtian  Sorry the foot mask made your feet more dry. That’s frustrating!! And it’s too bad the hair mask made your hair feel funny. 😩

[Samtian]

@ather Thanks! At least they weren't pricey items. 

[Samtian]

So this mask is a no-go for me. My hair feels heavy and super super thick. It is slightly shiny but that is it. My hair is normally super thick but this feels weird. 

[Loretta55]

Thank you very much for the review @Samtian. Sorry the hair mask did not work for you.

[Samtian]

@Loretta55 No problem!

[quspork]

That's too bad about the foot masks, @Samtian. I hope the hair mask ends up working out well for you!

[divaknits]

@Samtian  I've used the Dragonfruit hair mask before, but it's been so long ago that I've forgotten how I felt about it. I used the Shea mask a couple days ago. Usually it does well in my hair, but this time my hair was dry. I don't know if I left it on too long or what. You're right about the hair bonnet. They're small. It puzzled my husband because he's used to my big sleeping bonnet. Too bad about the foot mask. I don't like fake rose scent either.

[Shosh85]

@Samtian  Too bad the foot mask was a flop - I'm not a fan of a fake rose scent and dry feet either 😬 

That hair mask is super cute and I'm glad to hear it smells good! 😃

[lmaster]

@Samtian I'm curious on your thoughts with the overnight hair mask, the fruits are so cute 💙

[Loretta55]

I have a rose scented overnight hair mask that I got inside of a Sephora Favorites Kit awhile ago that I never used. I am looking forward to reading your review @Samtian .

[Samtian]

@lmaster I'm still waiting for my hair to dry out. Normally it's dry already.