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 

[itsfi]

This is such a fabulous honey sheet @lmaster! 🙂 Definitely love the serum on this one! 

[lmaster]

@itsfi it's the coolest feeling serum!! Absolute must have

[faeriegirl]

That honey mask sounds great @lmaster!

[lmaster]

@faeriegirl ohhhhh it was a mask worth hoarding 🤣

[WinglessOne]

Posting while BIC/Lithium lets me (been having trouble browsing/posting for the last couple days)... 

L = LuLuLun Pink Daily Face Mask. This one’s new to me. I bought the resealable box of 36 instead of the resealable pouch of 7 because I figured I’d like this mask enough to want a bunch easily accessible. 

“May happiness be with you!”

Notes: 

Spoiler

Claims: Designed for daily use; requires only 5-10 minutes of wear. Maintains skin’s moisture balance; nourishes dry skin; improves skin barrier. 

Ingredients: I love that sodium PCA is in the top 5 ingredients. Alpha-glucan oligosaccharide is a prebiotic that encourages good bacteria growth and helps keep skin hydrated; this and sodium PCA are the 2 main reasons I chose to try this mask. The only potentially problematic ingredient for me is tangerine peel extract, which is most likely tangerine oil. I wish it was lower in the list. Dipotassium glycyrrhizate is the salt form of a licorice root component; I’m glad to see such a good skin soother listed high above tangerine peel. Since this mask contains honey, I can’t use it daily. It’ll be a once in a while mask, for days/nights when I need a quick hydrating mask session. 

I’m not sure why peony (paeonia albiflora) is here. On their own product page, LuLuLun says peony “softly permeates into the skin, preserving moisture inside.” But I usually see it hailed and studied/tested as a skin brightener and dark spot lifter instead. I’m not yet sold on any moisturizing or hydrating claims of this ingredient but, eh, its inclusion in this mask doesn’t hurt anything. 

Spoiler

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium PCA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Honey, Paeonia Albiflora Flower Extract, Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Extract, Yeast Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben 

Performance: This isn’t my first LuLuLun “daily” mask variety, so I expected to have lots of eye and mouth hole tailoring to do. Sure enough, those holes on this sheet were much too small for my face. The concept of a quick (5-10 minute) daily mask is marred by the additional time and effort with scissors required. The sheet is a soft, kinda stretchy, medium thick cotton: I can stretch it enough to cover most of my jaw, and it’s already the perfect width at my temples. As designed, it’s too long at the chin and not quite long enough at the forehead; once I’ve snipped the heck out of the eyeholes, I can pull the sheet up high enough to better align holes and overall length with my facial features. This sheet stayed in place quite well. 

The serum is thin, watery, and unscented. The first sheet in the box was well saturated, but I’ll still store the box upside down most days, flipping it right side up every so often to prevent leaking. I wore this sheet for just 10 minutes because I wanted to see what it could do in that short time. (I usually wear other LuLuLun masks for 20-30 minutes, even though they’re meant for shorter wear.) It felt very cooling the whole time. After removal, it took just 30 seconds to massage and press serum into my face; my skin happily drank it up. I had no tackiness or pilling at all. 

Results: Very hydrated and happy skin with some added brightness and zero dry patches, even though this was a 10% AHA exfoliation + retinol + 9% BHA spot treatment night. I didn’t feel like I had to rush to apply my moisturizer(s) after this mask. In fact, I had planned to use a sleep mask at the end of this night’s routine but my skin said “nope, not necessary. I don’t even need facial oil tonight. Just gimme some YTTP Superfood Moisturizer and we’re good to go!” 

Next time I use this mask, I’ll wear it for 20-30 minutes to see what longer wear time does. But for just 10 minutes, I’m very impressed by the results! I’ll also give it a 5 minute test in the near future. Will this encourage me to become a morning sheet masker? Probably not, at least not on weekday mornings. (I like my AM skincare routine to be as quick and efficient as possible. A sheet mask is too long an additional step, even if I multitask.) But I can see this mask getting night use. I kinda wanna pull them all out of the box, unfold them, scissor tailor them all, and put ‘em back in the box—so I won’t have to do so much cutting with each use. Hmm. 

Though there’s no fragrance/scent to this mask, I’ll say it’s a 92 point Chablis (I prefer Chablis to Chardonnay, which can taste like an oak plank soaked in melted butter... um, pardon my wine nerding). I’m completely ignoring the eye and mouth hole issues with that rating. 😄 

[ShortErica]

I love your wine nerding @WinglessOne. I want to try mask packs and have less waste once I get through my stockpile. Almost at the 250 sheet mask mark. Haha! Have to jot this one down. 🙂

[WinglessOne]

@ShortErica  I hope you enjoy it if you try it, once your mask collection’s thinned out! Reducing waste is a very admirable goal for masking. I wish the US had a good enough national recycling program to handle mask sleeves and various other things marked with foreign arrow triangles. 

I’m afraid to count how many sheet masks I have. 😬 I don’t usually mask nearly as often in warm months as I do in cold months. I need to change that this year so I can get through more of my stash! 

[ShortErica]

Good luck @WinglessOne!

[ather]

@WinglessOne  Oh this one sounds interesting. Looking at the package I almost thought it was an eye mask!

[eshoe]

@WinglessOne this sounds like a mask that would be excellent to have on hand in case of emergency. Or as a backup for bad masks. Either way, seems like one I need to try 😉

[lmaster]

I don't have these, but I did just purchse a couple packs @WinglessOne glad to hear good reviews

[Weetart]

@WinglessOne. This one sounds fantastic! Thanks for the wonderful review. I love it when sheet masks are so hydrating.

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne  That's great you got such great results after only 10 minutes.😃 The packaging is super adorable too! I'll be interested to know how the different wear times compare! 

[WinglessOne]

Stretching the “sample led to FS purchase” theme a lot: I was a big fan of the essence, which has finally led me to try the sheet mask! Last night’s mask was the May Coop Raw Sheet. 

Kinda funny that it took me so long to finally try this mask.

Notes: 

Spoiler

Claims: Intense hydration; complexion balancing; soothes and moisturizes skin. 

Ingredients: Unlike the Raw Sauce essence, the sheet mask contains no alcohol. It does contain the signature sugar maple sap in place of water. There are some good ingredients in the serum: arginine, green tea, licorice root, bamboo, ginger extract, panthenol, magnolia fruit, coptis japonica root... But a few other ingredients are iffy, like acorus calamus root extract which, sure, may have some skin benefits but is also a spicy woody fragrance source. And I think of grapefruit extract as a perfuming or astringent ingredient, so I don’t like to see it listed as high as it is here—because the last thing my combo skin’s dry zones need is an astringent stripping what little oil exist there. Still, I decided to give this mask a chance. I dunno, maybe I’m biased as a former diehard Raw Sauce essence fan. 

Spoiler

Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Sap, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Arginine, Chlorphenesin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Acorus Calamus Root Extract, Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Lepidium Meyenii Root Extract, Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Pinus Densiflora Leaf Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Truja Orientalis Extract, Disodium EDTA, Dipostassium Glycyrrhizate, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Fragrance 

Performance: This is a very thin, soft, stretchy, mesh-like, unbleached cotton sheet with a plastic backing. It’s the perfect length for my face and actually a bit too wide at my jaw, but it’s very easy to scrunch into shape. The serum has that Raw Sauce fragrance but a little stronger, with a somewhat milkier consistency than the Raw Sauce essence. There was a good handful of serum left in the sleeve; I pressed and smoothed a lot of it over my masked forehead and cheeks within the first 5 minutes of wear, and also applied it to my neck. 

The sheet didn’t budge until about 25 minutes of my 30 minute wear time, when it began to peel/bubble up where I’d scrunched it at my temples and jaw. After removal, it took me 2 minutes to massage and press the serum into my skin. 2 minutes after that, my face was just barely tacky. 

Results: My skin felt very hydrated, moderately moisturized, and surprisingly lightweight—like my face had shed 5 layers of clothing and was bouncing around in a thin soft cotton nightgown. 😄 It still felt that way after I applied my facial oil and cream moisturizer. That’s not an experience I get from many masks. So, the May Coop Raw Sheet is a 91 point sparkling rosé: very fragrant, easy to drink (heh, wear), light bodied, and refreshing. 

I stopped using May Coop Raw Sauce on my face sometime last year, when I discovered how much better e.l.f. Hydrating Water Essence is in terms of performance and ingredients. The only bad-for-me thing in the e.l.f. essence is fragrance, and it costs less than Raw Sauce. I still like Raw Sauce and occasionally use it as a body essence. But last month I tried using it on my face for the first time in maybe a year, and it wasn’t nearly as hydrating as the e.l.f. essence, plus it was more strongly fragranced. I guess my face has made its choice. 😄 

[ShortErica]

Yes! Have this one set aside for M/N week or N/M week and am really looking forward to it from your review @WinglessOne 

[lmaster]

Idk if I've ever tried this one 🤔 @WinglessOne sounds very satisfying

[Weetart]

Another great descriptive review @WinglessOne. I love the description of five layers less under cotton. Hah!

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne A 91 point sparkling rose sounds like a great mask 😉 I was super happy when I had found a box of these at Marshall's awhile back! Love this one! 😃

[WinglessOne]

@Shosh85  Oh wow, you lucked out on that Marshalls trip! 

[itsfi]

I love this sheet mask @WinglessOne. Happy to hear it’s a 91 point sparkling rose quality for you. 😉 

[WinglessOne]

@itsfi  I’ve had a sparkling rosé craving ever since I wrote that review. 😄 I have plenty of reds and some sparklers (mostly white cava, champagne’s sadly underhyped counterpart) at home, but no rosés. I’ll have to make an “essential” order or foraging run for a bottle or 2 soon, so I can have it on hand to sip the next time I wear one of these masks.