💕😌 2024 Masking Challenge 😌💖

[eshoe]

Welcome to the 2024 Masking Challenge! 

This year is going to be a little different - simplified. Easy. Every month will have a new theme, and that's it. Feel free to join in whenever and wherever. Most importantly - have fun!

Spring Fling - Baskets and bouquets, showers of much-anticipated rain...this month's focus is herbal and floral sensory delights 💮

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January	Fresh Starts - Time for a re-set, or morning masking? However you see it, this month is all about new beginnings.
February	Winter Love - Whether it's a mask you adore, or something extra-special to care for dry winter skin, this month is for some soothing TLC.
March	March Madness - Competition is in the air! Find a $ dupe of a $$$ mask that is share-worthy? Or find a dupe that works even better than the original? Details, please!
April	Spring Fling - Baskets and bouquets, showers of much-anticipated rain...this month's focus is herbal and floral sensory delights.
May	Dew Drops - May Day lore says to wash your face in the dew you collect in the morning of the first day of May for radiant skin. This month is for absorbing all of that good-for-you H2O.
June	Summer Sunshine - Ice cream, sunglasses, SPF, check! Once the sun is down (or before it's up), extra care is most necessary. How do you give your skin cooling repair?

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

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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, fit, adherence, mask type (hydrating, brightening, exfoliating, detox, sleeping, etc.) as well as your overall experience.

Most importantly: Would you repurchase it? 

Second most important: Have fun and merry masking!

2023 Mask of the Week Challenge

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2022 Mask of the Week Challenge

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2021 Mask of the Week Challenge

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2020 Mask of the Week Challenge:

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/2020-Mask-of-the-Week-Challenge-PART-1/m-p/4995162/h...

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   

Thank you @Aaliaa for starting this thread, and giving us a place to share our love for masks💗

[itsfi]

Beauty of Joseon was one of the brands I was super keen to try when I first started learning about KBeauty skincare. I use the cream; this is the first I’ve heard about a sheet mask @WinglessOne. 

[WinglessOne]

@itsfi  I don't know when they released this sheet mask, but it's the first (and only, so far) one they've ever made. I hope they plan to release more. 

[eshoe]

Wow, both sound great, @WinglessOne! Curious about your thought process when choosing masks to purchase. Cica seems to be in many of them. I’ve been trying to seek out more (you liked the Benton one, I think... cannot recall for certain) as a result of your reviews and also my skin that’s been acting up more frequently. 

Oooooh and yes. The masks that you go back to the package for another, “What is that scent, exactly?”🥰 Those are keepers.

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  Oh no, how's your skin been acting up? Acne breakouts, or something different? A few years ago, more frequent "breakouts" (which were really just small bumps, not acne) were my skin's first visible SOS, sparked by accumulated damage from various essential oils in my skincare products. It progressed to redness, itchiness, and flaking before I finally consulted a dermatologist for answers. Hopefully that's not happening to you. Maybe it's just a specific ingredient or 2 your skin doesn't like, possibly combined with seasonal weather change + mask wearing. I remember you mentioning you thought your skin might not like spirulina...? 

Dropping my mask-shopping thought process in a spoiler because I'll probably ramble a lot 😄 : 

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My though process for all skincare is very ingredient driven. I learn which ingredients can help my skin issues or help me reach skincare goals. (Example: I buy a lot of cica masks because last year I realized my surface redness and other signs of irritation respond well to that ingredient, and I'd already done lots of research on cica.) Then I look for products that contain those ingredients without lots of bad-for-me stuff.

Formulation is important, of course, and you can't always determine that just by looking at an ingredients list (well, unless you're a chemist, which I am not 😂). But I can briefly skim a mask's marketing claims (or ignore them altogether), then skip straight to the full ingredients list where I take my time reading and thinking. The ingredients list tells me more about a mask's true capabilities than the marketing does. I look up any ingredient I don't recognize and usually plan to deep-dive on it later, because I like to research and learn about things, because I'm kind of a nerd. Anyway, if the ingredients list looks impressive, I'll probably buy 1 or 2 of the masks to try. (I like to buy 2 so I can retest if necessary.) 

When I'm at a store (eh, when I was at stores in the pre-pandemic days) or a site like YesStyle to restock a mask, I sometimes notice other masks I've never tried. I quickly skim their marketing info, then jump to ingredients. If the product page doesn't list all the ingredients (I HATE when retailers do that), I'll ask Google for them. If all I can find is the original Korean/Japanese/Chinese ingredients list, I'll run Google Translate on it—and thank goodness that app's improved, especially the photo features which used to be super glitchy. If I like what I see, I'll probably try that mask unless I convince myself I already have too many dupe masks. 

I get super excited when I happen upon a brand I've never tried before, and I find at least one mask of theirs I can safely test. Especially if the sleeve design draws me in. That's how I felt the first time I explored PACKage's masks a few years ago and found their Don't Worry mask. 

And sometimes I look up masks posted in this thread if I've never tried them before. The first info I look for is the full ingredients list. If a mask contains too much bad stuff, I won't try it. Usually that includes high amounts of alcohol denat., but sometimes I'll give that a pass based on the rest of the ingredients list. If a mask contains only one citrus extract and it's near the tail end of the list, with no linalool or other fragrance components individually listed, I might try it. Depends on how far I wanna push my face's luck. 😄 

[eshoe]

I can’t place it on anything besides the consistent Bakuchiol (using inconsistent products by switching it up every two weeks) @WinglessOne. I need to take a closer look at the ingredients, maybe something just isn’t clicking right. But sensitivity is something I’m not really used to- only a handful of masks have cause me issues in the past few years, whereas this year, seems like it’s once a month🤷🏻‍♀️ 

Thank you for the in-depth detail on your procurement process! You seem to find quite a few good masks, so I was very curious. I’m always drawn in by packaging, so it’s a hit or miss for me. Cica/centella is one I’ve been seeking out more lately, though, for masking mishaps and calming my skin. I always appreciate your recommendations and the time you take to share all of the details🙌🏼

[emaisgr8]

The  Beauty of Joseon  mask looks so pretty @WinglessOne 

[lmaster]

@WinglessOne nice!! Both of these sound great! 

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne 

I've never heard of the Beauty of Joseon - this one sounds wonderful! I love the package - kind of gives you a calming vibe 😊

I pass up a lot of SNP masks because of the high alcohol, but I like how this one sounds! I'll be interested how it does with brightening! 😃

[Samtian]

Last night I used this peach/watermelon dual mask. I don't know anything about firming (what it's supposed to do) but I can say I really really liked how my skin looked in the morning. It has a lovely scent, but not strong enough for my liking.

[eshoe]

Wow the placing of the peach and watermelon extracts as fourth and fifth, followed by sodium hyaluronate is impressive, @Samtian! I would seek this one out to give it a try👍🏼

[lmaster]

@Samtian I love a good fruity scent too 😆

[itsfi]

@Samtian, I usually prefer more subtle scents in my sheet masks but I can see where you’d want a stronger scent with this one - peach and watermelon!!! What a great combo!

[Shosh85]

@Samtian  A peach and watermelon mix sounds great! Happy to hear it turned out great for you! 🍑🍉

[ShortErica]

The fruit extracts look really high on the list. Curious it wasn't as scented as much as you would like @Samtian but at least you got good results.

[Samtian]

@ShortErica Thanks! Haha yeah if it is a scent I love, I want to smell it strongly ten miles away.

[itsfi]

One of the masks for A / Z weeks ... A for A’Pieu and Z for zinc

The soft, thin-ish cotton sheet mask is steeped in a thin, runny, milky-yet-watery essence consisting primarily (80%) of aloe leaf extract (the first ingredient listed!), wears comfortably and leaves my skin feeling soothed, hydrated and nourished. This is a fabulous mask for dry, dehydrated, sensitive and/or combination skin types. Those with oily skin might enjoy this one in the winter months. For me, this is a really lovely mask for a little T.L.C. and one I would happily use all year round. 

Ingredients:

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I was drawn to the mask because of the name - cicative zinc. Zinc has done wonders for my complexion and this mask contains both zinc oxide and zinc PCA. I assumed the reference to cicative might mean centella asiatica was also included in the essence. While cica specifically is not one of the ingredients, this does contain asiaticoside and asiatic acid, which I learned are constituents of centella asiatica. Other notable ingredients include glycerin, niacinamide, mineral water, allantoin, madecassic acid, mugwort extract and olive oil.

Full Ingredients List (from yesstyle dot com😞

Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Mineral Water, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Zinc PCA, Allantoin, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Polysorbate 60, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract, Sorbitan Stearate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Panthenol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Methylglucamine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Adenosine, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance

[eshoe]

Wow aloe first, @itsfi?! That is super impressive. Thank you for the info on centella asiatica, I learned something new today. I am not familiar with the benefits of zinc in skincare, time to study up on that, too;)

[itsfi]

The ingredients list on the package is in Korean so I did a search online for it and was very happy and surprised to see aloe as the first ingredient listed. It’s great to have access to information re ingredients. @eshoe 

[lmaster]

@itsfi ooohhhh this mask sounds really nice!

[itsfi]

It was @lmaster! I’m looking forward to trying the other two in the line. 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  So happy to hear this one turned out so great! I just bought this and the magnesium one and I'm excited to try them out! 😃