💕😌 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💗

[txcatx]

@itsfi Good to know; thanks for the tip! I ended up buying a bag of ripe mangoes yesterday because they were 50% off, and I might have to give this a try.

[itsfi]

Let us know how it goes if you do try it @txcatx. Here or on the food thread -  https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/What-s-on-your-plate/m-p/430729/highlight/true#M1948...

It’s a refreshing treat! 🥭 

[lmaster]

@itsfi what a beautiful and delicious layout!!! 

[itsfi]

Thank you @lmaster! I'm sure I have a mango sheet mask around here somewhere too, but I was just wanting to dig into the sorbet that I kept it at a hair and lip mask session. Ha! Mango sorbet, yum!! 😋

[CynthieLu]

Oooh, yummy mango! 🥭  I think out of all the Laniege lip masks, mango and gummy are the best flavors imo 😃

Beautiful shot of what you used for your hair masking session @itsfi 

Your Sherbert looks so good and refreshing 😍 

[itsfi]

@CynthieLu, Laneige has put out some great lip mask flavors over the years. I like the mango and mint choco versions. I've heard good things about the gummy bear version - I pick up a candy scent from it, but not a specific gummy bear scent that many have smelled. I liked the idea of the peach iced tea but wish the scent on that one was stronger.

The sorbet was refreshing; made for a nice treat with the mango hair mask. Thank you!

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi I bet that hair mask smells amazing!  Also, love your pic 🙂

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, the hair mask definitely has a creamy, mango scent to it. I wouldn't mind if it was a little stronger. Thank you; it's nice to pair two activities I enjoy - masking and photography. Or, maybe it's 3 things if we count eating ice cream / sorbet. 😃

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi The ice cream/sorbet DEFINITELY counts 😉.

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, I had a feeling you'd back me on this one! Ice cream / sorbet - not necessarily hydrating or brightening like a mask, but it sure is soothing ... for the soul. 😊🍨

[ather]

@itsfi  Oooo this masking session sounds so good! The hair mask sounds so good. And the mango sorbet sounds delicious too. Great idea to add real fruit in it! 

[itsfi]

Thank you @ather! This was a fun masking sesh! Spring and summer have some of the best fruits. I'll have to do a deep dive into my mask stash to see if I have other masks with in season fruits. I'm not sure I need to make more ice cream / sorbet, but how can I say know if it makes for a good mask pairing?!  😂

[itsfi]

O for OleHenriksen, orange, and an outstanding oldie-but-goodie (that's sadly been discontinued)

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A few of us have talked about OLEHENRIKSEN Power Bright over the years - it's such a beautiful at-home peel and mask. My skin glows every time I use this 3-step system. My skin has been on the sensitive side of late and as potent as this peel is, it's not harsh on my skin. The 3 products (Truth Sugar Glow Polishing Mask + Truth 25% Vitamin C Concentrate + Pure Truth Melting Cleanser) work together beautifully to make my skin more soft, smooth and supple. And gives me that bright-eyed, refreshed, healthy glow that I could never tire of. I wish OleHenriksen still made this beauty, or something like it - maybe as part of its Banana Bright line of products, @TeamBIC ? They were once more readily available at TJMaxx or Marshall's; I rarely get to those stores since they are more of a trek now but if I do, I always look for this OH set. 

P for plant-based sheet that will check off last week's masks that make you hungry theme - the blueberry mask (that I can't tag at the moment) inspired me to make a dessert , which would work as well for last week's sweet treats theme as well. Another food and mask pairing @Shosh85! 😆

I'm always interested in trying out the masks that the Sephora Collection comes out with, including their sheet masks (no surprise there)! So when I saw what appeared to be new masks from the brand, I added one to my shopping cart straightaway! Was it just a new packaging design? Or was it a reformulation? One way to find out

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I chose the blueberry varietal because (1) it's the newest varietal, I don't recall a previous blueberry sheet mask; (2) I have the sleeping mask in the blueberry "flavor" and if this ended up being one I wanted to repurchase, it'd make for a lovely pairing; and (3) I love blueberries. So the blueberry mask became my guinea pig for testing out this new line. Turns out Sephora Collection has reformulated and repackaged its sheet masks with this new series. 

WHAT'S THE SAME?:

* Added fragrance is still in the top half of the ingredients list. I've mentioned this before - Sephora's lineage as a French based brand makes me think its fragrance is deeply rooted in its approach to skincare. I can certainly see the aromatherapy benefit of fragrance. In that regard, it makes sense that a mask put out by a French based brand would contain parfum. That said, the fragrance on this mask is not overwhelming, but because it is present and noticeable, it may not be for those sensitive to scents. 

* Speaking of scents, in my experience, the Sephora Collection sheet masks have been hit or miss when it comes to the fragrance in the mask aligning with what I expect it to smell like given the ingredient on which the mask is based or marketed as being a key ingredient. With this mask, I pick up a slight berry-ish smell but blueberry didn't immediately come to mind. Or, at least, not blueberry as I know it. A scan of the INCI list and some time online clarified for me that this mask contains bilberry fruit extract, the European blueberry that is similar, but not identical, to the North American blueberry. Among other things, it's said that the bilberry contains more nutrients than our blueberry. Interesting. 

* Results from this mask are similar to the results I have gotten from other iterations of the Sephora Collection masks. Soft, refreshed, lightly hydrated skin. Results that I expect to receive from most all sheet masks. This blueberry one claims to perfect skin and make it radiant. To be fair, my skin was very dry, and my complexion looked rather dull - sadly, allergies & lack of sleep will do that to my mug; grrrr! The former is somewhat out of my control; the latter - well, that's a work in progress. lol.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT?:

* Flavor, scent or key ingredients are all things I've seen the Sephora Collection modify and refresh when it launches a new formulation of its sheet masks. This reformulated line is no different. There are varietals that we've seen in past collections, such as coconut, matcha, watermelon and lychee. Blueberry and lemon appear to be the new flavors. I love both fruits so I will inevitably find my way to the lemon one as well. [As an aside, blueberry and lemon make a wonderful pairing themselves - in tarts, cakes, pies, lemonade, spritzers, infused vodka or water, etc.]

* A bigger difference, though one that may not be readily noticeable by all, is the mask material. In the past, Sephora Collection has manufactured sheet masks made of cotton, eucalyptus fiber (tencel), biocellulose, hydrogel, and the like. The sheet masks in this line are plant based, specifically derived from the acacia plant. The material is soft, thin and wears comfortably against the skin. Adherence has never been an issue for me with masks from the Sephora Collection and this one was no exception. 

* What was surprising was that the fit on this mask - it was nearly perfect for my face size, shape and feature. I appreciated the openings for the eyes and mouth to be wide enough that I didn't have to make any adjustments. Same too goes for the width of the mask at the nose bridge - it was just a teensy bit wide but nothing that caused alarm or a need to make any incisions. Yaaay!. Width was generally okay and the length at the chin was still long but those are not dealbreakers for me. I get the need for sheet masks to reach a broad audience. 

* This new line of sheet masks appear to be a more sustainable product - the packaging is recyclable and the sheet mask itself is compostable. I know these two things are not factors that everyone considers when deciding whether to purchase, or repurchase, a sheet mask, but I raise them for two reasons - (1) these are changes from the previous design of the Sephora Collection sheet masks and (2) these two features are great advances when it comes to manufacturing sheet masks. There's been discussion for a long-time regarding sheet masks, and how sustainable or eco-friendly they are. Many brands have moved towards the use of better materials for their sheets, with plant based sheets become more and more popular. The issue of packaging has been a challenge but the recyclable packaging and compostable sheet on these new masks are great advances. Nicely done, Sephora Collection!

Overall Thoughts: 

*  Appreciate the new repackaging with the pouch being recyclable and the sheet itself being compostable. 

*  This isn't a mask I'd characterize as a 'love' but I like it enough that I'm interested in using this blueberry one again when my skin is not so troublesome and compare results.

* I also am very interested in trying out the lychee and watermelon varietals. 

* And as for the tarte, I was able to get my hands on some bilberries (yay!) and mixed them with some blueberries. The tarte wasn't bad - the crust is an improvement from the one I did before; the whipping cream was less floofy than I hoped it would be but in the spirit of practice makes perfect, I'll keep working on that. 

Face Masks Fruit & Plant Extracts + Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid - SEPHORA COLLECTION | Sephora

[lmaster]

Thank you for the review!! I didn't even realize they had new ones 🤣 @itsfi sounds like the material is something I would appreciate 😊

[itsfi]

@lmaster, I feel like each new series of face masks in this almost circular shaped packets that the Sephora Collection puts out gets better. I do miss that honey version from the original line, along with the honey lip scrub and mask. 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  Oh, yumm, that pie sure looks delicious! 😋🥧🫐 I haven't gotten around to trying the new line, but I really appreciate the comparisons - that's so helpful! The blueberry masks sounds pretty decent - I'd sort of given up on the SC mask line, but I think I may have to give this one try. 😉

Definitely love that Power Bright! I still have a couple more left, but I'll be super sad when they're gone! 😅

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, I completely get where you’re coming from with almost giving up on the SC masks. I wasn’t going to try this new line and then I saw blueberry 🫐 and a new type of material so I couldn’t pass it up. Just couldn’t. Ha! Glad I did; Sephora Collection is off to a good start with me with this fruits & plant series. 👍🏼 I do wish they would run a promo on this line like they have in the past with their sheet masks - buy 2, get 1 free. Or maybe it was buy 3, get 1 free? 

Oh goodness, if OleHenriksen brought back this Power Bright System, Too Cool For School started making their Coconut Ceramide sheet mask again, and Secret Key reintroduced that Honey Banana sheet mask, my mask loving heart would be so happy! 🥰 

[ather]

@itsfi  Thanks for being the Guinea pig for us and sleuthing out the details of this new line! I love that you choose Blueberry 🫐 first. Blueberry is my favourite fruit and scent! The fit on this couldn’t be more perfect! I will grab one with my next order! Lychee and watermelon sounds delicious too! Your pie looks perfect! I’m sure you will perfect it! Can’t go wrong with blueberry pie! Also I have never heard of a Bilbery before and had to google it to see what it is. What flavour does it have? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them here! I’ll keep my eyes out tho! We have a berry here that I also never had before they are primarily a prairie berry called a Saskatoon berry. Reminds me of a blueberry and a raspberry combo and they make a delicious pie! 

[eshoe]

Saskatoon berries, @ather? Just took a quick peek and they remind me of blueberries, yum! 

[ather]

@eshoe  Yes they are like a wild smaller blueberry! So yummy. I make them into a pie with a crumble on top!

[eshoe]

It has been wayyyyy too long since I have had a pie of any flavour, @ather - if I ever make it that far north again, I will have to keep my eyes out!