Mask of the Week Challenge

[eshoe]

Happy fall (and Thanksgiving to those in the US 🌾) and welcome to the second half of the year! 🍂🍁 Just a few weeks left in 2020, whew! Looking forward to finishing strong & starting fresh ☺️

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

This Week’s Theme: Morning Masking - Masks that help give a pep to your step

Letters of the Week:  V & E

Spoiler

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		@eshoe
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!

2020 Mask of the Week Challenge Part 1:

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 

***Tentative 2021 Schedule*** 

Thank you for all of the fun ideas! If I have missed a suggestion, please let me know so I can get it added. Happy Masking 🙂

Spoiler

[ShortErica]

Oh no, yet another way to judge masks @lmaster - liked it, wouldn't buy it, but would grab it out of a motm - nice! 🤣

[lmaster]

Lol 😂 absolutely!! @ShortErica 

[quspork]

That one sounds fairly nice, @lmaster! I can get behind a floral, sweet fruit scent. 

[lmaster]

@quspork it was a very light scent too, extremely enjoyable experience

[ather]

@lmaster  This one sounds amazing!! 

[lmaster]

It was actually perfect @ather just the alcohol is a huge disappointment 😳

[Shosh85]

@lmaster  Sounds like a nice one! Probably a good call using the toner and HA beforehand 👍😃

[lmaster]

@Shosh85 I really really enjoyed this mask,, everything literally everything about it was excellent.... except one thing.. Good ol alcohol!! 😩

[eshoe]

This sounds like a cool mask, @lmaster . Maybe good for summer use, I guess, with the high alcohol🤷🏻‍♀️😊

[lmaster]

@eshoe I really enjoyed this mask, it could of easily been a love and one I would search for if it wasn't for the alcohol

[itsfi]

Goji berries are a good source of antioxidants @lmaster! 😊 I’ve only tried a couple of masks from this brand but this one sounds nice.

[lmaster]

I would say @itsfi I'm a believer in gemstone therapy after using this mask too 😉 while I was wearing it, I did feel pretty Zen 😆

[itsfi]

V is for Variety

WEI Beauty

The WEI Beauty Multitask Multi-Mask Collection Set includes a mask brush and 3 different mask pods - one each of the Bee Venom Anti-Wrinkle Cream Mask, the Brown Sugar Ready Glow Exfoliating Mask, and the Golden Root Purifying Mask, which appears to be the brand's most renowned product. If you were to purchase one of the masks, it comes in a pack of 8 individual pods. I can get about 2-3 uses from one pod, depending on how generous I am with my application and whether I'm applying product to my whole face or just to my nose, chin and jawline.  

WEI Beauty is a woman-founded skincare brand that seems to consider its products to be a modern take on traditional Chinese medicine. My first thought was to use all the masks in the same masking session, but I decided instead to first use each mask separately when I masked at the beginning of the week to see how each performs on its own, and then to use them in a multi-masking session later in the week, which is what I did last night.

I've broken out the spoilers by the individual masks and included one for last night's multi-masking. There's also a super quick breakdown of my thoughts in the very last spoiler at the bottom. 

Purifying Mask

Spoiler

WEI Beauty Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask is an unscented, chocolate brown hued kaolin clay mask that has a thin leaning, pudding-like consistency. The mask can be used either as an all-over, 10-minute wash-off mask or as an overnight spot treatment. I went with the former route but only applied it to the areas where I'm oilier or prone to breakouts; namely, my T-zone, jawline and neck. Interestingly, I experienced some slight tingling on certain parts of my face on the initial layer; though it didn't last long. Per the directions, I left the mask on for a little over 10-minutes; it dries slightly, but does not harden. Upon removing it, I noticed that my nose felt tight, but not necessarily dry. I didn't feel any tightness or dryness on the other parts of my face where I applied this mask. 

The next morning, however, was a mixed bag of results - my jawline and neck looked great - smooth, clearer and the unsightly gargantuan blemish seemed less angry (or at least, its anger was centralized) and slightly less red. The tip of my nose was awfully shiny and the area around my nose and the adjacent area near my cheeks were pinky red and looked like it had been burned. Ack! This area of redness coincided with the parts of my face that experienced some tingling when I initially applied the mask; it's probably also the more sensitive part of my T-zone region. Ugh. Good thing is it is just this one area and it's not huge, but it is centrally located on my face. Sigh. I put some aloe over it and you can't really tell under my tinted moisturizer, but we shall see what it looks like tonight. For the multi-masking session with all 3 masks, I applied a hydrator to that area before applying the mask and it seemed to make a difference. 

The redness/burn around my nose completely went away after a day / day-and-a-half. I suspect it was that I had the mask on too long for my skin. I do wonder if my using the DE micellar water also played any role in that; a test for another day.  This stuff seems to really pull out  everything, which can be good and bad, as I noticed a couple of new, large spots pop up the day after I used the purifying mask, but they were taken care of with some acne dots and The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque.

Exfoliating Mask

Spoiler

The granules in this WEI Beauty Brown Sugar Ready Glow Exfoliating Mask are more abrasive than I was prepared for. I tried applying this exfoliating mask with the brush but the bristles are too soft for the mask. The brush can be used with the mask, but I found it easier to use my fingers to scoop out some product and gently massage it onto my face. The mask washed off easily in the shower and my skin felt really soft and smooth, and had a fresh-faced glow to it that I liked a lot. The abrasiveness of this one though is not one I cared for. It's not the most abrasive mask, but it's far from the gentlest. I think I can get a total of 3 uses from this pod and while I like the results, I plan to re-purpose what remains in the pod on another part of my body.

Nourishing Mask

Spoiler

The WEI Beauty Bee Venom Anti-Wrinkle Cream Mask boasts two of my favorite skincare ingredients - honey and royal jelly - ahhhh, just saying it makes me happy. It also contains bee venom, which always makes me a little skittish, despite having used several products with the ingredient in it and not having any negative reactions or effects. This one feels so soothing going on the skin - the formula is lightweight and creamy at the same time, not too thin or thick. There's a certain luxe feeling when applying this with the brush, but ultimately, I found it was easier to use my fingers to spread it evenly over my face. I didn't feel any tingling, stinging or warming from this mask. I left it on for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water and a washcloth. If this one didn't contain bee venom, I might have been inclined to use it as an overnight mask. My skin felt soft, lightly hydrated, and moisturized.

Multi-Masking

Spoiler

Last night, I started my multi-masking with this Wei set with the exfoliating mask, followed by the purifying mask just on my T-zone, jawline and neck, and ending with the creamy, anti-wrinkle mask. This time with the exfoliating mask, I decided to mix in an oil with the mask, to give it more slip and also to help make for a more gentle application. I think @keana1 recommended this tip on the thread either last year or earlier this year. That seemed to work out well, though I don't think I'll be repurchasing the exfoliating mask. It's fine; there are just other exfoliating masks out there that I like better.

Since parts of my face had red splotches on it after using the purifying mask the last time, I decided to cut down the wear time by half, so 5 minutes instead of 10, and I also spritz a hydrating mist / toner on that area with a heavy hand before applying the mask. The combination of those two adjustments seemed to do the trick. While I felt a slight tingling, I did not experience any pink or redness afterwards nor did my  face look burned around that area the next morning. I'm happy these adjustments worked out because the purifying mask is one I'd consider repurchasing; well, repurchasing when I need another purifying mask - I'm still working my way through my wash-off masks; all the open, partially used ones, have pretty much been used up - yesss!!!! I have just a few left but they are ones that I reach for with some regularity but this will be one of the masks I consider when thinking about what to buy to replenish my supply.

The anti-wrinkle mask was the final step in this multi-masking. I really appreciate how light but still creamy this particular mask feels; it makes it a dream to apply, though personally, I'm able to get a more even application if I use my fingers instead of the brush. I can't speak to the anti-wrinkle claims of this mask, but it is soothing and nourishing, both welcome results. As for repurchasing, I'm torn. It's certainly a mask that I wouldn't mind using. It is a mask I would consider picking up for travel; I can see this coming in handy for some post-flight TLC. That it comes in individual pods makes it very convenient for travel, too. I don't foresee very much, if any, travel this year, and I'm not sure what next year looks like, but if I were to travel more, I would consider picking up a box of these pods.

Quick Summary

Spoiler

Golden Root Purifying Mask - I'd consider repurchasing the purifying mask after I've made my way through all my wash off masks. It is a potent mask, clearing out pores, and bringing spots to the surface, so it definitely lives up to its purifying moniker. 

Brown Sugar Ready Glow Exfoliating Mask - The scrubbies in this exfoliating mask can be a bit abrasive, at least for me, but can be made to work by mixing in a couple drops of olive oil before application. 

Bee Venom Anti-Wrinkle Cream Mask - This lightweight but creamy mask feels luxurious when applied with the brush, and leaves skin feeling soft and nourished.

Sorry for the extra long post. 😲 This WEI Beauty mask set has a good variety of products and is a great way to try out the different wash-off masks offered by the  brand. After spending much of the week with these wash-off masks, I'm looking forward to incorporating a sheet mask into my weekend routine. 😁

[quspork]

What a great comparison, @itsfi. The Bee Venom version sounds particularly lovely!

[itsfi]

Thank you @quspork! I’m happy these were part of my masking this week - my skin is happy too! 😃 I’ve gone through all my masks close to expiration (or I think I have 🤔) and can now reach for ones without having to look at the expiration date first. 

[ather]

@itsfi  This kit sounds amazing!!!

[itsfi]

@ather, this set was a fantastic way to sample the wash off masks from the brand. It’ll be a shame if it’s eventually discontinued. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oh darn why are they discontinuing it

[itsfi]

Whoops, sorry @ather, I don’t know for certain if they are, but I’m not finding these masks on sites where I’ve seen them in the past. 😔 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oh oops. I read it wrong! Hopefully they don’t. 

[keana1]

Great masking @itsfi ! The Purifying and the Nourishing Masks are calling me ! Where did you find these little treasures? 🥰 ( I now know that I can use bee venom, I tried a sample of the Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence ❤️ )