💕😌 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💗

[lmaster]

Wish it had a fruity scent too @Kim888 chemical scents are not appealing

[itsfi]

Mornin' maskers! 👋 The "blind pick" theme is one of my favorites of the masking challenge. Thank you @veronika23 (hope you are well! Miss you!) My blind picks are not completely random though. Except for being dehydrated year-round, my skin can, at times, be sensitive. This week and part of last week has been one of those times. So instead of just reaching into my bin of masks and just picking a mask, I decided to make a game of it.  😊 Though I'd probably make a game of it even if my skin wasn't being so picky highly selective. This time, I reached for my bag of Scrabble tiles, closed my eyes and drew a tile . . . and M it is! 

M is for moisturizing, Mediheal, magic?, and multi-masking - I applied The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque 1.7 oz/ 50 mL (not pictured) (thanks again @PrettyPaint!) on a couple of spots an let it sit for a few minutes before applying the sheet mask. I will do this with my spot treatment masks or place an acne dot over my blemishes before layering a sheet mask on top.  

 

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Mediheal N.M.F. Intensive Hydrating Mask is not a new mask to me, but this particular one is - Mediheal reformulated and repackaged a few of their sheet masks. In addition to the new look, the mask itself also has a new feature - the mask, which is said to be made out of 100% cotton linter, is pressed with "MEDIHEAL" in various places. You can see the imprint of the mark when you first pull the mask out of the packet. The idea is that the "MEDIHEAL" becomes more visible when the "treatment is complete." I'm pretty sure that's a fancy way of saying that it shows up when it's time to remove the mask, but it seems like you'd know without the imprinted name becoming visible, either by keeping track of your wear time (directions recommend 10-20 minutes) or by feeling / seeing that the mask is drying up. I could see this new feature being helpful for those new to sheet masks though.  

Material, Adherence & Fit: 

I can't recall whether this is the first time I've heard of a mask's material being identified as cotton linter. According to SpringerLink (an online resource containing scientific, technological and medical journals, books and reference works), cotton linters are the "relatively short fuzz left on cottonseed after the cotton ginning process [and] is the purest cellulose in chemistry having hundreds of end uses." 

Here, the material of the mask is soft, thin and adheres beautifully to the skin and wore comfortably for the nearly 40 minutes I had it on my currently dehydrated-combo skin (oily T zone, dry cheeks). Fit was excellent - I only had to snip off an inch from the bottom; I didn't have to make any incisions or adjustment to the holes for the eyes or mouth! 

Performance:

I generally keep a sheet mask on for 20-30 minutes and typically around that mark, most masks are still damp and certain areas of the mask start leaning on the drier side of damp at that point. I don't usually keep a mask on until it's completely dried out; in part because I've read that longer doesn't necessary mean better. I wanted to see how IF the "MEDIHEAL" would be visible so I checked the mask every so often after the 20-minute mark. I first started seeing it around the 25-minute mark but the mask still had plenty of the clear, watery, clean-scented essence containing several good-for-your-skin ingredients. Half of the strip of material right above my lip was almost completely dry and I could see the MEDIHEAL imprint clearly after about 38 minutes. So the imprint does show up. The mask claims to be moisturizing and to provide intense hydration and it delivered. Between the two though, I'd say it's more hydrating than moisturizing. My skin looked clear, fresh faced and even though my eyes felt a wee bit tired, my face, thankfully, didn't look it. Mediheal's sheet masks are ones that work well for my skin; I don't know if there's a mask within the collection that I would say is supremely stellar, in that it's one I have to haul backups of immediately, but most I have used have been in the repurchase category and the same holds true for this one. 

Ingredients:  from medihealus (dot) com

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Water (Aqua/Eau), PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Willow (Salix Alba) Bark Extract, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Panthenol, Trehalose, Betaine, Arginine, Polysorbate 80, Carbomer, Allantoin, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Frankincense (Boswellia Serrata) Resin Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cabbage Rose (Rosa Centifolia) Flower Water, Green Purslane (Portulaca Oleracea) Extract, Polyglutamic Acid, Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana) Water, Sweet Almond (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) Seed Extract, Mushroom (Fomes Officinalis) Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice, Beta-Glucan, Glutamic Acid, Phenylalanine, Glutamine, Proline, Alanine, Fragrance (Parfum)

[quspork]

Love Mediheal, @itsfi! I don't think I've tried one of the reformulations yet but the idea of using visual cues with the imprint on the mask is an interesting one. I can definitely see that being helpful for newer maskers or even for multitasking maskers who might not being paying particular attention to the clock or how the mask is feeling against their skin. 

[itsfi]

@quspork, do you have any favorites from the brand? I noticed that they have in the past done a lot of collabs - with Line Friends characters and BTS, but the collabs seem to be with new packaging and not necessarily new masks. I was surprised to learn from this new redesign that the left side of the area above my upper lip is the first to dry out. I would have put money on it being my cheeks first, which, it’s a good thing I didn’t actually put money on that. 😆 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  Love it! Such a creative way to incorporate the theme!

I agree, the Mediheal masks I've tried have been nice, but nothing super amazing.

It's funny, I remember seeing the word MEDIHEAL on a mask I did once, but I didn't read the directions and didn't realize it had a purpose! Haha! I'll have to watch out for that when I use my other masks from the brand 😉😃

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, yeah, it’s interesting to see how different brands fall out of categories for me the more sheet masks I use and how many skin needs change as I’ve aged. I still like Mediheal sheet masks and most masks by them are ones I would happily use again - they’re solid and I know what to expect; I don’t instinctively jump at the chance to purchase them... unless there’s a new mask I happen upon, then I’m sure my knee jerk reaction is “oooh? What is this?!” 😂 Some things never change. 😉 🤷🏻‍♀️😝 

[lmaster]

That is definitely a unique way to choose a mask @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Ha! 😂 Ohhh, unique. You just gave me a "U" for one of the letters of the week. Thank you @lmaster! 🤗 What's left of the sheet masks I want to use up by the end of the year are grouped by a mask's purpose, so I thought this would be more of a blind pick. 

[emaisgr8]

@itsfi  This mask sounds neat! Love the scrabble tile idea.

[itsfi]

Thank you @emaisgr8! Gotta put the Scrabble tiles to good use. lol. 😄

[veronika23]

That's a cool way to pick a mask! Thanks for your thoughts. Miss you too @itsfi  🖤

[itsfi]

Thank you @veronika23! My skin is just beginning to mend from breaking out after using a concealer that didn't agree with my skin and dealing with "maskne", and I didn't want to risk aggravating it with a mask drawn completely at random, so I did this instead. I do enjoy the "blind pick" challenge - it's a lot of fun. ❤️ I'll revisit it again and again during the rest of the year. 😀

[veronika23]

@itsfi  oh no! I hate when that happens. At least you know what made you breakout... and totally understand why you wouldn't want to completely blind pick a mask. Hope it clears up fast. 😊

[itsfi]

@veronika23, thank you, V! 😊 I didn’t even consider the concealer could be the culprit until a BIC lovely @danielledanielle posted about a similar result from the concealer. 😔 So thankful she mentioned it; otherwise, I’d probably still be reaching for it and making things worse!! 😑 Now I know, and my zit zapper products have been working overtime. 😆 Good thing about it is that I’m going through my stash at a faster pace. 🤪😂🤣😂 

[veronika23]

 @itsfi   Ohhh. It's good someone posted about it then! Hahaha well at least nothing will be going to waste... I've been having a hard time using all my products/doing a full routine... I really need to use up what I have before it goes bad. 😂

[itsfi]

Ha! Yeah, I've been breezing through my acne fighting products this summer! 😆 And my hydrating serums and masks too, since I follow up with hydrating products to keep my already dehydrated skin from getting more parched. I guess there's a bright side to breaking out??!! 😲🤣🤣

I hear ya @veronika23! I gave away a box of unopen, full size masks and other products earlier this summer because I knew I wouldn't be able to get to them this year and I'd rather someone get use out of and enjoy them than I have to toss it either having used it a few times or worse, not having used it at all. It's made me more mindful about what I can buy more frequently and what should really only be a purchase if I've used up a comparable product. Lessons learned. Always so many lessons learned. Ha!

[veronika23]

Totally understand you with giving away some products. I do that often... though I should have done it more with my makeup I think...  Hahaha yeah... wish we didn't have to learn these lessons the hard way. 😂  @itsfi 

[quspork]

XP from the Feedback Wanted: New Clean SC Makeup and Skincare Items thread:

Finally getting around to posting my comparison of the old school green tea and the new "clean" matcha tea masks. 

SEPHORA COLLECTION Clean Face Mask Matcha  - I actually did a comparison of this one with the SEPHORA COLLECTION Face Mask Green Tea  since both tea sheet masks claim to offer mattifying and clarifying as benefits. I've really enjoyed the older version of the mask and was curious how the "clean" version stacked up. Both masks had a similar fit which works well on my face. Adherence was also good for both masks. The Green Tea mask is made of a slightly sturdier-feeling cotton sheet and had a backing for placement. The Matcha one was perhaps slightly more comfortable on and did not have a backing, but that was not an issue. The Green Tea has a grassier scent, while the Matcha was more of a soapy scent, with the Matcha scent lingering much longer through wear time. I didn't notice much tack on my skin after removal of either mask. Both left me decently hydrated, but I wouldn't say that I noticed any particular mattifying effects. Perhaps with longer usage over time? Based on this comparison, I'm definitely interested in trying other versions of the new clean mask line to see which may become new favorites! 

[Shosh85]

@quspork  Ooooh, I love that you compared these! Glad to hear they both turned out nice - sounds like I need to try the Matcha Tea one soon! 👍

[ShortErica]

I appreciate the comparison of old vs new @quspork!

[lmaster]

I loved the matcha tea mask @quspork