💕😌 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💗

[WinglessOne]

I planned to try some new T-themed masks this week but wound up repeating masks i’ve already reviewed here. Eh, I use what my skin tells me it needs. This week, my skin needed these tried-and-trues: 

This week's masks were all repeats, but they're all on-theme. 🙂

LuLuLun Premium Kyoto Green Tea Mask - fits G & T! Still one of my favorite green tea masks. 

The Saem Power Centella Mask Sheet - fits the sheet material theme. I loooove this mask’s microfiber sheet. Last time I reviewed it here, I think i mentioned how I kept massaging my face through this mask because the second-skin sheet feels soooo soft and smooth and fluid-silky. It’s a great tactile experience. Plus, this sheet doesn’t dry out on me after 30+ minutes of wear. Also, the sheet's a fun green color. 💚 

Tosowoong SOS Repair CICA Clinic Centella Mask - another T mask. Did I ever post the ingredients of this mask? The entire back of the sleeve is in Korean and it seems no one’s ever translated the ingredients list to English—except me! 😂 Here it is, if anyone’s curious: 

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Translation of ingredients via Google Translate, taken from back of mask sleeve and cleaned up a bit by me (text in italics added by me): 

Purified water, glycerin, butylene glycol, peg/ppg-17/6 copolymer, xanthan gum, betaine, allantoin, panthenol, polysorbate 60, sodium hyaluronate, aloe vera extract. centella asiatica extract (10ppm), tea tree extract, peony extract, machihyeon (aka Portulaca Oleracea or Purslane) extract, ginseng extract, green tea extract, tocopheryl acetate, potassium hydroxide, phenoxyethanol, disodium EDTA, ethylhexylglycerin, grapefruit extract, flavoring (heh, probably fragrance) 

The only major iffy ingredients for me are tea tree and grapefruit extracts. Tea tree can be sensitizing, so I try not to use this mask too frequently. And I’ve explained my face’s issue with citrus extracts many times. But this mask also contains great stuff like hyaluronic acid, allantoin, panthenol, aloe, purslane, green tea, and vitamin E. 

Quick note about ethylhexylglycerin: there are a couple of studies showing this preservative can irritate skin. I’ve had no visible issues with it yet, but it’s something I’m tracking in my skincare ingredients. Gosh, too bad good ol’ safe and effective parabens have been stupidly vilified by the “clean beauty/skincare” crowd… 🙄

[tjffc]

@WinglessOne Great review on these masks. The green tea mask is one I'd like to try.

[ather]

@WinglessOne  I agree I tend to mask on what my face needs. So I tend to never post since I almost never match with the theme!

[WinglessOne]

@ather  Aw, you can still post even if you're off-theme! The themes are just for fun, and we wanna hear your thoughts on masks no matter what theme they do (or don't) match. 🙂 

[ather]

@WinglessOne  Aww that’s so sweet of you to say!!  I will try and be more active with my masking posts!! 

[lmaster]

@WinglessOne the centella mask sounds exceptionally lovely

[missjeanie]

I like it when I see repeat masks in the thread @WinglessOne .  Sometimes we get a first impression which is great since a lot of masks aren't used regularly and get swapped in and out, but if I see repeats that someone uses time and again I know that they really enjoy them.  And as we use those repeats we tend to notice more about them.  That Saem mask sounds great to me, I had to stop myself from googling where to pick some up (Sheet mask low/no buy over here). 

[itsfi]

Love tried and true masks @WinglessOne. These are lovely! ♥️ I’m a firm believer that we should use the mask our skin needs. If they happen to be repeat masks, all the better. That says a lot about the mask(s). As for the themes, I’m sure there’s a way to get a mask to fit one of the themes. If not, eh. I just love hearing about good mask - you know, for when my stash runs low and I need to find a mask! 😂

The packaging on the Tosowoong one always makes me think it might be a new Skinceuticals mask. Yeah, the tea trea and grapefruit extracts would be the ones that would make me just a teensy bit nervous about how my skin might react. I can usually use them without a problem but am mindful of how frequently I use masks with one or both of those ingredients. 

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne  Sounds like a great line up! I'm actually super happy you posted the ingredients for the Tosowoong mask because I just ordered it and it would be nice to know what's in it! 👍😃

Im curious about your take on parabens. I have no strong opinion, but I've read there's a controversy that they're possibly cancer causing. I don't mind using masks with parabens, but I do use it as an excuse not to purchase a mask... haha! I've only read negative things - what are the benefits of parabens?

[WinglessOne]

@Shosh85 @missjeanie @itsfi Here's my usual summary on the topic. 

Parabens are very effective preservatives. 

The ones you’ll most often see listed on skincare labels are methylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, and propylparaben. They’re tolerated by most people’s skin and do a great job of keeping products free of bacteria and fungi. 

Some problematic studies have caused an uproar. 

A 1998 study showed that parabens mimic estrogen in rats. However: 

• Parabens weren’t applied topically on rats’ skin. Instead, they were injected. 
• The results showed that compared to naturally occurring estrogen, parabens are VERY weak. Birth control pills are much stronger than parabens. 

A 2004 study found traces of parabens in breast cancer tissue samples. This is the study that kicked off all the vilification, but it had huge problems: 

• Only cancer tissue was examined; there was no control group of healthy tissue. I’m not a chemist and even I know this is a super major flaw. Studies like this are pointless without control groups. 
• Parabens were also found in blank samples that contained no tissue. So… did the parabens found in cancer tissues actually come from that tissue, or from contaminated equipment? 

Other studies done on this topic have used animals (mostly rats) and in vitro samples, not humans. In the rat studies, the concentrations of parabens used were MUCH higher than what’s used in cosmetics—and in most studies, parabens were either fed to or injected into rats, not applied to rats’ skin. 

To date, there's been no reason to vilify parabens: 

• There's still no scientific evidence of parabens causing breast cancer. 
• The FDA has not banned parabens. Their scientists have yet to find evidence of adverse health effects. 
• Parabens are still less skin sensitizing than several other preservatives. 

Reading material: 

Lab Muffin - this has been one of my most trusted knowledge sources for years because Michelle, the woman behind this site, is a chemist and educator. There are other good write-ups (by other people, including MDs and scientists) debunking the “parabens are evil” myth and y’all can search for those. 🙂 I’ll just share Michelle’s here:
labmuffin[dot]com/should-you-be-avoiding-parabens-the-science 

The current FDA stance on parabens: fda[dot]gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/parabens-cosmetics

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne  Oh my goodness, this was extremely helpful, thank you! I do remember reading that it was found in cancerous tissue, but hadn't read that the cancerous tissue was all that they examined and I also didn't know there wasn't a control group used. The birth control thing is interesting too!  😃

[ShortErica]

@WinglessOne Lab Muffin 😍

I naively believed the parabens scare when I first heard it but once I started trying to find out more realized quickly I was duped. It was one of those, why would someone warn me about something if it wasn't true; they must have good intent. I'm afraid that's how a lot of misinformation spreads. Thanks for always sharing your knowledge.

[lmaster]

This makes me feel so much better @WinglessOne thank you again for your information

[missjeanie]

@Shosh85 @WinglessOne I'm no ingredients master, but it's my understanding that parabens are a preservative in skincare.  My dermatologist says that I'm fine to use them and I follow another dermatologist online who says they've been demonized and are fine for your skin as well.  She's the reason I asked my doctor about them not long ago.  I'm told a lot of the replacements being used for parabens are actually worse for your skin?  lol in truth my Doctor says that all the different masks are totally unnecessary for my face and a good solid routine should be good on it's own.  But... I mean... I'm still gonna mask lol

[Shosh85]

@missjeanie  If I were told that masking was unnecessary, I'd still continue to mask too! Haha! No harm, no foul!

[WinglessOne]

@missjeanie Heh, my derm says at least 50% of my skincare products are unnecessary, at least for daily use. 🤣 Whenever I tell him I want to trim down my daily routines for better efficiency, he reminds me that all my skin truly needs, in terms of good health, is a gentle cleanser, a hydrating layer of some sort, occasional acne control, an occlusive moisturizer, and (during the day) an effective sunscreen. "Those are the structural ingredients for a good cake. Everything else is just decorative icing," as he likes to say. He's right about that. Even retinol is largely an attempt to improve the look of my face: tone down hyperpigmentation, reduce lines, etc. 

He doesn't have a big problem with sheet masks, but does question the need for them in addition to other serums in my routines. If I committed to daily masking, I could probably ditch most of my bottled serums, toners, and essences. So, I've been testing that this month: on nights I mask, I skip all serums except retinol and the NIOD serum I use around my eyes (since sheet masks don't address that whole area). Soon I'll also skip all toners/essences and see what my face thinks about that. So, my night routine will be wash, lip balm, retinol (on retinol nights), eye serum, sheet mask, and moisturizer. On some non-retinol nights, I'll use exfoliants in the retinol slot. And of course I'll still treat any acne flares as needed. Kinda wild that my night routine's now almost as short as my morning routine, though it takes more time thanks to sheet masks. 

[missjeanie]

@WinglessOne I love the cake analogy!   I tend to find that sheet masks for me mean that I'm taking the time to do a skincare routine.  When I'm doing my 'slap on a sunscreen' and call it a day 'routine', I find I look more drab, as quantifiable as that is lol.  I'll be curious to see how your skin reacts to the pared down routine.  I can 100% see how a good mask could replace a few steps easily. 

[ShortErica]

Well this makes me feel wonderful @WinglessOne. My philosophy has always been if I'm masking it is in place of essenses and serums and then just use moisturizer after. Glad to see that seems in line with your dermatologist's suggestion.

[WinglessOne]

@ShortErica Yep. I usually tell my derm I realize I'm in overkill mode with skincare products but it's hard to strip products out because, well, they're pleasant to use and my face seems to respond well to them. But really, the more products I (and anyone, honestly) layer on my face, the more likely I'll have a bad reaction—if not immediately, then months or years later. So your philosophy's definitely a great one! 

[itsfi]

@missjeanie @Shosh85 @WinglessOne, I’ve heard good and bad things about parabens. 
It’s a preservative and seems its generally fine for most skin types, except those with sensitive or eczematous (and yes, this will be the word of the month that I try to drop in everyday conversation like it’s meant to be included in everyday convo 😂) skin or those allergic to it. My skin is sensitive but I don’t recall having any negative skin reaction to it. My personal practice has been to just use things with them moderately. I find parabens in a lot, almost all, Japanese sheet masks (particularly the ones geared towards daily masking which, as it’s a preservative makes sense).

@missjeanie, I agree with your derm that a good skincare routine is key. I also have found that daily sheet masking has been good for my skin. My derm once mentioned that sheet masks weren’t necessary all the time. I thought it was amusing that he said that after another having told me that my skin was looking really nice, better; and it happened that I had just finished a 30-day cycle of daily sheet masking. 😆 I didn’t say anything but I thought “hmmm... but I’ve been using sheet masks.” 😂🤣😂

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  Haha! Love your word of the month! 😂