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Reorder it from in-store and online purchases
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Manage your services, classes and events
Complete your beauty traits for personalized recommendations
Payments, contact info, addresses and password
Ask questions, join challenges, and get recommendations from people like you
Discover topics tailored to your beauty interests
Add your photos and get inspired by fellow beauty lovers
From makeovers to personalized skincare consultations
Get inspired, play with products & learn new skills
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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 ๐ฎ
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:
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
2022 Mask of the Week Challenge
2021 Mask of the Week Challenge
2020 Mask of the Week Challenge:
2019 Mask of the Week Challenge:
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 masks๐
@lmaster, itโs a nice one. Another win for the fusion line for me. ๐
Now Iโm craving watermelon ๐ soda, @itsfi, yum!
Thank you for the info about willow bark. It sounds like it would be a soothing ingredient, so learning that it can change into BHA is key to know. This one sounds like a very sensory-pleasing mask, though:)
This was a really nice mask, @eshoe. I like kombucha and watermelon so the pairing definitely captured my attention when it was released. It'll be interesting to see what masks I'll repurchase once my mask stash gets to the point where restocking becomes a "must" as opposed to restocking because my willpower was weak. lol.
I find willow bark extract is a common BHA in Kbeauty skincare products and it's been popping up in other skincare products as well. The beauty of the internet is having the ability to read up on these skincare ingredients and be better informed about what is in products, for those interested in doing so.
@itsfi I love kombucha and funny enough, just got a watermelon kombucha yesterday. ๐ since I've seen so many products w/kombucha, like Fresh Kombucha Antioxidant Facial Treatment Essence 5 oz/ 150 mL , I've wondered about just putting the kombucha on my face lol...or at least that last bit that you don't want to drink, haha...any studies on that? ๐
@treestar86, the Fresh kombucha essence is really nice! Iโve used a DS and a few foils of it and like it very much.
Iโve seen willow bark in a few products, I believe in some of Origins skincare , @itsfi. This is a good reminder to do a little due diligence for key ingredients, though! It does appear to have anti-inflammatory properties, which is very good to know, too:)
Hitting all 3 of last weekโs themes: J = Japan, Q = Q10, and a vibrantly colored serum. Sunday nightโs mask was the DHC Coenzyme Q10 Pack Sheet.
Notes:
Claims: Deeply hydrates and restores elasticity; soothes and moisturizes; neutralizes free radical damage.
Ingredients: Oh hey, thereโs our good friend lecithin again, placed high on this list. Some folks might freak out over phenoxyethanolโs presence, despite the fact that itโs a safe preservative (seriously, what is with โcleanโ brands/lobbyists/influencers/fans demonizing good preservatives?) that's approved by the European Commission on Health and Food Safety in concentrations up to 1%, and the FDA hasn't deemed it dangerous.
โBut wait, Q10 appears after phenoxyethanol in this list! That means youโre getting less than 1% Q10 in this mask; seems like a ripoff. Why isnโt the star ingredient higher?โ Well, Q10โs been shown to be effective in topical skincare products at concentrations as low as 0.3%, so Iโm not concerned. ๐ But this is a good example of how product formulation matters as much as its contents. Iโm still gonna whine about sodium hyaluronate being so low on this list, though. I also see an oil-soluble form of vitamin C (ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate) that sounds great on paper but needs more study to prove efficacy, since our bodies have to convert it to vitamin C before it can do its magic.
As for the last ingredientโฆ yeah, Iโm still not convinced that topically applied collagen molecules can actually penetrate deep enough into skin (if at all) to do much good, so I donโt care that itโs in last place here.
Performance: This thick, non-stretch, white sheet was unevenly coated in a very thick, yellow, and unscented cream serum.
I assume the yellow hue comes from all the triethylhexanoin (an emollient) since there arenโt any colorants listed in the ingredients. Anyway, this sheet also had large forehead tabs, much too big to leave in place. I cut those off, along with the eye flaps, and used all the trimmings to cover exposed skin at my jaw and forehead. (The sheet did cover a good amount of my jaw, but I like coverage all the way to my ears.)
I didnโt need to widen any holes (the eyeholes were generously sized), and the chin was just short enough to not fold under at all. As with many thick sheets, this one didnโt stay adhered everywhere, but it behaved better than I expected. After 30 minutes of wear, I spent maybe 20-30 seconds massaging in residual serum. My skin quickly soaked it all up, leaving no pilling or tack behind.
Results: Moderately hydrated and mildly moisturized skin that felt firmer and had a bit of glow. Folks with normal to oily skin might find this mask quite moisturizing, but my combo skin wasnโt that impressed. I mean, it doesnโt fail in the moisturization department, but itโs nowhere near the best moisturizing masks Iโve used. This mask did deliver on DHCโs improved elasticity claim. If I used this mask regularly for a month, Iโd probably notice even bigger improvement. But honestly, Iโd rather frequently use a bottled Q10 serum than this sheet mask.
If anyone plans to try this mask, be sure to massage the sleeve for a minute or 2 before opening it to try evenly coating the sheet with serum. I wish DHC had included that in their instructions.
this is interesting information. I'm not that familiar with Q10, but since you mentioned a serum would probably be more effective than a mask (which is what I was thinking), I recently purchased The INKEY List Q10 Antioxidant Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL and wonder if you've tried that one or think it's a good one? @WinglessOne
@treestar86 Oh, it's not that I think a serum would be better than a mask in general. I mean, a sheet mask is basically another delivery method for serum. ๐ Instead of wearing a sheet on your face for 10-30 minutes, you could just squeeze out the serum and apply it to your face like you would a bottled serum. The premise behind sheet masks is that they supposedly press serum into your skin for "better" penetration. And of course, some of us just enjoy the masking experience. But for this specific DHC mask, I'd rather just use a bottled serum than deal with this mask's issues. There are other Q10 masks out there that perform better.
About that TIL serum: I do think that'd be a good one. In fact, you just reminded me that I wanted to try it. The ingredients list looks solid and the price point is ridiculously low. One thing to note about Q10: it does all its magic behind the scenes, where you might never notice it working. You might see some skin brightening from the soy extract and maybe some firming from the peptides, but don't get discouraged if you notice no big results from this serum. In fact, the biggest result you might notice is how slowly your skin seems to be aging as you get older, with continued use of this serum. Let me know what you think of it after you've used it a few weeks!
@WinglessOne ahh, gotcha. I've never actually used a sheet mask, and had been wondering what the point was lol. but I do have a few and just got one from trader joe's, so I've been meaning to try it.
yeah I think it was out of stock for a while and just happened to be in stock when I needed something else to add to my order. that's more good info. ๐ I'm most interested in the firming bc of my long, fatt-ish face lol.. I'm bad about using things, even after I start using them and like them. I'm trying to be more consistent w/skincare (a fall/winter project lol), so that's good to know and hopefully will motivate me to use things more. I'll be sure to let you know, and I'd love to know what you think if you try it also! ๐ค
That's a great point about the level of ingredient required for it to be effective @WinglessOne. I don't mind the star ingredients not being the top but it irks me especially if it is below fragrance. Is there a good resource that tracks common ingredients and their levels needed or is it better to review individual studies?
@ShortErica If you happen to have access to the Wiley Online Library, you can find some of that info there. And even then, you'd probably be looking at a few individual articles. I don't have access (not without paying per article I want to read). I just happen to know about Q10's efficacy because I studied up on it a few years ago. ๐ Also, I'd be shocked if Lab Muffin didn't mention efficacy info in one of her Q10 posts.
You'd think there'd be a medical database dermatologists and cosmetic chemists (and maybe aestheticians) use to find the efficacy of various skincare ingredients, since new things are learned about these ingredients all the time. Maybe there is, and we commoners aren't privy to it. That'd be a good random question to ask your derm or aesthetician, if you have one.
@WinglessOne yeah, that would be good. I had an annual check recently but hopefully the next time I go in, I will remember to ask.
@WinglessOne Thank you for the great review!
@WinglessOne Hmm, interesting that the Q10 can be that low and still be effective! Though, if I'm gonna use a "Q10" mask, I still feel like I'd want the concentration to be a bit higher.
Those forehead tabs are pretty comical! I've used masks with tabs before, but haven't come across ones that big! Like @eshoe said, it looks more like ears on a character mask. ๐
Wow those โearsโ threw me for a loop, @WinglessOne - they remind me of the Moschino bear mask. Iโve never seen them on a mask that wasnโt a character, interesting.
I need to give this brand a try, havenโt used their sheet masks yet, but this one sounds promising. Like you, though-why isnโt HA higher on the list๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ
@WinglessOne, Iโve not tried this DHC mask but have been interested in to, though Iโm not so sure now given that Q10 is so far down the ingredients list. ๐ Good call on massaging the packet before use. I tend to do that because my masks have been standing in one position for so long. I keep telling myself I need to rotate every so often, but I donโt ever get around to actually doing it.
@itsfi In this mask, seeing the star ingredient in 11th place doesn't bother me much, thanks to Q10's efficacy at lower percentages. It'd be nice to see it higher up, of course, but I know I'm still getting plenty of benefit from this ingredient anyway. That said, there are probably masks out there containing a higher percentage of Q10 in the $4-6 USD range.
I'm bad at rotating my masks, too. ๐คฆโโ๏ธ Well, except most of my LuLuLun 7-sheet packs: I keep them laying flat and flip them 1-3 times a month. But rotating all the others is a chore. I find I don't have to worry much about any masks except the multi-sheet LuLuLuns and cream serum masks, and I usually massage cream mask sleeves anyway before use. I just don't always do a good enough job at it. ๐
@WinglessOne, that's a good systems for mask rotation you have. It's a work in progress for me, but I've gotten better at it recently. The only consistent method I have so far is to flip the masks for the week upside down when I put them in my mini fridge. I probably remember to massage every other or every third mask I use. Baby steps.
Loving that you seen the firming claims! @WinglessOne
J is for Jelly
Meg Two-Step Jelly Mask (calming & pore care)
This is a two-step mask, with the first step being an AHA peeling swab (looks like a giant Q-tip) that you are supposed to swipe all over your face. The second step is the sheet mask. It is a super thin and meshy cotton sheet mask that had a light, sort of fresh and clean, floral scent. The mask was fully saturated and dripping with a thin, slimy, jelly serum, and there was enough left in the package for my hands, neck and chest. The fit was great - it was just a little too long at the chin. It adhered well and was comfortable to wear the 35 minutes I had it on. There was just some light tackiness that took less than 10 minutes to absorb. My face looked a little brighter, and my skin felt soft and nicely moisturized. I didn't notice a difference in my pores, but to be fair, I don't really need a whole lot of help in that department.
So far I've tried this and the one in the pink packaging and I really enjoyed them both! I will eventually repurchase these, but there are two others from the line I'd like to purchase and try first before doing that.