💕😌 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]

@lmaster Gotta love the glow-making masks! 

[ather]

@WinglessOne  I’m loving your review on this one! I want to try it!!!!

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @ather !

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne  I love a good glowy mask! I'd most likely dislike the scent too - but it definitely sounds like the results made up for that! So happy it turned out so great for you!

I'm curious about your opinion on dimethicone - I know it's a moisturizing ingredient, but I've heard that it's pretty notorious for clogging pores and a lot of people try to stay away from it. I don't think I've experienced clogged pores from using this ingredient, but just wanted to know your take on it. 🤔

[WinglessOne]

@Shosh85  I wish I could remember which perfume this mask reminds me of. I've tried to think of it all day. 😂 I keep wanting to say it's one of the older Estee Lauder perfumes, but I'm not sure... it has a musty violet note, with lily and a bit of dandelion and some other stuff. Not a fan. 

About dimethicone: it's yet another victim of the “clean beauty” misinformation campaign. Dimethicone is non-comedogenic, and I don’t fully understand why some people insist it clogs pores, stops skin from “breathing,” etc. Oxygen has no problem getting through dimethicone. Actually, water can get through it, too. If you use a dimethicone-based moisturizer and apply a medication or OTC active ingredient product over it, dimethicone won’t prevent the active(s) from reaching your skin. If you use a serum that contains dimethicone, it won’t block skin penetration of any other products you layer over it. 

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I usually call dimethicone an occlusive moisturizer, and it is—but there are different levels of occlusivity. Dimethicone isn’t nearly as occlusive as petrolatum, for instance. But it does decrease (eh, slow down) water loss. It also makes moisturizers feel very lightweight and silky/slippery. Many folks with dry skin need a more occlusive ingredient in their moisturizer. For oily skin, dimethicone-based moisturizers are often occlusive enough and feel nicer than heavier, more occlusive moisturizers. 

Sometimes I think folks who do actually get little bumps after using a dimethicone product are sensitive to either that ingredient or another ingredient in the product; it might not be dimethicone's fault at all. But sensitivity/irritation-related breakouts aren't the same thing as pore clogging. 

[MCSSavvy]

@WinglessOne  --  I purchase "clean" products but have no issue with dimethicone.  EWG Skin Deep has it rated as a 1 which is safe / no concerns.  Like you, I'm not sure why it gets such a bad rap.

[WinglessOne]

@MCSSavvy  The anti-dimethicone thing is very odd. I'm kinda surprised EWG hasn't rated it higher than 1, considering how poorly they've rated other ingredients that aren't dangerous. But yeah, whoever started the myth that silicones are pore-clogging, skin-suffocating, actives-blocking evil has a lot of apologizing to do. 😄 

[eshoe]

“it has a musty violet note, with lily and a bit of dandelion and some other stuff.” 🧐

I think I would keep on walking, @WinglessOne.

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  🤣 I'm sure that fragrance smells lovely on some folks with the right pH/pheromones/etc. but, alas, I am not one of them. 

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne  Interesting! Thanks so much for clearing that up! 😉 I get overwhelmed sometimes reading reviews, because I'm not always sure what to believe and the internet sometimes just makes things more confusing 😬

Sorry for bugging you with questions, but are there silicones you do try to avoid? I hear/read about dimethicone the most, but I feel like I've heard silicones in general are pore-clogging 🤔

[WinglessOne]

No problem, @Shosh85 ! Sifting through info online can be overwhelming, especially in product reviews. I'm weeding through misinformation about Olaplex: some folks claim it ruined their hair but, without knowing anything about these review writers or seeing any scientific evidence or corroboration from dermatologists, chemists, and hair pros, I doubt that’s possible. So I'm poking for evidence and corroboration, looking for input from credible sources. I take that same approach when reading skincare reviews. 

Quick silicones answer: no, they don't clog pores. I don't avoid any silicones in skincare. 

Longer answer (reading material): Paula's Choice and Lab Muffin have good write-ups about silicones, complete with scientific references. Normally I'd be suspicious of a write-up sponsored by a manufacturer of the ingredient/product in question, as is the case with this Lab Muffin write-up—but this one includes credible references. 

paulaschoice [dot] com/skin-care-advice/ingredient-spotlight/silicone-in-skin-care

labmuffin [dot] com/silicone-mythbusting-with-video/

I don't follow Dr. Dray, but I'll be shocked if she doesn't have a video about silicones. Kind of Stephen might also have info from a cosmetic chemist's perspective. 

I've also asked my derm about silicones, just to further corroborate what I'd learned. And yep, silicones are non-comedogenic. 

Side note: I typed all of this with one hand (my left hand's all cinnamon bun sticky/gooey right now) so hopefully I caught all the typos! 🤣

[Shosh85]

@WinglessOne  I'm impressed you typed all of this one-handed with a cinnamon bun! Haha! 😂

Thanks so much for the info! I keep forgetting about Lab Muffin! I need to remember to check that out!.... really, I just wish I lived with a dermatologist so I could constantly pick their brain. 😉

[WinglessOne]

@Shosh85  Oh man, if I lived with a derm or cosmetic chemist, they'd get sick of all my daily questions. 😂 Sometimes I wonder if any BIC members are derms or cosmetic chemists, and they're laying low—not self-identifying themselves as pros—because they know they'll get ALL the questions, ALL the time. 

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A few folks here are aestheticians, and I have nothing against their profession. But medical training isn't required to become an aesthetician. They don't (or shouldn't) diagnose skin conditions or prescribe medications, for instance.

That doesn't mean they know nothing about skincare; from the perspective of skin appearance, they absolutely do. But when it comes to skin conditions, irritations, allergies, ingredient interactions, helpful meds, and overall skin health, I trust derms' explanations more than aestheticians'. Likewise, I'd hope someone would trust a board certified derm's explanation over mine. 🤣 I may disagree with some derms, but that's because I've sought input from other derms and probably chemists (corroboration!), and spent time reading whatever clinical studies I could access. 

[quspork]

Sounds like this gave some great results, @WinglessOne! I'll bet this would be a nice special occasion mask to use before going out (whenever that time comes again). 

[WinglessOne]

@quspork  Yep, this would be great for that! It might be the most glow-inducing pearl mask I've ever used. 

[itsfi]

M is for myrrh (sheet mask) and moisturizing (lip balm and actually the sheet mask, too)

N is for nighttime (sleeping mask)

Sheet Mask:

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The packaging on the sheet mask appears to have misprint. The package  says "Detoxifying" but the websites for the brand itself as well as the other online stores that carry this mask say that it's "Deep Moisturizing" and the results of more supportive of that than any detoxifying claims.

The sheet material on the Inna Organic Myrrh Deep Moisturizing Facial Mask is  Bemliese (100% cotton made in Japan), which is ultra-soft and very thin and could be very nice for those with sensitive skin (barring any allergies or sensitivities to the ingredients). The mask is saturated in a lightly viscous essence that feels ever-so-slightly gel-like and has a scent that is part woodsy, part medicinal, and part herbaceous but not grassy. it lingered too and I have to say it's not a scent I was very fond of. I much prefer the scent on the frankincense sheet mask from this Taiwanese brand. 

I removed the mask after the recommended 10 minutes and while I can't say that my skin looked and felt detoxified, I did notice that my skin felt moisturized after the slight tacky-to-the-touch feeling dissipated. Overall, this is a nice mask but since the scent wasn't to my liking, it's not one I will repurchase.

Ingredients (from innaorganic (dot) us😞

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Demineralized Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Glycerin, Propanediol, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water*, Cupressus sempervirens Leaf Water*, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Betaine, Sodium Levulinate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Anisate, Olea Europaea(Olive) Leaf Extract, Salvia Sclarea(Clary) Extract*, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linum Usitatissimum(Linseed) Seed Extract, Citric Acid, Commiphora Myrrha Oil*, Lavendula Angustifolia Oil*, Salvia sclarea(Clary) Oil*, Pogostemon cablin Oil*, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, Bioflavonoids, Brassica Oleracea Italica(Broccoli) Extract

*Ingredients from organic farming.

Sleeping Mask:

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Laneige Water Sleeping Mask has sentimental value to me; it was the first sleeping mask I tried. It's good for an extra dose of hydration and in the warmer months, I tend to apply it only to the parts of my face where I'm drier and leave the oilier parts alone. It takes forever to finish a full size of these sleeping mask so the mini / travel sizes are more to my liking, at least for this original version (the cica version is one I have and will continue to purchase in the full size, once I've gone through that one). This is a fine enough mask. It hydrates my skin overnight and for someone with dehydrated-combo skin, that's a good thing. With all the sleeping masks out there nowadays, there's just so many options and, while there's nothing wrong with this mask, it's not necessarily a standout for me among the sleeping masks that I've used. 

Bioderma Atoderm Ultra-Moisturizing Lip Balm is one of my all around favorite products. I received this as a gift from the wonderful @missjeanie - this balm is definitely TLC for the lips and is going to come in real hand this winter. Thank you so much for sending this one my way! 🤗  Facial rollers like this one make for a nice for a little TLC for the face - not only to massage the essence from a sheet mask into the skin but it's been helpful with easing tension in the facial muscles when I have a lot going on and may be stressed. Huge thanks to the amazing @heartsmyface for gifting this one to me. It's worked really well on so many occasions! A handy dandy tool year round! 😊

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  I haven't come across a misprint like that before! I agree with @quspork, I feel like there's a big difference between detoxifying and deep moisturizing! 🤔 Glad it turned out decent and could at least moisturize! 

[itsfi]

Yeah, this was a first for me too @Shosh85. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I went to check the other masks from the brand that I have and compared them to the brand’s site and everything else is in order. 

[quspork]

That's an interesting misprint, @itsfi - there's such a huge difference in my mind behind a detoxifying mask and a moisturizing one!

[itsfi]

@quspork, I didn’t think it was a misprint initially because it’s not uncommon for sheet masks to be hydrating and for me to not necessarily see the detoxifying effects after one use. I realized it was a misprint when I was looking for the ingredients to reference and I noticed the page for it said “deep moisturizing”. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

[sonnydee]

M for Magical, & N for new. 

Fit?not bad, I don't remember if this had the lil cuts in it to make everything fit better but it really wasn't needed

Smell? fruity but also fermented.😐 Will have to look up to see if it has AD in it. I'm already in bed & too comfortable to look at back. Edit: nope, no AD must've been just the mix of fruit

Consistency?thin, clear, almost watery serum. I did have some drips when I took it out

Ease of use?this would not let me look down! 😜 I was sitting, helping one of the minis with hw & just at the slightest tilt, I would feel this falling. 😐i think i made it to 10 min mark & took it off. 

Would I  purchase/try again? I do have more, & I do like having the "no brainers" mask (masks you really don't have to think about, filler masks) but I don't like that I couldn't multi task with this mask. I forgot to take a pic. It is a cute mask with a horn on top middle & lil ears & pinkish in color. My skin did feel soft & moisturized though. Will have to try again before I can rate.....