💕😌 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 💮

Spoiler

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:

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, 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

Spoiler

2022 Mask of the Week Challenge

Spoiler

2021 Mask of the Week Challenge

Spoiler

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💗

[Shosh85]

@Kim888  Happy to hear you enjoyed both of these! I've been wanting to try the Volition mask for awhile now because it seems to get some great reviews! 😃

[itsfi]

Interesting about the Volition mask @Kim888. How would you say the formula has (or may have) changed? Is it grittier?

[Kim888]

@itsfi It feels more liquid-y - it's still smooth but the first tub was a more creamy texture 

[eshoe]

Hmmm the sheet mask sounds like one I should try, @Kim888 . And YES to the Volition! Curious how it’s changed. I only sampled it awhile ago and then recently purchased the FS, so I can’t compare. A few products have seemed to have changed over the past couple of years, though not much has been said about them. 

[Kim888]

@eshoe it's hard when companies don't announce they are changing the formula and just do it silently! It could also just be a temperature thing I suppose though

[missjeanie]

Oh I love hearing that the Volition is good for dry skin @Kim888 .  I think I just bought this one last week.

[missjeanie]

Nope... just checked it was a Biossance.... may need to get this one next week now lol

[Weetart]

I used the same sheet mask this morning @Kim888 !

[itsfi]

Working on finishing some catch up from last week's masks. U is for UniTouch (sheet mask) and Unpa (lip mask and balm). 

Sheet Mask

Spoiler

In an interesting twist, it seems that I used the UniTouch Miss O Relax Facial Mask around this same time last year (and it seems that I'm posting about it a year to the day - ha! Not planned, but it works! There's a link to last year's lengthier review below.) My initial turn with this mask was in the evening and at that time, I noted that this might make a good primer mask before makeup, so that's how I opted to use it last week, and let me just say off the bat, I like it. ❤️

The ultra-thin material on this mask allows it to adhere marvelously against the skin and after the packed-with-good-for-your-skin-ingredients in the lightweight, watery, fresh-and-very-subtle-citrus scented essence is fully absorbed, my skin really is wonderfully primed for makeup - it looks and feels soft and hydrated, with a bounce and fresh glow that just radiates beautifully through my makeup. Interestingly, the first time I didn't pick up any scent to this mask; this is a lovely scent, I actually found myself smelling the mask a few times before applying it. It reminds me slightly and I do mean slightly of a lighter, less fruit forward and more clean and fresh version of the Yonka Pamplemousse moisturizer; maybe more like a pomelo? I have a few other masks from this Taiwanese brand and am looking forward to giving them a try after having good results both times I've reached for this mask. 

Review from Initial Use of Sheet Mask (November, 2019):

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/ARCHIVE-2020-Mask-of-the-Week-Challenge-PART-1/m-p/5...

Ingredients:

Spoiler

Aqua, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Lactobacillus Ferment, Trehalose, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Polyacrylic Acid, Propanediol, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Triethanolamine, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Pentasodium Pentetate, Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Phytic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Dipropylene Glycol, Silver Oxide

Lip Care 

Spoiler

Unpa is a new brand to me. I was intrigued by these two lip products and that last week's "U" week would be a good a time as any to put them through the test. I'm not sure why I initially thought Unpa Bubi Bubi Lip Bubble Lip Mask was a lip scrub when the name clearly states it's a "bubble lip mask"?!  In any event, it became very clear when I applied it that this is, in fact, a bubble lip mask. Conveniently housed in a pump applicator, which I find to be a brilliant design for this type of product, the product is dispensed cleanly and without making a mess. It is tInted pink but turns white in color once applied to the lips, has a light-ish gel consistency initially that looked more thin than I expected. The thicker feel of the product, however, comes through as you distribute and massge the products across the lips. This is also where you begin to feel the slight foaminess that characterizes bubble or foaming masks. The "bubbling" begins fairly quickly upon application but it's gentle and the fizzy sound I've experienced with other masks is much more on the subtle, nearly undetectable, side. You can however, see it gently foam up and there is a moment when you feel the tingling. It's not irritating or burning but it seems the tingling feel is more pronounced with this particular bubble lip mask than with the other one I used in the past (from the Choosy brand). I don't think the results were anything earth shattering but my lips did look and feel more smooth after using this lip mask. All in all, my preference is for a lip scrub over a lip mask but these can be fun and this Unpa one is my preferred choice for a bubble lip mask. The design and look of the packaging also makes it great for gifting. 

ETA: I made a reference to the lip mask this Unpa resembled as the Choosy brand. Choosy is the name of the line of lip products; Pure Smile is the actual brand for that lip mask. 

The ingredients noted in the Unpa Bubi Bubi Lip Ampule Ceramide and Hyaluronic Acid is what drew me to this lip balm - in general, I've found hyaluronic acid to be good for hydration and ceramides for moisturization for my skin and with the cool weather taking up residence here, this sounded like a good product to try. It is a nice lip balm but for me, it's not a favorite - granted, I have a lot of lip balms so it takes a lot for one to be a favorite. That said, this is a nice one to have one hand, again, because of the ingredients, though I would note that if you live in a very, very dry climate, hyaluronic acid may not be the best hydrator for you. It's unscented, not too thin nor too thick, and leaves my skin soft and moisturized. 

Much to be thankful for this year, every year really, but this year, with and through all its unique challenges has highlighted some of the most simplest things for which to be grateful. Thank you to the masking mavens for continuing to share your masks - both the ones that have been loves and the ones that come with a warning for us to run away! 😂🤣😂  I'm thankful also for the chats on and off this thread! 💖 Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy holiday season!

As an aside, @PrettyPaint, I think "The Masking Mavens" would be a fabulous name for a band; I now must find a mask worthy of such a band name for next week's fun and super creative challenge theme! 🤗 

[lmaster]

@itsfi a bubbling lip mask??? 😆 Yes yes

[itsfi]

It's a good one and worth a try @lmaster. I picked it up at sokoglam (dot) com.

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  The sheet mask sounds wonderful! Definitely sounds like the perfect morning/primer mask! 😃

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, this mask may be a staple in my mask library on a going forward basis. 😃Excited to try out the other ones from the brand. 

[eshoe]

Love the sound of the bubble lip mask, @itsfi , especially with a pump applicator! Thank you for introducing me to get another product I didn’t know I needed:) Reminds me of the Lip Choosy, with a nod to @heartsmyface .

[itsfi]

Yep @eshoe; I made a reference to the Choosy lip mask in my post; I edited the post to include the actual brand - Pure Smile; Choosy is the line of products not the brand. Conceptually the Pure Smile and this Unpa one are the same. Packaging is different - the Choosy line is available in packets and a jar; I haven’t seen one from Pure Smile in a dispenser like the Unpa.

[eshoe]

Thank you @itsfi, I missed that and will read through again. I wonder how differently the facial and lip bubbling masks from a pump dispenser differ. I will have to do a bit of research!

[itsfi]

@eshoe, they’re not that different. Both the lip and facial bubble masks with a dispenser come out on a gel-cream like consistency, but the facial bubble mask like the Bliss Oxygenating mask bubbles up more and the product turns into a foam like consistency. The bubble lip mask also “foams” up but much less so than the facial bubble masks and the foaming really seems to happen as you massage or distribute the lip mask along the lips. The bubble lip mask also takes on a slightly thicker (but not thick) feel at the end whereas the bubble face mask is more airy and light.

[missjeanie]

@itsfi  That packaging... looks so chic!  I've got to say though, the idea of a bubble lip mask is intriguing.  I'm still on the bubble fence, but dang that's got me thinking now!  

And I hope you know how thankful we are to have you here as well.  I love seeing your gorgeous flat lays, even if they make me hungry 98% of the time!!!  lol.  Hope you enjoy your holiday.  Much love. 

[itsfi]

Awww, @missjeanie! 🥰 Thank you for your kind words; they mean so much. Hahaha! Masking and eating are two of my favorite things to do! 😉 I guess I’ve found a way to combine them. 😂 

“bubble fence” 😂🤣😂 I wouldn’t say a bubble lip mask is a must have but it’s fun. 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi I'm all about your food and masking combos!  I love the creativity. Makes me smile. 🙂

[Kim888]

@itsfi @That’s adorable packaging on the sheet mask! It sounds like a winner - it’s always great to have a good morning mask around!