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๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ˜Œ 2024 Masking Challenge ๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿ’–

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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!


March Madness
 - Competition is in the air. Find a worthy dupe of a ๐Ÿ’ฐmask that is share-worthy? Or find a dupe that works even better than the original? Details, please!

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JanuaryFresh Starts - Time for a re-set, or morning masking? However you see it, this month is all about new beginnings.
FebruaryWinter 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.
MarchMarch 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!
AprilSpring Fling - Baskets and bouquets, showers of much-anticipated rain...this month's focus is herbal and floral sensory delights.
MayDew 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.
JuneSummer 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 masks๐Ÿ’—

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@itsfi Agreed!

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

From last week, Z is for Zone

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The tea-tree scented eucalyptus fiber I Dew Care In The Zone Pore Tightening Tea Tree Mask has some lofty goals - it claims to tighten pores, smooths skin, calm irritations, controls sebum and reduces redness, all of which sound good, but I wasn't sure if it would live up to all of its claims.  Adherence and fit were what I've come to expect of sheet masks, with adherence being good and fit requiring some adjustments to account for the extra length at the chin/jawline and the narrowness of the eyes and mouth holes. The tea tree scent doesn't linger and after my standard half hour of wear, there's some excess essence that remains after removing the mask. It is quickly absorbed into the skin as the excess is pressed into the face, leaving zero tack or stickiness. Results-wise, it surprisingly lived up to many of its claims, in that my skin felt smooth and some redness I have from some PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) seems less so. The pores on my nose seemed less visible, too, which is a plus. My skin wasn't particularly oily anywhere the day I used this mask so I can't really speak to its claims of controlling sebum. Overall, this is a good mask and one that might work better for me in the warmer months. The results were good; it's just that I tend to use (and prefer to use) a wash off mask to tackle the skin issues for which this mask is geared. That being said, this is a mask I would happily use again, but it's not one I'd rush to repurchase when I'm running low on inventory.

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@itsfi  The names of these masks are super fun! I've only tried one mask from this line and wasn't too impressed, but this one sounds nice. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

The names on these masks are great @Shosh85. The masks arenโ€™t bad, but theyโ€™re not standouts if youโ€™ve used a bunch of masks before. Good filler masks. 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

Well from your description, @itsfi, it sounds good enough to try once spring/summer hits. Because Iโ€™m not too certain when โ€˜running low on inventoryโ€™ will hit๐Ÿค”

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@eshoe, โ€œrunning lowโ€ is probably all relative, depending how small (or not small ๐Ÿ˜†) one wants to keep their supply of sheet masks. Itโ€™ll happen, just gotta keep chipping away at it...and not restock. 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@itsfi I like this line, I'm not sure I've tried this one though

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

Agree @lmaster; this line is a nice one. While these are not standout masks for me, they're good masks. I'd be happy to re-use any of the masks from this line. 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

I'm back! ๐Ÿ™‚ After 5 weeks of skin healing, I resumed occasional sheet masking in late November. But I only used my favorite hydrating and soothing mask, the Abib Mild Acidic pH Heartleaf Fit, which Iโ€™ve reviewed in this thread before. In my original review, I said "This is the kind of mask that rates in the high 90s on my wine tasting scale, probably a good 97-98. If the sheet was a bit wider at the jaw, this would be a 100 pointer.โ€ I can now remove the โ€œprobablyโ€ from that statement: this mask is a solid 98 points. Imagine the best wine youโ€™ve ever hadโ€”whichever varietal that isโ€”and thatโ€™s this mask, minus the olfactory aspect (this mask is nearly scentless). This is the mask I loved so much, I quickly bought several boxes of them. ๐Ÿ’š Definitely qualifies for this week's "favorite masks of all time" theme! 

 

Last night I decided my face is ready again for some new-to-me masks. So I used the Maskingdom Taiwanese Aboriginal Bitter Melon & Pigeon Pea Facial Mask

 

The first Maskingdom product I've ever used.The first Maskingdom product I've ever used.

Notes: 

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Claims: Hydrating and moisturizing; soothing; strengthens protection; anti-aging. 

 

Ingredients: Okay, soโ€ฆ umm... 

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These Maskingdom masks have frustrating ingredients lists. On the back of the sleeve, the first few ingredients are printed in Chinese and the rest are in English. Google Translate had a hard time with some of the Chinese words, to the point where I canโ€™t do my own GT-to-real-Englilsh translation of the translation. Some ingredients are repeated throughout the English content. Iโ€™m not even sure theyโ€™re listed in percentage order. Normally this would stop me from using a mask, as I donโ€™t like putting products on my face without knowing whatโ€™s in themโ€”plus, ingredients lists that donโ€™t fully follow INCI standards make me nervous. But I was in a risk-taking mood last night. 

 

Part of me wants to hold off posting this review until I can get a good ingredients list to share with everyone. But for now, Iโ€™ll at least post a photo of the sleeve: 

 

From the back of the mask sleeve. In the ingredients listed in the left column, step 1 is the first paragraph and step 2 is the second paragraph.From the back of the mask sleeve. In the ingredients listed in the left column, step 1 is the first paragraph and step 2 is the second paragraph.

In step 1, one of the Chinese language ingredients is โ€œNorth American sacred grassโ€ which Iโ€™ll guess is hierochloe odorata, aka sweet grass. This ingredient has a vanilla scent, but I donโ€™t recall smelling it in this serum. Step 1 also contains vitamins B12 and B5, plus some kind of seaweed extract. Vigna Aconitifolia Seed Extract is moth bean extract, a retinol alternative. [ EDIT: the moth bean addition is from the ingredients list posted at an online retailer. To my knowledge, it's not listed on this mask's sleeve, so I'm not sure if it's actually in the serum... sigh. This adds to the frustrations. ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ

 

I think one of step 2โ€™s Chinese language ingredients is soy extract. โ€œWait, whereโ€™s bitter melon in the list?โ€ I think itโ€™s the first Chinese language listing. 

Performance: Step 1 is a serum meant to be applied to the face before the sheet mask, which is step 2. The step 1 serum was quite hydrating and abundant: my face was still wet when I applied the sheet. I donโ€™t recall the step 1 serum having much of a scent, but the sheet mask serum smelled almost medicinal. It reminded me of something specific that I couldnโ€™t placeโ€ฆ maybe it was a bitter melon scent? Itโ€™s been so long since I had fresh bitter melon, I donโ€™t remember what it smells like. Hmm. 

 

The thin sheet was made of silk but didnโ€™t feel silky. It was soft and comfy, though. Also very easy to tear, but I used my mask scissors instead to snip the inner and outer eyehole corners a bit wider. The philtrum was long enough to slightly overlap my upper lip, but I didnโ€™t need to snip it or the mouth hole at all. The sheet was wide enough to cover most of my jaw. Overall, a decent fit. 

 

I wore this mask for just 15 minutes because Iโ€™m still kinda nervous about new-to-me items wreaking havoc on my face again. (REALLY do not want to spend another 5 weeks with extremely painful skin, especially as we head into deep freeze weather here.) After removal, I wasnโ€™t sure all the residual serum would sink into my skin; there was A LOT of it. I thought I'd end up using a cloth to wipe some of it off my skin. But surprisingly, 3 minutes of massaging did the trick. I had no pilling or tackiness afterward. 

 

Results: Moderately radiant, hydrated, and moisturized skin. My face looked and felt very comfortable: no bad reaction or โ€œomg hurry up and apply moisturizerโ€ dryness/tightness. I had little to no surface redness before application, so I canโ€™t say this mask reduced inflammation. But it did leave my face feeling calm and content. Not Abib Heartleaf Fit happy, but... content. And my skin felt almost velvety soft. 

 

I only had one of this mask: itโ€™s from a set I got as a gift. The whole set comes in a lovely box. Inside the box, along with 6 different masks, is a beautiful spoonbill box I now use as a display box. This setโ€™s not available to buy anymore, unless you happen to find it on eBay or maybe Amazonโ€”but note that these masks officially expired in 2019. (Psh, I just used one and there was no mold, spoilage smell, or bad reaction. Hooray for preservatives!) If I received another Bitter Melon & Pigeon Pea mask, Iโ€™d happily use it. In fact, if Maskingdom re-releases this mask, I might buy it. 

 

Iโ€™ll call this mask an 89-90 point merlot. Itโ€™s hard to fairly rate this mask without trying it a second time. I really want to use it on a day my surface redness is in full swing, so I can see how soothing it truly is. But I did like it a lot. 

If you're looking for Maskingdom sheet masks, try searching for 10 Art instead. That's the parent brand. YesStyle does have some of the Maskingdom I Wish masks, if you're interested. 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@WinglessOne  Oooh, that is some beautiful packaging! I don't think I've seen ingredients listed like that before - so strange!  I'm happy to hear your risk taking was worth it! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ๐Ÿ˜‰

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

Thanks @Shosh85 ! Yeah, usually ingredients lists are at least in a single language. ๐Ÿ˜‚ 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@WinglessOne Pretty package, but I can't stop laughing over pigeon pea. 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

Is that seriously not the most ridiculous ingredient, @Samtian? I immediately had to research it because I was just certain I had a correct (wrong) hunch about it. @WinglessOne 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@Samtian @eshoe  Heh, I've eaten enough Caribbean food to know what pigeon peas are. So it wasn't such a shocking ingredient to meโ€”though this might be the first time I've seen it used in a sheet mask. Kinda like the first time I saw lentils used in a sheet mask and wondered how beneficial they are to skin (applied topically) vs. the rest of the body. ๐Ÿคฃ

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@WinglessOne Haha that's like when I see potatoes in skin care. I'm like I know there is zero benefit but black heads from those things lol. 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

Yeah I know Iโ€™ve cooked quinoa specifically for a face mask @WinglessOne, but lentils, not yet. It really does make you question the whole prospect of applying ingredients topically with the hopes of improving overall appearance๐Ÿ˜„ 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@eshoe  I think potato is still my favorite "but...why" sheet mask ingredient. I mean, can I just smear mashed potatoes on my face instead? It'd give me a great excuse to eat a plate/bowl of mashed potatoes face-down, no utensils required. ๐Ÿ˜‚ Maybe with melted butter added (cooled down though; wouldn't wanna burn my face with hot butter) because hey, butter contains calcium and vitamin D and probably good-for-skin fats, right? Is gravy also skin-healthy? I bet mushroom gravy is! ๐Ÿคฃ 

 

That does it: next Thanksgiving, I'm shoving my face into my plate in the name of science! 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@WinglessOne Haha I should have scrolled a little further before commentating about potatoes. 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@WinglessOne as I was reading this, I was thinking, hmmm...a really good, finely riced mashed potato mask just might be very, very comforting. I mean...now I want to try it just for scienceโ€™s sake! 

Mushroom gravy? I donโ€™t think Iโ€™ve ever made that, but it sounds delicious. Are you cooking up NYE dinner? Curious what you have in mind;)

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

@eshoe  If you make a riced/mashed potato mask, you'll have to take a selfie for us! 

 

You know, I hadn't given much thought to NYE dinner until this morning (eh, techically yesterday morning now that it's after midnight here) when I realized "oh crap, it's 12/30 and I need to restock the fridge!" I might just make a huge batch of japchae, one of my favorite comfort foods. That would cover a few different cultural representations of luck and prosperity: plenty of green and yellow (gold) stuff for money, red (bell peppers) for luck, etc. Haven't decided which wine to crack open, though, and it might not be a sparkler. Hmm. Do you have a special NYE meal planned? 

Re: Mask of the Week Challenge

I had not heard of japche and just googled it, @WinglessOne ...yum oh yum! I need to make that, soon, it looks delicious. Glass noddle stir fry, yes please๐Ÿฅฐ

I made lobster, first time ever. @sprocketta gave me a few tips, and thankfully everything turned out ok. Butternut squash risotto and roasted zucchini, with a side of smoked paprika garlic butter for sides. Just happy I didnโ€™t burn anything! Would love to see your japche if you make it, and a recipe (pretty please!), from the looks of it, itโ€™s something I need to try.

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