💕😌 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💗

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  Oh my gosh, you're awesome! We do own an ice cream maker, but this one looks so much fancier!
My husband actually eats way more ice cream than I do, which is funny, because he's lactose intolerant 😆

[itsfi]

Hahaha! Oh @Shosh85, that is funny in more ways than one. I tell people that "I'm lactose intolerant but ice cream is fine." 😂 I get the strangest looks. I understand where your husband is coming from. It's ice cream!!! 

[itsfi]

It's time for a sheet mask duel! With a V for veggie, vegan-certified mask material, and vying for top lotus root sheet mask honors. 😆 Which will be victorious?!!

About lotus root:

Lotus root is rich in iron, potassium, copper, thiamin, zinc and vitamins B and C. Growing up, my parents would include this vegetable in soup and various stir fry dishes. You can also find it as a side dish and in "chip" form. In addition to its health benefits, this veggie is also known to help balance sebum production while plumping, brightening, hydrating and moisturizing skin. That sounds like a lot, but all good results. I was pleased to have two different lotus root centered sheet masks to put those claims to the test. Let's see how they fared. 

The Match Up:

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Mask:	Skinfood Lotus Root Sous Vide Mask Sheet	Innisfree Jeju Root Energy Mask - Lotus Root
Material:	Soft, lightweight, thin, vegan-certified, cotton	Soft, thin, biodegradable, vegan-certified microfiber; more weighty feel to material than Skinfood mask
Serum:	Emulsion - milky, liquid-cream consistency. Dripping when mask is initially removed from pouch.	Ampoule - clear, slightly viscous essence. Dripping when mask is initially removed from pouch.
Scent:	Fresh, clean "sheet mask" scent	Clean, fresh, earthy and plant-like scent
Adherence:	Good	Good
Fit:	Fine; a few adjustments needed for a more tailored fit. Material for upper lip area is much smaller / thinner than most sheet masks.	Fine; fit could be made to work with what are my typical sheet mask adjustments - at the chin/jawline and to the corners of the openings for the eyes and mouth.  Material for upper lip area leans slightly larger than most sheet masks.
Claims(s):	Moisturizing; plumping and brightening	Smoothing and firming / plumping
Performance & Results (after 30 minutes of wear):	Skin has a slight tack to it once the mask was removed. Tack dissipates quickly, leave skin hydrated, lightly moisturized and more bouncy. As for its brightening claims, I wouldn't say my complexion looked like a disco ball, but it did have a noticeably brighter, fresh faced glow to it that looked lovely under my sunscreen and BB cream	Tacky-to-the touch feel to skin after removing the mask that dissipates fairly quickly. Skin feels hydrated and moisturized (more so than with Skinfood mask) and has a firmness and bounce to it. Complexion looked smooth, clear and brightened the next morning. Would make a good primer mask.
Best suited for:	Normal, combo, dry and dehydrated skin types. Those would oily skin might like this one during the cooler seasons.	All skin types, though those with very oily skin may find the consistency and amount of the ampoule base to be too much for all but cooler seasons.
Repurchase-worthy?:	Yes	Yes

Who Wins The Duel? (Scroll to bottom if you don't want to read the blow-by-blow comparison):

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The fit, feel, and performance of both lotus root sheet masks are nearly identical. The main difference between these two was in the weight of the material, the type of serum and how moisturizing I found each to be. Of those three elements, Skinfood had a slight edge over the Innisfree mask by virtue of the material having a lighter, more airy feel against the skin (though that is not to say that the Innisfree one was really heavy, just heavier than the Skinfood mask). 

As for the type of serum, my knee jerk reaction would be that I would prefer the milky emulsion (emulsion, autocorrect, not emotion! lol) of the Skinfood mask but I found both the serum types in the Skinfood and the Innisfree masks worked beautifully for me. In terms of scent, I'm very much becoming accustomed to and looking forward to the herb/plant scent in the Innisfree mask, but if it's just initial preference, I'd go with the Skinfood scent. 

Finally, that brings us to the results, which were really similar. The Innisfree mask provides more hydration and moisture, noticeably more upon removing the mask and in the final results, giving the Skinfood mask a more universal reach across skin types, but making the Innisfree mask more loved by someone like me with skin that currently leans dehydrated-dry. 

Overall, that's Skinfood with 2 factors in its favor (material and scent of serum) and 1 in Innisfree's favor (results). The advantage that the Skinfood mask over the Innisfree one is very slight and the particular factors are not deal breakers for me with these two masks. While both masks had similar results, the Innisfree one stood out more to me as one I'd reach for more often throughout the year. Neither would be enough to moisturize my skin on their own, but the Innisfree one comes closer to moisturizing my skin more effectively. 

So, the winner, or since it's V week, the victor of this duel is . . . 
Innisfree

[lmaster]

I must be living in a hole,,, I've never ever heard of lotus root! @itsfi it looks so cool 😆 what does it taste like??

[itsfi]

@lmaster, you're not living in a hole. It's a much more popular veggie in Asia and here, it's really only found in some Asian grocery stores. 

[lmaster]

It looks so cool though!! @itsfi I'm so interested in trying some form of it

[missy94612]

@itsfi  

I've not seen or heard of this. Now I'm curious, what's it taste like?

[itsfi]

@missy94612, it's not a common vegetable that you'd find in most grocery stores. If it's braised or used in stir fry, it has a slightly crunchy texture. I've heard it compared to that of celery, but I'm not seeing that entirely. It has a sorta starchy veggie quality to it that keeps me from saying it's really crunchy, like celery. If it's braised, it generally is more soft and takes on the flavor of the liquid or sauce in which it is being braised. @lmaster 

[lmaster]

Very interesting!! @itsfi I'm so so curious about this 

[eshoe]

@itsfi I can’t help but think in my head...

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Skinfood? Innisfree? Skinfood? Innisfree?

Both sound like must tries. I found myself swayed back and forth throughout your review. Both serums are intriguing! 

[itsfi]

@eshoe, Iron Chef America??!!! Looove that show! I wanted to be on it ... as a judge. 😆 Both the serums on these sheet masks were good. My skin just craves the extra moisture. It’ll be interesting to see how the other serums in this Skinfood collection compare with each other. I have one more serum type from the Innisfree line to try. 

[eshoe]

Ooooh that show was so good, @itsfi! The judges were always so interesting, too-I loved how they profiled them, and always felt a tad of envy. What a glorious gig😂

I wish Skinfood would bring that cranberry mask back. It was so good! Actually I would just be happy with about any fruity-gel mask they decide to make;)

[itsfi]

@eshoe, is the Skinfood cranberry mask seasonal?

The judges on Iron Chef America were so accomplished. My profile would say “and she’s good at eating and ordering food.” Hahaha! 😉 

[eshoe]

@itsfi I don’t believe it was seasonal;  noticed it on the shelves at TJ Maxx for a few months and then it wasn’t available anywhere. I wish I would have picked up another, it was just a refreshing, fruity gel mask. 

“she’s good at eating and ordering food.” 😂🤣😂 Well at least it is a fun thing to excel at!!!

[itsfi]

@eshoe, hmmm... 🤨 Hopefully it’s something they put out seasonally. 🤞🏼 I only see one non-exfoliating gel mask on their site - it’s a new one, lavender. I forget, are you okay with lavender scents? Or as an ingredient in skincare?

[eshoe]

Lavender is ok, @itsfi. It is one of those scents that you kind of have to be...prepared for. If I am ready for it, it can be lovely. But unprepared, it can seem overly botanical. Mood has so much to do with this one!

[itsfi]

For anyone interested, Skinfood is having a sale on its masks this weekend, sheet masks and rinse off masks (including the yummy and fabulous strawberry scrub mask). Buy One, Get One free. With code MDAY21. Thru 11:59pm Pacific Time on Monday, May 31.

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  I bought that whole line of Innisfree masks, so I'm glad that one came out the winner!

I'm curious what the Skinfood mask has to do with a sous vide.... I mean, is the serum made with a sous vide or something? 🤔

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, excellent question! I looked it up on the site, and for each mask, the benefits from the star ingredient is "extracted from through the French sous vide method to preserve all the (skincare) goodness (from the star ingredient) under precise temperature and vacuum seal". It's the process they use to get the good stuff from the vegetable to include in the serum. 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  Ahhh, that's kinda what I thought... pretty cool! 😃🙌

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, it is cool, isn't it?! 😎 

A loooong time ago, I went to a dinner where we were seated at the chef's table and had the opportunity to watch them work. I was mesmerized!!! They had a sous vide machine in the back corner and they had a bucket with all the food in the water bath. I have that visual in my mind with all the veggies from this line of Skinfood sheet masks. Hahaha! I have a few other sous vide masks but I don't think I'll get to them before the BOGO on Skinfood masks is over. So many sales!!!