💕😌 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💗

[itsfi]

Final catch up with a couple of masks from last week.

V for Vitalizing

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The thin, 100% natural cotton sheet of the Decorte Vita De Reve Mask (Herbal Vitalizing Lotion Mask) has a bit of heft to it; I wouldn't say it's heavy, but there's a distinct weight to the material itself. Adherence is fine enough but it's the size of the mask that stands out, in that, it runs small overall. This had its share of pros and cons for me - the length and width worked really well for my face, which is a rarity; the openings for the eyes and mouth, however, were among the smallest and narrowest that I've seen in a sheet mask. The clear, watery but not runny essence has an herbal, minty and slightly medicinal scent to it, which makes sense given that the essence contains four different mint plants.

This line from Japanese brand Decorte is well regarded and I like the essence in this mask, but the wear time of this one makes it a pass for me, at least during the cooler seasons. To be fair, directions for most sheet masks recommend leaving it on for 10-20 minutes and I was able to leave this one on for around 15 minutes before I started feeling the mask drying up in certain areas. I'm accustomed to being able to leave most sheet masks on for at least 30 minutes and I was hoping to do the same with this one, especially this time of the year. It could be that my skin has been leaning more dehydrated and dry of late, but this Decorte mask seems better suited to those with normal, combo or oily skin, or a better fit for use in the warmer weather.

V for Vitamins with an ingredient spotlight on camellia seed oil, which contains a host of minerals and vitamins, namely A, B & E. Fun fact: The camellia tree from which the oil is extracted is also know as the Rose of Winter, making this a fitting mask for last week's winter theme as well. 💖

Sheet Mask:  

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Oil based sheet masks make my skin happy fall and winter months so I was really  excited to try the Mamonde Camellia AntiAging Flower Lab Essence Mask. The lightweight, thin sheet is made of "100% real eucalyptus tree pulp" (if branded, it would be referred to as "Tencel").  Adherence is good, and a tailored fit can be had with a few adjustments to the length at the chin / jawline and to the corners of the eye and mouth openings, all standard fare when it comes to sheet masks and the size, shape and features of my face.. 

There's a soft but noticeable, pleasant, floral scent - I'm not familiar with the scent of camellia so I couldn't say for certain that it smelled like a camellia flower. It doesn't linger, dissipating by the time the mask has been applied on my face. The clear serum has a light but rich feel to it and has a slight viscosity to it that keeps it from dripping everywhere. 

My skin must have been extra parched the night I used this sheet mask because practically every inch of my face slurped up the serum - my forehead was the only part of my face that had any excess amount of serum remaning atop it once I removed the mask after 30 minutes of wear. The other parts of my face felt lightly damp with serum and the sheet mask covering those areas felt like they were trending towards drying, which took me by surprise as that doesn't usually happen (making a note to add some extras to my skincare routine). 

I can't speak to the mask's anti-aging claims as I'm of the mindset that results like firming and other anti-aging claims require more than just a single, isolated use to be noticeable. That being said, I felt a slight tack to the touch as I pressed / patted in the remaining serum. The next morning, my skin has a dewy glow to it (not greasy or overly shiny) and feels bouncy, moisturized and nourished. 

One major downside to this mask, at least in my mind, is that the key ingredient, camellia seed oil, is listed last on the ingredients list. ⬇️

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from Aritaum's US site (Mamonde is one of Aritaum's subsidiaries):

WATER / AQUA / EAU, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, DIMETHICONE, GLYCERETH-26, METHYLGLUCETH-20, CAPRYLIC / CAPRICTRI GLYCERIDE, POLYSORBATE 60, 1, 2 - HEXANEDIOL, PANTHENOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, CETEARYLALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG- 100 STEARATE, ALLANTOIN, ACRYLATES / C10-30 ALKYLACRYLATE CROSS POLYMER, ARGININE, DI POTASSIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE, ETHYLHEXYL GLYCERIN, SODIUM POLY ACRYLATE, HYDROXY ETHYL ACRYLATE / SODIUM ACRYLOYL DIMETHYLTAURATECO POLYMER, ADENOSINE, FRAGRANCE / PARFUM, DISODIUMEDTA, XANTHANGUM, SODIUMHYALURONATE,CAMELLIAJAPONICAFLOWEREXTRACT

Lip Mask: 

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If the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask and the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm had a baby, I think it might look and feel a lot like the Petitfee Oil Blossom Lip Mask, and that is not a bad thing. I wasn't expecting too much from the balm but I quite like the feel of the consistency - it's better suited for daytime wear or, if you like to layer your lip balms / masks / oils, I could see this making for a good first layer.  

[lmaster]

The eye holes even look small on the packaging @itsfi snip snip here and there 😉

[itsfi]

@lmaster, hahaha! I don't even have particularly large eyes and these were too narrow for me. 😆 The Decorte is definitely one of those where it would probably just be better to pick up a serum or essence or toner from the series and either do the 7-skin method with it or use it with one of those blank sheet masks. 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  The Camellia masks sounds lovely....... but it is always annoying to see the "star ingredient" in last place 🧐 Happy the results turned out great! 😃

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, yeah, that always baffles me. If ingredients are listed from highest concentration to lowest (which is generally the case with Korean sheet masks), then how does it make sense that the main or star ingredient is the last one listed? 🙄 Results were good, but having gone through so many masks, I'm more inclined to choose a camellia oil based mask that lists camellia oil in the top half of the INCI list.

[Kim888]

@itsfi @The decorte mask sounds interesting - disappointing about the wear time! I always worry they have started drying out/going off when they don’t last a long time !

[itsfi]

@Kim888, the essence on this one is nice and it would have been nice to have it last for 30+ minutes, especially because the main ingredients are not one I typically see in sheet masks. I'm accustomed to having certain parts of the mask feel like it's drying more quickly than others but this one felt like I was already pushing it at the 15-minute mark. Oh well, onto the next mask. 😊

[Kim888]

A V for last week and a W for this week

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The Vitamasq Cranberry and Apple repair mask came from FFF this season. It had quite an odd smell but it abated quickly. The mask itself is soft cotton with a milky serum. The fit was similar to creme shop ones. This mask is an A+ - my skin felt super hydrated and the serum absorbed quickly. Luckily it came it a pack so I have more to use. 

I’ve also been using the Trader Joe’s lip balms. They do smell really fun but I’m not sure I like these. I’ll keep trying them but I think they may be drying out my lips 

 

[lmaster]

If only it had a fruity scent!! @Kim888 

[quspork]

Ooh, love the sound of that Vitamasque, @Kim888 

[itsfi]

@Kim888, the milky serum sounds wonderful for this time of the year. Was the scent odd because it was unpleasant or did it just smell off, like not what you generally expect from a sheet mask?

[Kim888]

It didn’t smell like it had gone bad @itsfi , I guess it just wasn’t what I was expecting from a cranberry and apple one, but it didn’t smell like that “just mask” scent either. It was slightly unpleasant but not overtly so. 

[itsfi]

@Kim888, it's too bad it didn't smell like cranberry and apples, but if it was unpleasant, even better that the scent faded away quickly.

[Shosh85]

@Kim888  Ooooh, milky serum?! I'll definitely have to try this one, it sounds great! Glad you enjoyed it! 😃

[txcatx]

I don't think I've ever participated in any of the mask challenges since I'm not usually into masks besides the occasional overnight moisturizing masks, but I do happen to have a stash of masks to use up and a W mask! And since my skin was feeling especially sensitive today, I tried out Whole Foods' Soothing Avocado Mask. The cotton cupra is nice and soft, the mask stayed on well, and the mask felt cooling and refreshing. I got this mask in that mystery beauty bag that Whole Foods sells every spring, but I haven't actually gotten around to trying many of those products!

 

[lmaster]

Oh I loved these so much!! @txcatx 

[eshoe]

The Whole Foods masks have been pretty good overall, @txcatx! I have not picked up one of those bags yet, though I am tempted to every year. I am happy this mask worked out for you👍🏼

[quspork]

This is such a nice one, @txcatx. So glad it worked out nicely for you!

[Shosh85]

@txcatx  I've tried 9 different Whole Foods masks and this is one of my most favorites! So happy to hear you liked it!

[Kim888]

Ooh this sounds nice @txcatx ! I always forget the check the Whole Foods beauty area! 

[itsfi]

@txcatx, I like this WF mask; it sounds like you got some great results too! 🥑 Soft, cooling and refreshing is perfect for sensitive skin. 

WF’s mystery beauty bags have a good variety of products in them; there’s so many though that it’s hard to get through all of them.