💕😌 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💗

[lmaster]

I'd love to know which one you prefer @QueenMarceline 

[QueenMarceline]

@lmaster I'll definitely keep you posted on that. 🙂 Hopefully I actually have it on hand.

[sister13]

I don’t suppose this fits any categories, not exactly weird, but a little unique for its blue-ness perhaps. This is the Lovinah Blue Butterfly mask that came in my Boxwalla subscription box a while back. I thought I had used this before but not sure. It actually had a relatively intense tingle to it. It smells divine, fresh and a little bit like vanilla, but otherwise unique. It is very creamy and smooth and distinctly cooling. Skin felt hydrated, smoother and bright afterwards.

The pup is always intrigued and always sniffing, lol! 

 

[ather]

@sister13  Pups expression is the best!! I love the colour blue it is!!! 

[lmaster]

@sister13 how cute!!! Glad you love it, sounds perfect

[QueenMarceline]

@sister13 I've seen you use this mask quite a bit and I absolutely adore it. Once I run through a few more of my opened ones this is definitely on my list of "traditional style masks" to purchase. Hopefully by late 2022 🙂

[Kim888]

@sister13 @Love your puppy checking you out !!! That mask sounds interesting - I feel like I’ve seen that brand floating around a lot but I’ve never used it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts ! 

[Skunk12puzzola]

@sister13 omg, you have 2 adorable assistants, I see 🐾💕 say hi to kitty and doggie from me 👋

[itsfi]

Catching up on some masks with a late post. I used these masks at various times last month and this week. A common denominator is that they can be made to fit into the "Q" letter of the week theme. 

Q for ...

Clockwise from the top left - 

Q for Quartz:

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The Oh K! Brightening Chock Chock Gemstone Mini Mask Quartz Balance contains 8 "mini masks" to be used for spot or targeted masking. These types of masks are also known as "slice" masks (Kocostar uses this term) or "point" masks (Mediheal has used this term for their masks). I think of them as "nice to have" masks but not must-have masks, and often use them under a sheet mask for some extra hydration, particular if the full sheet mask I'm using is not fully saturated (a rarity but it happens) or when I have a mud or clay mask on my T-zones, giving some attention to the more dry portions of my face. In those latter instances, I have also applied these slices over the clay / mud masks as it begins to dry down or when I'm near the end of my wear time and then use them to help remove the clay / mud. These particular ones were unscented, and performed as I would expect of masks of this type, which is to say, they were fine. What I like about this particular slice mask is that it includes a longer slice that can be used for the forehead. 

Q for Quirky (and a nod to one of our resident bands, the Escar Go Gos!)

Shout out to a few lovely maskers - @PrettyPaint  for such a fun theme - I always look forward to hearing about (and using) "masks that would make great band names" and @twilightnicky - love the Escar Go Go's. 🐌 I would travel the globe to see them and the Gastropods perform! 

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tl;dr: My combo, dehydrated skin responded well to both steps of the Purederm Snail Cell Illuminating Multi-Step Treatment. The lightly floral perfume scented ampoule has a thick, viscous, but lightweight consistency, and absorbed quickly, smoothly and beautifully into my skin, giving it a plump, hydrated feel. The microfiber 3D mask snuggly cups the face (with some puckering) cocooning the face with the clear, slightly viscous, refreshing, watery liquid. Skin feels soft, cool, and hydrated, with a fresh faced glow.

Material, Adherence & Fit:
Fit is generally fine - the material puckers up in spots since it doesn’t lie completely flat against the face and as a result, adherence is okay, but not great in the middle of the face without a few incisions here and there.

The sheet feels like it is a microfiber material. The reference to it being a 3D mask is to the three-dimensional shape. The combination of this 3D design, along with the puckering and the vertical fold/seam right down the middle of the mask gives me a slightly Voldemort look that might come in handy as a backup Halloween costume. 😉

Essence:
There’s an abundance of the light, thin, slightly viscous watery essence but it doesn’t run or drip. The liquid essence feels cooling and refreshing against the skin the entire time, but unlike the ampoule, the essence is unscented.

Performance & Results:
I was surprised how well this mask performed. The softness of the material, the snugness of the design, and the cooling feel from the essence made for a refreshing fit and feel. Unlike many snail mucin based products, there was zero tack to my skin, even when pressing and patting in the excess essence that remained after 30-minutes of wear. The essence absorbed quickly and smoothly leaving my skin feeling soft, bouncy and hydrated and that extra hydration lent itself to a lovely, fresh faced, brightened, healthy glow.

3D mask

Q for quick and quinone:  

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Splash masks are efficient and effective. The Skinfood Black Sugar Splash Mask is no exception. This is a lightly citrus, somewhat soapy scented 4-in-1 liquid mask that gently exfoliates, smoothes, lightly moisturizes, and brightens skin. The liquid is reminiscent of water but has a certain slip to it that keeps it from being too runny or drippy. Because the liquid contains highly concentrated amounts of chemical exfoliant PHA, it, like other splash masks, needs to be diluted before applying to skin. My preferred approach (and the most popular one for these types of masks, is to use this in the shower, taking a capful into the palms of cupped hands and, together with the running water from the showerhead, to "splash" the liquid+water solution onto the face, patting and pressing the mixture onto the skin for 10 seconds per its directions (some splash masks call a 15-second splash) and voila, soft, smooth, lightly moisturized skin with a fresh faced glow.

It's a bit of a stretch to get in a "Q" for Yadah Daily Green Mask [Natto Collagen], which also nets a V for Vegan and a Y for Yadah. Natto has been described as a "nutritional powerhouse", loaded with a variety of rare vitamins and antioxidants. One of the most prominent nutrients found in natto is pyrolloquinoline quinone (PQQ) - see, told you it's a stretch.

What's not a stretch is how well the mask performed. The bamboo material feels soft and comfortable on the skin and holds plenty of the clear, fresh scented, slightly viscous essence for the 30 minutes I had on the mask. Adherence was good and fit was typical of most sheet masks, in that a few adjustments lends to a tailored fit. Essence absorbed easily, quickly and smoothly, leaving a slight bounce and zero tack. Skin looked and felt refreshed and hydrated, with that awake, bright and healthy glow. The mask retails for about $4.00, taking it out of the price point range for daily sheet masks. That said, I really do like this mask and would consider picking up more at full price.

Q for Q10:  

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I've used a few wash off masks from Andalou but don't have a lot of familiarity with their sheet masks. The fit on this Andalou Naturals Instant Lift & Firm Hydro Serum Facial Mask Resveratrol Q10 Age Defying Fiber Sheet Mask (which, by the way, is the longest name for a sheet mask I have come across) is nearly perfect for my face shape, and adherence is great. The clear essence has a viscosity to it that keeps it from running everywhere, but is not so viscous that it feels thick. Immediately after applying the mask on, I felt tingling on the upper corners of both cheeks, areas where I am more sensitive. The tingling sensation lingered, not so long that I needed to remove the mask and call it a day, but long enough that I continued to monitor how my cheeks felt; the tingling eventually did go away. Sadly, what didn't go away was the scent from the essence - hard to describe, but it was a cross between a slightly medicinal, slightly chemical scent that I would not describe at all as pleasant (but thankfully, it did not resemble the smell of industrial cleaning products). The mask has enough essence for a half hour of wear and possibly a little more. What product remains atop the skin absorbs easily, but once absorbed, leaves a noticeable tack that falls just short of what I would describe as sticky. This tack remains for a good amount of time and only dissipates after I follow up with my moisturizer.  The mask would have been fine but for the scent and the tack. The tack can be easily remedied, the scent not so much. 

[missy94612]

@itsfi 

I'm going to have to look for those gem shaped masks; my mini would like it - and the little panda poking out from the top. 

[itsfi]

@missy94612, I think the little panda in the corner is a nice little touch too! Oh, I think your daughter would have fun with the quartz slice masks.

[ather]

@itsfi  Look at you go!!! The gemstone mask is adorable too bad they aren’t really a must have. I wonder if they would be helpful when you fly? I know I use to put a full sheet mask on when I was flying but it’s hard now when wearing a mask. Is it still mandatory to mask on planes there? I feel it is here but maybe quickly changing. The snail cell mask sounds great! Gastropods all the way!!!

[itsfi]

@ather, thank you. I sheet mask a little less often the closer and deeper we get into the summer but there's been a few days, weeks even this and last month where my skin was more dehydrated than usual so using a sheet mask more regularly was a huge benefit. I love that you wore sheet masks while flying. I've only done it twice, both pre-pandemic. I think that masks are optional in-flight for domestic travel here, but mandatory for international travel, or maybe mandatory for some international destinations. That change just recently went into effect, maybe last month? 

Yes to the Gastropods! You know me, love 'em! It's really a skincare ingredient that my skin responds to very well. 

[minathayes]

@itsfi   The 3D one looks interesting. I've seen something similar by Kracie - have you by any chance tried ones by that brand?

[itsfi]

@minathayes, I've tried some masks from Kracie, but I didn't know until you mentioned it that the brand carries sheet masks with a 3D design. It would be interesting to try out - Kracie is a Japanese brand. The 3D masks I've used before are either from a South Korean brand or from a brand that manufactures its sheet mask in South Korea. I wonder if there's a different design that is used with Japanese sheet masks. Hmmmm... 😂 Making a note to look into this more.

[lmaster]

@itsfi oh yes I see the snail mask definitely doesn't conform well, yeah those are the ones I'm not too fond of,. Do you think it's the material of the mask?

[itsfi]

@lmaster, that's a good question. I think it's the mask, particularly the design of it being a 3D mask. There's a vertical seam running down the middle and that seems to be keeping certain parts of the sheet from being able to lie flush against the skin. Beauty Pie has a couple of masks with the same 3D design, but the seam on that one is much more pronounced, and I experienced the same thing with the fit on that sheet as well. 

[QueenMarceline]

@itsfi I have a couple of those Q10 Andalou Masks, what a great idea to whip those out of my stash and use at least one this month! I remember liking them but they are a bit intense on my skin with tingling in my cheek area just like you described--so I'll have to make a night of it, haha. I've been a "grandma" lately and reaching for my more bland masks but I'll have to branch out for this months letters 🙂 

That Pink Quartz mask looks so cool but I seriously need to stop buying masks until I go through my enormous stash a bit better so I used your review as a way to talk myself out of it. 😜

[itsfi]

@QueenMarceline, many, if not all of us here have been / are in a similar situation- working through a pile of sheet masks. It’ll feel good to use them up. You’ll get through them - just have to chip away at your stash.

[Kim888]

@itsfi @Applying those spot sheet masks over a clay mask is a really interesting way to use it! I never thought of that but I also hate that feeling. I never buy those types of masks but sometimes I end up with them from subs so that’s a great way to try and use them !! 

[itsfi]

@Kim888, yeah, slice / point masks are not ones I gravitate to a lot but if I have them around, I’ve been trying to find other ways to make them more worthwhile. Using them over clay masks has come in handy especially with clay masks that dry and tighten up.