💕😌 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]

@ather  Oh, this is a good one - love the scent! The others in the line are pretty great too! 🍈

[ather]

@Shosh85  Ooo I need to check out the rest of the line! 

[Cissy63]

Well these are the masks I have used over this past week:

Centella Relaxation Calming Mask was wonderful.  The sheet was medium strength cotton and it was saturated with clear serum.  The fit was good, as usual needed some tweaking around it eyes.  There was more serum in the pouch to apply on top of the sheet.  No scent. No I’ll skin issues with using it.  It stayed on for 30 minutes and still had some serum left.  A little tacky, but dried down in about 15 minutes.  Results were good, skin soft, feeling very moisturized.  The next day my red blotches were less notable.

Keep Cool and Ocean Mask was very good.  The sheet was a nice medium cotton and very saturated with white serum.  Plus more in the pouch to add on the mask.  The fit was decent.  I left it on for 20 minutes and I still had so much serum left to absorb into my skin.  It took over 20 minutes to not feel damp.  But I didn’t mind.  My face looked very good the next day.  

Then I was hoping the Looks and Meii would be funky looking for Halloween but it wasn’t.  However it was a light pink color thin sheet mask with lots of serum.  The fit was fine. I left it on for 20 minutes and my skin felt very cool and moisturized.

The Holler and Glow foot masks were great.  Lots of clear serum in these printed pink booties, but totally weird to walk around with them on.  They stayed on for 45 minutes.  My feet were so soft.  No problem after removing them.

And I finished my box of Guardian Angels gel eye masks.  These stayed in place so well. Not much serum on them, but they did not slide down.  The next day some brightening under my eyes.

[ather]

@Cissy63  Foot mask looks really good. I like how they adhere on! Definitely a plus! 

[Cissy63]

@ather  Thank you, they stayed on even while walking around 😀

[lmaster]

@Cissy63 sounds like they were all lovely

[Cissy63]

Thank you @lmaster!  They all performed well 😀

[Shosh85]

@Cissy63  Glad these all turned out great! I especially like the sound of that soothing one - Centella and Madecassoside are some of my favorite ingredients! 😃

[Cissy63]

@Shosh85  thank you, these are new to me for sensitive skin.  But it did give a temporary relief.

[Kim888]

Looks like some great masking @Cissy63 ! Too bad the looks one didn’t have a fun print, but the packaging is really cool! 

[Cissy63]

I know, right!  I thought it was going to have a very interesting design on the mask.  But bright pink is a change from the usual!! Thank you @Kim888 😊 

[itsfi]

Ooooh, so many great masks @Cissy63! Sounds like they all performed well for you - that's awesome! This is the first I've heard of Looks & Meii - that madecassoside one sounds wonderful! The print on the foot mask is so fun!

[Cissy63]

Thank you @itsfi!  I was very pleased with all from this latest masking fun time 😄

[missy94612]

M is for Missha

HE SAID: I used it after a flight and my skin felt less dry. I like less dry.

SHE SAID: I like this one too; the cream feels moisturizing. I like all the ones from this brand that we've used. It's basic but in a good way. 

[ather]

@missy94612  Love that he says he likes his skin less dry 🤣

[missy94612]

@ather 

His input on masks make me laugh a lot. 

[lmaster]

@missy94612 ohhh cream?? Sounds excellent 

[itsfi]

@missy94612, I've tried a couple of masks from this line but haven't tried this red ginseng or a cream serum one; will have to put this on my list. I'm good with no muss, no fuss, moisturizing sheet masks, especially in the fall and winter. Just get me that moisturization!

[Cissy63]

@missy94612  Basic and moisturizing are good in my book!!

[Shosh85]

@missy94612  I liked this one too! This is a good solid line of masks and a great brand in general! Glad you both enjoyed this one!

[itsfi]

This was one I meant to use last month for @Aaliaa's fun and brilliant "unusual ingredients" theme - thank you, A!  😁

@Shosh85 noted that the theme is one of her favorites and it's one of mine as well. Ingredients that most people may think of as gross are often the ones that I find work very well for my skin, and, oftentimes, they are ingredients that my grandma or mom included in meals when I was growing up. That said, I've not had snake poison and it's not something on my "to do" list now or in the future. Hahaha! The snake like peptide that is a key ingredient of this mask, will be the closest I come to that, though I was reminded that I have had rattlesnake before, when we visited relatives in Arizona when I was a kid. I have a vague recollection of the trip and the meal, but none whatsoever of what the dish tasted like. 

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Zoe Laure is a Hong Kong based brand. I've used a couple other sheet masks from the brand prior to this SnakeLike Peptide Mask, which claims to smooth skin and help to address anti-aging concerns by, among other things, refining lines and reducing other signs of aging to help maintain a youthful visage. 

Key Ingredients: 

The key ingredients are:

* Dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate is, per incidecoder, a synthetic three-amino peptide (aka tripeptide) that has been called "botox in a jar". Its main function is to smooth skin and reduce signs of aging (e.g., lines, wrinkles). It's commonly referred to as Syn-Ake - an aisde, of course it's commonly referred to as Syn-Ake, that's a lot easier to say, let alone remember, than dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate LOL!) Syn-Ake is the synthetic ingredient said to mimic the effects of a peptide found in snake venom that is known for its muscle relaxing properties (which, in turn, is said to prevent the formation of lines and wrinkles).

* Marine Collagen is said to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and increase skin firmness by improving hydration and elasticity, which is said to result in a more glowy, youthful complexion.

* Hyaluronic Acid is known for helping the skin retain moisture and increasing skin elasticity.

While were speaking about ingredients, I do want to note here that I'm a little displeased that there's no indication that these three ingredients listed on the back of the sheet mask packet are just the "key" ingredients. It just says "Ingredients" which can suggest that it's all the ingredients in the mask. To be fair, this may be a result of things getting lost in translation or that the country of origin or the sale do not have the same guidelines or regulations on ingredient disclosure as we do here in the US. I haven't been able to locate a full ingredients list for this mask, but did find the following list of "Major Ingredients" on YesStyle:

Material, Fit & Adherence:
The sheet itself is medium thick and adhered nicely to my skin. Fit along the perimeter was similar to most sheet masks - too short at the forehead, an inch too long at the chin / jawline and just a smidge too wide at the temples. Openings for the eyes and mouth were wide and long enough so that I didn't need to make any adjustments to the openings for the eyes and mouth. The amount of material covering the area between the nose and upper lip was perfect as well. 

Serum, Performance & Results:
The mask is saturated with a clear, viscous and unscented essence - the weight of the essence is between that of a toner/essence and a serum which makes it easy to absorb quickly and smoothly. At one point, I noticed a bit of a tickle, for lack of a better word, over certain parts of my face. It didn't last long, but enough to make me wonder whether it was going to go away (it did eventually). I left the mask on for my usual 30 minutes, even though instructions recommended 15-20. I probably could have left it on for an additional 20 minutes, as there was a decent amount of the essence that remained on top of my skin after removing the mask. With some pressing and patting of that excess essence into my skin, it was fully absorbed within 10 minutes, after which my skin felt noticeably softer and smoother, and lightly moisturized. Interestingly, the area under my eyes also felt more firm. I was not expecting that at all and was pleasantly surprised.

Did the mask live up to its anti-aging claims?: 
I can't speak to the mask's anti-aging claims for a few reasons, the primary of which is that thanks to some good genes (thanks, Mom & Dad), I don't have many visible lines or wrinkles (yet). That said, I am also of the mindset that a single, one-time use of a sheet mask is not enough to yield a reliable opinion on claims of anti-aging - it takes time to earn and develop wrinkles and lines and it will take time to reduce the appearance of them or delay the onset of them becoming readily noticeable. That said, there was the firming effect I felt under my eyes. These results have piqued my curiosity as to how this mask would perform over time, if used regularly and consistently. This mask came in a pack of 10 so I'll plan to use this weekly for at least a month, maybe a month-and-a-half, and check back in with my thoughts then. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised with this mask and am interested to see how it performs over time. Stay tuned.

Now, about those gummy snakes...

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In terms of a photo prop, these Haribo Twin Snakes worked out beautifully, far better than what was, at one point, what I thought might be my only option if I wanted to use a snake of some sort in my photo - my niece has a rubber snake that, when she was younger, she found great glee running with around the house, taunting both her mom and me. For such a sweet child, she has quite the mischievous side (which my SIL and I agree she gets from her dad - ha!). Thankfully, these gummy snakes were available at a nearby Target. 

These gummy Twin Snakes were manufactured in Germany. To the surprise of no one, the main ingredient is sugar, in various forms, along with artificial fruit flavors. They contain added coloring but no added fragrance. While these made for a great prop for this theme, it's really "just meh" as a treat. It didn't taste as yummy as I expect from a brand like Haribo, and I will not be repurchasing these Twin Snakes. hahaha! Tagging @Samtian  here as this is a very late contribution to September's Sheet Mask theme on the fun and fabulous photography challenge thread!