💕😌 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]

@ather yes it was so good!! Blew the other mask far far away 🤣

[eshoe]

@lmaster this sounds like a very lovely mask!  I haven’t heard of this brand before, time to do some research 😉

[lmaster]

@eshoe it was a bit heavy for summer, perfect for fall/winter for sure

[itsfi]

F for fail. <<cue the sad womp, womp trombone music>>

A quick update on the Jenny Patinkin Pure Luxury Organic Reusable Sheet Mask With Matching Spa Headband.

I tried folks. But after numerous efforts to find a way to make this work for the last 5-6 weeks, I'm throwing in the towel on this mask. Setting aside the ill fit, the functionality just isn't there for me.

Here are the various ways I used the mask:

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Soaking the mask with essence - this was how I initially used it and it didn't work as I had hoped. I tried it again with another essence and same outcome - used up a lot of essence saturating the mask. Not a lot of hydration.

Applying the mask chilled - per instructions, I soaked it in cold water, wrung out some of the excess and then applied it to clean, bare skin for up to 5 minutes. Also recommended to use a face roller. Yeah, no. This didn't do anything for me. Also, I could recreate the effect with a washcloth or microfiber towel. 

Applying the mask warm - similar to the cold water approach but the instructions recommend leaving it on the skin for 1-2 minutes to help open up pores and then reheat and apply on top of a hydrating serum or mask. Like the cold water method, this is one that can be done with a regular washcloth; in fact, it's what I've been doing as part of my skincare routine for 2-3 years now - after fully cleansing my skin and before I apply toner / serum , etc. is that I take a washcloth, run it under slightly warmer than lukewarm water, wring it out and then place it over my face, pressing it into my skin - sorta like a steam bath for my face, to open up pores and allow the next steps of my skincare routine to better and more fully absorb.  

Layering the mask over a cocktail of serums - On the hauls thread, @Guessgal asked about the need to cocktail serums for each use of the mask. That was a great idea, guessgal! I decided to give it a try but instead of saturating the mask in the mix of serum, I applied a few serums all over my face first and gave it some time to sink in before applying the mask. It sorta helped with absorption, but more the mask absorbing the serums instead of the serums penetrating deeper through my skin. It was worth a try but I don't think this mask and I are meant to be. 

My Two Cents: Overall this is 'no' for me. It might work for someone else and if anyone decides to try it and finds it to their liking, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what worked for you. I don't think I'll be reaching for this one anytime soon. On to the next mask.

[heartsmyface]

@itsfi   Wait, do you wash it between uses?   It sounds good in theory if you can get a good custom fit…. I don’t know how I really feel about this.   Still processing. 

[itsfi]

@heartsmyface, I do wash it between uses. I place it in one of those mesh pouches before tossing it in the wash. I like the idea of it but I'm not so sure the functionality is there for me. A custom fit would be great; or, at least material that has some stretch to it.

[ather]

@itsfi  It sounds like you really gave it your all. Too bad it ended in disappointment 😥

[itsfi]

@ather, having gone through 6 weeks of using this mask in a variety of ways, I feel comfortable that my disappointment is justified. lol It's too bad, this had potential. Maybe the brand will do a redesign of it, or perhaps another brand will build on the concept?

[ather]

@itsfi  I could see other brands maybe trying it out too but I wonder if any of them can actually make it work!

[lmaster]

@itsfi major bummer!! Thanks for your efforts

[itsfi]

@lmaster, in one of your recent posts, you mentioned that the results of a mask you used were similar to just splashing water on your face. The same could be said about this one, except that there's a bamboo cloth sheet mask that is absorbing the water before it gets to your face. Hahaha! 

[lmaster]

@itsfi uughhhh that's no fun

[eshoe]

Oh, for goodness sake’s, @itsfi - you certainly gave it your best effort! I was considering this and am thankful now that I did not move forward. It is surprising just how much those reusable and/or DIY masks can hold. It makes me think that the (mask) serums are diluted rather than straight-from-the-bottle ‘full-strength.’ On to the next 🙂

[heartsmyface]

@eshoe @itsfi  I think it would have to be a sheer gauze to get the most conforming mask without absorbing too much serum.  Maybe a cotton voile.  

[eshoe]

A sheer gauze would be so comfy, @heartsmyface@ @itsfi. Oddly enough I just used an eye mask that was basically two cut-out triangles soaked in serum. They worked just fine, and I plan to reuse them. With the right technology, a form-fitted reusable gauze mask might be just right!

[itsfi]

I think a sheer gauze could work out really well @heartsmyface @eshoe. The other issue would be fit as a one size fits all approach might be challenging with a mask like this. This particular runs smaller than most sheet masks which made it perfect for me width-wise and length-wise at the chin, but it was too short at the forehead and the openings for the eyes and mouth needed work.

[eshoe]

@itsfi why not three sizes? If there could be a reusable mask that fit and adhered well, I would love it. Less packaging (although…that is half the fun!), it would be tried and true, so I wouldn’t have to fret about fit…who knows. I think a company is already making custom masks, but I don’t believe they are reusable. Then again, much of the fun for me is seeing/hearing/sharing masking experiences, which makes the packets so ideal. Just thinking out loud, I suppose;)

[itsfi]

@eshoe, yeah, I kept thinking "is this new approach going to work?" Nope. 😞 The idea behind it is great but the execution could use some work. I think the DIY masks would perform better than this one did - they have the advantage of being a thinner sheet. 

[eshoe]

True, @itsfi - I thought about that as well (thickness of the material). It must be quite an endeavor to improve on sheet mask material, much less come up with an entirely new approach (like this) to it. Makes me want to play around with some medical gauze and muslin just for the fun of it!

[Kim888]

Oh very interesting @itsfi! Disappointing it didn’t work - it would be nice to have more eco friendly options but sounds like a waste of product 

[itsfi]

@Kim888, yeah, this one looked promising but it didn't perform as well as expected. I'll have to look for a way to repurpose it.