💕😌 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]

@ShortErica  Oooh thanks for posting this! I still keep hoping they'll eventually make it permanent! 

P.S: Long time no see! It is so good see you! 😘

[ShortErica]

You're welcome @Shosh85. Maybe one day they'll get the hint to keep it year round. Hope you and your boys are well!

[eshoe]

@ShortErica Thank you for sharing this! I just want all these LE bits to stick around another month or so, you know? Great find!

[ShortErica]

Yeah, they could keep it for all the months @eshoe 😊

[itsfi]

U is for urea

Sheet Mask:

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My Scheming Hyaluronan Hydrating Mask is a thin-ish cotton Taiwanese sheet mask that is soaked in a clear, viscous serum. Adherence is good and fit can be made to work with a few snips here and there. As far as scent goes, it's very subtle and what I think fresh water might smell like.  

Hyaluronic acid and urea are two notable ingredients in this mask. Urea is something I see more often in hand creams or body lotions so I was intrigued when I saw that it was listed as the second ingredient on the inci list; it's known to help exfoliate dead skin buildup and targets dryness. The combination of these two ingredients sounded promising. I was not disappointed by the results - skin looks and feels soothed, soft and smooth, as well as happily hydrated, with a fresh faced bounciness to it. 

Lip Care:

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A masking sesh for me would not be complete without some form of lip care. This go round included two products I've used before but not together. Lush Unicorn Lip Scrub is a sweet scented (and tasting) lip scrub that gently sloughs away dead skin to make way for soft, smooth lips. Thank you @Shosh85 for gifting this to me; a little of this goes a long way but I'm making strides towards using it up; it's been a good part of the lip care team. 🤗 The sweet scent pairs nicely with the also sweet scented LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm Gummy Bear.  

[lmaster]

@itsfi your scent description sounds lovely!! 

[itsfi]

Thanks @lmaster. The scents here fell in either one of two camps - sweet or like water. Both were pleasant. 😊 I think we’ve both have had enough experiences with sheet masks to know they definitely could have smelled worse. 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  The sheet mask sounds wonderful- I love the simple but cute illustration on the packaging! ☔️

Happy to hear you're enjoying the the lip scrub! Sounds like it pairs perfectly with the Laneige! 🦄

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, the packaging on this sheet mask drew me in and the ingredients list and brand helped "persuade" me to buy it. 😂 Since whittling down the number of sheet masks I have on hand at any one time, I've been focusing on lip balm and lip scrubs. This Lush one feels like a Mary Poppins bag in the sense this jar holds so much and is never ending. lol. I've been repurposing some lip balms into bases for lip scrubs and have paired them with the unicorn scrub for some nice results. 👍

[eshoe]

Oh gosh @itsfi, My Scheming sounds awfully familiar. I think it was good and this reminds me to try it again!

As does the Lush, really the best and most efficient lip scrub. What a treat from @Shosh85! 

[itsfi]

@eshoe, I wondered whether someone on this thread might have used a My Scheming mask before. I’ve heard good things about the brand but hadn’t had a chance to try a sheet mask; happy I did. 

Do you find the Lush lip scrubs emollient enough? Adding a little oil or balm to it works well for me. My favorite lip scrub remains the lemonade one by Sara Happ that came in a jar. She has other flavors in the jar form that are good too. 

[eshoe]

Yes, @itsfi, there is a very good chance I’ve tried one. I remember logging the name and smiling to myself about it. 

The Lush scrub is my favorite for its texture, which I find to be highly exfoliating. It is much more so than any other lip scrub I have tried. The Sara Happ jar scrub I tried was very good but the scent went off and I had to toss it after about a year. The consistency was quite pleasant, though!

As far as being emollient...I don’t think the Lush could be called that. It would be a generous stretch. It isn’t drying, but also not aggressively moisturizing, either🤷🏻‍♀️

[ather]

@itsfi  Interesting about the urea I’ve also never seen it in a face mask! I will keep my eyes open for it!!! The gummy bear gloss is my fav!! I’m sure it paired perfectly with the lush unicorn!

[itsfi]

@ather, I didn’t know the gummy bear balm was your fave!! The Laneige lip balms and lip masks are ones that seem to always find their way home here. 😆 

I thought it was interesting too about urea in sheet masks. I know some doctors and nurses recommend it for dry skin; now I know why. This is a great mask for combatting dryness. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Yes! I also have the peach one which is good too!

It’s funny I never thought of the urea as well. When I use to work in pharmacy I remember seeing so many creams we would give out with urea in it!

[Samtian]

@itsfi I'm glad to read that that can be made outside of uh naturally occurring ways.

[itsfi]

Hahaha @Samtian!

[itsfi]

U is for under the radar / underrated

Lovemore sheet masks are one of those masks that fly under the radar. Even though the size of their masks run large for me, I'm a huge fan of these Taiwanese sheet masks. 

tl;dr:  This thin, lightweight 100% natural sheet mask feels soft against the skin, clinging gently to the contours of the face, which, along with the results, which are wonderful, help with overlooking the narrowness of the opening for the eyes and mouth and overall large size of the Lovemore Herba Sausserea Ivolucrata Revival Mask Sheet itself. The clear, runny, subtly spice-scented essence consists of several fantastic ingredients not often seen together in sheet masks (i.e., Tianshan snow lotus, gingko biloba, peony) that work together to noticeably diminish the appearance of redness, and soften, plump and hydrate the skin, which gives way to a beautifully bright and dewy complexion.

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Mask:	Lovemore Herba Saussurea Ivolucrata Revival Mask Sheet
Material:	100% natural silk - soft, thin, lightweight and gentle against the skin
Adherence & Fit: Standard = slightly too large all around (1" to 1-1/2" too long at chin / jawline; 1/4" - 1/2" too wide at the temples, too much material over the nose bridge; and the openings for eyes and mouth are too narrow)	Adherence: Wonderful; gently clings to the contours of the face. Fit: Larger than standard; the edges of the mask at the forehead and side extended well beyond my hairline and there was about 2"+ of extra material at the chin. Opening to the mouth is a slit instead of a hole, which I'm fine with, but others may prefer the traditional opening Eye holes were too narrow.
Essence / Serum:	Clear, runny with a spice scent that smells familiar to me but I can't pinpoint what it is. Vaguely reminiscent of a scent that is common during the holiday season.
Claim(s):	Revival, which I take to mean it is intended to renew or revitalize your skin.
Notable Ingredients:	* Tianshan snow lotus (aka Herba Saussurea): anti-aging; said to be one of the rarest herbs on earth * Gingko biloba leaf extract: balances skin (controls oil); fights acne * White tea: antioxidant * peony: brightening * pearl: brightening * aloe: hydrating; antioxidant
Performance & Results:	The mask feels soft and cooling against the skin. Results were great - Redness was noticeably diminished; my skin looked bright, dewy, and bouncy, and felt soft, smooth and very hydrated.
My Two Cents:	Lovemore masks are underrated in my opinion. For the price, you're getting a fabulous mask, both the quality of the material and ingredients and the results. That's especially true with this Herba Sausserea Ivolucrata Revival, which is one of my favorites from the brand.
Will I Repurchase?:	Yes

[lmaster]

Sounds remarkable!! @itsfi 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi With those kind of results, I can see why you'd definitely want to repurchase! I feel like it's the underrated masks that surprise you the most! 😃

[itsfi]

Completely agree @Shosh85! I've been happy with so many of the new-to-me masks that I've been using as I'm coming to the lasts of my mask. Presents a bit more of a challenge in deciding what to pick up in my next sheet mask haul, but it's a good challenge to have.