Sephora

eshoe · ‎06-28-2020

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?

JanuaryFresh Starts - Time for a re-set, or morning masking? However you see it, this month is all about new beginnings.FebruaryWinter 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.MarchMarch 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!AprilSpring Fling - Baskets and bouquets, showers of much-anticipated rain...this month's focus is herbal and floral sensory delights. MayDew 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.JuneSummer 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

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 Challenge2022 Mask of the Week Challenge2021 Mask of the Week Challenge 2020 Mask of the Week Challenge:https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/2020-Mask-of-the-Week-Challenge-PART-1/m-p/4995162/highlight/true#M1403902019 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💗

missy94612 · ‎02-20-2022

@QueenMarceline

This one sounds nice. I saw a pack of these at TJ Maxx but passed on it. Will look for it when it's time to get more masks.

QueenMarceline · ‎02-20-2022

@missy94612 Oh wow, I've never seen these at TJ Maxx. I'll have to go check if they have any at my local one 🙂

eshoe · ‎02-20-2022

Biocellulose masks are high up on my list of favorites, @QueenMarceline! Although I have not tried this one (my fear of potential pumpkin scented anything), it sounds absolutely lovely. Happy to hear you have a tried-and-true love!

QueenMarceline · ‎02-20-2022

@eshoe I don't think this smells like pumpkin at all tbh, it doesn't smell like much to me at all 🙂

eshoe · ‎02-20-2022

That is music to my ears, @QueenMarceline 🙌🏼

lmaster · ‎02-20-2022

@QueenMarceline ohhh I loved this mask!!

QueenMarceline · ‎02-20-2022

@lmaster Not surprising because you have great taste and this mask is amazing 🙂

itsfi · ‎02-17-2022

Calming evening masks have been a theme for a few nights this week, and they took on a variety of Fresh, floral, or fruity (Laneige lip sleeping mask) forms. 😉

tl;dr: The balm-like cream texture of the Fresh Floral Recovery Redness Reducing Overnight Mask has very mild, subtly floral, slightly earthy, faintly peppery scent that did appear to reduce some redness and made y skin feel soft and more plump overnight. It works well as a daytime moisturizer, too! The Kao Megrhythm Gentle Steam Eye Masks remain a favorite - their warming feeling really does work wonders to relieve tension, help with headaches, sinuses, and many other things. The honey floral scent on this Jasmine Tea version smells wonderful; the only con to it is that it's limited edition.

Fresh Mask as an Overnight Mask:

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With a blend of four flowers (passionflower oil, peony extract ,cornflower water and cherry blossom extract) in the mask, it wouldn't have surprised me if the fresh Floral Recovery Overnight Mask with Squalane 3.3 oz/ 100 mL had a floral scent, so I found it very interesting that I did not pick up any scent when I visited a nearby store to put it to a sniffer test. That lead me to pick the promo gwp of the mask, but as I have a handful of sleeping masks that I'm already rotating through at the moment (and loving!), I set the Fresh mask aside in my bin of "products to get to ... eventually." It would have likely stayed there a little longer had I not read @Kim888's review where she noted that she picked up a licorice-resembling scent and I suddenly became more curious about the mask. Now, I'm not a fan of black licorice, but I picked up a bag to have something to base my smell taste on. Yep, for science.

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Purchased for science, of course. lol

The Fresh overnight mask is a light but rich, slightly thicker-leaning balm-like cream that applies smoothly on the skin, and due to the balm-like feel of the cream, coats the skin in a layer of hydration and moisture. My skin easily absorbed the product and by the next morning, it felt hydrated and looked more soft, smooth and supple. As for the scent, a quick, initial inhale suggested that it was unscented, but upon closer inspection, I picked up a mildly powdery, subtly floral scent with the faintest hints of something earthy as well as something ever so slightly peppery almost. It's not my favorite scent but not horrible either, but I definitely would have preferred if it was unscented. I went to smell the black licorice and while I wouldn't say the fragrance from the mask fully resembles that, I did pick up a scent at the end from the black licorice that had a similar peppery smell. That led me to do some research on the floral ingredients in the Fresh mask and I discovered that cornflower has been described as having a green, earthy, lightly peppery scent. So that must be one of the notes I'm picking up, the cornflower water. There you have it! @Kim888, your power of smell with this product is far more refined that mine was initially - there is a scent to the Fresh mask, light though it may be, that I can now pick up. @eshoe @Shosh85
F - Fresh mask swatch.jpg

With a blend of four flowers (passionflower oil, peony extract ,cornflower water and cherry blossom extract) in the mask, it wouldn't have surprised me if the had a floral scent, so I found it very interesting that I did not pick up any scent when I visited a nearby store to put it to a sniffer test. That lead me to pick the promo gwp of the mask, but as I have a handful of sleeping masks that I'm already rotating through at the moment (and loving!), I set the Fresh mask aside in my bin of "products to get to ... eventually." It would have likely stayed there a little longer had I not read 's review where she noted that she picked up a licorice-resembling scent and I suddenly became more curious about the mask. Now, I'm not a fan of black licorice, but I picked up a bag to have something to base my smell taste on. Yep, for science. Purchased for science, of course. lolThe Fresh overnight mask is a light but rich, slightly thicker-leaning balm-like cream that applies smoothly on the skin, and due to the balm-like feel of the cream, coats the skin in a layer of hydration and moisture. My skin easily absorbed the product and by the next morning, it felt hydrated and looked more soft, smooth and supple. As for the scent, a quick, initial inhale suggested that it was unscented, but upon closer inspection, I picked up a mildly powdery, subtly floral scent with the faintest hints of something earthy as well as something ever so slightly peppery almost. It's not my favorite scent but not horrible either, but I definitely would have preferred if it was unscented. I went to smell the black licorice and while I wouldn't say the fragrance from the mask fully resembles that, I did pick up a scent at the end from the black licorice that had a similar peppery smell. That led me to do some research on the floral ingredients in the Fresh mask and I discovered that cornflower has been described as having a green, earthy, lightly peppery scent. So that must be one of the notes I'm picking up, the cornflower water. There you have it! , your power of smell with this product is far more refined that mine was initially - there is a scent to the Fresh mask, light though it may be, that I can now pick up.

Fresh Mask as a Daytime Moisturizer:

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It seems to have become my M.O. to also test an overnight mask as a daytime moisturizer, whether or not the instructions on the overnight mask actually contemplates it as such. 😉 My rationale is that if it's meant to be worn overnight which I'm assuming means its magic is intended to work during the 8 hours of sleep that is often recommended (but that alludes me), it probably would / could perform nicely as a moisturizer and short of there being anything in the ingredients list or consistency of the product that might cause me to have some reservations about it, I'm up for giving it a shot. So give it a shot I did.

It so happened that the days I chose to use the Fresh mask as moisturizer were 18+ hour days for me. Needless to say I was exhausted by the end of it but good news folks, the Fresh mask held up very well as both a moisturizer and a makeup primer!! My skin felt hydrated and moisturized the entire day, and it had a plumpness to it as well, despite changes in temperature from central heating in the morning and then air conditioning in the afternoon when we experienced the start of a heat wave that ended yesterday. I also noticed that some redness from PIH was visibly calmed and the discoloration around those spots appeared lighter. While I'm not a fan of the scent on this overnight mask, I am of the results. It's too early to tell whether I will pick up a full size of this overnight mask when I finish up this very generous deluxe sample, but if Fresh were to include other skincare products similar to this overnight mask, I would be interested in trying them based on my results with this overnight mask.

It seems to have become my M.O. to also test an overnight mask as a daytime moisturizer, whether or not the instructions on the overnight mask actually contemplates it as such. My rationale is that if it's meant to be worn overnight which I'm assuming means its magic is intended to work during the 8 hours of sleep that is often recommended (but that alludes me), it probably would / could perform nicely as a moisturizer and short of there being anything in the ingredients list or consistency of the product that might cause me to have some reservations about it, I'm up for giving it a shot. So give it a shot I did. It so happened that the days I chose to use the Fresh mask as moisturizer were 18+ hour days for me. Needless to say I was exhausted by the end of it but good news folks, the Fresh mask held up very well as both a moisturizer and a makeup primer!! My skin felt hydrated and moisturized the entire day, and it had a plumpness to it as well, despite changes in temperature from central heating in the morning and then air conditioning in the afternoon when we experienced the start of a heat wave that ended yesterday. I also noticed that some redness from PIH was visibly calmed and the discoloration around those spots appeared lighter. While I'm not a fan of the scent on this overnight mask, I am of the results. It's too early to tell whether I will pick up a full size of this overnight mask when I finish up this very generous deluxe sample, but if Fresh were to include other skincare products similar to this overnight mask, I would be interested in trying them based on my results with this overnight mask.

Steam Eye Mask:

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Now, far from the faint fragrance of the Fresh mask is the scent on the Kao Megrhythm Gentle Steam Eye Mask Jasmine Tea (Limited Edition) - don't get me wrong, the scent on this one is not at all over the top, but its presence is noticeable and to my sense of smell, the honeyed floral scent is lovely. For the nights I used this trio of masks, I started my masking routine earlier in the evening, well before hitting the sheets, and during this process, I reached for the steam eye mask to help me unwind and it definitely helped. The warmth from the eye mask seemed to loosen tension, and not just in the areas around my eyes, which is a little odd when I think about it, but I think it's more that I felt less tense, less stress. Ahhhhh... the warmth from the masks certainly helped with unwinding but there was also an aromatherapy element to this particularly steam eye mask that I quite enjoy. These steam eye mask are truly one of my best ever mask discoveries - they're just all around gems: while they don't squarely fall into how the weekly challenge theme of precious metals was intended, these steam eye masks are, in my opinion, gold - definitely worthy of a gold medal. 😉😉

Now, far from the faint fragrance of the Fresh mask is the scent on the Kao Megrhythm Gentle Steam Eye Mask Jasmine Tea (Limited Edition) - don't get me wrong, the scent on this one is not at all over the top, but its presence is noticeable and to my sense of smell, the honeyed floral scent is lovely. For the nights I used this trio of masks, I started my masking routine earlier in the evening, well before hitting the sheets, and during this process, I reached for the steam eye mask to help me unwind and it definitely helped. The warmth from the eye mask seemed to loosen tension, and not just in the areas around my eyes, which is a little odd when I think about it, but I think it's more that I felt less tense, less stress. Ahhhhh... the warmth from the masks certainly helped with unwinding but there was also an aromatherapy element to this particularly steam eye mask that I quite enjoy. These steam eye mask are truly one of my best ever mask discoveries - they're just all around gems: while they don't squarely fall into how the weekly challenge theme of precious metals was intended, these steam eye masks are, in my opinion, gold - definitely worthy of a gold medal.

missy94612 · ‎02-20-2022

@itsfi

I'm curious now about the smell of the mask. I like the Fresh wash offs a lot my husband less so but he likes black licorice so maybe I can talk him into trying a sample with me. The fragrance on that steam eye mask sounds amazing!

itsfi · ‎02-21-2022

@missy94612, I think the promotion for the DS is still available; it's a good way to try out the mask, if there were some other goodies you were interesting in picking up at Sephora. Would love to know your thoughts and your husband's if you decide to try it out. Would really like to hear what scent you pick up from this mask, or if you pick up a scent at all.

QueenMarceline · ‎02-20-2022

@itsfi Oof, I was curious about that Fresh mask but even the black licorice comparison is throwing me off (sorry, but I despise black licorice enough that whenever I try it I have to spit it out). Sounds like your overall masking experience went great though 🙂

itsfi · ‎02-21-2022

@QueenMarceline, I'm not a fan of black licorice as a candy and the thought of it as a scent in the mask made me both hesitant and intrigued about this new Fresh overnight mask. Glad they offered a DS size. The results from this mask are not bad, but I'm not sure I'll repurchase. There are a lot of sleeping masks on the market now that deliver the same or better results with scents I like more than this one.

eshoe · ‎02-18-2022

@itsfi @Kim888 it sounds like both of you have much more fine-tuned olfactory senses than I do! I tried, tried again, but I just could not detect what you did. It is incredibly helpful to know, though, in case those notes are a no-go for others. I do think I will try it as a daytime moisturizer as you did, though. The licorice looks delicious, too, by the way 🙂

itsfi · ‎02-19-2022

@eshoe, maybe your DS came from a batch where the scent isn’t so strong? I didn’t pick up on a scent with the in-store tester but do with my DS. The licorice was really for testing purposes; I passed them along to the neighbors after using a couple to as a reference point for the smell of licorice. 😆

eshoe · ‎02-20-2022

You know, @itsfi, that is definitely a possibility. It wasn’t for lack of trying, mine just had nothing! 🤷🏻‍♀️ I think a licorice scent would have been a nice touch, actually. My Grandfather loved Allsorts and as a result, so do I ☺️

itsfi · ‎02-21-2022

@eshoe, sorry you didn't pick up a licorice scent; sometimes that happens.

quspork · ‎02-18-2022

Ohh, the scent on the Jasmine Tea edition of the eye mask sounds heavenly, @itsfi!

itsfi · ‎02-18-2022

@quspork, I typically go for the unscented version or whichever scent I find on sale as they are all fine with me. I was curious about the jasmine tea scent and it being LE. It did not dissapoint at all - it worked well which was to be expected and the scent! Such a nice one. Would be great if it didn't stay LE. 🤞

erikarosenim · ‎02-17-2022

@itsfi

I seen these steam eye masks before but never tried one. How intense is the warming?

itsfi · ‎02-17-2022

@erikarosenim, I think the intensity will depend on the person and how sensitive you are to heat. When I first use these, I thougth the heating effect was pretty intense and I took them off for some time and then put them back on. But, as I became more accustomed to them, the intensity doesn't feel very intense - I mean, I notice the warming / heating effect but it's not bothersome and it doesn't make me want to take it off for any period of time. It's definitely noticeable but nowadays, I look forward to that warming.

missjeanie · ‎02-17-2022

Steam eye mask may be the best mask I've ever been introduced too as well @itsfi ! ... ahhhhem... THANK YOU! I just went and pulled one for tonight. Perfect idea, thanks!