💕😌 Skin & Body Care Masking Challenge 😌💖

[eshoe]

Welcome to the Skin & Body Care Masking Challenge! 

Feel free to join in whenever and wherever. Share your thoughts and observations on a mask you have tried, we need all the details, please! Most importantly - have fun!

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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💗

[PrettyPaint]

@Shosh85  Oooh, these look great. I'll have to look around for them.

[Shosh85]

@PrettyPaint  Yup, I'll be looking around for more too! 😃

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, what a fun, interactive eye mask! I really like the JMSolution brand; it's one of the ones at the top of my list as far as overall brands go for sheet masks. 💖 And what a find at Marshall's! Will be interested to hear if you notice or feel any firming from repeated use.

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  I've definitely been keeping my eyes out for more from the brand!

[lmaster]

This is interesting, I've never seen an eye mask like this before @Shosh85 

[Shosh85]

@lmaster  Me either! I've seen full face masks like this, but not an eye mask 😃

[lmaster]

This one is another love! 

Great fit, no crazy strong scent

Plenty of extra serum

Wear time was 15 minutes

My skin felt hydrated and balanced without a ton of moisturizing which is what I was hoping for.

In terms of feeling balanced my skin wasn't dripping with serum that wasn't absorbed, it was perfect 

[PrettyPaint]

@lmaster  Hydrated and balanced sounds great. I don't think I've heard of this brand before!

[lmaster]

@PrettyPaint I'm very interested in seeking out more to try!

[itsfi]

@lmaster, this is a nice brand for sheet masks; I'm partial to their cream based one in the cooler seasons.

[lmaster]

Oh that's a good idea to use the cream ones in the winter or fall @itsfi 

[Shosh85]

@lmaster  I've heard such good things about this brand! I think @WinglessOne reviewed some before that sounded great as well! 

[WinglessOne]

@Shosh85  Yep, I’m an Abib fan. Their Heartleaf Stone cleansing “soap” is my nightly PM facial cleanser, and their Mild Acidic pH Heartleaf Fit Sheet Mask is still my skin’s favorite sheet mask by anyone. I like some of their other masks and products, too. I’m glad you liked this one, @lmaster !

[lmaster]

@WinglessOne @Shosh85 I was so impressed by this one, I love it when you don't expect much and get blown away 😊

[itsfi]

February 2024 

I went through more masks this month, not sure why. More new-to-me sheet masks as well.  I was delighted with most of the masks I used; disappointed with just one. Details in the spoilers.

Spoiler

I'm thinking the Creer Beaute The Rose of Versailles Princess Antoinette Moisturizing Facial Mask Peony takes the prize for longest sheet mask name. Wow. The sheet leans on the thicker side, but not as thick as other Japanese cotton sheet masks. It is drenched, and I mean drenched, is serum, with plenty more in the packet. This is one of the older sheets in my stash so that was surprising. Adherence was good and despite the sheet being saturated in the unscented, slightly viscous, clear essence, none of it dripped down my neck when I applied the sheet to my face. Instructions say to keep the mask on for 10-15 minutes, but I had it on for 20 and given the amount of essence, could have easily had it on for at least another 15. Once I removed the sheet and pressed in the serum to help it fully absorb, my skin felt plumpy and hydrated. 

The illustration on the packet for and the print on the sheet of Vitamasques Love Struck Face Nourishing Metallic Sheet Mask are super cute - definitely Valentine vibes. Performance-wise though the mask fell flat for me, which was surprising because I've generally had good experiences with Vitamasques masks in the past. The biggest issue was the fit of the mask - the sheet felt stiff and, as such, it did not adhere well. Rather than mold to the contours of my face, it just sat on top of my face, and stuck primarily to my forehead and cheeks. The material covering my chin and the area above my upper lip popped up and off my face occasionally. Better results were had after making some incisions and adjustments, but the stiffness of the material and the lack of serum meant that the challenges with the mask staying in place persisted, and I ended up removing the mask after 10 minutes. I haven't used many new Vitamasques masks in a while and I'm hoping this is a one-off. The mask is pretty (see below) but sadly doesn't perform as beautifully as it looks.

The SEPHORA COLLECTION Clean Eye Mask Caffeine is a staple in my collection. I love them for travel or after a long and/or late day. The latte-hued, faintly coffee scented gels adhere well to my undereye area and the serum that saturates the gels do a wonderful job of hydrating an area of my face that is prone to dryness year-round. They infuse my undereye area with some hydration and add a brightness to my complexion, making me look more alert and awake. The beauty of these under eye gels is that they don't interfere or present a challenge to drinking coffee and that is a beautiful thing that also helps me feel more alert and awake. 😉 

A bit of a purple themed skincare session with the Mediheal The H.P.A. Glowing Ampoule Mask. Mediheal is one of my favorite sheet mask brands so I was excited to try this mask. My excitement was taken down a bit when I learned the mask contains PHA - polyhydroxy acids. They're great actually - supposedly as effective if not more than AHA but much more gentle on the skin. Or, on most skins. Mine is a rarity in that it has exhibited some sensitivity to PHAs, usually on my cheeks (not surprising as that's a sensitive area of mine) and on my forehead (which is a surprise because my forehead is like Teflon when it comes to most skincare ingredients). Since I know my skin's sensitivity to PHA's, I decided to only keep the mask on for 10 minutes, paying particular attention to check how my skin was reacting, if at all, around the 5-minute mark. There was a little tingle that initially gave me pause but it dissipated completely. I was feeling alright about the mask and stretched the total wear time to 15 minutes. Glad I did. I didn't experience any negative reaction; the results, in fact, were quite the opposite and lovely - soft, bouncy, hydrated skin, zero tack or stickiness. This turned out to be one of my favorite masks this month. 

Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Sleeping Mask calms, hydrates and soothes my skin overnight. It has a light floral scent that dissipates quickly upon the product being applied to the skin. I love that it reduces redness and makes my skin soft, smooth and hydrated when I wake up in the morning. I had some dry patches on my face and applied this as a spot-treatment sleeping mask. The next morning, voila, no more dry patches. 🙂 

The OG masks, all in one masking sesh. lol. fresh Umbrian Clay Pore Purifying Face Mask, a gray clay mask with a heavy, khaki green undertone is one of those masks that can be used as a cleanser after your mask treatment is done. I normally just use it on my T-zone or along my jawline, but this time elected to apply it all over my face and down my neck as well. Left it on for 5 minutes then rinsed it off like a cleanser in the shower. My skin feels clean and refreshed after using this one.

After washing my hair, I used the amika Soulfood Nourishing Hair Mask, a luxe hair treatment that conditions and hydrates my hair. It smells great, too, but the scent doesn't linger, which could be good or bad depending on the user.  Onto skincare, I followed my moisturizer with  a thin layer of the LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask with Squalane 2.3 oz/ 70 mL, which I have history wit - it was my intro to sleeping masks, gosh, almost 10 years ago, one of the first Kbeauty masks I used and definitely my first overnight mask. It hydrates and moisturizes my skin while I sleep, giving me softer, more hydrated skin that looks well rested. Similarly, the LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask Intense Hydration with Vitamin C Original softens and moisturizes my lips overnight; the consistency has a tack to it that can be bothersome for some folks; I don't have any issues with it and find that it is less tacky once applied.

BOM Honey & Milk Cicadula Mask comes from a new-to-me brand. I initially wondered whether it was an offshoot of the A by Bom brand - nope, turns out it's its own separate brand and not affiliated with or related to A by Bom. In addition to honey and milk proteins, the serum saturating this cellulose fiber sheet mask contains 10 types of hyaluronic acid. 10! That's a first for me. The sheet was light and thin-ish, felt comfortable and adhered well for the entire half hour I had on the mask. Also a plus, the openings for the mouth and eyes were wide enough that I didn't need to make any adjustments. The serum absorbs quickly and smoothly, with no tack or stickiness. My skin feels soft, silky and smooth, feels hydrated and moisturized, and has a beautiful bounce and dewy glow to it. This is one worth checking out. 

Overall, another good month of masking. Will be interesting to see what March masking looks like, as my allergies / hay fever can start to act up. 😬 

[Shosh85]

@itsfi  Holy moly! So many great ones here - will definitely have to look into some of these! Too bad the Vitamasque wasn't impressive - I know I would've bought that one based on appearance alone 😍

[itsfi]

@Shosh85, oh, I was bummed about the Vitamasques one - their sheet masks typically work pretty well for me and this just looked so pretty too. Win some, lose some. Overall, the month was a good month for masking so one sub-par one is fine. It just stands out, especially since I'm not using sheet masks as often as before. 

[lmaster]

Oh my gosh the hearts are beautiful!! Such a bummer it wasn't great, but definitely I'll need to look into a few you've listed here! @itsfi 

[itsfi]

I know @lmaster; I really wanted the Vitamasques to work well. 😣 It was a case of something looking nice but not having the substance to it that you want or hope. Disappointing. 

[lmaster]

 

• Not going to pretend I wasn't disappointed to realize there's no banana scent
• However..I actually was completely impressed by everything else this mask has to offer
• The fit was amazing, it was so gentle and soothing, no added fragrance for those sensitive to scents
• My skin loved the serum and there was no tackiness
• Overall heck yes I would seek this one out,, even without the banana scent

[Shosh85]

@lmaster Effectiveness is most important, but I agree, a banana scent would've been a nice bonus! Glad you saw great results! 🍌