I read somewhere that hair masks should always come first if you're using a clay sheet mask because the oils in the hair mask can mess with how the clay adheres to your skin. The clay dries uneven and gets all flaky and stuck to your hairline like you just discovered. I actually did the opposite mistake once where I did the sheet mask first and then the hair mask dripped all down my face and ruined the whole thing. Learned that tip from a beauty vlog where they explained the pH levels of hair products don't mix well with clay masks. Total pain to clean up either way, took me like 15 minutes with a gentle cleanser to get all the residue off my forehead. Have you tried using a micellar water on a cotton pad to wipe around your hairline before you wash your face?

And the thing is, epoxy might hold for a season or two but once water gets in through a new crack it'll just pop right off. Plus if you don't fix the underlying issue you're just throwing money at the symptoms. I've seen people spend more on repeated epoxy jobs than it would have cost to just rent a mixer and pour with mesh in the first place.

100 applications is a lot, but I think that milestone just shows you were putting in the work. The people saying to only send 10 tailored apps are lucky or already have connections. In a market like Phoenix for IT support, sometimes you have to spray and pray a little just to get your foot in the door somewhere. Targeting is great, but it also takes way longer and you might miss out on a job you didn't even know existed. I'd say keep tailoring when you can, but don't beat yourself up for casting a wide net. That callback proves the numbers game works sometimes, you just can't quit early.

Snap a pic if you still have it, that sounds wild lol. @ninamartin is right, it's like how people put a cheap plastic spatula too close to a burner and wonder why it warps. Same thing happens with probes if you don't check the heat rating first.

Bureaucracy always finds new ways to waste your time.