Clarisonic

So this year for Christmas, I finally bit the bullet and told the Hubby that I wanted the Clarisonic. When I'd first heard about it, I didn't get what the big deal was, and why a face brush would cost so much. After all, I'd gotten a regular facial brush for $2.

As time went on, more people and various blogs raved about it. I worried that it would be too harsh, but a student of mine said it was fine on her sensitive skin. So I went to Sephora and gave it a try on my hand. The difference between this and another face brush is the tiny sonic oscillation it does. Basically, it polishes your skin gently, instead of scrubbing at it. Also, I didn't realize is that there are different brushes based on your skin-type (delicate, sensitive, normal, and deep cleaning).

I decided it was time to give it a try. I have normal-dry skin, which is too sensitive for most topical exfolliants and scrubs. They seem to just make the flakiness even worse.

The Mia seemed ideal, since it costs less, yet uses the same brushes. The main differences are that the full size has different speed settings and a charging dock (the Mia has a magnetic charger, which I love). Some said they prefer the Mia, because it's more compact and the single speed setting is fine.

Next I did some price comparisons. Sephora has it for $140 CDN. The best prices I found were online at www.fabove.ca and www.spaboutique.ca, both at $119 CDN with free shipping. Fabove had a bonus of an additional brush head and Spa Boutique offered $10 off my first purchase when I created an account. I went with Fabove since the 2nd brush head is worth more (usually $25-30). *Currently Fabove's bonus is a mini flat-iron, but it seems to change often.

It arrived quickly and I was excited to try it. The first time I used it, my skin immediately felt smoother and looked brighter. I did experience some redness and minor break outs around days 3-6 of using it.  I do still need to be careful, since my skin is quite sensitive and I may have overdone it by letting it run too long (it does shut off after a minute, but I got excited and kept turning it back on).

Here I am a couple weeks in, no face makeup on. For my nose to
look smooth is a miracle, since that is where my skin is usually driest.

Still some redness on my cheeks/chin at this time from slight over-use.

Now that I'm sticking to the minute, my skin seems to have settled. I try to avoid keeping it on my cheeks, since my skin is quite thin there and is prone to redness. I've also just tried washing my face, applying lotion, using the Clarisonic, rinsing and then re-applying cream. That made my skin extra-soft.

Makeup applies much nicer to skin when it's smoother. I've always known this, but have tried so many products and remedies that would either make my skin worse or clog my pores/make me break out. I would recommend Clarisonic, since it deep-cleans your skin effectively and helps the cell renewal process, giving you a fresher-looking complexion.

**There is also a new Mia 2, still a smaller handle, but with variable speeds and a larger travel cover (the Mia comes with a cover for the brush head).