 Let's just say... I don't take quick showers anymore!! Taking care of my skin is a life-long investment. |
| Review Date: April 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Guillermo, Hermosa Beach, CA |
PROS
+ Easy to use, easy to handle, not heavy. Clarisonic is like a mechanical toothbrush.
+ There are two buttons, one to turn it on/off, and the other is good for the speeds. For the "Pro" Model, there are 3 speeds for the faces, and 2 speeds for the body.
+ 60-Second timer for your face, which is plenty of time to fully remove make up, so my white towels stay white when drying off. I can no longer be lazy to wash my make up off before going to bed. I can see that my pores are clean and it feels like my facial products, like moisturizers, can work more effectively now.
+ 3-Minute timer for your body, so I will focus on one part of the body each day, or use it multiple times in one long shower. I hate scrubbing my body with a loofah sponge or a face towel. Let's just say... I don't take quick showers anymore!!
+ Clarisonic claims that the battery life is good for 30 minutes (or washing twice a day = 2 weeks). I found it lasted a few days when washing the face twice per day plus a few times for my body, which did not last during my 1-week vacation, so I was out of luck for a few days since I did not bring my charger.
+ Comes with plastic covers/caps, one for the facial brush head and another one for the spot body brush head, which are handy when traveling or trying to dry the brush heads. By the way, buying replacement brush heads usually include a new plastic cover/cap.
+ Battery life indicator (4 green dots) is on the back of the handle.
+ The brush heads are easy to rotate, remove, clean and replace. The brush heads are supposed to last 3-4 months, but I have only had it since February. After I clean off my foundation make up, I rinse the brush head, wash it for a few seconds with hand soap, and then leave it out to dry. By the way, the brush heads can be found for $20 nowadays (save $5 off retail price).
+ Waterproof so it can be used in and out of the shower.
CONS (or room for improvement)
- The power cord is permanently connected to the docking station (charging base), so it's not easy to wrap up for traveling.
- Does not come with a travel bag, but there is a Spot Therapy Kit on sale for $50, which includes the Spot body brush head, exfoliating Clarisonic Body Polish (6 oz, full size), and a travel bag.
- The brush head does not seem to dry overnight, so make sure to tilt or face it down to drain the water. I suggest removing the brush head once in awhile to get any trapped dirty water out.
- I don't always leave it in the docking station because a tiny bit of water collects at the bottom even though there is a small hole for draining.
- The retail price of $225 is pricey, so I bought my first one on eBay which included extra brush heads, but now Amazon is offering it at a competitive price, so I plan on buying a second one to keep at my boyfriend's place. Please note that Clarisonic sells the "Plus" version, which is 3-speeds, since the "Pro" version with 4-speeds is supposed to be used by professional. But can you really put a price on your skin?? Consider this a life-long investment. Maintenance is much cheaper in the long run and much less painful than face lifts and botox. I still get monthly facials, but the Clarisonic is an effective tool for everyday use, like a mini facial in the privacy of my own home.
- The size of the docking station for travel purposes.
Overall, I love my Clarisonic brush and definitely recommend it to friends and family! |
Love it!
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| Review Date: April 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Boudreau, Seacoast, NH |
| I had been thinking about purchasing this item for quite some time but was a bit nervous about the cost and the fact that I've been disappointed before. I am happy to say that I think it was worth every cent! So easy to use, I have already found a difference in my skin. I love the Spot Therapy Kit as well and would highly recommend it to everyone! Not only is this unit great for my skin, but I find I use much less cleanser making it a money saver as well. I only wish I had bought it sooner! |
I am so glad I bought this !!!
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| Review Date: May 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: The Whole Truth, Central Valley of CA. |
| My skin care professional recommended the Clairisonic Skin Care system and I am so glad I purchased it, although I was wary of the price at first glance. I saved quite a bit buying it at Amazon rather than through the salon. I notice a difference in how my face feels after using it only just over a week AND I actually wash my face more often because I can feel how effective it is. Plus, it's fun! I also like the sample they sent of their cleanser. I have found no drawbacks to the system yet, and my order arrived promptly just as described. I was very satisfied with the entire purchase and would recommend this product without reservation. |
noticably smoother
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| Review Date: May 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Maika'i H, Hawaii |
| I've never had a skin care routine and recently I've noticed fine lines around my eyes and decided to start. Since I've been using this product people have been asking me what I've been doing different. My skin is noticably smoother and just short of glowing. I would highly recommend it, although I don't care for the washes that came with the kit. |
Love it so far - think I'm hooked
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| Review Date: September 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Margaret Stanley, Upstate NY |
(2010 update: Almost a year - don't use the brush every day but every 2-3 days. I purchased several Delicate brush heads within a month of getting the brush and have only used that level softness since. Travel with the brush - still feel that I have very good results from it and have recommended it to my sister - think she is getting the Mia model. Skin seems firmer and softer and it just feels good after I have used the brush. I have not noticed an increase in the fine lines that I started noticing when I first started using it - they've actually receded a bit. I think continued moisturizing and cutting down on the frequency of cleansing has helped.)
The review by "M. Guillermo" covers a lot of details, and I agree with a lot of that review.
My experience so far - I've had the Clarisonic Pro brush for a little over a week. I will update this review as I have more to report.
- I have been using the brush twice a day. My skin feels smoother, tighter (in a good way), softer, and more clean. It seems to "take" moisturizer better when I put it on.
- I have noticed that some fine lines seemed a little more noticeable within the past couple of days, but I started using Jojoba oil on my face after cleaning and that seems to be doing the trick. Cleaning twice a day is twice as much cleaning as usual for me and my skin tends to dry out, so this doesn't seem to be cause for alarm - just keeping an eye on it. (2010: fine wrinkles are not as noticeable now - see update above.)
- I am going to push through because, overall, I do already feel that my skin is healthier. My face feels more "fresh", it feels better to the touch, it looks healthier - more pink (not because of irritation). I feel that it is improving the circulation (I have not read any hard facts on that, just saying what it feels like). Even if the fine lines don't seem to get steadily worse with use of the Clarisonic, I will continue to use it.
- So far I am very happy with this purchase. It is a relatively big ticket item, but I've learned over the years that buying cheap alternatives doesn't always work out. I sometimes end up with loads of similar items I don't use, having spent almost as much/more than the price of the single item I really wanted (not to mention all the wasted time/effort).
- The brush came with the Sensitive brush head and I wouldn't go with a "tougher" brush, personally. I have read that many people find that their sensitivity goes down over time. This may be the case and would make sense, as I've found that using sonic toothbrushes makes my gums much less sensitive. (2010: I ended up purchasing a separate Delicate brush head and always use that level.)
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Some of the factors I weighed before making the purchase, just FYI:
- I've not been one to take up or maintain a skin care routine. If it takes longer than soaking a couple of cotton balls in Witch Hazel and wiping my face I haven't had time for it. Only in the last few years have I occasionally added Oil of Olay to my limited routine. Even more recently, in response to the appearance of new lines, I started using alpha hydroxy products at night and an exfoliant scrub with salicylic acid. I DEFINITELY noticed an improvement in my skin (loved it) but was conflicted, due to the known (and unknown) toxicity of many of the ingredients. I wanted to find an alternative to using these products long term.
- A month ago I talked with a woman I know who said she uses the Clarisonic religiously and has for about a year. She raved. She is a no-fuss, no-nonsense kind of person who is not generally concerned with beauty products and has never spent so much on something for her face. Hearing her gush is rare, and so I found myself considering a very expensive product.
- I looked around online for reviews and information. I looked at the Clarisonic site for info (taking their claims and gushing videos with a grain of salt), at reviews here and on beauty and dermatology/medical sites/blogs, etc. Overwhelmingly, what I found was positive (even if I assume that some of the reviews may have been "plants" or that some reviewers received Clarisonic freebies and so were biased). There were some reviewers who said they didn't see results, there were some who gave up early on because they started to break out. Given that other information made it clear that there could be a phase of increased breakout, I was willing to take that risk. Not all things that are worth doing will give the desired results instantaneously. I am interested in long term maintenance, so I am willing to go through bumpy periods, and I had a feeling that I would see at least some good results.
- I use sonic toothbrushes and love them. My gums are MUCH healthier from the use of them, and so I am sold on sonic technology. When I first heard of the sonic face brush I could imagine what it would feel like on the skin and the benefits made sense to me. I also could understand the difference between using a sonic brush and using a scrub or manual face brush. This point seems to be one of confusion: you are not scrubbing your face with the Clarisonic in order to aggressively abrate the top layer. Abrating can irritate and damage the skin, sometimes even making breakouts and wrinkles more likely. And any good effects from abrating can only get so far down into the skin. The Clarisonic brush is relatively soft and you use very light pressure. The bristles transmit vibration into your skin, without having to manhandle the top layer in order to do so.
- I've read many statements about how use of the Clarisonic can make other skin products more effective, so that less needs to be used. This was a big selling point for me, given how much moisturizing I need to do (especially in the winter) and my increasing concerns about the long term safety of many ingredients in skin care/beauty products. I am going to replace the Clarisonic liquid cleansers with others. I've found different products based on the info I find on sites such as the "Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database" (you can search by company name, brand name, product or ingredient).
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