Monday, September 10, 2012

Clarisonic: 6 Month Update

 

About 6 months ago I purchased a Clarisonic! I got a few comments asking for updates when I’d used it for a while, and I figured that 6 months is definitely a long enough time to give a proper, comprehensive review.


What they Say:
  • Removes 6x more makeup than manual cleansing
  • Leaves skin feeling and looking smoother
  • Cleanses so well that products absorb better
  • Gentle enough for twice daily use
  • Helps reduce oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes
  • Helps reduce the appearance of visible pores
So those are pretty massive claims, and I understand if you would be sceptical of them. I would be too, had I not done research prior to buying it.


What it Does:
So basically it is a sonic cleansing system for your face. Think of a giant electric toothbrush and that’s kind of the Clarisonic.
Basically you run it for a minute, and do 20 seconds on your forehead, 20 seconds on your nose / chin area, and then 10 seconds on each cheek. The Classic beeps in between each time interval to let you know when to move on to the next one, and it has a few different speeds to vary the intensity. To be honest though, I just use the factory setting which I think is also what the Mia runs, and I find that adequate enough.

What I Chose:
So there’s a bit of a range within the Clarisonic family and I chose the Clarisonic Classic. I’ve just had a look at their website though, and it doesn’t appear that they sell this one anymore which is a bit of a shame. There’s still 3 options to choose from: the Mia, the Pro and the Plus.


The Mia: The Plus: The Pro: The Classic:
  • RRP AUD$149.95
  • 1 speed
  • Small charger – “travel sized”
  • RRP AUD$299.00
  • 3 speeds
  • Can fit the body head attachment
  • Charging cradle
  • RRP AUD$319.00
  • 4 speeds + body mode
  • Charging cradle
  • I purchased for: AUD$190.00
  • 2 speeds
  • Charging cradle
So there’s not a HUGE difference between the 3 options. I decided to pay a bit more to get the Classic instead of the Mia as I wanted the charging cradle, and it also came with a few more sample sized cleansers. Also, the Classic (and I think the Plus and Pro) beeps in between each time interval, whereas the Mia doesn’t. Like I mentioned above, even though mine comes with 2 speeds, I’ve only used 1 since I bought it, so if you were thinking of buying the Mia you probably won’t be put out by the lack of speed functionality. When you buy it, it comes with a Sensitive Brush head.

Do I Think it’s Lived up to its Claims?
In short: yes. This little device gets my face so much cleaner than manual washing. Sometimes I notice that even though I take my makeup off before using it, there will still be some colour showing up on the Clarisonic’s brush head, which just goes to show that even though you may think your face is clean, it may not be.

I also have really dry skin, and this has helped for me in that it’s significantly reduced flakiness and dry patches. Now my skin is smooth and pretty much the one consistency. I was never able to achieve this in the past with exfoliating. I also do feel that my moisturiser and RHO soaks into my skin a lot better after using this.

That being said, I still get clogged pores, especially on my nose and chin, so this device isn’t a miracle worker. Like I said above, it comes with a sensitive brush head when you buy it. I have recently switched to a ‘Normal’ brush head though and I feel it’s cleaning my face a lot better, and I have noticed a reduction in clogged pores.

If you’ve done some research already on the Clarisonic you may have heard about the ‘purge’ phase. Basically this is a phenomenon that some people experience when first using it – that their skin breaks out pretty badly. Mine did do this, and the first time I used it I noticed quite a bit of gunk coming out of my skin. Which is disgusting, but really goes to show you that it cleans by pushing this gunk out of your skin. However, this phase only lasts about a week.


Charging it and Maintenance:
Charging it is really simple, however it does take a long time – pretty much overnight. Given though that this is a product I use each night, charging it overnight doesn’t really bother me. That said, one charge lasts me about a month.
As for cleaning it, you just take the brush head off, give it a good scrub with some anti-bac soap and hot water once a week (or once every two weeks) and you’re good to go. Replace the brush head every 3 months. Simple.

 
Customer Service Experience:
I recently had to deal with the Clarisonic customer service team and it was nothing but a positive experience. Basically, my brush cap snapped when I dropped it in the bathroom and then accidently stepped on it. I tweeted Clarisonic and asked them where I could buy a new one from and was told that they’re not sold individually and to call their help line if I’m still in warranty. The lady I spoke to was really helpful and once she confirmed that I bought it from an authorised seller (and I provided proof of purchase) she told me she’d send me off a new cap AND a brand new brush head. These retail for about $30-$40AUD so that was a really nice freebie thrown in – especially because it was kinda my fault the cap head broke.

Where you can buy it from:
I purchased mine from Recreate Yourself, using the 5% off code: “voguery”. You can also buy them from David Jones and Myer. (RY sells them for quite a bit cheaper than RRP though…) Because this is an electronic device I would recommend purchasing it from an authorised seller – that way, if anything goes wrong your warranty will still be intact and Clarisonic will fix it for you themselves.




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