Review - Clarisonic Skincare Brush

Clarisonic Skincare Brush Review

I had my eye on the Clarisonic Skincare Brush system since I saw it featured on QVC when Ethan was a baby. At $195 for the system, it was a complete splurge and something I couldn't justify spending at the time.

Here's how Clarisonic describes its benefits:

What it is:

A professional-grade skincare brush.
What it is formulated to do:
From the creators of the Sonicare® toothbrush comes the Clarisonic® Skincare Brush. Sonic technology first changed the way we clean our teeth, it's now changing how we cleanse our skin. The sonic frequency moves Clarisonic's soft, gentle brush back and forth at more than 300 times per second, thoroughly clearing pores and skin surface.
Here are some of the benefits this revolutionary skincare tool delivers:
- Removes makeup six times better than traditional methods.
- Clears pores and reduces the appearance of pore size.
- Cleanses so thoroughly that skincare products absorb better.
- Creates noticeably healthier looking skin.

After hearing from so many people that I know rave about this product, I finally decided, three years later, to make the purchase. I waited until Sephora was having their 20% off Friends and Family sale before making the purchase. I also used my ebates account to receive 8% cash back. (I need to cover the wonderful benefits of ebates in a future post for those of you that haven't discovered it yet.)

After agonizing over the price, I finally pulled the trigger. I felt better about ordering it through Sephora, since they have a very generous return policy. I figured if it didn't live up to all its' hype, back it would go.

When the product arrived, I was really looking forward to starting my regime. As I've gotten into my upper twenties, I've noticed that my skin is more sensitive, has larger pores around the cheeks and nose area and is prone to cystic acne breakouts on my chin and jaw line. I was hoping that this pricey little gadget would help me with these troublesome issues. I'm way too old to still be having to struggle with pimples. I have more issues with them now then I did when I was a teenager.

I started out using the sensitive brush head and the sensitive face wash, called Hydro Cleanser. You can use your regular face wash, but I love the hydro cleanser sample that came with the product. It's my favorite of the three samples that came with my pink Clarisonic. (You can get other colors as well. The pink benefits the American Breast Cancer Society.)

In the beginning, I used it only in the evenings. I now use it twice per day - in the morning and in the evening. I like to remove my makeup with a makeup remover cloth before cleansing my skin. The feeling of the brush is very gentle. More of a buzzing than a scrubbing. I was very surprised at how gentle and pleasant it was.

Product Review
Pores: Almost immediately, I noticed an improvement in my pores. The Clarisonic removed the icky gunk that would plug the pores and make them stretch out and appear larger. With the gunk being removed, my pores appear dramatically smaller and no more blackheads.

Exfoliation: Through this entire winter, I haven't had any flaking skin issues.  My skin is much smoother and has a more even tone.

Acne: I don't have as many plugged up facial pores that would appear almost like little white bumps on my chin. This has been a great benefit. If I slack on using my Clarisonic, my acne will flair up as a direct result. If I use the product regularly, I do not get any cystic acne - those painful, under the skin pimples. If I do end up with one, the Clarisonic helps them heal up so much quicker than before.

Product Absorption: I can really tell that my products are working better than before. I can use fewer products and the ones I use are working harder.

Skin Reaction: It took about a month of religious use before I noticed all the benefits.

Price: Eek! I still think it's too pricey for what it is. I'm glad I waited until it was on sale, so that takes the sting out a little. Hopefully it will last for many years and be very durable. If it lasts the test of time, the price will be better justified. You also need to purchase replacement brush heads every three months at about $25 per head.