Clarisonic

TL;DR I LOVE it, but the app is gimmicky/unnecessary. I purchased the mint green Mia Smart bundle that includes the facial cleaning device, a Radiance brush head, a Firming Massage head, an Eye Massager, the charging stand and an AC adapter. Oddly enough, when I went to register in the app, I believe the color was listed as sea foam (or something similar). I purchased mine on QVC and the bundle included the two additional brush heads for the same price – I would not have considered the Massage head or Eye Massager otherwise. I hadn't used my old Clarisonic in quite some time, so after getting a new brush head and attempting to charge it up, I realized it had died. For the first two weeks of use, the Mia Smart incorporates a feature called Soft Start. From the website: “Soft Start gently transitions your skin to sonic cleansing over the first 2 weeks of use.” It starts at 80% power and increases over two weeks. You do have the ability to override this feature in the app, but since it had been a while since I used a Clarisonic, I chose not to. I like my car’s apps, our Nest thermostat, etc. but I generally find smart devices to be unnecessary. I have three new in box Clarisonic brush heads – *not* smart heads – and I will be using them when this current one needs to be replaced. The app mostly seems to be Clarisonic’s way of getting you to purchase additional Clarisonic products by recommending new ones (I do have notifications turned off). You take a quiz by responding with your age range, skincare goals, and experience using a Clarisonic brush. You also register your device via the app to activate the Mia Smart’s two year warranty. The app encourages you to take selfies every seven days to monitor skin progress. It has articles and videos, which appear to be from the blog on Clarisonic’s website. The device is also supposed to remind you when it’s time to replace brush heads; the strip on the head changes color from white to red. My favorite feature of the app is the battery life indicator, which tells you what percentage of battery life you have remaining; this is useful since I keep my Clarisonic in my bathroom, but the charger in my dressing room. EDIT: Daily routines do *not* have to be manually logged (I was incorrect); the app automatically syncs with the device. This is one of the actually useful features of the app; I believe your device has to be in close proximity for the Bluetooth to communicate with your phone/tablet, because I keep mine in our master bathroom and find that my phone syncs with it in the evenings when both are on the same floor of the house. I like the size of the Mia Smart; it’s quite comfortable to hold in the hand. I like the stand up charger much better than the old Mia. I use the Mia Smart no more than once a day as my skin care routine includes hydroxy acids in the evening and while my skin is tolerant, I don’t want to be too harsh to it; I use a gentle cleanser once a day and a foaming cleanser once a day. The Radiance brush head has bristles in the middle portion of the brush and bristles and silicone tips along the outer portion of the brush. There are various programs you can use as a default setting on the Mia Smart; the options I've chosen are a 60 and 80 second cleansing program, but there are other options - 30 seconds, etc. as well. I have over 40 combination skin. I have some larger pores between my eyebrows and on my cheeks and the occasionally blemish (less often than once a month), especially when I’ve neglected my skin due to prolonged travel, work stresses, and hormones. UPDATE: I’ve just increased my rating from 4 to 5 stars. I've used the Mia Smart about 3 months thus far and the first charge lasted 2 1/2 months (pretty impressive IMO). I've seen other reviews that mention the device isn't stable in its charging base, but I haven't found that to be the case at all. If it's unstable, it's not properly placed in the charging cradle. Also, it's very important to have the heads on properly, of course. After you've used each head once or twice, it's simple enough to tell when you don't have it properly adhered. Using the cover makes it easier to remove and attach the heads, I've found. I recently started using the firming massage head (Clarisonic's recommendation is to replace this head every 6 months or as needed) on my face and neck, and while I don't actually expect any firming to occur, TBH I'm annoyed that I waited so long to use it. I love the relaxation aspect of the facial massage and I'll continue to incorporate it into my daily routine. I like this product enough that I just purchased a second Mia Smart bundle as a gift for my sister-in-law. FWIW I have a few bare-faced pics in my profile from 3/24/19. I don't have skin texture issues, but I do have *lots* of facial PIH and hyperpigmentation. UPDATE 2: I've now used it for over 5 months and I can attest to all the reviews you're seeing that at some point the app crashes each time you load it. I may try uninstalling and reinstalling. I purchased a third Mia Smart this past weekend; I'm still loving it.

I have used this product for over a year and while it's not life-changing, it's a very nice gadget to have if you have clog-prone such as I do. I like to wear Japanese sunscreens and long wearing foundations such as Estee Lauder Double Wear, so this brush is a great guarantee of removing every bit of dirt from my pores at the end of the day. I use this once or twice a week and what I usually do is use an oil cleanser first, hop into the shower to rinse it off, massage a lighter cleanser, and then use the Clarisonic on the second setting with the Radiance (pink) brush. I live in Vietnam, where the weather is humid and tropical. I sweat... a lot. After a day of teaching at public school, if I bothered to tone my face with a cotton pad, it would turn dark gray. There's a lot of dirt and pollution on my skin. Using this product makes my skin amazingly smooth and glowy. There's just no other way to describe it; the ads claim that it cleanses 5x better than just hands and honestly? I agree with them. I'm a proponent of the double cleansing method but even that can fall short if I don't really take enough time to thoroughly massage off my makeup. For a truly deep clean, this is the best method IMHO. I have worn Estee Lauder Double Wear Light and in the evening, cleansed with a light cleanser & this device - the next day my skin was as fresh as a daisy. A few professional estheticians have told me that the Deep Pore brush is too harsh, and in my personal opinion I agree. I think the Radiance Cleansing brush head is sufficient for all of my needs. I can't comment on the other brush heads as those two were the ones I received in my set. So, is it worth it? First, this isn't cheap. But many retailers usually offer a discount such as ULTA and the Clarisonic website itself. If you are thinking about purchasing the Mia Clarisonic, I highly suggest waiting for Black Friday for a 20% off coupon which will reduce the price by a considerable amount. I bought this for ~$120 and I do think it's worth it. Secondly, if you are hoping that it will cure your acne... It won't. It took me a really long time for me to understand how my skin worked. I don't think the Clarisonic Mia would work well for those suffering from cystic or hormonal acne. What it provides is a deep clean - nothing more, nothing less. It will help your serums and skincare sink in more deeply because your skin is cleaner (and therefore amplify the results) but this isn't a miracle machine. What's worked for me is glycolic acid... the Mia just helps boost the effects. :) Finally, consider that the Clarisonic is a patented machine. It is often imitated, but never quite perfectly duplicated.

I love this product. I would consider it one of my most important required beauty products. Before i used this product, i would spend ages scrubbing my makeup off my face, and i tone immediately after washing, and when doing do, I'd still have heaps of makeup on my face. After getting into a proper routine and getting used to using the mia 2 i technically wouldn't even need to tone my face anymore because I never have left over makeup on my face after using my mia 2. My cheeks are soft and smooth and if i do get breakouts, they subside a lot faster and blackheads are almost invisible compared to before. I know the immediate reaction and some initial breakouts may scare you... but my skin is so much better and softer now than it was before, i use the sensitive brush head on my skin but tend to use it for about a minute - and then maybe another 20 or so seconds after to go over everything lightly again. When cleansing I tend to put some cleanser on the brush head and some on my face also as it helps it lather up better. The initial reaction is worth the skin you'll see within a couple of weeks. *Edit* The only problem with my mia two is that is still a little harsh on sensitive skin, even with the specific sensitive brush heads. I have been using the luna for the last few days, and it has been better in that its medical silicone, easily cleanable after each wash (way more hygenic) and softer on my skin. And was not really an issue but my mia would last about 10 or 15 uses before dying and takes 12 or so hours to charge. (Maybe takes longer to charge now and dies quicker after two years of having it?) The luna 2 takes only 1 hour and in that one hour claims to work 450 times before needing another charge. (Or 5-7 months). Which is crazy in comparison charge wise. Very impressed with my luna 2 for sensitive skin. So hygenic, soft, gentle and the charge last is insane! The mia was around before the luna 2, and it is and always will be a good facial cleanser. I believe my luna 2 just has a few modern advantages that the mis doesn't. Like not needing a replaceable brush head at all, and so on.