Good evening :)
I'm happy to be reporting to you from costa del garden again... hehe I am absolutely loving this weather, it makes me considerably cheerier than usual! So todays reviews is the much anticipated Clarisonic Mia 2 which I've been talking about for a while now but have never really gotten round to. This is partly due to the fact that i've been so undecided about it, however it finally seems that I'm in a position to confidently share my thoughts on it.
I'm going to split this review into a few sections. As I've been testing the product for around 5/6 months I've experienced a lot of different feelings towards this item (sounds like some sort of relationship). Therefore I'll split this into my first initial thoughts, from 2-5 months and also my thoughts now. It'll make more sense as you read on I promise.
Firstly without dragging it on for too long the major difference between the Mia 2 and the original are that it has 2 different speed settings on and also comes with a travel case. The travel case might I add at this point has been extremely useful. It keeps the brush head protected if you're travelling with the item or taking it in an overnight bag (which I've experienced a lot). There are 2 simples speed settings. The first is a slower, milder one and the second is a more powerful setting. I personally have always used the 2nd setting as I never found any benefit to using the less powerful setting.
My Initial thoughts
I was so eager to use this item when it arrived that I went pretty much straight into the bathroom and removed my makeup with the sample cleanser that came included and my sensitive brush head. I was ASTOUNDED! I couldn't believe the extra grime it removed from my face and afterwards my skin felt amazing. I kept it up using the Clarisonic twice daily for the first couple of weeks and my skin looked and felt considerably better than usual. It lathered my facewash up nicely and I really felt that my face was getting at least a 50% better cleanse than usual. I was reassured knowing that my makeup was being fully removed as a pose to before.
However........
I continued using the clarisonic twice a day religiously for the next couple of months and basically it began to go downhill from there. My skin became the worst it had ever been. At first I wondered if it was the sample cleanser I had been using so I switched to a cream cleanser and also to a deep pore brush head to see if that would resolve the problem. When I'd done this it appeared that I was having the same results I was in the very first week, my skin looked and felt remarkable, however again after a couple of weeks my skin was at it's worst. Now I am aware that people experience major purging stages so I stuck with it and hoped to make it out of the other side, but I just didn't. My skin was at it's worst and didn't seem to get better at all. The crazy thing is I was sort of in love with the idea of using the Clarisonic and just couldn't stop myself from using it. (Has anyone else experienced this?) I don't know if it's because I'd spent a great deal of money on it and couldn't bring myself to accept it wasn't working for me.
There is light at the end of this tunnel...... so please continue to read!
Funnily enough a few months down the line and after hearing many complaints about my skin, my boyfriend suggested I stop using it for a week or two and see what happened.... Could I bare to put it down and go back to a simple cleanser and muslin cloth? Well I bloomin well did and it bloomin well worked! My skin cleared up almost immediately and I was so much happier and confident with the lesser need to apply lots of makeup to cover up my ugly skin.
After about a month of going clarisonic free I'm pretty sure it was shouting my name whilst I was in the shower so I braved it, picked it back up and wondered what my results would be. I got that same great reaction where my skin felt and looked great.
The moral of this story my fellow beauty addicts is this.... For me I discovered after much trial and error and addiction to the Clarisonic, that using it twice daily was just too much for my skin. It made my skin purge and it couldn't recover from it. I found that when using it on spots that were quite sore only irritated them, made them worse and slowed the healing time down drastically. So now I'm down to using the clarisonic only once/twice a week and I could not be happier with my skin right now! I get that radiant, clean, glowing feeling each time I use it without causing my skin too much damage. I'm using it more as a replacement for exfoliating weekly rather than as part of my daily regime. The results that way have been much more successful for me!
If I could give anyone buying or trying a clarisonic for the first time a simple piece of advice it would be this. Don't get too excited at the prospect of using the clarisonic twice daily to begin with. I would recommend introducing it slowly into your routine. Maybe a couple of times a week and if your skin is happy with it then increase your usage. I understand that everyones skin is different and other people won't have the same reaction as I have but it's better to be safe than sorry in my opinion!
My faith in the clarisonic has now been restored and my love and addiction for it has appeared once again. I absolutely love using it as a treatment weekly and don't know how I'd survive without it. It gives your skin that extra deep clean that you never realised you needed before trying it. Majorly addictive be warned!!! hahaha (who knew I'd think the clarisonic should come with a warning!).
I hope this has been helpful for you. Apologies for the post being long winded but I had so many mixed reactions and had no idea how I was going to jot all that down. But now I have. Aaaaaah :)
Hope you enjoy
8 comments
I think you use too much pressure when using it. That brush shouldn't look soo beaten up even if its life is over. That can also cause irritation and purging if not used gently and pressed too hard on the skin. Bristles should barely touch your face then it works the best and sonic movement can do its best job. Otherwise you are just working against the sonic movement! It was a nice post and I love your blog :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your response. I forgot to add that this is an old brush that I'd only applied to show which I was using. I've since purchased a new one that looks normal hehe. I'm not applying to much pressure it was just an old brush head that has been stored in a drawer and dried out :) xx
DeleteI have the original Clarisonic Mia and love it! I'm not very interested in purchasing the Mia 2 because I feel like they both ultimately do the same thing. Which brush head are you using?
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! I am now following!
xo, Pareasa
The FAB Journal
Thanks lovely :) Yeah there's not much difference at all really is there other than the 2 settings :) xx
DeleteI have the first Mia and love it, maybe once it's done it's time I'll upgrade but for now I'd say its an essential and worth the money in the long run!xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thatszoeblog.com/
yes I'd definitely say I'm making my moneys worth :) I use it approximately twice weekly now xx
DeleteI really want a Clarisonic but I just can't justify the price!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've found a way of using it that works for you :)
Jesss xo
It took me quite a while to take the plunge hehe glad I did though :) xx
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