It's been a little over a month since the Clarisonic Mia and I first started our courtship. It was love at first sight, and just as we got caught up in our whirlwind romance, we hit a serious rough patch and I wasn't sure we could weather the storm together. Now, it seems we may have worked through our problems and our relationship has grown stronger. Dear Clarisonic, I think this is going to work out.
I previously wrote about the beginnings of my relationship with my Clarisonic Mia, particularly the first week. You can read that here. Long story short, it wasn't working out well. Peeling, cracked skin, red itchy bumps everywhere, acne in places I've never seen before... yikes.
Shortly after I published that post, things started to clear up. I didn't have any new acne appearing and there were no marks left on my face from the breakout that occurred. It took the dryness a bit longer to clean up, but I'm used to dry skin. My face felt softer than it has in years and my skin felt like it was really absorbing anything I put on it, rather than it sitting on top of my skin. My foundation looked more seamless and my thick night cream could really sink in.
The Clarisonic makes my face feel more clean than anything I've used before. You will be addicted to the feeling, I promise. As someone who has regularly used exfoliants, toners, and face masks, I never thought anything could do a better job. How wrong I was! My Mia does the job of cleanser and exfoliator in one, and I don't feel like I'm scrubbing my skin off. Proof that this is really cleaning deep? If I don't put makeup on, about halfway through the day I will notice quite a bit of oil. If I've used the Clarisonic that morning, the oil stays away.
I'm also a person quite obsessed with extractions. If I have clogged pores, I must unclog them. It is never - I repeat NEVER - good to pick at your face. It does more long-term damage than it gives instant gratification. But, if it's bad enough, I must get rid of it. Since using my Clarisonic Mia, I haven't felt the need to do extractions. Most of my clogged pores are on the sides of my nose and my chin, and I don't notice any visible clogging. I don't know that I can attest to a difference in pore size though, and I know that's why a lot of people go out and purchase one of these. I think they may be slightly less noticeable than they have been, but I don't see any dramatic change in actual pore size.
Overall, I am loving the Clarisonic Mia and I'm so happy I took the plunge and purchased one. It was scary at the beginning, but as I had hoped, going through my skin freak out was worth the end result. I do have a few tips for those of you who choose to purchase one in hopes that I can spare you some of the things I went through:
1. Ease into using it - whether you have sensitive skin or not, if you have never used one of these before, you don't know how your skin is going to react. It may seem like nothing more than a little vibrating brush, but it does some serious stuff to your skin and pores. I would suggest starting out once a day, maybe even once every other day. If you aren't noticing any irritation you can work into using it night and day as the instructions suggest.
2. Purchase a good cleanser - everything does not work with the Clarisonic. Exfoliating products shouldn't be used with it, and I have found the best cleansers to use are non-foaming cream cleansers. I've heard of a lot of people using Cetaphil or CeraVe, but I got myself a good old bottle of Philosophy Purity and I couldn't be happier with it. Gentle, cleans well.
3. Be prepared - for anything. The Clarisonic may meet your expectations at first and it might not. Just give it a chance. I think a lot of people that had the reaction I had to it would have taken it back after a few days use. I believe most places you can purchase a Clarisonic allow you to return them within 30 days after purchase. Your skin may get a pimple here and there, or you could get totally rashy pizza face like I did. Just be prepared for whatever may be ahead.
4. Be smart - if your skin does have a bad reaction and it either hurts or doesn't get any better, discontinue use. If your skin is still acting crazy after more than a week of use, the Clarisonic probably isn't for you.
5. For those with sensitive skin - buy the delicate brush without question. The Clarisonic comes with the "sensitive" brush head... but I have a feeling that will be nowhere near sensitive enough for you.
I hope that this has been helpful to those of you debating a Clarisonic purchase!
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