How to use it: I used it once a day in the shower in the morning. I would apply cleanser to my face first, wet the Clarisonic under the shower then turn it on. It would immediately start buzzing and vibrating. I then gently massaged it over my face. The Clarisonic Mia has an automatic timer that switches it off after one minute. I would start cleansing my chin by massaging it in small circles. I usually spend around 10 seconds on the chin. I then do each cheek and jawline, this time massaging large circles with the brush. Again I would spend 10 seconds on each cheek/jawline and another 10 seconds on the nose. For the nose I just hold the brush over it, trying hard to get into the corner of my nose as this is a problem area for me. I then finish off by spending about 20 seconds on my forehead as I am getting a fair amount of congestion there at the moment.
The bristle on the Clarisonic Mia are quite soft but you don't want to press too hard. The Clarisonic isn't actually meant for use as an abrasive exfoliant - it uses ultrasonic vibration to shake loose cell debris and dirt then the brush sweeps them away. I found that if I ever did press a little bit too hard it would leave my skin feeling a little raw. However, this feeling didn't linger and within minutes the raw feeling had subsided.
Although the Clarisonic is an electric device, it is full water proof. The charger attaches to it magnetically so there is no entry point into the device for water to get in, hence why it can be used in the shower. This is absolutely brilliant as I do my cleansing in the shower so wouldn't want to have to incorporate an extra step when I got out. Since it is completely water proof I actually store the device in the shower. With two young kids I usually have to bolt into the shower when they are both happily occupied with something or when one of them is sleeping so this leaves me quite forgetful to bring products in with me. As soon as I get in the shower I see my Clarisonic in there waiting for me and it reminds me to use it.
I tested the Clarisonic with multiple different cleansers - the provided cream cleanser and a couple of my own foaming cleansers. I think I prefer a foaming cleanser with it as the cream cleanser tends to disappear in the bristles so at times it feels like I am using it without a cleanser which feels a tiny bit abrasive.
To clean the Clarisonic what I do is, once its 1 minute cycle has finished, I then turn it on again and massage it over the palm of my hand under running water until no hint of cleanser remains.
Once you have finished the one minute cycle with the Clarisonic your skin still needs to be rinsed under running water to remove any remaining cleanser. This is where you will first notice just how damn soft your skin is. After the first time I used it I kept rinsing and rinsing my face thinking it still had cleanser on it, it was so soft and slippery, until I realised that was how my skin now felt,
After exiting the shower I noticed my skin was looking shiny like it had been buffed. This faded once I applied serum or moisturiser. After the first time I used it I was quite surprised at how much more quickly my moisturiser absorbed in. I usually apply moisturiser then brush my teeth and afterwards my skin is usually still tacky and shiny. After using the Clarisonic, my moisturiser had fully absorbed by the time I had brushed my teeth.
In the first week after using it I noticed a few white heads appearing on my forehead. They were only tiny so I think it must have been all of the gunk in my pores rising to the surface. They cleared up and since then my forehead has been looking a lot smoother. This last year my cleansing routine has gone out the window. I had a baby 9 months ago and have been in a constant state of exhaustion and so lost interesting in maintaining my skin. This has left my forehead looking very bumpy. The Clarisonic has changed that . One minute of cleansing with it each day has made such a difference. And because it is making a difference I actually get a little bit excited about cleansing, my skin has been looking so much smooth and feeling incredibly soft in the two weeks that I have been using it.
This is one beauty device that is actually worthy of all of the hype around it. Such a simple addition to your cleansing routine makes such a difference therefore I cannot recommend this any more highly. It is definitely a worthwhile beauty investment.
Here is a little video review that I did for Beauty Heaven on the Clarisonic Mia:
The Clarisonic Mia retails at $139 and can be bought at Myer or online at The Facial Company (as can replacement brush heads).
What beauty device can you not live without?
All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. The Clarisonic Mia was provided to me for consideration as part of Beauty Heaven's Trial Team.