Clarisonic Mia-Skin Care Genius

Back in October, I purchased the Clarisonic Mia from the Sephora Friend's and Family sale.  It is something that I've had my eye on for a long while.  So when the opportunity came to get it at a 20% discount, I jumped.

What is the Clarisonic?  The Clarisonic is a cleansing tool.  It comes in three sizes, the Classic, the Plus, and the Mia.  The Mia is the smaller version, good for traveling.  The Clarisonic is a tool with an oscillating brush that aids in removing dirt and makeup from your skin.  According to their website, it removes six times more dirt and makeup than with manual cleansing.  It is not an exfoliator.  The brush has sonic movement that allows for a more effective removal of dirt, makeup, and oil from your pores. 

The Mia comes with one brush head, a sensitive brush head, that is really gentle on the face.  It has one speed only and stays on for 1 minute at a time.  It comes with a plink international charger.  The system also came with a Gentle Hydro Cleanser.

What does the Clarisonic do for your skin?  The Clarisonic claims to reduce the appearance of pores, reduce oily areas and dry patches, reduce blemishes, and reduce fine lines/wrinkles.  And finally, it claims to improve the overall texture of your skin.

What has been my experience?  I have truly enjoyed using my Clarisonic.  The first time I used it, I took off my makeup with a makeup remover wipe, then I used it with my regular Philosophy cleanser.  I was stunned at how much makeup was still left on my face.  And to think, I had been leaving that on my face all this time!  My suds were foundation colored (I will spare you a gross photo).  After cleansing, I immediately noticed my face felt baby soft.

After about a week of use, I noticed that my skin care products absorbed a lot better.  One product in particular is Ziana (my dermatologist prescribed it to me when my face had a stress related freak out).  Ziana would normally take a good 2-3 hours before my face absorbed it.  With the Clarisonic, it is about 90% absorbed within minutes of applying it.  With my pores effectively cleared out, my face is able to absorb products better, which in turn allows my products to work more effectively.

With my products working more effectively, my stress related skin freak out began to subside and now my face is clear again.  When ever I do have a blemish that comes up, it is usually gone within 2 days as my products can "sink" in properly.  My once super oily face is now more normal with some oiliness in the t-zone area.  I used to be really oily on my cheeks, but it has become more normal then ever before.  I can not comment on the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles as that is not something I suffer from at the moment (and hopefully will never suffer from if I age like my mother).

It recommends using it twice a day.  I have been using it just once at night and manually cleaning my face in the mornings with my Philosophy exfoliating cleanser.  I feel that the Clarisonic and the exfoliator together would be too harsh.

What are my overall thoughts?  It has worked well for me.  I feel for the first time that my skin has a natural glowiness about it (not related to being oily).  It has never felt this soft and smooth before.  The Clarisonic is definitely an investment.  The Mia retails for $149.  I got it at a 20% discount, but I would totally pay full price for it!  This has been my experience.  It may or may not yield the same results for you.  I hope this helps if anyone is thinking about investing in one.