Today I will be writing a review on the oh-so famous Clarisonic Mia and my experience with it. First, let me admit that I wanted this product for the longest time, but it was just soooo expensive and since my skin is sensitive AND acne-prone, I wasn't really sure how my skin would react to it or if it would be worth it for me. About a year ago, my boyfriend bought it for me and I was really excited to use it!
Since having it for a year, I feel like I can write exactly how I feel about it.
So, for those who don't know what a Clarisonic Mia is, it's basically a vibrating brush used on the face for a deep-cleaning, kind of like a vibrating toothbrush except for your face. This is what the Clarisonic website claims about the Mia:
- Cleanses 6x better than with your hands alone in just 60 seconds
- Works with skin, not against it, to gently massage away impurities trapped within pores
- Prepares skin for better absorption of creams, serums and moisturizers
- Gentle enough to use 2x a day
Here's what the Mia looks like:
 |
| Mine is lavender, but it comes in like 16 colors! And there are always limited edition ones coming out. |
When I first got the Mia, I had already had a few breakouts on both cheeks. After each use of the Mia, I felt my skin felt really nice, smooth and clean. My skin did not feel tight, which I really liked. However, I found that around the area I was breaking out, I had a few more zits that popped up around the area. It was really weird since I had read reviews where some people said that the Clarisonic cured their acne!! I even sent an email to Clarisonic's customer service email to ask if it was fine to use on acne-prone skin and they responded telling me that I might experience an initial breakout. but that it is because the Clarisonic is deep-cleaning my pores and it's bringing to the surface all the gunk that was underneath. I continued to use the Clarisonic for another month, but still didn't see my skin getting better so I stopped using it.
I personally do NOT think that the Clarisonic Mia is good for those who have acne. It was not a miracle worker like I was hoping. My theory is that the Mia was actually picking up bacteria and dirt from the zits I already had and was spreading it around. That's the only way I can justify why I was further breaking out in areas relatively close to the zits I already had.
After my skin cleared up, I began using the Clarisonic again. I was using it once every other day. This time I didn't break out from the product at all. Some people claim that their pores are smaller from using the Clarisonic. I don't find that that was the case for me at all. There just wasn't any difference in pore size. I did notice that I was getting these bumps on my cheeks and forehead from using the Clarisonic. Not like zits. I guess I would say they seemed more like irritations maybe. My skin would feel overall smooth, but right at the apple of my cheeks and the center of my forehead, I had these really small bumps. But if I stopped using the Clarisonic for like a week, the bumps were gone. I guess my skin just didn't like me using a brush on it. Thinking back now, I used to use this one face brush by Sephora and I had the same "bumpy" reaction. That brush looks like this:
Nowadays, I use the Clarisonic like once a week and it really serves one purpose for me. And that's to get rid of my blackheads! The Clarisonic brush moves in a back and forth motion that gets blackheads out really well! So for the most part, I use the Clarisonic on my nose where I get the most blackheads.
Here are some other things to consider when purchasing the Mia.
- You have to replace the brush every 3-4 months, which can be costly.
- After each use, you have to wash the brush. I use a mild dish soap to disinfect it then I leave it to dry.
- There are different kind of brushes to choose from. I have tried the delicate, normal and sensitive. My fave is the delicate because I want the gentlest brush to use on my face.
- The Mia is the small cleansing system this brand offers, but they also have other ones like the Classic and the Plus, which have brushes that you can attach and use on your body.
Overall, I would not have purchased the Clarisonic Mia if I knew what I know now. It's just not worth it for me. I think the Clarisonic cleansing system would probably work better for people who have normal skin that isn't sensitive or break out. And if you want something for blackheads, just use the Biore pore strips. It's cheaper. And just as a disclaimer, this is my experience and opinion on the Clarisonic Mia. If you want to try it, by all means, please do. And if you have it and love it, then I'm glad it works for you. :)
I hope you guys enjoyed this post. I know it's a lot longer than my previous posts. I always try to keep it short and sweet because I don't want to bore you guys, but reviews do need to be wordy so I hope you guys understand.
XO,
kimtran
