Clarisonic Mia skin tool

[PumpkinPie]

I kind of wish I had just bought it for the full price, but I''ve never had problems on ebay before and this seller, although he didn''t have a huge amount of feedback, had 100% positive feedback..

grrr

 

[PumpkinPie]

(at least I know that everyone is really loving theirs - makes me happy that I decided to get one - now hopefully it will show up soon)

 

[PumpkinPie]

My Clarisonic has arrived!!

YIPPEE it''s now charging and waiting for me to use it tomorrow (I''m actually going to try to wait the 24 hours)

 

[PumpkinPie]

I was going to cheat, but my tech-savy husband gave me a stern talk about battery capacity I can wait until tomorrow - I work all day so I''ll be occupied until I get home and then it will be time !

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/16/2010 9:21:56 PM
Author: Maevie
I was going to cheat, but my tech-savy husband gave me a stern talk about battery capacity I can wait until tomorrow - I work all day so I''ll be occupied until I get home and then it will be time !

Mine came yesterday and I didn''t cheat, either! I was impressed with myself. My husband was at home when it came so he opened it and started charging it immediately for me.

I just used it a few minutes ago and my face feels super smooth! I think my skin still looks pretty much the same but it feels really clean and soft. I only did it for a minute, though-I was too lazy to figure out how to make it go for 2 minutes. I''ll mess with it tomorrow!

 

[galeteia]

OK ladies! Time to cough up trip reports!

As for mine, I''ve been using it for 2 min in the morning and 2 min at night. I have ordered a slew of Eminence cleansers and moisturizers (I went to er, buynaturalskincare.com and when I''d gotten my haul in RECORD shipping time they''d gifted me with a sample for every two I''d bought, I swear!

) because they have cleanser samples for 1.00 and moisturizers for 2-3.00 and I wanted to play around because my skin has TOTALLY changed since I started using the Mia.

Firstly, I used to have hardcore oily, congested, grimy, high-turnover skin. By high-turnover, I mean my skin regenerates so fast I could scrub my face with a hot washcloth in the morning and feel a layer of dead skin cells by bedtime.

Too gross!

When I moved to west Texas, I developed wrinkles and dry patches in a year and aged 10+ years in 1.5.

I''m not kidding. I got lectured on ''marrying too young'' (by a co-worker who was younger than me!) when I was 27 because I looked 17 and now I look like I am turning 30, which I am.

And holy crow the OIL! Despite the dry scaly patches, I could have started the renewable fuel revolution off my forehead! I swear every pore on my face is now clogged. The Mia just powers through oil and grime like nothing else I''ve seen. We have dust storms regularly; imagine DUST STORMS with super oily skin. Yeah.

When I started using the Mia, I noticed that my clogged pores were breaking out, which was fine with me because I''d been losing a staring match with the little buggers for a year. Things settled down after a week, and although I am not seeing the great strides in de-clogging my skin, it looks like there will be dramatic improvement in 6 months or so.

I did notice my dry patches were improving but my skin started getting really dry, especially at night. I tried some moisturizers I had on hand, like my Tomato Sun Cream with spf for oily skin and the Weleda Skin Food that was some people''s Holy Grail product, but the former left me dry and the latter left me oily AND patchy!

The Stone Crop Gel is my go-to cleanser and I never need the harsher clean of the Mineral Cleanser, which used to be my daily cleanser. Now that I have the Mia, the Stone Crop cleanser has become my ''harsher'' cleanser when I feel like I need a good clean.

Even though I was getting a lot more effect in cleaning, it made moisturizing a problem. Now that I''ve switched to the Vanilla Sun Cream spf 32 for my morning moisturizer, my skin stays soft and hydrated throughout the day WITHOUT getting patchy OR oily!! (Extra exclamation points for amazement!!!) Because the Mia lets me use comparatively tiny amounts of product, a single sample will last me about two weeks. This lets me have a lot of cleansers and moisturizers to have in rotation, depending on how my skin feels. Oily, dry, tight, you name it, I can custom-blend a cleanser + moisturizer combo for that day. This is really the key for making the Mia work for me as it completely changes how my skin reacts to products.

I always use the Stone Crop Toner and the Eye Contour Cream regardless of what else I use, but I''m really loving this flexibility. It lets me listen and respond to how my skin is feeling without blowing a lot of cash on product. By keeping the samples in the fridge, I can have an arsenal of high-quality products at hand without exploding my credit card, which is still having hysterics over the Clarisonic itself.

I might sound like an infomercial for this brand but I only discovered it in my late twenties after bombarding my skin with complete garbage for a decade and I really wish I''d found it years ago.

With the Mia drastically reducing the amount of product I need, it makes it affordable to treat my skin to really posh stuff. I buy my full-size products from ebay and my samples from official retailers like the one I posted above.

I''ve also noticed that my skin tone is changing from ''dessicated desert tuber'' to ''roses and cream'' with emphasis on the cream. I don''t tan, I burn and then turn back to fish-belly white. I LOVE what the Mia is doing to the colour of my skin and it''s evenness. My clogged pores are slowly improving and I haven''t had any new angry breakouts since I started using it, which usually happened once a week. TMI: I also noticed that blackheads are easier to extract and don''t flare out into breakouts when I do remove them, which used to happen no matter how clean my skin was.

So in conclusion: Real improvement, nothing earth-shattering, but WOW does it make your products more effective, which can be negative if the products are too harsh or poor quality, but an awesome plus if they''re good stuff!

Your turn!

Ninja edit: holy emotie invasion, batman!

 

[iheartscience]

Gala-LOVE your review! Mine isn''t nearly as detailed, but I''ll share! I''ve been using mine once (sometimes twice) a day for 1 minute at a time. QUESTION: does the Mia automatically go for 2 minutes at a time? I have the bigger one and it automatically goes for 1 minute at a time...is the time shorter because it''s bigger than the Mia? Or is there a way to make it go for 2 minutes at a time?

Anyway, I think using it twice a day every day is too harsh for my skin. I did it for twice a day at first but my skin would hurt while I did it so now I just use it once a day. I use a Kiehl''s face wash (it''s the energizing face wash from the men''s line) and I think it''s a little too harsh for my skin, but I love how it makes my skin feel, so I use it anyway. Because (like you said) the Clarisonic makes your face products more effective, the Clarisonic made it too harsh when I used it twice a day.

I actually don''t have major skin issues but do get some clogged pores and redness, and my skin tone could use some help. I think the Clarisonic has really improved my skin tone. My skin just looks nicer over all. Clearer, rosier, etc. My pores seem a bit smaller, probably because they''re clearer.

My twin sister loves hers, too. She has more problem skin and you can definitely tell a difference. She has less clogged pores and her skin just looks noticeably better. Not a miracle cure, but her skin is definitely improving! My older sister is going to order one now too! We raved about it so much she has to get one. vesper-Clarisonic should thank you!

 

[galeteia]

Date: 4/29/2010 11:24:41 PM
Author: thing2of2
Gala-LOVE your review! Mine isn''t nearly as detailed, but I''ll share! I''ve been using mine once (sometimes twice) a day for 1 minute at a time. QUESTION: does the Mia automatically go for 2 minutes at a time? I have the bigger one and it automatically goes for 1 minute at a time...is the time shorter because it''s bigger than the Mia? Or is there a way to make it go for 2 minutes at a time?


Anyway, I think using it twice a day every day is too harsh for my skin. I did it for twice a day at first but my skin would hurt while I did it so now I just use it once a day. I use a Kiehl''s face wash (it''s the energizing face wash from the men''s line) and I think it''s a little too harsh for my skin, but I love how it makes my skin feel, so I use it anyway. Because (like you said) the Clarisonic makes your face products more effective, the Clarisonic made it too harsh when I used it twice a day.

You mean you survived the entire way through?!

To answer your question, no, the Mia has 1 minute and 1 speed setting, but the bigger one can be programmed for a 2 mins at different settings. I just use it on half my face and my nose/forehead/chin and then when it turns off I finish my nose/forehead/chin and move to the other side of my face, including the underside of my jaw.

If your skin has been oily and exfoilation-friendly in the past, it''s possible that it''s too rough for your skin for 2x daily use, but I ran into the same problem at first and I really needed to 1) work with more gentle and moisturizing cleansers, and 2) step up my moisturizing routine. You may also do better with the Delicate brush instead of the Sensitive. I also had to focus on skimming my skin more and scrubbing less, which is difficult as I''m usually tired and/or blissed out at the massage.

Based on my experiences, I''d say that the Clarisonic intensifies your product by at least 2x or more, whether it is a cleanser or a moisturizer. I''d love to hear others'' thoughts on the impact of their products. There is no way I would use my old daily cleanser, the Mineral one, with the Clarisonic- it would be like battery acid on my face!

The Stone Crop gel cleanser used to be restricted to days where my skin felt chapped or burned (like when I''d walked home during a dust storm) and needed an uber-gentle cleanser, and now it''s my ''harsh'' cleanser and I''m using cleansers meant for dry skin even though I''m firmly on the oily/combination spectrum.

Hm, you said that you use an ''energizing'' face wash, and that it''s from a men''s line. If it feels cool/tingly/etc when you use it without your Clarisonic, it probably has irritants in it that the brush exacerbates. Plus, men''s skin care is probably design to be more robust in general to help with ingrown hairs from shaving, etc. (I could be totally talking out of my seat here, but it *seems* logical, haha!

)

If you think about it, you no longer need your cleansers to ''clean''. The brush is agitating the gunk out and off, the way a washing machine agitates clothes (so to speak), so you really only need the cleanser to be a neutral party to lubricate the passage of the brush over your skin and to help soften the goo.

You may also need to change up your moisturizing routine, because now that the layer of perma-goo is loosening, if your skin is dehydrated it is going to be sucking up the lotions and serums like water on a sponge. I had a really ineffective moisturizer because my skin was always too oily to use a real one, so when the Clarisonic balanced the oil overkill I suddenly needed to fill the gap.

Isn''t it exciting?! Imagine, great skin within the grasp of those of us with skin we''ve always struggled with!

 

[ts44]

I got five posts into this thread and went out and bought one. That was about a month ago, and I''ve been using my Mia when I wake up in the morning and when I go to bed at night, and the difference in my skin has been, in all seriousness, amazing. I''ve always had issues with blackheads/breakouts and they are just eradicated with this tool. I finally have hope that I will have clear skin for my upcoming wedding without having to cake on makeup and concealer!

My mother noted the other day that my skin was "glowing", she had no idea that I''d been using the clarisonic. When I told her what I''d been doing, she said Oh my god, I have one of those too, aren''t they the GREATEST?! After I got over my initial "wtf" that she''d been holding out on the goods from me, I was glad to have her seal of approval too, as she does lots of research on skin products and is extremely picky about what she uses.

 

[galeteia]

I think I''m going to bite the bullet and exchange the Mia for the Plus so I can have the Body Brush. It''s $225, so a $76 dollar jump, but I really think it''s worth it if the body brush is as amazing as the Mia was for my face.

SO made fun of me, asking how I could manage to let the next one charge for 24 hours before I used it. I don''t know, I can''t bear the thought!

SDL, if you are out there, can you give me a run down on whether you think the body brush is worth it? Do you find the brush is too heavy to use for the 2 minute setting?

 

[DiamondSmitten]

Hey I know this is an old post...but I am finally biting the bullet and buying one... only because Sephora is having 20% off with the code VIB20 and free shipping.... Just thought I would share the info,,,

 

[dani13]

Enablers!!! I just saw this thread and am now considering a Mia..I always laugh when I think of how much crap I have bought over the years because of my PS friends- lol!!!! But, this does seem interesting- I just may *have* to get one to see what you are all talking about!!!