Clarisonic Mia: My First Impressions

*Image from clarisonic.com*

Hello Lovelies! Today I wanted to talk to you about my first impressions with using my new Clarisonic Mia! As some of you might know, I was given my Clarisonic Mia in Turquoise as a gift from my boyfriend. I have been using it off and on (I will get into that) for about a week now, and I wanted to share with you my experiences so far!

I have to start off by saying that my Mia & I had a bumpy start to our relationship. I should mention that when you purchase a Clarisonic Mia, the standard brush head it comes with is the sensitive skin version. I have sensitive skin, so I thought this would be my ideal brush head.  Of course when it first arrived in the mail, I was beyond excited & couldn't wait to try it out. That first night, after I removed all my makeup, I followed the instructions & applied cleanser to my face, wet the brush & began gently massaging the Clarisonic over my face in small circular motions.  My first thought was "wow that's scratchy" however, I figured that was just how it is meant to be in order to properly clean deep down into your pores & gently exfoliate the skin. So, I continued massaging it gently over my face until the 1 minute buzzer went off. Once I had washed my cleanser off, I noticed that my cheeks looked a little flushed & irritated. I applied my nightly serum & cream and climbed into bed. About 20 minutes later though, my cheeks were starting to feel even more irritated. The skin just felt raw & slightly painful, almost the same feeling you get after a bad sunburn. I didn't think much of it at the time though, and applied another layer of moisturizer to my cheeks & went to bed.

The next night I repeated the same cleansing steps with the Clarisonic & applied my serum & moisturizer. By this point the skin on my cheekbones was feeling noticeably raw & irritated. I was disturbed to notice that in the mirror my skin looked blotchy, red, irritated, & just all around unhappy.

I was crushed! After months of reading glowing reviews for the Clarisonic, I was so disappointed to think that it just might not be suitable for my sensitive skin. However, I was determined to make it work for me! So, after doing a little research, I came across a few people online speaking about how raw their face felt after using the sensitive brush head (check!), and how the delicate brush head (a step down) had been a godsend & had saved them from having to return their Clarisonic all together! So, the next day off to Nordstroms I ran & picked up a replacement brush head in the delicate version. Immediately upon feeling the delicate brush head on display, I noticed a distinct difference compared to the sensitive brush head. I honestly don't understand how a brush head that scratchy & rough can be marketed towards sensitive skin!

That night, armed with my new delicate brush head, I gave my Clarisonic Mia one last chance. Finally, I could see what everyone had been raving about with the Clarisonic system! After cleansing with the brush, my skin felt so smooth and just deeply clean. Also, I noticed my serum & moisturizer absorbed easily, instead of just sitting on top of my skin.

Now, about a week into my journey with my Clarisonic Mia, I am happy to say I am loving it.  I love to think that I am doing something good for my skin every night when I reach for it. I have noticed a few extra pimples this week, but from what I read this is normal when you first start using the Clarisonic cleansing system. As is the case with many acne systems, your skin may go through a "purging" phase where all the gunk that was trapped deep in your pores comes to the surface. I'm hoping my skin will clear up within a week or so. I haven't noticed any other drastic changes in the condition of my skin, good or bad. However, it is important to keep in mind that skin care products don't normally work overnight. It can often take weeks to see the results of a new skin care regime.

I have been using my go-to cleanser, Origin's A  Perfect World, with my Clarisonic Mia. Although I feel these two products work fine together, I actually think the Origins cleanser might be a little too creamy to use with the Clarisonic system. I have a feeling more foamy, gel-type cleansers might be better suited to use with this facial brush. I am planning on picking up the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap to use with the Clarisonic system. I remember this cleanser being foamy, refreshing & gentle when I used it a few years ago.

If you are considering purchasing a Clarisonic and have sensitive skin, I highly recommend you look into the delicate brush head. This brush head essentially saved my poor little Clarisonic from being shipped back to the store.

I plan on updating you on the state of my skin as I keep using the Clarisonic face brush. I really hope to see the miraculous effects everyone claims to experience!



Do you use the Clarisonic cleansing system? What have your experiences with it been?

Lots of Love,

Louise