Clarisonic Face Brush Review: Part One

Guest beauty blogger Danielle tries out the Clarisonic skin brush to discover whether it delivers on its claim of, “One minute a day for the best skin of your life”…

I’d read reviews in magazines, online, viewed videos on YouTube and done all the neccessary research. After I had satisfied my inner beauty geek, I knew I had to invest in a Clarisonic brush, so I sunk all my Christmas and birthday money into this hand-held gadget. By using sonic vibrations to push facial cleanser deep into your pores, the idea is that the Clarisonic replaces the need for exfoliation, claiming to remove 6 times more makeup than manual cleansing. This then preps the skin to absorb all the goodness of serums and moisturisers.

A pinch of cynicism is always healthy, especially when facing the ‘latest beauty find’ which promises to ‘change your life’ (remember vibrating mascara and its promise to lengthen lashes like never before?), so I decided to record all the ups and downs in the interest of giving Sassy readers an honest account!

First try: Who knew 60 seconds can fly by so quickly? I use the pre-programmed timer: 20 seconds for the forehead, another 20 for the nose and chin and 10 seconds for each cheek. I attach the sensitive brush head to the device and the sensation is gentle and not unpleasant, although I have to resist the urge to press down harder on my skin: the idea is to skim it lightly in a circular motion.

I jump into the shower to try it on my body with the body brush attachment, which is bigger and has firmer bristles. This is a little fiddly as I have to alternate between soaping and holding the device; however my elbows have never felt smoother in the past 10 years. I conclude that it is possible to turn back time (now you know, Cher!).

Morning after the first try: My skin feels smooth, a little tight but otherwise not irritated. My frown line seems more noticeable so I cling on to the hope that in time the gentle sonic vibrations might do the same for my fine lines as they do my dry patches.

Second try: The Clarisonic feels like a high-tech extension of my arm. 1 minute passes almost too quickly and my skin is clean and fresh with minimal effort. This is much easier than washing my face by hand and perfect for the vain but lazy. I find myself looking forward to going home just so I can use it again.

End of Week 1: The flakiness and redness around my mouth (a reaction to the MSG in most Hong Kong food) is long gone. My skin is able to absorb serums, oils and lotions far better than ever. I know this because I touch my cheek and it is unbelievably smooth and soft. The sample-sized moisturiser I carry in my handbag has not had to be used for a week now, when usually I need to dab it on my dry areas ever so often.

The first week hasn’t been completely problem-free, however. I appear to have developed a few spots, which started as whiteheads. The upside of this is of course the fact that once they are on the surface they can be blitzed with salicylic acid or gently extracted. The downside is waiting for them to disappear! Will this improve? Tune in to part 2 of the review where I sum up weeks 2, 3 & 4 and give my final verdict.

By Danielle Yong