Clarisonic Mia Review

The Clarisonic Mia comes with a small trial sized cleanser and a charger.

I got the Clarisonic Mia for Christmas from my husband and couldn’t wait to try it.  I’d heard a lot of great things about it.  I’ve now been using it for a little over 60 days and thought it was time for a review.

The Clarisonic Mia retails for about $119.  The cost seems pretty consistent wherever you look.  It comes with a sensitive brush head, an international charger and a trial sized 1 oz Gentle Hydro Cleanser.  The claims?

• 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 I like:

1. The self timer is great:  It automatically shuts off after 60 seconds, so you can’t go crazy cleaning your skin.
2. It feels good:  It gives the skin a nice invigorating massage. You just feel like your skin is getting thoroughly clean.
3. The charge holds very well:  They say 20 minutes, which, if you use it a minute a day, will easily last you through no charges while on vacation.  It also means you can leave it in your shower for a whole week and not worry about it losing its charge.
4. The brushes are good quality:  I haven’t had to change out brushes yet.  I know there are a lot of different ones, but the one it came with seems sufficient for now and is wearing well, despite my overly enthusiastic use of it in the first month.
5. You really can use any kind of cleanser.  I have stuck to more gentle type cleansers like Cetaphil and Aveno.  I would not use anything abrasive as the combo of the brush and the abrasive cleanser (like a scrub) may be too harsh.

Here’s what I don’t like:

1. The brushes are only stocked at a few places.  I believe Sephora carries them and you can get them online.  But picking one up at Target or a local drugstore is not possible.  At least I haven’t been able to find them.
2.  It claims that you can use it 2x a day because it is so gentle.  I did not personally find this to be the case. It’s possible I was pressing too hard or that maybe my skin is too delicate, but honestly I’ve never thought of myself as having sensitive skin.

Some tips for use:

You should obey that timer because when I first got it, I got carried away and when it shut off, I’d just restart it again. I found that after a few weeks of over-cleaning my skin I was left with both dry patches and the occasional breakout, which was my skin’s reaction to way too much cleaning.  I was also using it every morning and evening, which was overkill.  My skin ended up producing too much oil as a reaction and then the breakout would happen.

Now I use it every other day or just once in the evening, when there is more junk (makeup, polution etc) on my face).  I haven’t noticed that it’s done much to combat dullness in my skin.  In the morning I still look pretty washed out, but the Mia seems to get the blood flowing and that glow does last for the day at least.  I’ve noticed makeup goes on smoother and my skin in general looks cleaner overall.  Before I was just using my hands to lather and soap off my makeup but that always left a bit of residue.  I feel like I get everything off and go to bed with a clean face.