Clarisonic Skin Care System

So a couple of months ago I purchased the Clarisonic Plus Skin Care System from QVC. It was about $240 (with tax & shipping), but it was offered on Easy-Pay! If you've never watched QVC, Easy-Pay is where they split the charge for a certain number of installments over several months. It's actually a life-saver and had it not been offered with Easy-Pay, I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have purchased it.

Aside from the obvious, I was curious to see what other benefits and improvements I would notice in my skin. Basically, the Clarisonic is to your face/skin, as the Sonicare Toothbrush is to teeth. Sonic technology boasts over 300 movements per second, now that's a-lotta shakin'! This helps to remove 6x more make-up and dirt, leaving skin practically brand new.

This particular Clarisonic has 3 speeds; low, normal, and high. In fact, it isn't just effective at cleansing your skin, the cleansing duration actually adjusts according to which brush head is attached to the unit. How cool is that? What I love about this cleansing system, is the fact that you can customize your cleansing time. If any of the facial brush heads are attached, it will run according to your customized setting, with audible beeps to let you know when to move the brush to the next area of your face (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, etc.) If you have the body brush attached, the Clarisonic will run for 3-minutes.

The system I purchased came with two full-sized products; a Refining Skin Polish and Gentle Hydro Cleanser. Both products are 6 oz. and retail for $25 each. It also came with a total of four brush heads, two normal brush heads, one for sensitive skin, and one body brush head.

The system also came with four additional travel/trial sized cleansers. A 2 oz. Refining Skin Polish, 1 oz. Gentle Hydro Cleanser, Refining Gel Cleanser, and Nourishing Care Cleanser. The charging cradle requires no actual plug-in from cradle to Clarisonic, simply place the Clarisonic into the cradle and it charges... like magic! ;)

Now I'm sure you're wanting to know how effective the system cleans, right?? Well, I've been using the system for about two-months now and I can honestly say that I LOVE the way my skin feels after using the Clarisonic Plus! In fact, about two days after using it, Rodney kissed my nose and rubbed my cheeks (as he normally does,) and commented that my skin felt really soft. My eyes lit up and I shrieked, "It works!!" He looked at me all weird and was like, "Huh?" I replied, "My new Clarisonic! It works! See, told you it was worth it!" LOL

Not only has it softened my skin, I've noticed significant improvement to texture. It has alleviated dry patches and the exfoliation has helped remove dead, flaky skin from the cold, dry Winter months. I can tell the difference in my skin if I skip cleansing with the Clarisonic the next morning when applying my foundation. When I skip a cleansing session, my foundation application is not as smooth, and dry skin/flaking is very obvious. Due to the exfoliation, it also helps your skin to absorb your skincare products better. As any "educated esty" will tell you, good make-up application starts with good skin-care!

Here is a photo from the Clarisonic website, which was also featured on the product box. It clearly shows how the Clarisonic system removes dirt and make-up. Still not convinced? Ok, how about this...

After washing my face, I used the Clarisonic on the left side of my face only. I then applied toner onto two cotton rounds and using one for each side, swept them across my face. The cotton round on the left shows minimal residue after cleansing with the Clarisonic. The (brown) cotton round on the right shows much more residual make-up and dirt, even AFTER washing my face with Cetaphil gentle cleanser.

Before the Clarisonic

After the Clarisonic

For as long as I can remember, I've always had these red bumps on the back of my arms. I have a condition called "Keratosis Pilaris". In lament terms, my skin produces too much protein or "Keratin", which accumulates in the hair follicles and leads to these tiny red bumps. I've been using a special alpha-hydroxy acid lotion called "Amlactin" which has helped. However, Here are some before and after photos of my arm. The first skin photo is the "before", and the second photo is after using the Clarisonic Plus in conjunction with Amlactin (these photos were taken of the same arm, in the same lighting, and have not been altered or adjusted in any way). I've noticed a definite improvement and reduced redness... Which is good stuff if you ask me! ;)

All-in-all, I'd say eventhough the Clarisonic Plus is a bit pricey, if you have skin conditions or could stand to see yourself in softer skin (who doesn't), the Clarisonic is worth a shot. Plus, if you purchase it from QVC, you can return it within 30-days if you're not satisfied for any reason. What's not to love when you've got nothing to lose... except maybe a few dry patches?