When I received the Clarisonic Mia in the mail and used it for the first time, I was so quick to tell you about it, and squeal with glee at my super smooth skin and how my blackheads just literally fell out. So thrilled. Like a kid with a new toy.
Fortunately, I’m a little older and wiser than a kid with a new toy, so I held on to it, refusing to review it despite crossing the 14 day mark with still very happy results. I crossed the 30 day mark also with happy results. But I held back. And properly so. Before I tell you why I say so, let me tell you a little about the Clarisonic Mia and what it is.
This, my friends is a glorified face washing gadget. Haha… truth hurts a bit when said that way right? 😉 I’d put it on par with an electric toothbrush for it does roughly the same thing i.e takes the trouble of washing your face (or brushing teeth) out of your hands and puts it into a gadget. I must say however, that for a face washing gadget, this does the job very very well.
The Clarisonic Mia is the smaller travel version of the Clarisonic Plus Face and Body. You can purchase the larger version at our local Sephora stores. However, they don’t sell the Mia and so I picked mine up online. The Clarisonic Mia and Plus have international voltage charging systems so you can use them anywhere in the world. The Clarisonic Classic is calibrated to 120V only and you will need a voltage adapter. In my case, I only needed a regular travel adaptor for the plug head (US plug). The gadget itself is fine. So be sure you know your local electricity voltage supply so your gadget doesn’t blow up while charging 😛
How to use the Clarisonic Mia
The principle behind the Clarisonic is simple. A rotating and pulsing brush head that you run over your skin while it takes the job of washing and exfoliating your face out of your hands. A video I saw at Sephora recommended that you put a bit of pressure while running it over your skin. I will tell you that it will make your skin feel cleaner, but it will also make your skin feel more sensitive over time. So my suggestion is go just lightly place the bristles against your skin, do not press and run it over the skin. There are various brush heads available. The Clarisonic Mia comes with a Gentle brush head but there is also a Sensitive brush head available. Mia also comes in only 1 speed. I believe the others come with 2.
Using the gadget is simple. What I do is to use a foaming cleanser. Any one will do but I stick to a basic cleanser with no abrasive or deep cleansing properties. I use the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil Free Cleanser or the Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid cleanser. Both work well for me. Some people prefer a non foaming cleanser. Its up to you.
I lather it up, apply to my skin and then, place the head of the brush on my skin and switch on the gadget. The Mia is timed to go off after a minute. Now, this might seem like a short time, but it isn’t really. Its quite sufficient to run it over your whole face at least twice, with focus on certain areas you might like to focus on, before it stops. Do take note of this and don’t be like Xin who scrubbed her chin raw 😛
One point to note. Charging time each time, takes 16 hours. Crazy. Each charge can take you to about 20 minutes which is 20 uses based on 1 minute per use.
What I liked about using the Clarisonic Mia
Immediate results to be expected are very clean, smooth skin. You will be amazed at how clean your skin feels. Loose blackheads are dislodged, and some are loosened. Pores appear smaller, skin appears brighter. Its in one word – amazing! I loved it!
I was using it nightly for about a month and very happy with it. My newly cleaned skin seems to just drink up the serums and toners and moisturizers I was applying and I swear, helping them deliver better results than before. I loved it.
I let my sister try it and she loved it, because she has easily congested skin and she said that the Clarisonic helps decongest her skin and reduce the circumstances of blackheads, or at least loosen them. According to her, the Clarisonic helps her skin a lot.
Trouble in Paradise
However, after about 1.5 months, I realised I was starting to break out. That was about when I sent out my clarion call for help to counter a sudden break out. And after thinking over it for a bit, and doing a bit of research online, I decided to stop using the Clarisonic.
I remembered that Tine scrubbed her skin into flaky bits with her Clarisonic and quite opportunely, the ladies at Beaut.ie posted about their less than stellar experience with their Clarisonic Mia, experiencing breakouts after about 2 weeks of use. I took note of these.
My breakouts did not get better immediately when I stopped using it, but I did notice that I wasn’t getting anymore congestions, or clogged pores. This told me, I was reaching a turning point of my breakouts. Regular use of my Breakout Buster products brought things under control but I still had some trouble clearing up the chin area.
A week later, I busted out the Clarisonic again, and used it for the first time after 2 weeks. It cleared away 2 weeks worth of dead skin, cleaned up my pores and miraculously, my chin started to react with the doses of tea tree oil, and began to heal. So, now the Clarisonic was a saviour!
I didn’t leave it at that. No Siree! I started using the Clarisonic daily again. This time, it took me 2 weeks to notice that my pores would clog and spots would appear. Also, I noticed from my earlier exploits, that daily use was leaving my skin feeling rather sensitive around the cheek area. It struck me then, that this machine was exfoliating my skin daily. We aren’t advised to exfoliate or use a face scrub daily, so why was I doing so with this gadget?
I took it with me on vacation and while it did a great job keeping my skin clean from the daily pollution, I also noticed that daily use was causing me to break out a little. These breakouts were milder however, and I’m not sure if they were fully attributable to the Mia or to the weather and air quality where I was.
Moderation is Key
Now, I use the Clarisonic once or twice a week. I don’t find my skin getting unnaturally clogged anymore, and yet I get the nice clean feel of freshly scrubbed skin. For those of us with normal or combination skin, I believe this is the key. In fact, I’ve gone for a couple of weeks without using it and am not seeing adverse effects. But when I do use it, my skincare works better.
For those who have problems with their skin e.g. oily skin, clogged pores, breakouts, acne, sensitivity, using the Clarisonic daily may help because it will get rid of all that gunk and help your skin absorb your treatment skin care better, thereby helping your skin heal more quickly. However, once you get it to a comfortable level, I do think its best to scale back the use to 2-3 times a week.
This is of course, purely based on my experience with this. If you do use it everyday and have done so for months on end with no problems, by all means go right ahead 🙂
Should I get the Clarisonic?
I can’t answer this question for you. Its a pricey investment. The Clarisonic Mia costs US$149 when purchased online and the Clarisonic Plus Face and Body retails at RM849 at Sephora locally. If you have problematic skin, perhaps this will help you. I can’t guarantee it, but I believe that the exfoliation does help skincare penetrate better, so if you are using treatment skincare, I believe it helps a lot.
For those with no problems, its not a bad thing either. It keeps the skin very clean, and flings out blackheads like a pro. Its a great feeling, and I also believe it helps boost the efficacy of my skincare, whichever one I’m using at the moment. Serums and creams always seem to absorb better after a brush over with the Clarisonic.
But whether you NEED it? I’d say probably not, to be perfectly honest. If you already use exfoliators or face scrubs regularly, or perhaps you use a face brush or face cloths, you probably do not need the Clarisonic. Yeah, its a fun gadget to have around but its not a necessity.
If however, you have it and you love it, its always a good thing 🙂 I have it, I don’t hate it and I don’t regret my purchase. I only wish I knew earlier that it could cause things like breakouts and over-sensitivity if used too regularly. And now you do 🙂
In a nutshell
I can’t summarize this 😛 I suggest you take the time to read the whole post. But a quick summary would be that the Clarisonic Mia is a very handy little gadget that cleans and exfoliates your skin very well, leaving pores feeling and looking cleaner. It helps my skincare absorb better and it reduces the incidences of blackheads. However, for myself, regular use will result in breakouts on my skin. It might be due to over-exfoliating. My personal recommendation is to use this just once or twice a week if you have normal skin but if you have problematic skin, it might help to use it more often as it seems to help skincare absorb better into clean skin.
Pros: Cleans the pores out like a pro, Skin feels very clean and skincare absorbs better after use
Cons: Pricey, Breaks my skin out with regular use, Skin can feel a little sensitive with regular use, Mia is unavailable in Malaysia but Plus is at Sephora
Have you been thinking about getting the Clarisonic? Would my experience change your mind? 🙂 Or perhaps you already have it and you love it – feel free to share your love for it too. After all, one woman’s skin love is another’s skin disaster 😀
Paris B
My Clarisonic Mia was purchased online for US$149. It comes in different colours and with a magnetic charger and has universal voltage. Outside of the USA you will need a travel plug adaptor for it to charge.
I have the Sigma Face Cleansing tool (which is the cheaper version of this) and I experienced the same thing as you! (i.e. fantastic results initially but started to break out after a couple of months’ use). I attributed it to over-exfoliation, and also I had doubts about the hygiene of the brush after a few months.. how do you cleanse your brush head?
Hi Cikfer, so its not just the Clarisonic’s fault then? Sorry to hear you had the same experience I did (which isn’t one I’d wish on anyone LOL!) I’m not sure about the Sigma brush heads but Clarisonic brush heads are recommended to be changed every 3 months, like a toothbrush 😀 To clean mine, I just detach it from the holder after every use and rinse it under warm water, just as I would a toothbrush. I think that’s sufficient actually.
Tine very kindly loaned me hers since it’s been ascertained that I don’t have cooties and cooties isn’t contagious 😛 (also because she loves me so :P)
Bearing in mind my skin type and Tine’s are very different, I proceeded with A LOT of caution. (I’ve got dry to very dry and sensitive skin and hardly any break outs even during the dratted TTOTM) I used it only once a week and only in the evenings. The first couple of weeks, it was fantastic! Like you, serums and moisturisers are absorbed well. Pores looked smaller and the pesky blackheads on my nose seemed to have melted away. On the third week (i.e. the third time I used it), I was greeted with tiny red spots upon completion of cleansing. I stopped immediately; cleansed the brushes and returned everything to Tine.
My thoughts on this? It’s too expensive a tool to “buy and try”. If whatever you have seems to be working well for you, stick with it. Upon getting the spots, I thought it was such a gimmicky product, to be honest. I’m harsh on tools that way 😛
Just once a week and you break out? That’s so strange! But yes, its too expensive to “experiment” with it and yet, for some, it might just be what their skin needs 🙂
Haha, am I going to have to run for cover [from all the fans] if I admit that I’m afraid of the Clarisonic? 😛 I know, I know, they do make heads for sensitive skin and so fourth – but I just can’t imagine letting that thing have a go at my face!
I’ll be erring on the side of caution with this one; breakouts and oversensitivity just seem like too much of a gamble for my super-sensitive skin 😉
I personally do not think this is ideal for those with very sensitive skin despite the availability of sensitive brush heads. But then you have great skin anyway Rae, you don’t need this tool!
Haha, thanks, Paris! I’ve actually been breaking out recently (LOL, this is what I get for colouring my face in with eyeliner), but I’m pretty happy with my current skin regimen. And hey, why fix it if it isn’t broken, right? 😛
Eeks! Has your face not yet healed from your mask? (awesome one btw) and yes I have to agree. Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke!
No! 🙁 Still getting through the last few blemishes – hoping it’ll all be cleared up soon!
I hope so too Rae! Just in time for your next mask? 😀
LOL! Oh, one of these days. One of these days…
I’m sorry to say but this is something I absolutely won’t use. I seriously don’t understand the raves…brushing with this daily is killing your skin softly if I may put it and if you use it moderately, why bother with such an expensive gadget. I’ll park my $ elsewhere, something that promises lifting would make a better investment.
Psst by the way…an electric toothbrush can cleanse as well, just that it’s small. So you need something for your nose or chin area, that’ll do too but just don’t scrub hard or do it daily.
Good tip on the electric toothbrush for spot cleaning! 😀 I have to admit I fell for the darned hype but fortunately weekly uses does seem to be quite beneficial for me skin since I do wear makeup for most part of the week, so thankfully its not all that money gone down the drain 😛
I’ve had the exact same experience! It was amazing for about a month and a half, then all hell broke loose. I’ve done the same thing as you and have scaled down to once a week or every other day at MOST. Good to know I’m not the only one who experienced this, but now I sort of regret getting the Plus as I agree, it’s not a necessary device.
Oh no! You too Peach? You know, I can’t seem to find anything about our experiences online. Its always most people raving about it, hence my decision to pick it up to see if it was all that. Sigh… Oh well, I’ll keep using it weekly now I have it. It seems to help with that periodic use thing.
Can’t bring myself to spend so much on something like this, which is why I decided to try out a cheaper dupe, the Sirius Skinsonic (Google it), retailing for US$50 – but it’s also unavailable in Malaysia (that I know of). Nope, haven’t gotten it yet – bought via preorder spree on Lowyat.net forums.
Hope that will work for you Synical 🙂 Technically if it does the same thing, and if you don’t have problematic skin, then you probably don’t need it anyway 😛 But as its not as pricey as the Clarisonic perhaps it would be a good experiment.
wow! that’s really helplful! i must say when i’m having thoughts of buying pricey things like this, i consider reviews about it first because hey, i don’t want to invest into something that isn’t much needed.. so thanks for this amazing review!
Sorry it put you off Jen 🙂 But yes, for pricey purchases, it pays to read as many reviews as you can before you make up your mind if you need it. I don’t know how I only ended up reading the positive ones who rave about brighter, clearer skin but I put it down to different skin types 🙂
oh no it’s okay!i’ve read a post from ms. nikki of amw about skinsonic(the same thing as mia but cheaper and i think would be a great deal because it comes w/ different brush heads for different skin types 🙂 anyway she’s on the trying-out so there’s no review yet.. 🙂
Haha, based on your review, I decided to grab one as well. I also bought the deep pore brush, which seems to be softer than the sensitive brush (the one came with the package). I have been using it daily, only at night and I also make sure I don’t press the Clarisonic hard against my face. It has done so much for my pores and flaky skin, I don’t think I can live without it now!
Whew! For a moment I thought you were going to hate me 😛 But I’m so glad it works for you Natalie – that’s proof that its not the gadget, its us and our different skin types! 😀
Judging for the comments on here, I might be the odd woman out, but I seriously do love my Mia. I have oily acne-prone skin and I use retinoids on my face on a nightly basis, so the Mia really helps buff off all the dead skin cells making my skin look smooth and more even-toned. Since I have been using the Mia for the past 2 months, my usual break outs have significantly reduced and my pore size have appeared smaller as all the gunk in it has been cleaned out (hoorayy!!). Even my facialist commented on how glowy my skin looked when I went to see her after about a month of using the Mia. The Mia is really just a miracle in a brush for me. If my Mia ever breaks down, I would definitely splurge and repurchase it.
I love my Mia too! I used to get little bumps around my mouth, chin and cheeks and now no more!
I’m glad you shared your experience with us. Heaven knows, the negativity was pulling us down 😛 But I don’t hate my Clarisonic, I just didn’t expect to break out from it. But perhaps I experienced this because I don’t have oily or acne prone skin? I do notice that those who have oily skin report better results from using the Clarisonic so perhaps its better for them?
I’ve exactly the same view with you. When I first using it, many compliments about how clear & glow my face was….but it breaks me out too, and I started to develop red patches, I stopped using it for 2 weeks, it heals. Now I use it alternate day, and it’s working fine, pores are less noticable, and clearer face !
Oh no you too Faye? Now, why haven’t we read all this before eh? I only came across glowing reviews 🙁
In my opinion, I will not invest in Clarosonic face brush. This because I personally feel that it is stripping off our first layer of skin and made it sensitive and prone to break out. Plus, there is no more protective layer of skin thus expose to much sensitive layer skin.
I also believed, when you have acne prone face and you have blemishes while you are using the brush, you will spread the area to other part of your face thus agravated in further. I believe that is not what every one want to hear.
Therefore, I will never encourage people to use this brush.
I agreed with Sesame, that if you want to get rid of black head, you can always use an electronic toothbrush where it is much cheaper.
I too dont understand what the raves about by the beauty gurus in the blogospere.
To be fair, I don’t think it strips off the skin per se. It works pretty much like an exfoliator so it removes the dead skin but doesn’t necessarily strip it off. I have come across a lot of people who have acne prone skin who have benefited from using this so I do think it may help them because of the deep cleansing effect but for those who don’t have problems with oily skin then it may result in something like my experience 🙂
it is NOT an exfoliator, it is a cleanser, therefore ut does not take off a layer of skin
I had similar reactions to you too. I went from using it daily, to twice a day, to every alternate day and now to once or twice a week. It’s been quite a journey finding the right usage for my skin.
I have cleaned the brush head by soaking in warm soapy water and then rinsing off. I need to get a new brush head soon and it’s so expensive in Sephora MY. I will probably get the delicate brush head next because it’s not as abrasive as the sensitive head.
Yikes! I thought it was going so well for you too! Maybe a change in brush head might help
My problem wasn’t so much the initial breakouts but the dryness and flaky skin on my face. Not to mention that it felt tight and painful too. Thankfully, my skin has responded better by cutting down the usage. I keep experiencing different results across the months and didn’t really keep track, which is why I have not gotten around to writing about it.
I caved one day and bought one for myself, Paris. Thanks for your comprehensive review, I’ll be sure not to go crazy using it when it does arrive. 🙂
LOL Oh dear, yes yes don’t go crazy the first time and maybe don’t use it everyday either unless you have very oily skin 🙂
I was also kind of bummed that they lowered the price to $119 recently! I’m oily, but I guess I’ll try using it every other day first and go from there. Thanks Paris! 🙂
i am still using it daily now but results seemed to have been stagnant. it does not brighten my skin up more, nor cause me any horrible breakouts. but the most significant result definitely has to be less congested skin.
That’s good to know Xin! But you don’t have oily skin! So that’s bucking the trend 😛
Wow. The famed Clarisonic does not work miracles, as promised, hmmm. Well, currently my skin is at a level when I’m comfortable with. However, do you think that it will enlarge pores after prolonged use? My pores are huge. >.<
No, its not a miracle worker at all for me. I don’t think it enlarges pores. If anything, my pores always look smaller after use because all the gunk is flung out 😛
I’ve been following your blog for a while but this is the first time I’m leaving a comment. Thanks for this post! It will surely make people think twice about rushing out to splurge on such an item! Frankly, I also think exfoliating every day is too much. At one point, I was hooked on cleansers with exfoliating properties (such as AHA, BHA etc) and I was using a scrub at the same time, and now my face has become super-sensitive because of all that over-exfoliation! So I’ve cut down drastically on exfoliation, but can’t seem to get my face back to its “normal” state — now a lot of serums and creams make my face either red or sting slightly, even very mild ones. So it’s been a hard lesson learnt about over-exfoliation!
Hi Polly, thanks for coming by! I’m sorry to hear of your bad experience with over exfoliating your skin. You probably didn’t give it time to regenerate and its always a lot harder to treat a problem after it happens than preventing it right? I hope you get your skin down to a level you are happy with soon.
Thanks for the throughout review. I have aways been hesitant about the Clarisonic. Sounds great at the beginning but am not sure all that exfoliation is good for skin. If you strip too many dead skin cells, it’s just gonna cause all sorts of problems.. The key is moderation, I agree, but then I’d rather stick to a good chemical exfoliant.
Moderation is key to everything I agree. I now alternate between using the Clarisonic and a physical scrub and things are looking up! 😀
Thank you for your review! I thought my skin seemed worse after several days of using that. I broke out but thought maybe it was due to purging. And I know people will laugh at me for being silly enough to be sucked into the hype, but that’s how it is with beauty products, isn’t it? Your heart just rules your mind! And sometimes, even when the reviews are 50-50, if I got it into my head that I “need” it, there’s simply no way of getting out of it (until maybe the next item that comes along and catches my fancy!). I stopped using the Clarisonic out of pure laziness (oh, initially it was to give my skin rest, but then I simply “moved on” LOL), but after reading your review, I’m gonna charge it up again and use it weekly at least. So thank you for this review!
AT, you hit the nail on the head 😛 That truly IS the way with beauty products. We never know which will be the one until we try them and if along the way we pick up some duds, I guess that’s life. But yes, do use it at least weekly. At least you don’t feel so bad for shelling out for it 😉
Been reading all the comments and I’m surprised how many people think negatively of this. I bought the Clarisonic Plus and it worked wonders on my skin! I have combination skin (normal / oily) and it’s been great at clearing up my face. My pigmentations lightened, no more uneven skin tone and even my pores got less noticeable. Maybe it’s because of the better absorption of my serums… And I’ve been using it daily for the last 2 months, without any breakouts whatsoever. Hope I didn’t just jinx myself!
I went through a stage of skin allergy early this year and consulted a skin specialist. She recommended chemical peeling and laughed at the idea of exfoliating too much. Yeah, and that came from a reputable doctor – a specialist at that. She said only beauticians without medical degree would tell you exfoliating daily or doing chemical peeling every 2 months will strip off the protective layers of our skin. So who would you believe? I asked another doctor friend of mine and he agreed with her.
Any thoughts on that?
Doctors and beauticians are always at loggerheads from past experience. I think it should be a case of do what feels best for your skin. Each one of our genetic makeup is unique and each of us has different needs and issues with our skin.
Great that the Clarisonic works for you but I just wouldn’t call it THE miracle product, just like I am reluctant to bestow the word ‘miracle’ on any product for that matter.
Great to know it works for you Lily. A couple of other readers have also commented about how wonderful it has been for them, and I think that’s great. Perhaps our skin conditions are all different, hence the varying results we get. Weekly use leaves my skin alright. Its the daily use that killed it. As for the exfoliating bit, not being a doctor nor a beautician I don’t think I could comment on the differences in opinion. I do think peels or exfoliants are good for those who have skin that regenerates quickly or which are oily or have problems but not perhaps if skin is at a level that is considered normal. But I do think that regular use of chemicals or retinols can result in skin sensitivity because sometimes, we may not be aware of just how much we are putting on the skin.
The Mia costs USD119 now. The price dropped recently, but not the replacement heads though. Has your MIA from kissandmakeny arrived yet, Paris?
Darn that price drop 😛 And no, I haven’t received mine yet but I’m attributing it to the festive break here so I’ll give it a week or so. Will update on Facebook when it arrives.