Clarisonic Mia 2: My First Impression

I've been meaning to try this for awhile because it has so many great reviews. Many people have noticed that their skin texture improved and they broke out less. I have only been using it for few days now but I will be reviewing it after 6 months.

It cleans 6 times better than your hands.  It also gets rid of dead skin cells and removes debris that was clogging up the pores. As a result, it improves your skin in the following ways: 

• Makes skin smoother
• Helps reduce signs of aging 
• Reduces pore size
• Reduces the chances of breakouts and acne

MIA2 features:

• Two speeds
• Pulsing T-Timer for 60-second cleanse 
• Improved user interface indicating speed and charge functions 
• Two-year warranty

Clarisonic Mia 2: What's included in the Box

• Clarisonic Mia2 Brush
• Charger
• Sensitive Brush Head
• 1 oz of Refreshing Gel Cleanser
• Protective Travel Case

Pricing

I got Mia2 ($180) from Sephora but there's also Mia ($139) & Aria ($225):

*All prices shown above are in Candian Dollars 

• Clarisonic Mia(TM) Skin Cleansing System

• Clarisonic Mia2(TM) Skin Cleansing System

• Clarisonic Aria™ Sonic Skin Cleansing System

Which one to choose?

Here's how each differ from Mia2: 

• Mia2 is much easier to handle. Unlike Mia, Mia2 also has 2 different speeds and a buzzer to tell you when to move on to next part of your face.  

• Aria has 3 different speeds (Mia2 has 2). Unlike Mia2, it also has battery indicator light and USB charger. 

It really depends on your preferences. Personally, I chose Mia2 instead of Mia because I like the buzzing feature it has and I heard it's easier to handle than Mia. 

As for Aria, I didn't buy that one because the additional features don't seem to be worth the extra $50. I should be fine with the 2 different speeds. I also knew I would barely use the USB charger and I'm indifferent to the battery indicator light. It doesn't really have importance to me. 

Replacement Brush Head

It is suggested that you replace the brush head every 3 to 4 months. If you don't like the sensitive brush head that it came with, then you can look through the other brush others. They have a variety of them depending on your skin type. You can get a replacement brush head for $31 or get twin-pack for about $49.

Initial Breakouts

Many people go through the purging stage: all the dirt and debris that was trapped in your pores comes on the surface of your skin, so you break out. This normally lasts few weeks but it can be as long as a month or 2 for some people.

My first time using it

I read the instructions and charged it for about 24 hours before using it.

I actually got to use it on Saturday night. I followed the instructions:

• I removed eye makeup using my makeup remover
• I wet my face and brush head with warm water; then applied Fresh Soy Face Cleanser on the brush head but you can also apply it on your face instead of the brush head.
• I selected the normal speed and turned it on
• I placed it on my face (starting forehead) and moved it in circular motions. It will buzz to move on to next area. 
• Forehead (20 seconds)
• Nose and chin (20 seconds)
• Cheeks (10 seconds each cheek)
• It turned off automatically after a minute

My first impression

It's fairly easy to use. I used normal speed and it didn't irritate my skin at all. It removed my face makeup effectively. My face felt so clean after. I did feel a bit of discomfort at first but then I was fine. I think it was just something new to me but then I got used to it.

I was a little worried that it mat irritate my combination skin. I have a bit of redness on my nose and cheeks but it didn't irritate my skin at all.

How I incorporated it in my skincare routine

I've been using mostly Lush products in the past few months. Click here to read more about my skin care routine before the Clarisonic.

Changes I've done: 

• I use LUSH Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser only in the morning because it's very gentle and moisturizing but it doesn't remove makeup effectively. So now I use the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser for night time with my Mia2 and all my makeup is removed with the exception of eye makeup (I simply remove it with makeup remover before).

• I stopped using SEPHORA COLLECTION Precision Pore Cleansing Pad, which is a good tool that you can get for about $8 CAD from Sephora but it obviously doesn't clean as well as the Clarisonic. 

Frequency
I've been using this twice daily but some people say they use it only once a day or every other day. I previously used SEPHORA COLLECTION Precision Pore Cleansing Pad twice daily, so it was easy to incorporate the Mia2 in my routine.

My expectations

In the past few months, I noticed I've been breaking out a lot though, so I'm hoping this will help me out with that.