I'm going to attempt to make this short and sweet while keeping it informative. Let's hope I can make it!
My Skin & Concerns:
I have sensitive, oil, acne prone skin that in the winter likes to also be dry. Fun huh? Not only do I spend my days combating an oily forehead and chin area, during the winter I have to try and make sure I remember to moisturize while I try desperately to get rid of my acne. Acne which usually leaves me with at least some scarring because whether I pick at it or not I usually end up with dark spots.
I'd heard so much about the Clarisonic, about how it was the holy grail product for so many of the women whose blogs I follow, but for me there were three mains things I wanted it to do:
1) Clear up my acne
2) Remove the small bumps underneath the skin on my forehead and around both sides of my chin
3) Reduce the appearance of the dark hyperpigmentation spots on my face.
My Purchase: The Clarisonic Mia2 ($149, Sephora)
Review:
What do I think about the Clarisonic Mia2? Ultimately I'd have to say that while it's a nice tool to use to make sure my skin is really clean I don't think it's my holy grail. At no point did I think it significantly reduced the amount of breakouts I had - except maybe on my left cheek area and that's mostly a matter of opinion. I can't say that it removed the bumps on my forehead either which is more than a little annoying, but I guess not totally a surprise. What did it do that I liked you asked? Well the skin around my acne, ie the rest of my face, did feel really smooth. And I think it did a good job of helping what breakouts I did have heal faster, which while isn't perfection isn't half bad either.
I ended up keeping my Clarisonic Mia because I am hoping that maybe with time things will continue to get better. I think my skin at the moment, which is a few months from when the shots below were taken, is definitely better but I can't just attribute that to the Clarisonic. I've started taking regular vitamins and birth control to try and mitigate some of the worst of it.
Results:
I initially used my Clarisonic with the Refreshing Gel Cleanser (sample size) it came with and I like it. It didn't have an obvious smell, just something fresh and clean, and I felt like my face didn't feel stripped or 'squeaky clean' afterward. The first image was taken in my bathroom after using it for the first time. The next four are weekly updates, each one showing the separate sections of my face, which while completely mortifying does a better job showing the areas where I most needed improvement.
When I first started using my Clarisonic I thought I was going to escape the purging phase but NOT that totally kicked in the 2nd week. As I mentioned before I thought the Clarisonic helped these new eruptions heal faster - I continued to use my regular Keihls products - but it was absolutely no fun to leave through those days. To protect what little dignity I have left, pics are after the jump.
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| After 1st Use |
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 2 |
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| Week 3 |
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| Week 4 |
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