How do you care for your skin? Some people habitually slather on expensive creams and get facials. Others, like me, are lucky if they remember to swipe a wet washcloth over their face before bed.
For those between the two extremes there is the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush. The hand-held device, powered by a rechargeable battery, uses "sonic oscillation" technology (read: whirring soft bristles) to deep-clean your face. If you can afford the ticket price of $195--and have a good chunk of time to spare--it could become part of your daily scrub.
I was skeptical. But the brush's claim to have been created by the primary inventor of the Sonicare toothbrush was intriguing enough to give it a shot. Porcelain skin, sexy decollete ... here I come.
The obstacle was plowing through the brush's 12-page user's guide. Yikes. I finally had a handle on its use and followed the recommendations for first-timers.
I removed my eye makeup and smothered my face and neck with the gooey, Clarisonic-brand facial cleanser included in the kit. Switching the brush on, I caressed my forehead with it in small circular motions, much how dentists recommend you brush your teeth. Surprisingly, it didn't tickle or prick. The timer beeped, warning me to move on to my cheeks and then my nose, mouth and neck, before the brush shut off.
Was one minute up already? It didn't last long, but after rinsing my face with water I felt results. My skin tingled, as if it had been struck by a blast of cool air. And I could see dirt on the brush head--proof that my pores got a bit of a cleaning.
The brush's maker, Pacific Bioscience Laboratories Inc., recommends you use it every day. Chances are that's the only way you'll notice a visible difference. But for those accustomed to a markedly more lax approach to skincare, like me, even occasional use should help.
Just don't use it too infrequently. You don't want to have to re-read that user's guide.
Available at Nordstrom and Sephora stores, and at clarisonic.com.