but *which* Clarisonic?

January 22, 2013 7:54 AM

I want a Clarisonic - I think I want one with a body brush, which as I understand it, means the Plus or Pro. I plan on purchasing through Amazon. What do I need to know? Any recommendations?

I'm currently using an Oil of Olay brush, but I hear the Clarisonic is so much better.

posted by needlegrrl to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 answers total)

I have the Mia. I think that's the cheaper one. The brush heads are expensive, so you'll want to consider that too.
posted by discopolo at 8:00 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Buy the cheapest of either+brush that you can find.

The plus is an older model, stores are transitioning to pro. Pro has an extra speed, but that doesn't really matter.

Something like the Oil of Olay brush is completely different from the clarisonic- Those tools are moving/rotating brush heads that use the manual brushing motion to clean your skin. They don't have the sonic technology that makes clarisonic so expensive. Whether this justifies the cost is up to you.
posted by sarahnicolesays at 8:02 AM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Oh, I use 2 brush heads w/ the Mia. They're the same type but one is just for my face and the other is for my body.
posted by discopolo at 8:02 AM on January 22

2nding buy the cheap one.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:27 AM on January 22

I moved on to the Mia after the Olay brush, and the Mia worked much better for my skin, so the upgrade can definitely be worth it. I've used the Mia as a body brush with a separate brush, but it has a one minute time limit, and you have to turn it on again several times over the course of a shower. If you're going to use it mainly as a body brush, it might be worth getting the Pro. OTOH, I really enjoy the portability and travel friendly nature of the Mia, and it is considerably cheaper.
posted by MFZ at 8:33 AM on January 22

I use the mia also as a body brush - just on my chest/shoulders. I suppose it is a little more inconvenient than having a larger one with a larger time.
posted by quodlibet at 8:48 AM on January 22

I bought a Mia online (they are twice the price in the UK so I used my Paypal money and got one from the US) and what you need to expect is that your skin will get a bit worse before it gets better - I've stopped using it for a while as it tended to trigger my skin-picking and I wasn't sure if it was helping my skin overall. It does, however, remove heavy duty foundation extremely well - the amount of yuck on the brush afterward was astonishing.

I found brush heads cheaply on eBay, but 'cheap' might mean relative to UK prices again.
posted by mippy at 8:54 AM on January 22

I've had my Plus for about three years now, and I've bought Mias for three people as gifts. I really don't think anything beyond the Mia is necessary. The additional speeds do nothing for me. If you have a serious skin condition that the Pro would relieve, maybe consider it; but if you have normal skin, you don't need the specialized body brush. Whatever you decide, it's a great investment, particularly if you have dry skin or wear foundation/concealer/powder regularly. It'd be nice if the brush heads were cheaper, but the price is worth not having flaky, itchy, sore dry skin all winter!
posted by Fui Non Sum at 8:58 AM on January 22

MeFi Coincidence: I'm delivering a plastic-marking machine for a second production line of the Mia units this week. We're making them as fast as we can !
posted by Kakkerlak at 9:41 AM on January 22

Just FYI, I have been researching buying a Mia for a while and according to some of the reviews on Amazon, Amazon is not an authorized seller so Clarisonic won't honor the warranty on products purchased through them. I don't know if that is true or not but it's worth looking into.
posted by apricot at 10:20 AM on January 22

I have the Clarisonic Mia, and I find it's plenty big enough to meet my needs. I use it mainly for my face, but it's big emough to do my neck, chest, and back of my shoulders as well. I say start with the Mia, and upgrade later if you feel the need to. Clarisonic products are like the Apple of skincare, so you can always
resell later and recoup some costs if needed.
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 2:54 PM on January 22