Update, Clarisonic Plus

I'm sorry my blog followers.  Clearly blogging hasn't been my priority for the past year or two.  I've been working a lot and getting tired too easily.  But I'd love to keep this blog as a journal, just writing about my day-to-day life's ups and downs experiences.

First, I'm a little excited to talk about my purchase of the Clarisonic Plus system I did during the summer.  So a few months ago, I stopped by one of my local Shoppers Drug Mart - a drug store with a luxury beauty department and while browsing, I realized they started to carry the Clarisonic systems.  My Clarisonic Classic was still working at the time, so it didn't really matter to me that Shoppers sold it.  But coincidentally, my charging base stopped working one day so I called up Clarisonic and they couldn't do anything about it since it was over the warranty period.  So I wanted to get the charging base, and I did consider purchasing it on website.  But honestly, the base costs $50 USD and with shipping and handling on top of that it'll probably come to over $70 CAD equivalent.  So I decided to look into purchasing a brand new Clarisonic Plus which then came to my mind that I could buy it from Shoppers and redeem my points.  Now you might be thinking I'm just saving a few bucks from redeeming my points, but coincidentally, Shoppers have been promoting their Senior's Day 20% off on Thursday.  Depending on the store, the age to be considered a senior varies and it happened to be 60 years of age for my local Shoppers.  Now, here's when my mom - mind you, who is a senior - comes into play.  I had my mom pay for the Clarisonic Plus.  The system originally costs $265 before tax, with 20% off and $85 worth redemption points, my Clarisonic ended costing around $150 CAD after tax.  Awesome right?

Review: Clarisonic Classic Sonic Skin Cleansing System

I bought my Clarisonic Classic back in January of 2010.  And yes, I still have the box that it came in with, just so I can take pictures and do a review on it.  =\  I know there are tons of reviews on Clarisonic systems, but I have one, so I might as well add one extra review to the thousands that are out there.  I initially wanted the Clarisonic Plus, which included an exfoliating body function, but apparently, using a normal brush if just like using the exfoliating body brush - the only difference is the surface area it covers.  Back then, in-store Sephora in Canada only carried the Clarisonic Classic, so Clarisonic was pretty new to Canada.

Features:
- It's a cordless cleansing system that has a built-in rechargeable battery
- You can immerse this in water
- With the use of a facial cleanser, it removes up to 6x more makeup than manually doing so
- Removing more dirt and makeup, and gently exfoliating your skin can help your skin absorb your moisturizer better, thus healthier for the skin
- Clarisonic Classic includes a cradle charger
- Two speed settings - normal and low
- 1 button for ON/OFF
- Uses a T-TIMER to keep track how long to spend cleansing each area of the face
- System comes a new sensitive brush head and three 1 oz trial sizes of cleansers - refreshing gel, gentle hydro and nourishing care
- Has a 2-year warranty

Function:
To change speed settings, just hold the button for 3 seconds until you hear 3 beeps.  If the 3 beeps are ascending, it means it's been changed to normal speed.  The 3 beeps are descending means it's been changed to low speed.
It has a timer that is set to clean 20 seconds each for the forehead and nose/chin, and 10 seconds on each cheek.  Their recommended way is to start on forehead, and after you hear a beeping signal along with a pause, you move on to the next area of your face.  So basically, with this factory default setting, you'd be cleaning your face in 1 minute.  However, you can change the settings so that you'd be cleaning your face in 2 minutes instead.  So instead of 20 seconds each on the forehead and nose/chin, you'd spend 40 seconds on each area; and 20 seconds on each cheek.  You can also choose to not use the T-TIMER feature and not be restricted to a time-frame to cleanse each area of your face.  To change this setting, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds until you hear the beeping signal corresponding to the setting you want.  If you hear one long beep and 2 short beeps, then you've changed it to the 2 min setting with the use of the T-TIMER feature.  And with just one long beep, it's the 2 min setting with no T-TIMER.  And the one long and one short beep is the 1 min setting with the T-TIMER.

Application:
I prefer the low, just a personal preference.  And because 2 minutes feels too long, I set mine at 1 minute.  Don't press to hard with the system on to your skin because then it won't cleanse your face that well.  On some days, I use my Clarisonic in the morning and at night.  On other days, I use it only at night.  However, I do find that using my Clarisonic too often does result in a more oily face.

Packaging:
The Clarisonic Classic Handle doesn't feel flimsy, so you don't get that feeling where you drop it and it'll shatter.  Though I do feel it's on the heavier side - probably because of the built-in battery.
Personally, I like the cradle charger.  I know the Mia uses some sort of magnetic charger, which is more convenient for traveling uses.  But individuals like myself that don't go out on trips too often, I find the cradle charger saves a lot of counter space in the bathroom.  It takes up less surface area that way.  Plus, even if I do take my Clarisonic Classic with me on vacation trips, I find that one full charge can last me at least 2 weeks - considering I use it day and night.
As for the box packaging it came with, there's not much for me to say about it.  I don't love the packaging, nor do I hate it.  I feel indifferent to it. 

Cost:
I don't quite remember how much it was.  It's definitely over $200 CAD, even after using the Sephora 10% discount.

Thought / Results:
Overall, I like my Clarisonic.  I do feel my skin is softer after cleansing my face and before I apply any skincare products on - at least softer than washing my face using my hands.  It requires using a light hand when rotating it around your face, if you press too hard, it won't do as good of a job on cleansing.  However, I do find that my Clarisonic worked the best in the first few weeks or first month I got it.  After a while, it seems like it doesn't cleanse my face as well anymore.  Even after changing the brush, I feel it doesn't work quite as well as when I first bought it.
It's suppose to reduce the size of my pores, unfortunately, my pores seem to be the same size as before I used the Clarisonic.  My pores aren't huge, but I've seen people who such small pores that they're not noticeable, and I was hoping the Clarisonic could achieve that effect for me.
But I do feel that my moisturizers and other skincare products have taken a better effect on my skin.  It is even more noticeable during the winter, where my skin would used to have dry patches - i.e. cheeks, nose, area between nose and mouth - these areas no longer appear dry during the cold winter months.
After a few months of using the Clarisonic, I found out to clean the brush head and take it apart, the best way is to put the clear plastic cap on and twist the brush head out.  So for those of you who already have a Clarisonic, note to yourself the proper way of removing your Clarisonic brush head.  Don't break your valued $200 Clarisonic!

Product: Clarisonic Classic Sonic Skin Cleansing System
Rating: 4.5 / 5

Pros:
- Better absorption of skincare products
- Skin feels softer
- Cleaner face - not as many breakouts
- Great gentle exfoliator

Cons:
- My pores haven't shrunken after using the Clarisonic Classic
- I'd think the bristles can be harsh on some individual's sensitive skin
- You can really unnoticeable press too hard on the system onto your face when cleansing, so it's hard to keep a "light-hand" to know it's doing its job properly