Hi there!
I've been using the Clarisonic since the day it came out. I have the Clarisonic Plus for face & body, although I rarely use it for the body. I feel that it is well worth the price & will never ever go a day without it. It does make a huge difference in your skin's appearance & most definitely the pore size.
My pores used to be rather large & noticeable. I just assumed it was hereditary because my mother has large pores as well. When we apply skin care & make products, it all gets trapped in out pores. Manual cleansing, no matter what cleanser you use, can not remove all of the years of build up that gets trapped in our pores. The clarisonic moves something to the effect of 300 times per second, getting deep in pores and effectively removing all of the years of build up. It is six times more effective than manual cleansing. You will notice a difference after your first use. After continued use, you will notice your pores start to shrink. I would say after a few months of use, my pores were non-existent. They shrunk back to their original size & I now have the skin I did as a child.
The Clarisonic is very different than the other competitor's versions. First, the Clarisonic is incredibly gently on skin. It does not revolve/rotate so it does not tug on skin causing wrinkles. The Clarisoc has patented technology which means no one else can come close to its technology.
If price is holding you back, you can start off with the Mia (the travel size version) which is essentially the same as the Clarisonic Plus except for a few timing options & you can't use the Mia with the body brush (as stated before, I rarely use it on my body).
If you have acne prone skin, I've heard that some people may have flare ups in the beginning. My advice is to hang in there & keep using it. Just like after you get a facial or apply a mask, you may initially have a flare up because all of the bacteria & gunk is being released from the skin. Keep using it & your skin will clear up.
The Clarisoc also gently exfoliates the dead skin cells every time you use it. It is safe for daily use twice a day. By exfoliating the skin, & cleansing all the gunk in your pores, skin care products are able to actually absorb/penetrate into the skin rather than sitting on top of a layer of dead skin. You will notice a difference in your skin care products effectiveness, in my opinion & though my experience.
Another thing to consider is using a gentle cleanser that doesn't strip the skin. The more you strip the skin of oil by using harsh cleansers, the more oil your skin will produce. I am currently using Philosophy's Purity Made Simple and switch off between Bare Minerals Daily Cleanser. Both cleansers are safe for the removal of eye makeup. You can even open your eyes during cleansing without irritation. When money was tight, I used to use Oil of Olay's Foaming Face Wash (sometimes I would even purchase the Walgreens, CVS, or Walmart versions) for sensitive skin. Just make sure it is the cleanser that also removes eye makeup.
Though Clarisonic doesn't recommend using the unit on the eye area, everyone I know who uses it, including myself, cleanses their eye's with the Clarisonic. Your eyelashes don't fall out, nor does it irritate my eyes.
I purchased 2 Clarisonics. One for myself & one for my son. I purchased the 1st unit at Ulta. The second at QVC. QVC has easy pay options in which if you pay with a credit card, you can break up the payments. The unit will be delivered to you immediately, & you then continue to make monthly payments without interest. QVC also includes a bunch of accessories & additional products & the price is actually cheaper than Ulta.
Please feel invited to PM me if you have any questions.
Thanks for your time & attention. Good Luck
Janice
