If you haven’t come across the Clarisonic yet – be prepared to be wowed! And if you have already got one, then I’m sure you will be breathless with wonder and happiness, as the reviews speak for themselves. This amazing new sonic cleansing device has very few negative comments. Mostly they’re all glowing, just like their users’ freshly cleaned skin.
But the big question so many of us are asking who haven’t yet bought one is, “Which Clarisonic should I buy?”
So to help answer that question, I’m going to do a fairly indepth but concise review of all the features. Is this possible? Indepth AND concise? I’ll do my best.
After a quick scan of what’s available out there I have found there are five different models and going in price value from lowest to highest, these are:
Let’s first of all discard the Pro model, as this can only be bought by beauty professionals. If you’re a regular consumer like me, we have to choose from the other four models above.
Let’s start with the Mia. This is the entry level Clarisonic product which if you’re short on cash, could make the decision very easy, as this is the cheapest one on the market. It will give you everything Clarisonic promises: soft, smooth, uber clean skin at the best price. Another advantage (depending on the way you look at it) is that it is small and only has one speed setting so no decisions to make like fast medium or slow, it’s literally on or off.
Sometimes we can have too much choice in life. If you want to keep things good value and simple, this looks like the answer.
Next up is the Mia2. The only real difference I could find in this model, compared to the Mia entry-level model, is that the Mia 2 has one more speed setting. So if you have very sensitive skin and would like the brush to go slower, then you can choose ‘Low’ to give you a gentle clean, instead of the more robust ‘Normal’. I’m not sure this necessarily justifies the 20% increase in price. I mean, if you want to have a slightly lighter cleanse, just cleanse for less time? And with use, I would think you would start to know when you’re face is saying ‘enough!’ The Mia 2 includes a travel case too, unlike the entry level Mia.
If you have sensitive skin and think this looks a good idea, this is the one for you.
Now we move onto the Aria . At close to $200, I’d expect to see some really exciting extra features to justify the price increase. And the Aria doesn’t disappoint: this unit is larger overall, it has three speed settings: Low, Normal and Fast and it can be charged for 30 minutes of use, instead of just 20 minutes, like its smaller rivals. It also has a drying stand and a USB charger which allows charging from a laptop or computer.
So if you have a life with lots of travel (plus your laptop) and are on the go a lot but also really value your daily Clarisonic cleanse, then this is the best model for you.
Finally a look at the Plus. At over $200 we’d hope for something super exciting! The Plus has four different speed setting, Low, Normal, Fast and a special Body speed setting. Yes, this model has a special brush attachment, which is basically a larger brush for body cleansing. It is also chargeable to 30 minutes of user time and is the same size as the Aria, being a larger unit than the two Mia models.
If you think you’re going to want to cleanse areas of your body, of course the Plus looks very interesting. However as a first-time user, it’s going to be hard to know whether to spend over $200 on something you don’t know is really for you, despite all the great reviews from many happy customers. $200 is $200 after all!
For me at least, I think I’d be inclined to buy the entry Mia level model first to see if this gizmo gadget is going to give me the skin I’ve always wanted and in a few years time upgrade to the Plus, by which time, no doubt something even more exciting will be available.
The only caveat to this would be if I was travelling a lot, I might consider the USB enabled Aria as it does look so convenient.
And finally if you worry about things going wrong I should mention that the Aria and the Plus come with two year warranties, whereas the two Mia models come with a 1 year warranty.
So if your unit going wrong is something that concerns you, you may wish to consider the more expensive models to protect yourself in the event of unit failure.
Ultimately, it’s good to know whatever model you buy, you’re going to have super clean, super soft skin. Right, time to check my bank account and which Clarisonic model I can afford…
