When we interviewed Avril Graham, executive fashion and beauty editor of Harper’s Bazaar, two years ago, she told us that one of her beauty must-haves is a Clarisonic facial brush.
“It really does work,” she said at the time.
So when Clarisonic — founded in Seattle by a group of scientists and engineers who went on to invent sonic skin cleansing in 2004 — announced its Smart Profile Uplift system recently, we were more than curious. And that curiosity grew as the company, now owned by L’Oréal, added the Sonic Foundation Brush.
The premise of the Smart Profile Uplift, which uses smart microchip technology embedded in the brush heads, is not only to cleanse the skin — removing makeup, dirt and dead cells six times better than hands alone, the company says — but to massage and tone. And to do this not only for facial skin but the body as well.
In step one, you use the new Revitalizing Cleanse Brush Head to remove makeup and debris and clean the skin (one minute).
Step two involves teaming the Firming Massage Head with your favorite anti-aging cream or emolliating serum or oil. With 27,000 micro-firming massages in three minutes, the Firming Massage Head is designed to ease fine lines and wrinkles while helping your skin absorb skincare products.
Step three, also three minutes, has you using the Turbo Massage Body Brush Head to revitalize dull, dry skin or prep it for shaving and self-tanning products.
Clarisonic says that its Firming Massage Head is two times more effective than an anti-aging cream alone and that 92 percent of women felt their skin was more moisturized. This is based on three months’ use.
The Sonic Foundation Brush is designed to give you a seamless application of liquid foundation, generating 18,000 micro-blends per minute. You place the liquid makeup on your face as directed and then blend, beginning with the cheeks and then moving on to the forehead and nose.
What we can say after our initial foray into all things Clarisonic is that it works subtly but deeply — which may be the best approach.
The Smart Profile Uplift, which includes the Clarisonic Smart Profile Device, Firming Massage Head, Revitalizing Cleanse Brush Head, Turbo Massage Body Brush Head, one-ounce Refreshing Gel Facial Cleanser, USB Charger and Wall Plug, is $349. The Sonic Foundation Brush is available for $35. For more visit clarisonic.com.