Clarisonic Face Cleansing Brush
My skin and I do not get along. Actually, I don't think my skin gets along with anyone. It once baffled a dermatologist with its ability to be flaky, peeling, AND oily at the same time. According to the good doctor, this is practically unheard of. What can I say? I dare to be different. Finding a way to deal with my unpredictable, frustrating complexion is one of my missions in life. It's why I have an encyclopedic knowledge of moisturizers, and why I'm a member of the Sephora Big Spenders Club. I've been seeing a dermatologist since the earliest signs of puberty (I inherited troublesome skin from both of my parents, who were prepared to take me to the derm to save me from their acne addled adolescence), but it was actually an OB/Gyn that introduced me to the most amazing thing I've ever done for my face.
Clarisonic was invented by the same people who make Sonicare toothbrushes. You know how in Sonicare commercials they show the brush vibrating superfast and getting all that deep down gunk out of teeth? Clarisonic is basically the same concept, but for your face. The brush head spins (Vibrates? Half-spins?) and gets all the nasty shit off, and out of, your face. According to the makers of Clarisonic, it removes makeup six times better than simply washing your face, and once you have a completely clean canvass, any skincare products you use are absorbed better. I've certainly noticed that my retin-a seems to be more effective when I've applied it after a good Clarisonic sesh.
When I bought my Clarisonic (in 2008) there was only one Clarisonic "system," but now there are three different brush varieties and multiple brush heads, making it easy to customize your Clarisonic to your specific needs. (The system comes with two different brush heads so you can get a feel for what will work best for you, which I think is quite considerate of them.) I use the Deep Pore Cleansing brush head, since I'm obsessive about keeping my pores crud-free.
The great thing about Clarisonic is that for something that cleans so thoroughly, it's very gentle. I've used the sensitive, normal, and deep pore cleaning brush heads on my very sensitive skin, and I showed no ill effects from any of them. And did I mention that it only takes a minute to do a full Clarisonic cleansing? (I have the Clarisonic Plus, which also has a two minute setting, but I've found that a minute twice a day is perfectly sufficient.) To summarize, using a Clarisonic is easy, effective, and will most likely give you the face of a Baby Gap model.
One bummer, though - The Clarisonic is rather expensive. When I got mine it was $200, but now you can get the Mia for $119. Even so, over $100 for a face brush seems like a pretty frivolous purchase. I was apprehensive when I first took the plunge, but three years later I can honestly say it's the best $200 I've ever spent on skincare (and this is saying something, seeing as I've spent WAY more than $200 on skincare in my lifetime). The brush heads are $25 a piece, but when you use them twice a day, and only replace them every three months, your cost per use is equal to like, a half-stick of gum.
Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System: $119-$225