Unless you’ve been living under a pumice stone, you’ve no doubt heard the hype surrounding the Clarisonic Mia. Supposedly it removes all traces of makeup, and improves your skin tone. These miraculous accomplishments had to be put to the test, but spending over $100 was hard to swallow.

I finally bit the bullet when I found the pink Clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System on The Shopping Channel’s website. Only had to pay in 4 installments, so it made the price tag way more manageable.

And according to the Clarisonic website, with every purchase of the pink Clarisonic Mia, they’ll “make a donation to help women with cancer look and feel like themselves again.” Since it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought it very fitting to post my Clarisonic Mia review now. Plus I’ve been using it twice daily since September 14, so I’ve given it a fair trial.

Clarisonic Mia Pictures

Claims: TRUSTED

√ Thoroughly clears pores & cleans skin
√ Creates noticeably healthier skin
√ Helps reduce oily areas, dry patches & blemishes
√ Leaves skin feeling softer & smoother
√ Gentle for cleansing all skin types
? Removes makeup 6 times better than traditional methods

Key Notes

• Name: Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System (Pink)
• What I Paid: $159 CAD for Clarisonic Mia & $26.50 CAD for Delicate Brush Head
• Colors Available: Pink, White, Yellow, Blue & Lavender
• Where to Buy: Clarisonic website, The Shopping Channel, Sephora, Amazon.com & some department stores

Clarisonic Mia Review

Getting a pimple can ruin my mood, so I do my best to take care of my skin and avoid turning into Ms. Grouchy Pants. And when I heard other people raving about the Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System, I was curious to try it firsthand.

The price tag made me hesitant to run out and buy it, but I’m glad I did because it leaves my skin feeling very clean and comfortable. This is totally an investment product where the price at first is steep, but because you use it daily and it’s effective, it’s really worth every penny.

The Clarisonic Mia Skin Care System has a very compact design and is very easy to use. The pink color is adorable, but I prefer the Blue and the Lavender. Unfortunately, only the White, Yellow, and Pink were available when I ordered from The Shopping Channel.

It has one button to start the device. And unlike the original Clarisonic, the Mia features a single speed. It’s perfect – not too fast and not too slow.

And in case you’re wondering how it’ll stand up to the test of time, let me reassure you that it’s made to last. Literally the first time I used it, I was clumsy and accidentally dropped it on my bathroom tiles! Totally thought it would break, but it didn’t and it’s been working great.

Another thing I love is that the Clarisonic Mia is waterproof, so you can use it in the shower. I use it both at the sink and in the shower.

How to Use the Clarisonic Mia

After wetting your face with water and applying cleanser, you move the Clarisonic Mia in small circles. You don’t have to push down hard or scrub. Just glide it on your skin – the brush does all the work for you.

I like to start on my forehead, then do my nose, chin, and finally cheeks.

It makes a vibrating sound, and you have 60 seconds to wash your entire face before it stops. But if you need more time, just press the button again and it’ll go for another 60 seconds. It can also be paused by pressing the same button.

I also suggest that after each use, you remove the brush head, rinse the Clarisonic Mia and the brush head with warm water and let it air dry detached. Leaving the brush head on would probably build up bacteria and dirt. Yuck!

Do I Notice a Difference in My Skin?

After cleansing, my skin definitely feels a lot cleaner than when I used just a washcloth. As for smoother? Maybe slightly smoother, but not as dramatic as what I’ve read in online reviews. My skin’s fairly smooth to begin with, so maybe you’d notice more of a difference if your skin’s dry or rough.

My overall skin tone has slightly improved. And I notice that I break out less. I didn’t get many pimples before, but the Clarisonic Mia seems to reduce this even more. And when I do get a pimple, it heals faster when I cleanse with this. It’s also great at preventing dry patches.

This product didn’t make my skin break out like I’ve heard happen to others. If it does make you break out, it’s probably because it’s deep cleaning your skin and pushing the ‘gunk’ out.

Clarisonic Mia Brush Heads

My Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System came with 2 brush heads: Sensitive and Normal. But I still bought the Delicate brush head because I wanted to be sure that I had one that was gentle enough. (My skin is very sensitive, and the Delicate brush head is the softest one you can get.)

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that both the Delicate and the Sensitive brush heads are super soft. For some reason, I was expecting them to be scratchy or rough on my face. Haven’t tried the Normal brush head yet, but when I do, I’ll post my review on it.

The brush heads are designed to deeply cleanse your skin without splashing water everywhere. The middle section vibrates and the outer ring remains stationary.

And much like an electric toothbrush, with the Clarisonic Mia, you should change the brush head every 3 months for effectiveness. These replacement heads are sold for around $26.50 CAD.

It’s also a good idea to use an antibacterial soap to clean the bristles every few days. I like doing this to remove any foundation residue on the bristles.

Trial-Sized 30 mL pH-Balanced Clarisonic Mia Facial Cleansers

• Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser – for normal/oily skin
• Clarisonic Nourishing Care Cleanser – for normal/dry skin
• Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser – for all/sensitive skin

I’ll review them later when I try them out for a while. I wanted to rule out other factors that would skew my impression of the Clarisonic Mia, so I used my regular cleanser. Now that my skin’s used to the new regime, I can add a new cleanser in the mix.

Clarisonic Mia Charger

This neat gadget works worldwide, so if you do a lot of traveling, you’ll be happy to know that. It’s also magnetized so you place it on top of the Mia’s handle after you plug it in.

Before initial use, you have to charge it for 24 hours. Subsequent charges are 18 hours and provide twenty 60-second cycles. The Mia tells you when it needs to be charged by emitting 2 short pulses.

While charging, the green light indicator on the handle flashes. When it’s fully charged, the light’s steady and the brush head pulses twice when you detach the charger.

Pros Compact size Easy to use Leaves skin feeling very clean Improves skin’s texture & tone Comes with a charger that can be used worldwide Pink Clarisonic Mia supports breast cancer awareness

Cons Expensive Must replace brush heads every 3 months

Final Verdict: 9.5/10

You haven’t experienced how clean your face can look and feel until you’ve tried the Clarisonic Mia! I highly recommend you get this because even though it’s expensive, it’s worth it for healthy skin.

Are you thinking about getting it? Which color is your favorite?

(Fiona previously reviewed the Sephora Face Complexion Brush, hoping that it was a cheaper alternative to the Clarisonic Mia, but no dice. Based on my Clarisonic Mia review, you can totally see that the Mia is the clear winner.)

This product was Mary’s winner for the 2010 LifeTime Achievement Award.