Continuing to use the Clarisonic and its results

It's been a while since I've had my Clarisonic, three or four months at least ... probably more!! I talked about my first experience with it here.

When I first got my Clarisonic, I thought that I would use it several times a week, but I found that was too much for my skin, especially since I liked to use an exfoliating scrub in the shower in the morning. You can see more about my morning skincare routine here.

Now that I've had the Clarisonic for several months, I've gotten into a routine with it, and here is how I use it:

When I get home from work, I use a cleanser or coconut oil to remove my makeup. If I'm wearing just regular makeup, I use a cleanser and right now I'm using the Michael Todd True Organics Cleanse and Tone. If I'm wearing something particularly stubborn, like waterproof eyeliner and mascara (especially waterproof mascara!) I use an organic extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil, particularly around my eyes.

I then follow up the cleanse with my Clarisonic. I'm currently using my Garnier Pure (salicylic acid + purifying zinc) daily deep clean foaming gel cleanser. I like to use a foaming cleanser with my Clarisonic. It's not necessary for a good clean but it's just what I like.

In terms of using my Clarisonic, I run it twice. So I run it once all over my face (for whatever the st time is, I can't exactly remember if it's one or two minutes!) and then after the first time, I run it a second time on my face, concentrating on my nose and the outer parts of my face where I have a few bumps of something or other under my skin, which are not pimples and also not milia. I don't know what they are, but they are there and I give them a good going over. This leaves my skin feeling extremely squeaky clean.

I use my Clarisonic once a week, possibly twice, if I want an extra clean just before I put on a mask on the weekend.

The thing I notice which makes a huge difference is that when I use my serums after my Clarisonic, my skin tingles. At the moment, I'm using the Skinstitute Even Blend Serum with the 100% Vitamin C powder mixed into it. How do I know that my skin is cleaner and more receptive to the serum? Because when I just use ordinary cleanser to wash my face and apply the serum, there is no tingling. After the Clarisonic, there's tingling. It's a light tingling and it's a nice feeling. I do feel like my skin is more able to absorb the product after the use of the Clarisonic and it's penetrating better.

Why then, you ask, do I not use the Clarisonic every day to clean my skin and make sure that my serums penetrate even more into my skin to be more effective? I actually think that too much exfoliating would be bad for my skin. As effective as the Clarisonic is, I am also concerned that with too much use, it's taking off too much of the top layer of my skin.

Right now, I'm very happy with the routine that I've got with my Clarisonic. I know my skin is getting a very deep clean at least once a week, plus occasionally a second time on the weekend to maximise the effectiveness of a mask that I am using. Plus since I've been using the Clarisonic regularly, I have not been having any breakouts.

I hope this little update helps with what you are thinking with regards to the Clarisonic. Let me know if you use the Clarisonic and how you are going with it. I would love to hear of your experience.

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My experience with the Clarisonic Mia - initial reaction and breakouts

I bought the Clarisonic Mia 2 weeks ago because I've heard so much about it and so many people have raved about it. I've got friends who have them and love them. They say it's the reason their skin is clear, acne free, etc.

I have generally, really clear skin. It's super unusual for me to ever get a zit or a pimple or a blemish or anything like that. I might get 3 zits in a year if that, and usually they are tiny and clear up overnight with some zit cream.

I thought that getting the Clarisonic would be good for me because I did want cleaner skin. I mean, who doesn't want cleaner skin, right? And I'm very big about keeping my skin in good condition.

Now, I know that it's possible to get breakouts from using the Clarisonic initially, they call it the purging phase, which happens during the first two weeks or so of use. I did not think that it would happen to me because I have really, really clear skin but boy, was I wrong.

Here's what happened to me:

The first time I used the Clarisonic, I broke out the very next morning. It was a mild breakout, along my jawline. The breakouts cleared overnight.

The second time I used the Clarisonic, which was about 3 or 4 days later (I had decided to use the Clarisonic 2 or 3 times a week, mostly 2 times a week), I used a new moisturizer as well, and I thought but was not sure if it was the moisturizer that broke me out, or not. This time I had a few more breakouts along my jawline and cheek and again they cleared up relatively quickly with the use of some zit cream. I also used the Clarisonic on my neck for the first time.

The third time I used the Clarisonic, I also used the same moisturizer again and this time I was convinced that it was the moisturizer that broke me out, and I had a few more breakouts along my jaw line and a zinger of a zit (you know, those horrible painful ones that last forever and leave a scar) on my chin. I chucked out the rest of the moisturizer since it was just a small sample.

I was still thinking that it was the moisturizer, but then after a few days, my neck broke out and I have NEVER EVER had a breakout on my neck before ... NEVER! There was only one zit, and with some zit cream it cleared out overnight, but then today, during the day, I noticed fresh and more breakouts on my cheek (which I thought was attributed to a new foundation) but then also more breakouts on my neck.

Now if the breakouts were only on my face, I'd attribute it to the moisturizer or the foundation, since those things *can* cause breakouts even though I very rarely react to ingredients in products like that. It is rare for me to breakout due to products I put on my face. However, I broke out in my neck and since I NEVER breakout in my neck, I now know for a fact that it is the Clarisonic that is breaking me out, because that is the ONLY thing different that I have done in the recent times (over the last week) that has changed in my skincare routine around my neck area.

So, yes, the Clarisonic breaks me out. I am going to clean my face again tonight (for the fourth time) with the Clarisonic, treat it with zit cream and persevere with the Clarisonic and hope my skin clears up over the next couple of weeks. I've read, watched videos and heard reviews that say that you need to ride out the purge period and let the Clarisonic do it's work. Since I paid good money for this product, and also I've heard so much good about it, I want to give it a shot and I'll ride it out for another 2 weeks. That said, seriously, I've never had so many pimples on my face before.

I will check back in again in a few weeks time and update with another blog post on how the Clarisonic is treating me and whether it's going to be a go or no go for me moving forward.

*** UPDATE ***

Thought I'd jot down a quick update ... I'm 5 days after my last Clarisonic use and there have been no breakouts. Maybe it was the first breakout was due to the moisturizer I used, and the second one was due to a new foundation? ... but that still does not explain the breakouts on my neck.

I do really, really like how squeaky clean my face feels after I use the Clarisonic to wash it. Makes me want to use it all the time.


Find me around SOCIAL MEDIA:
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/langshipley
Makeup and beauty blog: http://langshipley-deannasworld.blogspot.com.au/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/langshipley (this is the best way to reach me, I will always respond to this the fastest).
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