Face Off: Clarisonic Mia v PRO

Working in the IT field professionally, I’m quite a gadget geek. So when it comes to beauty gadgets, I’m pretty much all over them!

Before the Clarisonic cleansing brush officially made its way onto our southern shores, I had one imported (thank you online shopping) because I read so many rave reviews on it from overseas (predominately US) sites and forums. I was convinced all my skin break out problems could be solved by it. You can read about my original review of the Clarisonic PRO here.

3 years on, the Clarisonic craze has arrived into Australian shores and many out there are coveting this lush tool and deciding whether to make the investment and buy one.

So when I was recently sent a Mia for review, I thought I need to do an updated post. This time, a comparison between the Clarisonic PRO/PLUS and the Mia! I want to be able to provide some guidance to those out there deciding on which to get as I don’t see many comparison reviews available.

What is a Clarisonic? 
What? You haven’t heard about it… tsk tsk. Well OK, let me give you brief summary.
Basically it’s a rechargeable and waterproof hand held tool with a brush head attachment that you use to cleanse your face.

Its selling point is that the brush bristles don’t rotate but instead vibrate 300 times per second to dislodge impurities from the pores and remove dead skin cells.
There are various brush attachments of different softness to suit different skin sensitivity levels and even a body brush if you buy the appropriate version of the Clarisonic tool.

In the Australian retail market, you can purchase the Clarisonic Mia or the Clarisonic Plus. I don’t own the Plus, but I have the PRO and they both look and functions the same except that the PRO has one more speed setting than the PLUS. So I will review the PRO as if it's the PLUS.

Physical Differences
Side by side, you can see the Mia is the baby sister of the PRO/PLUS. It’s smaller, cuter and in my case, a limited edition pink version compared to the classic white of the PRO.

Front and back of the Clarisonics - without brush attachments

The Mia is also 50g lighter (195g v 245g without brush attachments). Both fits ergonomically on the hand but on my smal palm ,the Mia feels more comfortable and slightly easier to grab.

There are fewer buttons on the mia and the light (charge) indicator is embedded inside the case of the device and can only be seen when charging.

The charging mechanism is also different. The PRO sits in a cradle to be charged whilst the Mia is attached to the base with a magnetic charger. I prefer the PRO as the cradle acts as a home for it after use.

Functional differences

The PRO is the Rolls Royce of the Clarisonic range – with 4 different speed settings (the PLUS has 3) and capable of taking on a (optional) larger body brush attachment to be used in the shower. It has a default 1 minute running cycle for use but can be changed to 2 minutes with facial brush attachments. It also beeps at set time intervals to help you with time allocations on each part of the face you use it on.

Body brush and different face brushes

The Mia has one button – On or OFF with one speed setting (which is comparable to the lowest setting on the PRO – what I call the gentle mode). It doesn’t have any fancy beeping timer and automatically turns itself off after 1 minute of use. You can’t adjust any of these preset settings. It's one of the simplest tool to use and follows the motto of KISS - you just cannot stuff up during use.

Both products also came with sample (30ml) size facial cleansers to start you off your clarisonic cleansing journey.

Differences in Action
I use the PRO in the shower and to cleanse the face and then change to a body brush and give my back a good squeaky scrub as well. With the body brush, the device runs for 3 minutes before it switches itself off (you can turn it back on) and there are 2 different speed setting. I don’t really care much between the 2 setting and use either interchangeably.

I get the best cleanse on my body when using it and it helps keep my bacne breakout in check. You’d think I would do this more often since it’s so good. But in reality, I only do this once or twice a week. Why? Because it’s time consuming slowing using the device to scrub such a large surface area on your body. But the main killer is that it depletes the battery of the PRO significantly. On one charge I can only get 2 showers worth of face and body cleansing (about 15 minutes use all up) before having to charge the device for 24hr before its next use – very annoying!

Mia with face brush and PRO with body brush

On the Mia, I use it once every night for 2 whole weeks and the battery is still going strong (about 14 minutes use)! Clearly it’s a winner when you are taking it with you for travels. So although they both run for about the same time, but because of differences in use, the PRO battery capacity is clearly inadequate.

Mia v PLUS/PRO - which one should I buy?
It’s up to you but here are my observations and thoughts that might help you decide.

• You really don’t need 3 or 4 speed settings to cleanse your face. Really! One option is more than enough. If you want to use different intensity or to suit different skin types, then get different brush head attachment that cater for normal, sensitive, or delicate skin. I like the delicate brush attachment best as it’s the most gentle and prefer to use the brush for a 2 minute cleanse instead of 1 minute. - Do you need a fancy brush to cleanse your body? Probably not. A good body brush can do an equally good job. And you don’t have to worry about the battery dying in the middle of a body scrub as well. 
• Having the luxury of both, I now use the mia to cleanse my face and the PRO soley to cleanse my body weekly. But if I was to start from scratch, I’d stick with the MIA. The constant 24 hr charge required by the PRO is a turn off for me. 
• Cost of product. The mia is the entry level product and priced more than $100 cheaper than the PLUS/PRO. Cheaper doesn’t mean bad. Here, it just means fewer functions. So, if you don’t need the additional functions, you shouldn’t need to pay for it. 

The Mia is $139 (US $119) whilst the PLUS is $265 (US$225). Face and body brush attachments are priced at $29 (US$25). Available at David Jones, Myer, and cheaper online at The Facial Company.

So as you can see, the Mia is clearer my preferred Clarisonic, it’s cuter, more fit for purpose and more value for money – all the things that make a gadget great!

Whilst the Clarisonic Mia was provided for consideration, the PRO was purchased by me.

Review: Clarisonic Pro Brush

After reading so many raving reviews on MUA and various forums, I finally relented and jumped on the Clarisonic band wagon. As this product is not yet available in Australia, I relied on ebay to pick up a unit with a universal adaptor so it could be also used with 240 volt electricity.

Pro model with sensitive brush attached and body brush attachment

 Clarisonic's fame to fame

• sonic technology (gentle vibrations, not rotations) gently yet effectively loosen dirt and oil to clear pores. 
• more than 300 movements per second gives micro-massage action gently exfoliate skin which can be twice as effective as manual cleansing 
• removes 6x more makeup than manual cleansing
• leaves skin feeling and looking smoother
• cleanses so well that products absorb better
• gentle enough for twice daily use
• helps reduce oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes
• helps reduce the appearance of visible pores

Why did I get this outrageously expensive brush?
I have a some acne scarring from my early uni days (which is donkey years ago) and had been using Retin-A to fade those scars and keep my pores clear. A side effect of using Retin-A is severe dry patches and flaking skin. I can't even put on makeup without my skin looking like it's falling to bits some days. Chemical (AHA/BHA cleansers) and manual exfoliation has controlled it to an extent, but some days, I feel like I'm shedding like a snake.  

The other reason I wanted the Clarisonic so bad is because of the buzz around this brush's ability to prep the skin and assist skincare products to absorb faster and deeper, thus ensuring better results as well as using less amount of the product. Any boost I can get would mean expensive cream and lotions are more worthwhile as its more effective. How can I say no to skincare products working smarter for me?

Decisions, decisions...
There are various Clarisonic units, the smaller Mia which only has one speed, the Classic has 2 speeds, the Plus with 3 variable speed settings and a body body brush attachment option and finally the new Pro version with 4 variable face brush settings as well as the body brush option.

Only the Mia, Plus and Pro models comes with the international charger options so my choices were narrowed making my decision easier. I opted for the Pro as I wanted to use the brush on my body and have all the speed options available. Since I've committed to forking out a big fortune, I may as well pay a bit more and get the crème de la crème.

The Claisonic pro kit comes with a brush unit, a universal (multi-voltage) charger cradle, a sensitive (white) face brush attachment and 3 travel sized cleansers. I also purchased separately a normal face brush (grey) and a body brush attachment.

my Pro kit with additional body brush and normal (grey) face brush

You need to charge this thing before first use for a whole 24 hours (talk about the longest charge ever for such a small product - my Skin Physics only took 3 hours). There are 4 charging lights on the back of the brush to indicate how much charge is remaining. During charge, these will blink and increment according to the level it's been charged up to. When fully charged, all 4 green lights will stop blinking. 

Yay - finally full charged after 24 hrs with all 4 green lights on!

The need for speed
There's 4 speed options (gentle, normal, fast, pro with each higher speed producing more rapid and stronger vibrating movements) for use with the face brush.  When the body brush attachment is on, the speed option cycles through a constant or pulse vibration mode.

Timer options - the unit comes pre-set with a 1 minute cleansing cycle but you can double that to 2 minutes. There's a timer beep that let you know when you should move to different parts of your face during use which I don't always pay attention to.

After testing the speeds, I settled on gentle speed for my cheeks to avoid that area feeling too raw or sensitive. I use the fast speed on my forehead on T-zones for extra exfoliation and the pro speed on my neck and decolletage as skin is less sensitive in that area. I changed to the longer timer option as I love the cleansing experience and needed the extra time to remove my flaky skin.


My Experience

• you only need to allow your brush head to gently touch the skin during use, there is no need to press hard as the vibrations will do all the work for you.
• after use, my skin felt very soft, silky and velvety, like I've just had a mini facial.
• skin looks radiant and even. 
• slight oil reduction experienced 
• pores do appear smaller, especially on nose and cheeks. Fewer congestion and skin outbreaks since use.
• blackhead go through a purging stage where they are initially more visible but after 1 week, is less visible. My nose is now heaps clearer. 
• helps speed up healing of minor blemishes by bringing them to the surface quicker. 
• products just soaks right into skin as claimed, I feel my skincare products is now working harder for me. I need less of it, saving me money
• occasionally use it morning and night but generally only once a day at night. I play it by ear. If my face feels sensitive, I won't overload it by using this brush.
• I never use it to remove a face full of makeup, preferring to take off the makeup with makeup remover. As I love double cleansing, the first cleanse is manual to remove makeup residues and the next one with the Clarisonic to really unclog gunk from pores and to buff off the flaky skin.  
• for soft kissable lips, after cleansing the face, run the brush over lips for 10 seconds to exfoliate them.  
• completely water proof so can be taken into shower for use.
• replacement brushes are so expensive. I try to get longer use out of it by dis-infecting it each week by soaking it in hot (not boiling) water with bi-carbonate soda and the washing it out with liquid soap (or a favourite liquid facial cleanser). 

Power Body Brush
With the body brush attachment, the brush becomes a great manual brush for backs, legs, elbows, heels and anywhere else that needs some TLC.

can you see the oscillation movements on the body brush?

Skin all over was soft and silky and baby bum smooth, parched scaly skin polishes right off and body butters sank in quickly into my skin. I love this as a weekly indulgent treat for my skin.

Tip - remove the brush from the unit after every use so that any cleanser suds can be washed away and the brush and unit dries easily. It's also more hygienic and will prevent mould and bacteria growth in the grooves of the unit.


The verdict - is it worth it?
Absolutely. This is definitely an investment skincare item, but the polishing abilities is more effective than any face scrub or manual brush I've used yet gentle enough on skin for daily use. I wish I had this brush during my troubled skin years as I can see it helping to control oil and keep pores clear and keeping those pesky zits at bay.

I love the luxe feel every time I use the Clarisonic and the healthy radiant complexion it gives me. The Pro unit is a nice-to-have brush for extra speed and brush options but if I was short on cash, I'd skip all the extra features and pick up the Mia (US$149) in a heartbeat.

Update 2013: 
Want to read how it fares against the Clarisonic Mia? Click here to see my latest Clarisonic comparison review.

Rating: 9/10. I ♥ this brush but 1 point off for the high starting price and high cost in replacement brushes.
RRP A$299 A$269 (price drop since Oct 2011)/US$225 for Pro model with a body brush. Aussie stocklists here.