With the number of women singing praises and calling Clarisonic Mia their ultimate skin holy grail, I didn't think twice when I had a chance to get one for myself. Especially when most of these women suffered acne same as I did. I was hoping that it would be the answer to all my skin woes. After all, cleansing is an integral part of having good skin.

But did I have the same experience as them? Do I now consider Clarisonic my skin's new BFF? Read on and find out.

Well, sad to say Clarisonic Mia wasn't an answer at all. Surprisingly, my skin didn't fare well as it did others. .

I stalled writing this post-I got my Clarisonic last year-but I thought I needed to write this... But of course, disclaimer dictates that what happened to me may not happen to you. My advice is to buy Clarisonic only if you have money you don't mind spending. Money that you won't mind losing should Mia be not the right for you. Til then, put off buying something very expensive that your skin may not really need.

So here's the story. I'll try to make it short and painless as possible.

First time I used my lovey baby blue Clarisonic was LOVE! My skin felt smoother after wash. I followed the instruction to a T and only used it for a minute or two, carefully moving around the parts of my face.  For two days straight, my skin never felt smoother and felt cleaner. I was using Clarisonic twice daily, in the morning and at night.

On the third day, I notice that my skin looked redder than normal, I thought it was just hormones or that my skin was just getting used to Clarisonic. I didn't see anything wrong so I just continued using it but downgraded to once a day (night time) and my skin settled down a bit. But I noticed that there are a few small acne forming on my cheeks-a part of my skin that barely breaks out. Take note that my skincare regimen is for acne solutions from a reputable dermatologist and I have been using her products prior to Clarisonic and it didn't break me out.

Then, my skin took a turn for worst... On the fifth day, I got a few cystic acne on the chin, cheeks and forehead that I was getting scared. My friends and workmates also noticed since I was wearing less to no makeup then scared to aggravate the flare ups. I didn't want to believe that Clarisonic was the culprit. I was in complete denial that I started to eat healthier, sleep early and avoid all kinds of stress just so that my skin would calm down... I even went to an extent that I would dip the brush head into a hot water before using just to sanitize it. But to no avail... 

On the 8th day, there were more break outs, one after another and then some. I gave up. I stopped using Mia and went to my dermatologist for an intensive solution for my skin's sudden state. I told my dermatologist the story and even she was surprised on how my skin reacted with Clarisonic Mia because even she uses it. She explained that my skin is probably too sensitive and thought of the sonic cleansing as an assault causing major breakouts and skin irritation.

Sad to say, I had to retire my Clarisonic Mia and resume my anti-acne skincare regime as per my doctor's orders. I also had to come back a few times to see her again for skin peeling to help lighten my acne marks when they healed. It was a painful ordeal not to mention expensive.

Silver lining is that my skin healed. Phew! But I was so depressed. My skin was at its best behavior before I started using Clarisonic. And to deal again with so many pimples did take a toll on my confidence. It's a small thing but for a beauty maven/addict like me it's kind of a big deal.

I've coveted Clarisonic ever since I saw it on Sephora. And it's not like I wasn't aware of the cons. I've read a few reviews that some people who used Clarisonic did experience break outs but they said that it was just a purging phase and that it will go away after some time. I thought I had a similar case... but when the acne doubled in matter of days... I just had to put an end to it. 

This goes to show that what we want isn't always right for us. And that some products may not really work for us. I do envy women who found solution for their skin in Clarisonic Mia...

Here are some photos of my retired Clarisonic Mia. I wish I have the guts to use it again... but right now, I don't want to risk it. Too bad, I had such high hopes for this one.. :(

The regular Clarisonic Mia comes with a sample cleanser.

One good thing about Clarisonic is that it's very sturdy. It's a bit heavy (around 1 lb I think) but nothing you can't get use to.

The face bristles are really soft and it's not even the sensitive brush head.

I do miss it... a lot.

And it's so easy to assemble, too.

Charge life is longer than I thought it would be. I only charge my Mia once since I used it and I used it less than 2 weeks.

The charger is magnetic and it works on 220V.

Remember to check your gadgets' voltage before plugging them in. Philippines is a 220V and most US appliances are 110V. The plug should say "110-220 input" before plugging it without a transformer. :) Using a transformer isn't dangerous but it might increase your electricity bill. Thank God, Mia is good for 110-220V making it handy for travelling.