Friends, I am SUPER excited to introduce you to a fellow blogger named Jean, who runs The Real Mom Review. She is, without a doubt, the beauty blogger I look to first for thorough and VERY honest reviews on beauty and skincare products. Jean knows what she is talking about and she also isn’t afraid to try products all along the spectrum in terms of price. She has helped me find some great beauty buys and also avoid some real duds. I hope you enjoy her review today and do yourself a favor…go subscribe to her blog!
I looked with half-interest, half-disbelief at the Clarisonic Skin Care System in the ad.
Didn’t my mom have something similar 20+ years ago, that she pretty much never used and eventually gave to me (and I eventually chunked)? Did she pay some crazy amount like that for the thing we both ended up discarding? I sure hope not!
Seeing this device and the reviews about it made me wonder if my skin, all these years later, might actually need such a thing again. Only, my budget doesn’t allow for such a luxury. So, I filed it away in my brain under “oh well”, and went on with life…until I was in Rite Aid looking for a face cream that was on sale. It was then that I spotted Rite Aid’s “Renewal Advanced Cleansing System”.
And this face scrubbing set was only $19.99. (You can often get it for only $14.99 on discount, such as now, on Rite Aid’s website.)
$19.99 was within my budget, so I bought it. It came with:
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Rotating Cleansing Massager
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1 FL OZ Renewal Exfoliating Cleanser
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Facial Brush Attachment
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3 Bonus Attachments
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Required 4AA Batteries (they last & last, BTW)
The cleansing brush does a fab job. It speeds along, rotating, cleaning deeply and exfoliating by its very nature. To be honest, I don’t see where any other brush could do anything better that would equal a $100 value. I mean, come on, it spins. The Clarisonic with 1 speed setting is $119, 2 speed settings is $149, while the set that has the 3 speed settings is $225. Is that really worth $100+? Maybe the brush itself could is a little bit softer…but would that even be worth $100? Not in my thinking.
It might be nice to have a “low” speed setting. But I wouldn’t pay $100 extra for it. Nope. (However, I know that Olay offers their facial scrubbing system for $29.99, and it DOES have 2 speed settings, in case that’s important to you. Rite Aid has it on sale currently for $23.99 HERE.)
Okay, so what about those 3 bonus attachments?
They are:
a sponge attachment (gentle cleansing)
a pumice attachment (for feet)
and
a humongous scrub brush (for body exfoliation)
Truth:
I have never used 2 of the bonus attachments: the pumice stone and the huge brush. I might use them some day. MIGHT. They’re there if I ever need them, which is nice, I suppose. I’ll tell you about the sponge in a moment. Now the brush- it’s kinda rough. But it’s supposed to be, after all. You’re supposed to be scrubbing away dead cells, makeup and dirt. The point is to shed all that away so that your face will better absorb your serums and creams, thereby making them more effective. I don’t know – it feels like my mom’s did all those years ago, so I don’t think it’s exceptionally rough.
To be honest, I don’t like to use my brush scrubber but about 2-3 times per week. It’s too rough to use daily. I think of it more as an exfoliator, not a cleanser.
Back to the sponge attachment. It’s my favorite. It is softer, gentler. It’s great for daily cleansing. It will facilitate super cleanliness without irritation, if used with a good cleanser. For the sake of honesty, I’ll tell you, I’m often to lazy to use it daily. Perhaps with a little more discipline…
Oh, and the Renewal Exfoliating Cleanser? It’s a knock-off of Olay’s Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub. It is definitely too harsh to use with the brush. I used it twice with “ouch” results. I don’t advise using it with the brush. That’s just TOO MUCH exfoliating action, in my opinion.
The one BIG problem with this set? No replacement attachments!! What were they thinking?!? But still, you could buy the whole set over and over again and still come out better financially than buying the Clarisonic. (There ARE replacements for the Olay System. But they only have brushes. They don’t have the sponge attachment, and I really like the sponge attachment. So boo. Clarisonic doesn’t have the sponge, either, BTW.) When I contacted RiteAid to verify that they do NOT sell replacement brushes for the device, they sent me another one FREE! If you’d like to win it, just fill out the Rafflecopter form at my blog, The Real Mom Review.
I will say this concerning replacement attachments: I have had my brush set for nearly a year. Since I keep my attachments clean and let them dry out properly after each use, mine are in wonderful shape. I haven’t needed replacements. Maybe if you take good care of them you won’t need attachments for a very long time? Considering the cost of Clarisonic’s replacement brushes, $25 EACH, I still think you’re better off with the cheaper version.
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| Image: Econostats.org |
Since I haven’t had the opportunity to try the Clarisonic out, thanks to its high price, I can’t say with certainty if one is better (or worse) than the other. I can only speculate on their obvious similarities and state the obvious difference in prices.
So, perhaps the Clarisonic’s brush head is super-silky-soft? Perhaps it’s so soft that you can use it daily with no irritation? Even so, it’s still not worth $100 to me.
What about you? Do you think a softer brush would be worth $100?
What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a beauty product? Was it actually worth it?
They sell replacement hrads now. A 2 pack fpr $6.99.
fyi the replacement attachments are at ulta. ulta is selling the same exact device.
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod11001357
Hi, i have to just say that i bought the riteaid version of this product mainly because of your thorough review. It was on sale for about $20 in my local store, so i thought, hey why not give it a go? I have to admit it was reaaaaalllly great. My skin (which breaks out easily) started to clear out within a month, and i really did feel like it was not only deep cleaning, but regenerating as well. Over the span of a month, i went from using cover make up all over my face, to just dabbing on specific spots only. It was an AMAZING thing….
Then it happened. I needed a replacement brush and sure enough, couldn’t find anywhere. I literally went to every riteaid in Manhattan to find the brushes, but not one store had them in stock. I contacted customer service who mentioned the brushes were only available online. Doing the math, the riteaid version brush replacements retail for about $6 online, and once you add shipping, it would basically be about the same price as you would pay for the Olay version brushes. Because of this, I’ve decided to just purchase the Olay version of the system, which at Target sells for $29. Considering i’d be paying $10-$12 for replacement brushes (2pack) either way, being able to buy at a store in person when needed is more of a value for me.
Ultimately, i really think the Olay version is a better option, not based on quality (since they are literally the same thing) but because of convenience.
Oh, and for anyone wondering, the Olay brush replacements don’t fit the riteaid nozzle. First thing that came to mind was to try using them, but the connectors are different sizes. Just thought i’d throw that bit of info out there. If you do decide to buy the riteaid version, make sure to stock up on brush heads online in bulk, to save on shipping. My brush didnt last more than a month, and that was using once a day for about a minute with light pressure, and washing and drying thoroughly to keep the form in between.
I actually used the Olay cleansing brush for awhile and it was ok. It simply spins around as it sounds like the Rite Aid one does. Then this past year for my birthday I splurged on the $119 Clarisonic Mia. There is really no comparison. The Clarisonic is SO much better. First of all it doesn’t “spin” at all. It kind of vibrates and truly cleans down deep. I love it and will never suggest that anyone buy a cheaper one. But that’s just my two cents. 🙂
Thanks for you review but I am in skincare and I hate to tell you this but the Rite aid brand brush is not good for your skin because it rotates and will stretch and damage your skin. That technology was patented in 1968 that is 47 years old. It was great in the 60’s but skincare professionals now recommend not to use. The older we get the hands of time take over and we lose elasticity and collagen. By using a device that rotates it will damage your skin. Clarisonic is the only patented sonic technology to uses 300 oscillations per second and it works with your skin and won’t stretch and damage. It’s removes makeup dirt and only 6 times better and products absorb better for softer smoother heather skin. Yes it is an investment but isn’t your face and skin worth it. Good luck! Patty
Thanks for having me over for a visit, Tiffany!
I have found that buying the most expensive beauty products is a waste, and so is buying the cheapest, so I buy the middle priced option and I’m usually happy!
And NO a soft brush would not be worth $100 to me–I’d definitely try the Rite Aid version!
I haven’t tried the Clarisonic Skin Care System or the Walgreens version, but I am interested in it. I appreciate your honest review and the great photos!
I’d love to try this!