Clarisonic dupe: Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush

I've been wanting to try Clarisonic for a while, since I can only hear people praising it and saying how it changed their skin for better. I have to confess I've been intrigued by people claiming that this device helps to reduce your breakouts. That is apparently due to the daily exfoliation, which makes your pores cleaner and without all the gunk that can potentially clog them and make you breakout. If that's true, seems like Clarisonic is the thing my skin has been always waiting for! I really wanted to try this... until I saw the price! Seriously, I cannot justify the $130 price tag... even if it works as promised... this is just a rotating brush that helps to exfoliate your skin. I don't believe this brush should be more than $30. But of course, the company stuck to a high price tag to create a sense of exclusivity of this product. 

So because I wanted to try the goodness of rotating facial brushes, I've been looking for a dupe everywhere. Needless to say, I found tons of dupes, and even if they are not as expensive as Clarisonic, they still have high price tags. Then Boots, one of my favorite drugstore and pharmacy chains, announced they would release their own cleansing brush under their brand No7. I was super excited and I grabbed mine as soon as it was released. 

This was released on January 23rd with a promotional price of £15, but the normal price will be £25 by the end of February. So I think this is a bargain!

From what I have seen, the main differences between Clarisonic and this are that the No7 device is somewhat bigger (compared to the Mia models) and that this works with batteries inside. And unlike Clarisonic, there's only one model to choose from and just one color (white). That doesn't bother me at all, though I have to confess the Clarisonic Mia design is rather cute. Another difference is that the Boots device doesn't come with a lid or a storage poach, so I just use a makeup bag for keeping it safe from dust and other stuff. 

Prior to using this, I was scared that the bristles would be too hard and would damage and tear my skin.... but turns out they are super soft! I didn't experience any harm or anything (just if I pressed too hard) and it didn't leave my skin red and flaky as I thought it would. I've been using this brush with my all-time favorite Tamagohada AHA+BHA cleanser, and I think it works best, since this cleanser is very very creamy and foams easily. 

After cleansing my skin with this, my skin is super soft and clean. I don't experience any redness and looks like my moisturizer absorbs better! I don't use this everyday since I've somewhat sensitive skin; however, it you have normal to oily skin then it's probably fine to use it everyday. I've decided to use this 3 times a week just for the sake of keeping my skin well exfoliated so I can prevent breakouts. I can't wait to see if that's true. 

I will update my thoughts on this device after I've used it for a longer time. 

Update 1 (20/02): I've been using this for three weeks and so far, I haven't had any breakouts, which is a record for me! I think using this 3-4 times a week helps to keep clear skin. Also, I like the fact that my skin feels soft and that my serums and creams seem to absorb way better. Will continue updating soon!

Update 2 (21/03): I used too much pressure so I ended up with one of my cheeks being red and flaky for two days... ouch. It was really painful.   Fortunately, my cheek has recovered now and I have learnt the lesson: never use too much pressure when using this or you will end up with red and rashy skin. I think staying gentle is the key.