Ulta Dual Action Cleansing System

Hey lovelies! I am sure that you have all seen ads and reviews for the famous Clarisonic face brushes. The idea behind gadgets such as these is the same as an electric toothbrush, the premise being that basically, you can only do so much with the power of your own muscles; we simply do not have the speed and motion needed to get the deep clean that our skin and teeth really need. The downside to these wonderful inventions? They are more often that not, expensive (BOOO!). The price of a Clarisonic is anywhere from $119-$225 depending on which kit you choose, and the brush head replacements are another $25 every few months. As much as we all love our skin, what if you simply cannot afford the Clarisonic price tag? Thankfully there are quite a few alternatives and you simply have to choose the best option for yourself, I chose the Ulta version.

The packaging for this product is simple and "assembly" was easy in the sense that only the batteries needed to be inserted (batteries are included). One thing I dislike about this tool is that the battery compartment is very hard to open, it took a good five minutes of pulling, numerous swears and all but attacking it with a hammer before it finally opened. I assume the extreme hold is so that water will not seep in but, I should not have to wrestle something in order for it to open.

The system comes with three pieces: the main tool, a brush (deep clean) and a sponge (everyday clean/buffer). There are a few aspects that differ greatly from the Clarisonic and these are, speed and motion. While the Clarisonic is known for its patented vibrating motion and three speeds, the Ulta brush simply rotates and only has one speed which I would place as medium, it is neither slow nor fast. There is a downside to the rotating motion and that is, if you press too hard not only will it be uncomfortable but you will notice a slight, skin pulling action. Just use a light hand, let the rotating motion do the work for you and this should not be an issue.

How do I use this? I have found that both the brush and sponge attachments soak up a lot of cleanser and I am left wondering if any of that sudsy goodness even reached my face. To counteract this, I use my hands to wash my face and before rinsing, I use either attachment to scrub my face for a minute or so. I do this twice daily with the less harsh sponge piece; as for the brush head, I use this every few days or sooner if I feel that my skin needs it. Another reason for washing my face beforehand is so that I do not stain the attachments, I learned the hard way that this can happen! My sponge now has a purple tint because of some purple eyeshadow awhile back. Both of these pieces leave my skin feeling clean, refreshed and unfortunately, DRY! Because of this, moisturizer is an absolute must. The upside to deep cleaning/exfoliating your face however, all of your skincare products will be properly absorbed and much more effective. I have been using this system for a couple of weeks now and I have noticed that the texture of my skin has definitely improved, my skin is a lot smoother and quite glowy! I have suffered from both large pores and painful cystic acne for years and these too have almost disappeared, I still get a bump or two here and there but, that is by far an improvement from the usual zombie horde of pimples on the sides of my face. This coupled with my DDF Brightening Cleanser is a skincare duo crafted by angels.

Quick Tip: Please be advised that no matter what brush system you end up choosing, your skin will most likely go through a period of what is known as, purging. What is purging? It is your body's natural way of detoxing itself. Since you are now deep cleaning your skin, all of that trapped sebum and gunk (yuck!) in your pores is now rising to the surface; until now it has been trapped under layers and layers of dead skin. Believe me when I say your skin will most likely look a lot worse before it gets better. Now with that being said, please do not confuse purging with a product simply not working for your skin (ex: a reaction) whereas purging will go away in its own time, a reaction will not until you discontinue use of that product. Just keep an eye on your skin and make sure that things are getting better and not worse.

Overall, I really love this system and I feel as though my skin has never looked better. My skin feels cleaner and looks clearer as a lot of my acne troubles have disappeared. Unfortunately, nothing can be perfect and Ulta's brush system does falter a bit. The battery compartment can absolutely be improved upon, it is entirely too difficult to open. Next, this tool is not waterproof so I would advise against sticking the tool under water and just wet the brush or sponge itself before using. I cannot compare this or any of the other systems to the Clarisonic as I have not used them. Would I re-purchase? Well I am hoping this will not break anytime soon but, once it does, yes I will re-purchase.

This product retails for $25.00 and can be purchased here
Replacement brush heads retail for $8.00 and can be purchased here

Check out other versions here (prices may vary):

Clarisonic $119-$225

Olay Pro-X $10.99

Olay Fresh Effects $14.99

DDF Revolve Micro Polishing System $50.00

Neutrogena Wave (Original) $10.99

Neutrogena Wave (Sonic) $15.99

Neutrogena Microderm System $13.99

Pretika SonicDermabrasion Face Brush $50.00

Acne Free Advanced Cleansing Brush $14.99

CVS Facial Cleansing Power Brush $19.99

Much love xo