As resisting really isn’t my strong suit most of the time…well, I gave in to temptation.   I fired up the laptop, and I got my Mia from Amazon where thankfully, I have a Prime shipping account, which meant that my new toy was going to get to me lightning fast.  Mine is white, so it looks like this:

I decided on the Mia over a full size Clarisonic because the Mia has a smaller footprint, and I have limited counter space.  Plus I thought it would be nice to have something that was designed to be travel friendly. 

I was curious as to how the Mia could be waterproof,  yet chargeable.  That question was answered by examining something  that Clarisonic calls a “pLink® International Charger”.  The charger has a standard plug on one end, and a round, slightly concaved disc on the end.   That disc and the end of the Mia handle have a magnetic attraction, and current is passed through that way.  I had to pause and have a geek moment in appreciation of the charger.

As part of the package, I received a trial size of the Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser.  The full size verison is 6 ounces, and retails in the neighborhood of $25.  It’s paraben-free, and the ingredients include algae, aloe vera gel, and antioxidants Vitamin E and Japanese green tea.  I like the cucumber scent of it, and it does feel soothing on my skin.  However, using this cleaners is not a pre-requisite for using the Mia.

As mentioned above, the Mia is waterproof.  It measures about 5 1/2 inches long, and is comfortable to grip.  The Mia is one speed, and turns on with a single touch.  I always use it the full amount of preset time, but you can turn it off by touching the button on the handle again.

You can use your Mia twice a day.  My first brush head was for sensitive skin.  I just replaced my brush, and I went with a standard brush this time around.  So far, I don’t see any signs of this one being too harsh for my skin.

The brushes are $25 a piece.  It pays to shop around for these as you can find them in twin packs and save yourself $10 or so.  You are supposed to change them after every 3-4 months.  They are easy to clean; I just use liquid antibacterial soap and water.  When you get the brushes, they have a clear plastic cover over them.  I threw mine away, and that wasn’t the best choice.  The cover helps protect the brush, and it also makes it easier to remove the brush every few days to rinse out any gunk that has worked its way underneath.

One minor note of disatisfaction is with the charge time.  I am not known for being patient, and it seems like it takes forever for it to reach a full charge, which is good for about 20 minutes worth of cleaning time.

The Mia leaves your skin feeling incredibly clean. It’s like that wonderful feeling after your teeth have been professionally cleaned, but only for your face.  I love, love, love this product!  However, I have been rather bad, and have not used it 100% religiously.  I am about to change that when I swing into a new skin care regimen that I will be posting about soon.

Bottom line, is the Mia worth the $150 price tag?  For the way it makes my skin feel, the answer is an empthatic yes!  If you’ve been sitting on the fence over this one, come on and jump on the bandwagon with me.  Your face won’t regret it.

As soon as YouTube cooperates, I have a demonstration video to show you.

Update:  After several hours, my Mia video finally uploaded. You can see it here.

Until next time, beauties!

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Disclosure: I purchased this product. The links in this post contain affiliate referral codes. Want more information on that? Check out the FAQ’s.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ektRJscLSUc

Let me know if you have any specific questions that I haven’t answered yet.

Unlike some of you, I am of an age where certain body parts aren’t where they used to be, and my upper eyelids are one of those parts. I don’t really remember it being an insidious slow type of thing. It seems that I woke up one morning, and my eyelids were flying at half mast. While some people manage to pull of the hooded eye look splendidly, I am not one of them.

I’ve considered surgery, and if my bank account were willing, I’d have it done in a heartbeat. I looked into seeing if my insurance would cover blepharoplasty, and it would, if my eyes were more droopy than they are right now. So I’m stuck in the peculiar situation of hoping that they get worse so that I can get them fixed. In the meantime, I walk around looking like a basset hound.

Then not long ago, I got a mailer from Sephora. One of the featured new releases was Bremenn Research Labs Upper Eyelid Lifter, and it immediately caught my attention. According to the product description, this was just what I’d been looking for.

This specialized formula was created specifically to address deflated, drooping lids for a more wide-awake look. Ordinary eye creams designed to counter under-eye puffiness don’t fit the bill when it comes to supporting sagging eyelids—choose this targeted solution for a serious boost, exactly where you need it.

So I pulled out my trusty credit card, forked over the $59, and waited anxiously for it to get here.

It arrived lightening-quick, and when I was opening the box, I got that little excited, butterflies-in-the-tummy feel that you may be familiar with if you love online shopping as much as I do.

With the caveat that I am not a chemist, let’s start out by taking a quick look at the Sephora glossary, and at other resources from the Web to look up the ingredients, and see what they are supposed to do.

Water

Isododecane – Enhances spreadability, and has a weightless feel on skin. It’s a hydrocarbon and prevents water from evaporating on the skin.

Cyclopenatasiloxane – A silicone solvent emollient (something that softens). It enhances spreadability, and can act as a temporary plumper for lines and wrinkles.

Yeast Extract (Faex) – A source of B vitamins, purported to stimulate and activate cell metabolism

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter – Conditions and moisturizes as well as adds viscosity to product

Cetyl Alcohol – A solid fatty alcohol used as an emollient and emulsion stabilizer that gives skin a velvety feel

Silica – The spherical type of it improves spreadability and product smoothness.

Cetearyl Methicone – Skin conditioning agent that forms a barrier to slow loss of water

Glycerin – Humectant that attracts water to the skin

Dimethicone – A silicone polymer, it forms a protective barrier on the skin

PEG 100 Stearate – Can be used as an emollient, an emulsifier and a moisturizer

Glyceryl Stearate – Emulsifier that softens and soothes

Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter – Slows the loss of water from the skin by forming a barrier on the skin’s surface

Tridecyl Salicylate – Beta Hydroxy Acid with multiple uses in cosmetics and skin care products

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 – Increases elasticity, firmness, and tone

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide – Aid in skin repair and renewal; work as bonds between amino acids

Phenylethyl Resorcinol – Antioxidant that brightens and lightens pigmentation

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract – Acts as a lubricant to give soft and smooth appearance

Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Extract – An emollient

Calcium Hydroxymethionine – I can’t really find out much about this. I believe the gist of it would be that it promotes cell turnover, and it works as a protective barrier. However, keep the above caveat about me not being a chemist in mind.

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein – Provides a smoothing effect for wrinkles. Also increases the skin’s ability to retain moisture

Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil -An emollient with antioxidant properties

3-Aminopropane sulfonic Acid – A surfactant

Carbomer – Used to control consistency and flow

Xanthan Gum – Various uses…improved texture, improves shelf life, aids in stabilization, skin hydrating, used to prepare water based gels

Butylene Glycol – Used as a solvent and as a viscosity decreasing agent

Pentylene Glycol – Humectant with moisture-binding and antimicrobial properties

Phenoxyethanol – Bactericide

Polysorbate 60 – Emulsifying agent

Ethylhexylglycerin – Vegetable based preservative used as an alternative to parabens

Polysorbate 20 – Various uses…emulsifier, fragrance ingredient, surfactant

Hydroxyethyl cellulose – Thickening agent

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil – Slows moisture loss

Triethanolamine – pH balancer

That’s a lot of ingredients, and some of them very good for moisturizing. But is the combination of them enough to act like a jack and prop up my drooping eye lids? I’ve not used it long enough to be able to give you a fair assessment, but I will be reporting back on the results.

Until then, remember to Celebrate Beautiful You!

05/10/10 Update - Final results are posted here.