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The New Crop of Cleansing Brushes
Foreo Luna
, $199Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush
, $90What It Is:
Cleansing brushes are nothing new, but these devices are the next step up. You've heard cleansing brushes help your products sink in better, clear your complexion and exfoliate your skin better than typical cleansing. But these brushes do even more. You might even rethink the cleansing brush you already own as I did.
What You'll Get:
Clarisonic is known for their cleansing brushes, but one major complaint is the heads are too rough for some sensitive-skinned users. The new Radiance brush head is softer and gentler than the regular heads, and it also works specifically to clear pores of sebum and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Another gentle option is Clinique's Sonic cleansing brush. This head is also gentler than others I've tried, and the smaller size allowed me to cleanse around sensitive areas like my eyes more easily. The angled green tip targets other hard-to-reach areas like the T-zone and around the eyes.
If you're still not sold on cleansing brushes, try the Foreo Luna. This silicone device works in much the same way, but uses T-Sonic pulsations that feel like a miniature facial massage. Use the reverse side of the device, the anti-aging mode, for lower-frequency pulsations on your wrinkle-prone areas: between the eyebrows, across the temples and on your laugh lines.
What You'll Save: $82/year
That's the price of my night cream, serum and eye cream combined, divided by two. Usually I feel like only half the product I use actually sinks into my skin -- not so now that I've started using cleansing brushes.
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The Beauty Device for People Who Hate Beauty Devices
What It Is:
This spatula-like device uses high-frequency vibrations to cleanse and exfoliate the skin, extract blackheads and whiteheads and stimulate collagen production for younger-looking skin. Your skin has to be wet (not damp) for the device to really glide over the skin, so first apply a toner or serum.
What You'll Get:
This device promises a lot, but even our device-doubting editor-in-chief admits to seeing improvement after just one use. "My skin was smoother and more radiant, pore congestion -- even some stubborn blackheads -- got worked out within a few uses." I also noticed a difference in my pores, and the extraction element of the device is unlike any other gadget I've tried.
What You'll Save: $150 and 90 minutes of your time
I could easily skip a trip to an aesthetician for a pricey facial with this device that takes only five minutes out of my day.
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A Pain-Free Whitening System That Saves You a Trip to the Dentist
, $195What It Is:
This at-home teeth whitening device works similarly to the fluoride treatments you get at the dentist's office. Simply squeeze in a tube of the whitening gel, press the activator button on the device (which conveniently times your five-minute application) and place the device in your mouth. The recommended use is five minutes a day, twice a day for five days, with touchups every three months.
What You'll Get:
I have sensitive teeth, so while I do want a whiter smile, I'm not always game to forgo the pain that comes with consuming ice cream and coffee in the weeks after a treatment. With this treatment I didn't feel any increased sensitivity, and I truly noticed a difference after my first five-minute application. With whitening strips I've used in the past, I felt like I had to finish a whole box before I could see some whitening actually happening.
What You'll Save: $400
An in-office teeth whitening treatment can cost upwards of $600, and they aren't permanent solutions either.
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The At-Home Workout ... for Your Face
StriVectin Facial Toning Device, $200
What It Is:
When you daydream of a toned body, you may not necessarily think about your face, but unlike the muscles on your body, which are attached to bone, your facial muscles are attached to your skin. Meaning as you age, your facial muscles droop, giving you sagging cheeks and jowls. These devices are similar to the electrotherapy treatments found in spas and doctors' offices, and use microcurrents to stimulate your facial tissue.
What You'll Get:
It's safe to say I was terrified to use both of these devices, expecting painful shocks to run through my face. But rest assured, they merely feel like a rubber band snapping against your skin. Although I haven't noticed any major sculpting, my face does feel firmer -- particularly around my jawline. The NuFace only takes five to 20 minutes (I used it for around five each night), five times a week for the first 90 days (with continued use two to three times a week after that). The StriVectin device requires 20 minutes a day, five days a week for 12 weeks. However, the hands-free feature of the StriVectin device (you wear it like a pair of headphones around the back of your neck) did allow me to putz about making dinner and watching Netflix while I toned.
What You'll Save: 5 years*
*At least that's the subjective difference I've seen in before and after photos. Wishful thinking?
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A Cellulite-Buster That Actually Works
What It Is:
Roll this automated massager over the hips, thighs or abdomen to enhance circulation and reduce the appearance of cellulite. The roller, which operates on one of two frequencies, pulsates over your dimply bits, breaking up the toxins and fat stored beneath the skin.
What You'll Get:
An affordable gadget that promises to get rid of cellulite is hard to believe, but this device has pretty impressive clinical trials (when used in addition to diet and exercise). Nine in ten women reported improved appearance of cellulite and firmer-feeling skin. I've used the device in conjunction with the tube of Advanced Massage Cream for five days in a row now, and although I haven't noticed any major differences in the dimpling on my skin, my skin does feel tighter below my tush. (Note: It did take users about a month to see improvement in their cellulite, where I've only been using the device for two weeks.) My skin's prone to bruising, so I keep the device at its lowest setting, but I think if I can work up to the higher setting, I'll see even further improvement.
What You'll Save: $100
Okay, maybe you're not quite the product guinea pig I am, but that's how much the cellulite creams in my closet added up to. This device works better than all of them.
The best beauty products save you time and money, and these 16 devices do just that. (Some even knock a few years off your appearance.) The new crop of electronic gadgets, at-home lasers and microcurrent therapy devices utilize the latest technology to deliver better-than-ever results. We tried dozens of beauty devices -- zapping, prodding and poking our skin to find the best gadgets that smooth skin, erase wrinkles, refine pores and even annihilate cellulite. Here, the top 16 beauty gadgets that made the cut.
