Product Journal: Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System (Clarisonic "dupe")

Hello everyone!

I'm resurrecting my blog to do a little "journal" on my experience with the new Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System. I first heard about this product from the P&G rep at work (I am employed at a retail drugstore chain), and then proceeded to see various TV/magazine/internet ads for the product in subsequent months. Within the past month or so, I started to see a lot of buzz over at MakeupAlley as well, and when people started comparing it to the Clarisonic, I decided that I had to try it out for myself.

I should probably start this off with a little background on my skin: it's combination-to-oily, pretty fair, and quite acne-prone. My biggest struggles are uneven skintone and blemishes. Also, I owned a pink Clarisonic classic up until about 3 months ago (I got it for $120 during the SkincareRX 40% off deal) and LOVED it, but ended up having to sell it to pay for textbooks :(

I had actually been considering the purchase of another Clarisonic (most likely a Mia off eBay or something) when I heard about this product. I figured that for $30, I couldn't go wrong with trying it since I could always return it if I didn't like it.

On Friday (1/14/11), I purchased the Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing system from work, and so my journal begins.

Friday, 1/14/11 [Day 1, Use 1]

I purchased the Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing system at work today for $29.99 and couldn't wait to get home and use it right away :)

When you first open the box, you'll notice that the items are arranged very similarly to the way the Clarisonic's items are. My version came with the brush body, brush, two AA batteries, and a mini tube (0.68oz) of the Olay Pro-X scrub-cleanser.My goal for right now is to use this brush every other day (with the included cleanser) on

the higher brush speed, because that is how I used my Clarisonic. By doing so, I hope to be able to get an accurate comparison of the two skin brushes.

Here are my first impressions from the first night of using the Olay skin brush:

PROS:

- Price: This is super affordable - $29.99 compared to the Clarisonic's $195. (Also, brush head replacements are $9.99 for two - compared to $25 a pop for the Clarisonic brush heads!)

- Functionality: Honestly, my skin feels just as smooth after this first use as it did with my Clarisonic.

- Non-irritating: I have pretty hardy skin, but the Sensitive Clarisonic brush head has been known to irritate my skin if used for too long in one sitting. The Delicate brush, on the other hand, was too soft to actually exfoliate my skin. I feel like this Olay brush is the perfect balance between the Delicate and Sensitive brush heads.

- Battery powered: I actually prefer battery powered to the charger, because 1) you don't have to wait for the initial 24-hour charging period and 2) you don't have to worry about losing the charger somewhere or lugging it along on a trip.

- Two speeds: The low speed seems great for more sensitive skin, while the higher speed takes my flakes away very quickly.

CONS:

- Spinning brush head: This is probably a "pro" except for one thing - I find it a little irritating when cleaning near the hairline, because it kind of picks up and "spins" your hair. It's not a huge problem, but it does take an extra minute to stop and fix it before continuing.

- No timer: This was one feature I did like with the Clarisonic. However, it isn't a dealbreaker, and it is a feature I'm more than willing to live without to save $170 :)

- No brush cap: Again, this isn't a dealbreaker for me because I'm sure I will find some sort of solution. However, I will make a suggestion about this to our P&G rep the next time I see her, because I feel like keeping the germs out of skincare is a pretty basic requirement.

Sunday, 1/16/11 [Day 3, Use 2]

I used the Olay brush today for the second time and am still loving the results. Today I aimed for about 60 seconds of time on the face, using the included cleanser once again. I tried to follow the the pattern I did with my Clarisonic - 10 seconds on forehead, 15 seconds on each cheek area, and 15 seconds on chin/jawline.

Again, I feel that the smoothness/exfoliation is the same as I was getting with my Clarisonic, except with no irritation at all.

I should mention that I think the cleanser is a bit drying (probably because it has a lot of foaming ingredients in it), but it doesn't seem to irritate my skin - rather, I notice that it seems to dull the redness in my face after I use it. If I do notice excessive dryness or irritation, I will switch over to my old cleanser (Olay Sensitive Skin Foaming Cleanser with Aloe).

I should also note that after each use, I wash the brush head with a little bit of hand soap to get it ready for the next use.

If you have any questions or comments regarding my experience with the Olay Pro-X brush, please let me know in the comments below!

~ The Product Addict