Now, we all know that I love my Clarisonic.  I love it so much that I own two: one for home and one for travel.  The acne cleansing wash and the acne brush keep my breakouts under control.  And the body brush keeps the acne from forming on my chest, esp. during the six weeks every year that I decide working out is a good idea (see below for how to save 20% on Clarisonic products).

I know some of you are skeptical about spending a sizeable amount of money on a single beauty tool, but once you have one, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.  Of all the women that I have convinced (berated?) to buy one, only one was just “meh” about it.

The Clarisonic Opal Infusion System ($185)

Because I feel so passionately about the Clarisonic, I was super excited when my blog-pal Meghan Donovan, who reps the company, offered up a free Opal for me to try.  Maybe excited is not the word.  Ecstatic?  Over-the-moon?  Thrilled beyond measure?

The Clarisonic Opal uses the same sonic technology that powers your cleansing brush to apply eye serum.  The oscillating action infuses the serum into the skin better than manual application because the tip “kneads” the product into your epidermis, moving at 7,500 times per minute.  That motion ensures that the serum penetrates deeply and targets the eye area without being spread around, the way your finger would.  (This video explains it better than I do.)

I was a bit skeptical that this product would do what the package claimed.  Not because I don’t trust Clarisonic, but because the skin around my eyes is still in pretty good shape.  (I have wrinkles on my forehead and grey hair, but have been blissfully spared the angst of crow’s feet.  So far.)  How much could the product help someone who doesn’t need much help?

Following the directions on the packet, I filled the infusion tip with a bit of serum and worked the oscillating tip across the area under my eye.  It was surprisingly soothing; it felt a bit like a mini-eye massage.

When the time was up, I massaged in the last of the serum, and compared my right eye (the one I had I Opal’ed) to my left.  Imagine my shock when the skin on the right eye looked noticeable smoother and firmer, not to mention brighter.  At first, I thought that I was hallucinating.  (Maybe this was the Clarisonic version of the placebo effect?) But after several weeks of use, I can honestly say that the skin around my eyes is brighter and firmer than it was before.

There was only one minor drawback.  While I like the serum, it caused my acne-prone skin to breakout a bit, so I simply started using my Kate Sommerville Cytocell instead and it works flawlessly.

I try to be diligent about only recommended beauty products that I am impressed by, esp. when they are an investment piece like the Opal.  But this device has helped firm the skin around my eyes, when I didn’t even know it needed firming.  It’s also reduced puffiness, and brightened my eye area.  So if you’re struggling with crow’s feet, or you just want to start taking better care of the delicate skin around your eye, I would definitely buy an Opal.

P.S. If you want to try an Opal or a Clarisonic for less, I suggest buying them at Skinstore.  You save 20% on the Opal ($148 instead of $185), the Mia ($95 instead of $118) and all Clarisonic brush head refills and soaps.  It’s a great deal.  I always buy the four pack of brush heads ($60 instead of $75) to save a little bit extra.

As mentioned above, I received this Opal for free from the company.  They placed no restrictions on what I could write about or what content the post needed to contain.  I just honestly loved the product and was so grateful they let me try one out for free.