CLEANSING BRUSH/DEVICE

With more and more cleansing devices making it onto the market, we feel that this category is more useful than ever – splash out for one of these and get it wrong, and it makes a big financial dent. The good news? We’ve identified great choices at opposite ends of the price spectrum, depending on your budget.

As well as accessing nooks and crannies of the face (for instance, in the nose zone) that may be overlooked when cleansing, the perk offered by facial cleansing gizmos is the circulation-boosting action, as skin is massaged and stimulated. 

Dismissed by some as too much of a faff, our testers’ verdicts show that it may be well worth considering adding one of these to your cleansing-slash-age-defying arsenal. (NB Facialists, we know advise that those with spotty and oily skins should resist the temptation to over-use these, relying on them once or twice a month for a deep cleanse.)

GOLD AWARD  bea Skin Ultra Quartz Cleansing Wand

Not quite a ‘Beauty Steal’, at around £70, but definitely at the affordable end of the price spectrum when it comes to cleansing brushes. This cleans, massages and warms skin, via one smooth-to-the-touch, sonic-powered silicone device that is available in black (which our testers received) or white. bea (the lower case is part of the branding!) recommend rinsing with warm water after cleansing, then drying with a lint-free cloth or towel – advice worth following, whatever cleansing device you opt for. A bit of background on the brand, meanwhile: Bianca Estelle is a Harley Street-trained skin specialist who studied Applied Sciences at the University of the Arts, qualifying in cutting-edge aesthetic skin procedures. With a flagship clinic in Marylebone and a devoted clientele, she launched her own skincare line – bea – in 2015. 

£69.99 - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

‘A gamechanger! I felt I was really cleansing my skin with the wand – no more flannels for me. My skin felt fresher and cleaner than it has done, as if I was having a facial every day’ • ‘I was really able to address my pores with the brush – a super-exciting product! Comes in a box looking like an iPhone so looks expensive, with clear, easy-to-understand instructions’ • ‘Improves appearance of skin with regular exfoliation and massage properties. Makes me feel younger and less stressed! They should give these out on the NHS! A brilliant product both for physical improvement in the skin and psychological benefit with any tension held within the face, and a real investment’ • ‘The skin on my face felt so relaxed; it softened my features after initial use and I could still almost feel the vibrations, after using it – my skin felt like it was buzzing with energy!’ • ‘I really like this cleanser; you really do feel like your skin is having a deep cleanse. The fact that it's waterproof and can be used in the shower is a huge boost for me; that's when I use a wash-off cleanser. It's really effortless to add it into your routine. ’ • ‘I thought these sonic cleansers were a bit of a gimmick, but actually it's fantastic. It's very gentle, more gentle than it looks, and it leaves the skin feeling ultra-clean. It gives the skin a much better cleanse than you can achieve using your usual hot cloth or double cleanse. The rose quartz on the reverse heats up and feels blissful, too; my skin really glowed after using it’ • ‘The heat setting was so unusual and impressively powerful and sets it apart from other silicone cleansing brushes. I preferred using the heat setting alone (with no vibration/massage setting) and it worked well with oil, serum and moisturisers, so I found it very versatile. Overall, highly recommended and I much prefer this to the existing product I have, which gathers dust in the corner, versus this one that I actually enjoy reaching for.’ 

£69.99 - click to buy 

SILVER AWARD  PMD Clean Pro GOLD

Four brilliant years in a row for PMD, in the Beauty Bible Awards! This is the ‘smart tools’ brand’s top-of-the-range facial device, which does double-duty: you just choose from the cleansing or anti-ageing programmes, when using. The bristles and ergonomically-designed wand itself are made from silicone, which is anti-bacterial, hypoallergenic, waterproof and odour-resistant. The sonic technology ‘breaks down dirt and oil from within the pores at 7,000 vibrations a minute,’ they tell us. On the opposite side to the bristles is a 24K gold-plated massager to boost skincare absorption, reduce inflammation and enhance hydration and elasticity; it also offers an ActiveWarmthTM massage option, to relax the face. There’s an online how-to video, which several testers tuned into and found helpful.

£225 - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

‘What a total joy this was to use. The fact it reduced my bug-bear of an open pore was just the best thing ever – you could even go so far as to say I squealed with delight on that one’ • ‘Try it on your lips! I really felt it made a huge difference to the dryness of my lips, an added bonus I hadn’t even considered’ • ‘Couldn't do without this. If this one breaks, I am finding next day delivery for a new one and NO ONE is borrowing it’ • ‘Makes cleansing a really nice experience; I actually looked forward to using it. I would use the cleansing side with my usually cleanser first, then use the gold-plated side once I had applied serums/oils/moisturiser etc.; it warms up as well as vibrates, which is excellent as it makes products sink in very quickly, while the massage lifts and tones’ • ‘I did notice better tone to my jaw area – my face definitely had a lifted look about it, so the massage side of the device seems to be doing something wonderful!’ • ‘My skin looked fresher – I think it has a positive effect on the circulation in general, and it definitely felt softer and more plumped-up. The tone was improved, too’ • ‘A luxury addition to your skin care routine. Your skin will thank you for it! The cleansing option will help your products work so well, and the heated option will make you feel you are in a spa whilst also helping your products be absorbed better!’ • ‘ Felt my skin was ultra-clean when I used this with my, giving my skin a thorough facial and making the products I used work better; I think my moisturisers were absorbed better when I used the heated plate to massage them in. (As an aside, I used the heated to massage my forehead when I had a terrible headache - oh my goodness, soooooo soothing and eased the pain immensely!) ’ • ‘I find myself reaching for this even after the initial 28 days of use, maybe three times a week, when I want to make sure my skin has had a good cleanse.’

£225 - click to buy