Rio Ultrasonic Facial

Rio Ultrasonic Facial* - £59.99

For the past couple of months I've been testing out this nifty little gadget. You might know Rio for their Sonicleanse which is a Clarisonic dupe but they've recently relaunched their Ultrasonic Facial which is another brilliant facial cleansing system. This gadget provides you with two different treatments. First of all it cleanses & gently exfoliates the skin. Then it is used with a serum to lift & firm up the entire face. The interesting part is how it does this. The Ultrasonic Facial works by using tiny ultrasonic vibrations delivered through the blunt metal blade. I know that running a blade over your face sounds a bit scary but the treatments are very gentle so it doesn't hurt or anything. The high frequency vibrations just feel a bit funny and make a weird high pitched buzzing sound.

During the deep cleansing phase you hold the Ultrasonic Facial with the buttons facing outwards so that the blade can glide over your face at an angle. You simply wash your face as normal and then turn on the mode that uses continuous ultrasonic waves. Then you move the blade all over your face working outwards and upwards. When the blade comes into contact with the water on your face the vibrations cause a super fine mist to appear. Dead skin cells are then collected on the edge of the blade so it's almost as if you're gently scraping away a layer of skin. I've found this mode works well if you use a cleanser that lathers up slightly so you can see which parts of your face you've already treated. When I first tried using this I have to admit I was slightly disappointed. I had high hopes for the deep cleansing mode but it didn't really make a difference to my blemishes, blackheads or pores. Instead it made my skin feel softer and smoother which obviously isn't a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. It did make manual extractions a lot easier though.

The treatments work best if you do the deep cleansing mode and then follow it up with the sonophoresis. I didn't think that I would be that impressed by the sonophoresis as my skin isn't particularly saggy or wrinkly but this is where the machine really shines. After cleansing you apply some of the collagen serum all over your face. You then turn the machine round so the blade lies flat against your skin and slowly glide it upwards & outwards. This mode utilises pulsing waves which really pushes the serum deep into your skin. This helps your skin to absorb all of the product in the most beneficial way. The ultrasonic waves also boost your circulation and this plumps up & tightens the skin. This treatment is really amazing. I don't have any wrinkles yet but I'd say I have noticeable fine lines on my forehead and my nasiolabial folds are quite prominent. With just a few glides of this over those problem areas, the lines immediately disappear! It's quite incredible to see. The effects only last for a few hours but hopefully with continued use they'll be a bit more permanent. I've found it also works brilliantly around the jawline to firm up my many double chins.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the collagen serum provided in the kit because the texture is rather sticky. I think it does help with the lifting effect but I just don't like how it feels on the skin. I've tried using the Ultrasonic Facial with other serums and I think it works just as well with them. It goes particularly well with my much loved Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. This really gives my skin a boost as the serum is absorbed deeply into the epidermis. Even though both treatments are incredibly gentle on the skin, my face is left looking a bit red for a few hours afterwards. So I'd recommend using this only once or twice a week just before bed. One unexpected effect I've experienced from using this is reduced scarring. Like I say it makes my skin look red but once that redness fades away, so does the redness from my post-blemish scarring as well. As a result my face looks clearer & brighter as well as feeling firmer & tighter. So although I thought this was more of a blemish clearing treatment to begin with, it has actually proved itself to be a highly effective treatment for fine lines, sagging & scarring. I think inventions like the Clarisonic have proved that beauty gadgets aren't just gimmicks and the Ultrasonic Facial is one I can see myself using every week from now on.

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