Hello fellow ninjas!
Today I’m doing a Trusty Tuesday on the Foreo LUNA Mini. The color I have is Turquoise Blue, but there are four other colors available (Magenta, Petal Pink, Purple, Cool Gray), and an additional Special Edition “Save the Sea” color. This retails for $139 and I picked mine up at Sephora.
I’ve been using this for a few months now – since December, I believe – and I use it both in the morning and at night. The front of the LUNA Mini has a little indent, which is actually the button to turn it on. There are two speeds to this – one push of the button turns it onto the higher speed, while another push of the button turns it onto the lower speed.
The back of it has the charging port, and it comes with a small USB charger. I’ve heard that a lot of people usually just plug it into their computer to charge, but I prefer to just put the USB portion into my iPhone charger and charge it that way. The website says it lasts to up to 300 uses per charge, which is about five months if used twice a day, and takes about one hour to completely charge.
The bristles on the front of the LUNA Mini are actually two sizes – the very tip of it has wider, firmer bristles, while the majority of the bristles on the bottom are thinner and more flexible. The tip is supposed to be for “oilier” areas (I like to use this part around my nose), while the other bristles are more gentle and are for general cleaning.
The back of the LUNA Mini has additional bristles that are the same as the bristles on the very tip of the front. I like to flip it around and use these bristles on my chin when I find that I’m breaking out along there.
For a size comparison, the LUNA Mini fits right into my palm, and the curved shape on the back actually makes it really convenient and comfortable to hold.
So how has it earned my trust? I have quite sensitive skin and this works perfectly to clean it. Although I’m not sure if this actually removes the “99.5% of dirt and oil, and 98.5% of makeup residue” as the website claims, I definitely feel that I’m getting a better clean with this than with using just my fingers.
While it didn’t “cure” my acne or anything, I notice that my skin has become a lot softer and more even since using this. I still get breakouts and everything, but overall, I think that my skin has slightly improved. I do think that this might have aided in saving my skin slightly: at the beginning of the year, I tried the Oil Cleansing Method, and it basically wreaked havoc on my skin. I initially thought that my skin was breaking out just because of the initial “purging” phase, but when it just kept getting worse and was like that for a long time, I stopped the OCM completely. I had tried different types of oils and none of them seemed to work for me, and my skin was extremely inflamed, sensitive, dry, and I had some cystic acne on my cheeks, which never happened before the OCM. After using this for a few weeks, my skin improved drastically and was back to its former state before I tried the OCM. While it could have just been because I stopped the OCM, I like to think that this maybe sped up the process.
Another great thing about this little device is that you don’t need to “think” about cleaning your face when using it, which is great for me since I tend to zone out in the morning and at night. In total, you get one minute of pulsations, but after every 15 seconds, the LUNA Mini will simultaneously light up and pause briefly, signaling for you to move on another part of the face. On the highest setting (one push of the button) I like to spend 15 seconds on one cheek, 15 seconds on another cheek, 15 seconds on my chin, and then 15 seconds for my nose and forehead.
After one minute, the LUNA Mini will light up and pulse three times, signaling that one minute is over. It doesn’t turn off automatically, which is good for me because I then like to spend a few more seconds on areas that I think need more cleaning. To turn it off when on the higher speed, you need to press the button twice (pressing it once will just put it back to the lower speed). The manual says that it will turn off automatically after three minutes to “prevent overuse.”
One thing that did slightly turn me off at first was the price point. I was debating between this and a Clarisonic Mia 1, which is less expensive at $99, but I also thought about the lifecycle costs. Basically, the LUNA Mini has only one upfront cost of $139 since it doesn’t require any replacement brush heads. The Clarisonic brush heads are recommended to be replaced every four months or so, and with the sensitive brush heads that I most likely would use priced at $27, I would be spending an additional $81 a year on brush heads alone. Additionally, the Foreo LUNA Mini seems more hygienic overall to me, as the silicon bristles are nonporous.
I will say that I would like to eventually get a Clarisonic just to keep in the shower, but I think even with the sensitive brush heads it might be too harsh to use on my skin daily. I can use the LUNA Mini twice a day without any irritation, and basically, I just love it!
Thanks for reading! Does anybody own a LUNA mini (or the regular-sized one?)
the beauty ninja 