My eyes are what forced me to reevaluate (or rather, create) my skin care routine.  One day while looking in the mirror, I became hyper focused on my eyes.  Years of poor sleeping and lack of skin care maintenance had caught up with me.  I had dark circles that were so puffy they looked like cushions.  Near the corners of my eyes were deep crows feet.  I knew I was way too young for that and I became obsessed with finding ways to fix the problem. I tried various solutions, some of which helped with the darkness but nothing I did would rid me of the puffiness!

My expensive taste has always exceeded my teacher/grad student salary, making me a staunch supporter of the Ulta Rewards Program. I religiously keep up with their bonus offers, so I can earn extra points when purchasing all of the items I can’t live without.  Over time I realized that if you save your points and redeem them in increments of 2000 you earn a bonus $25.  Who doesn’t want extra money? 

Recently I decided to redeem 2000 points ($125) on a Clarisonic Opal.  The reviews were great and Ulta.com had a special promotion package: the device, a full size eye serum, 4 replacement heads, a brush head for their face brushes and 3 trial sized products for their new Radiant Skin line for $150 (normally the device and serum alone has a $185 price tag).  

Progress Report

I knew I would never notice a difference on my own so I decided to document my progress using the Clarisonic Opal.  Throughout this trial I periodically took pictures of my eyes to help me determine if the device was working.  I used the Opal and the serum that came with it every night.  Each picture was taken at approximately the same time of night and in the same location. 

Week 3 showed the greatest change.  Not only are my under eyes brighter but the puffiness has mostly subsided.

During Week 4 I began suffering from seasonal allergies but was incredibly pleased that my eyes didn’t revert to their previously puffy state!

Week 7 was the final week of my trial.  I had numerous work and school commitments during the week resulting in minimal sleep.  Previously this would have caused dark purple pillows to pop up, but they stayed away!

Final Thoughts

I am obsessed with this device.  When people ask me about skin care, I have a ton of advice but the first thing I suggest is hopping on ulta.com and buying a Clarisonic Opal.  My eyes have never looked better.  It is difficult for me to say for sure whether the Opal or the serum is making the difference (it is probably a combination of the two) but I definitely notice when I stop using it consistently.

During this trial I did not try out any other new products around my eyes because I didn’t want them to interfere with my results.  You are able to use other eye serums with this device, but I have not tried that yet!

*I did this review out of morbid curiosity only. Nobody asked me or paid me to.