Olay Pro-X Spin Brush: A Review

With all the recent buzz on YouTube and in the blogosphere on the Clarisonic, I couldn't help but be intrigued by promises of beautiful, glowing skin. However, the hefty price tag of the Clarisonic held me, and I'm sure many others, back. So when Olay came out with a similar version for $49.99 (less than half the price of the Clarisonic!) I ran out to make a purchase. 3 months later, I am ready to report my thoughts on this product.
First, of all, the brush is pretty small and lightweight. It is also battery powered, but Olay says it is safe to use in the shower (which I have not). It has two speeds, and an on/off button. The package comes with the actual cleansing unit, one brush head, and a deluxe sample size cleanser. The cleanser in my opinion, performed in an average way. It cleansed my face without leaving it dry or tight, nor did it leave any residue behind. I felt it cleansed well but it was not different enough from my other cleansers that I felt the need to run out and buy a full size of it.
The cleansing unit itself as I mentioned, was light weight and battery powered, which I liked. This made it extremely easy to use and I didn' have to worry about it running out of charge and not being able to use it because when the batteries die, I can instantly replace them and the product will be ready for use. The Pro-X offers 2 speeds- slower for sensitive skins and a more high-powered one, which is the setting I use most. I don't think it is too fast or abrasive by any means (and wouldn't mind it being a tad faster as a matter of fact.) The brush head bristles are very soft, they remind me of the bristles of an extra soft tooth brush really. Here's what the front of the brush looks like:

Here's what the back looks like:

The immediate difference I noticed from the Clarisonic is the way the brush operates. Whereas the Clarisonic brush "flexes" back and forth to give your skin a deeper cleansing, the Olay brush only spins clockwise.
The way I like to use the Olay brush is as follows: first I take off as much of my makeup as possible with a makeup wipes- I am really enjoying the Kirkland ones from Costco right now! Then I add a nickle-sized amount of Philosophy's Purity Made Simple cleanser to the dampened brush head and spend about 15-20 seconds on each part of my face (forehead, nose, each cheek, chin) Then I rinse the cleanser off of my skin, use toner, and follow up with moisturizer. I rinse off the brush head and leave it to dry. After using this product for a little over three months, it is worth mentioning that I have not yet needed a replacement brush head. The bristles look exactly as they did when I first purchased the brush and are not splayed or broken.
The final verdict? The Olay Pro-X Spin Brush definitely deep cleans my skin more than if I would use makeup wipe or a cleanser on its own. Even after wiping as much as possible with a makeup wipe, the brush head picks up all traces of foundation, power, etc. that were left over. Though I have not used the Clarisonic, I would definitely recommend Olay's alternative if you are on the market for a relatively cost-effective cleansing brush that will deep clean your skin and offer light exfoliation.