Well. I wasn’t expecting this to work, I’ll tell you that for nothing! Sliding a rubbery, vibrating paddle over your face does not feel conducive to an effective cleanse; I have to say that I sat there feeling like a bit of a tool. With my tool. I felt that I may as well have been rubbing my face with an alarm clock or one of those new stylishly minimalist “personal massagers” that they have ads for in the back of the Sunday papers. (“Relieves muscular aches and pains”? Yeah, that’s what people are buying them for….)

But the Foreo Luna, designed to deep-cleanse as well as boost circulation and relax facial muscles, really does work. It has been positioned as something of an alternative to the Clarisonic (the deep cleansing facial brush that oscillates like a toothbrush to draw out grime) but it is actually very different to the Clarisonic. In both good and bad ways. Because the Clarisonic is possibly the most effective tool I have ever used for cleansing, but it has its drawbacks which have been well-documented by other beauty writers and bloggers and Youtubers.

The main complaint about the Clarisonic always seems to be that it is “too harsh”. People have suffered sensitivity, redness, broken veins and breakouts where the skin has become aggravated. I think that the main culprit here is the fact that the brand suggest that the tool can be used twice a day – I think that even once a day is probably too much. With the standard brush head, you’re giving your skin a right old going over – I’d say that it’s almost as much of a buffing as you’d get with a gentle-ish face scrub. And you wouldn’t do one of those every day! (Some might, that’s OK. If your face isn’t falling off and your skin looks good, fire away! Others: no.) But with the right use, i.e. every other day or once weekly as a proper at-home facial session, the Clarisonic is unbeatable in terms of getting a deep-down cleanse going. For me, it’s now a standard part of my twice-weekly in-bath facial routine: cleanse with the Clarisonic and then on with a nice plumptious mask that hydrates and soothes.

I’ve tested the cleansing powers of the Clarisonic quite extensively, now – I must actually put my findings into a video of some sort, because it’s quite spectacular the amount of grime that it can extract when all other types of cleansing – including flannel or “hot cloth” – have exhausted themselves. Especially if you’ve had on a full face of SPF and makeup and have been out all day in the city, on and off public transport. The dirt seems to burrow its way down into your very being. It’s easy to see how well the Clarisonic cleanses: the dirt is right there on the white brush head. But it’s not so easy to see what the Foreo Luna is doing…

You can see that the device has tiny little silicone nodules all over the end of it; when you massage the device over your skin, the rounded nodules kind of wiggle the dirt off the skin and direct it down so that it’s trapped in the gaps. It’s quite hard to see what is trapped in the gaps, though – is it just slightly beige cleanser that has dissolved the top layer of foundation, or is the Foreo properly breaking down the makeup and dirt? I did an experiment – three or four times, actually – and went over with the Clarisonic after I had finished with the Luna. Nothing left! Quite remarkable when you consider that the Foreo Luna is totally non-abrasive and gives you a bit of a stimulating face massage at the same time! I always feel a bit disappointed as I’m using it, because it doesn’t seem to be doing a lot, but the final results can’t really be argued with. Clear, clean skin that seems that bit more lively and glowy and isn’t irritated in the slightest.

Other great things about the Foreo Luna: one charge lasts for absolutely ages. I charged mine up months ago – MONTHS! – and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. The charge only took an hour or so, too – incredibly convenient. No need to lug a charger about with you when you travel. It’s also a very hygienic way of cleansing and you don’t need to replace any brush heads or what have you. Overall, I’m really very impressed. I won’t be stopping my twice-weekly Clarisonic cleanse, I don’t think, but for those looking to find a more gentle alternative to the bristle brush, this could be your answer. It’s not cheap – £145 – but nothing will ever need replacing on this, so it’s just the one simple outlay. Of course when it comes to cleansing tools there’s always the humble flannel (facecloth) with the approximate cost of £0.50, or your hands, £0, but I must say that I do find the electronic devices to be a nice addition. Nicer if they were about a third of the price…

You can find some more details on Cult Beauty here. They have 15% off everything until Wednesday 25th at 6pm, so well worth a quick pop over if you need to re-stock on anything…

For cleanser ideas, take a look at the ones I suggested for the Clarisonic, or browse all cleanser reviews here.