Memebox I’m Dual Pore Brush Review + Demo

Cleansing is one of those steps where I wish would just be done and over with.  You’d think because I have a Clarisonic Pro, I would use it every other day but sadly that is not the case.  I usually only do my full skincare routine at night and of course, that is when I come home from work and I’m tired but I force myself to make it a point to at least take care of my skin and brush my teeth.  So most of the time, I just use my hands, rub the cleanser on for about 20 seconds and call it a day.  I have also tried using konjac sponges and “pore” brushes but I never got myself into the habit of using it because it is just another step to my routine and I’m tired damn it!  So when I got this in the mail, I was kind of like meh but I saw the pink silicone side which really interested me. I love me the silicone brush but never got around to buying one on ebay, so this is perfect!  Let’s see how this brush preforms and if it is worth the money.  Let’s gooo~ (/^▽^)/

Full name of product:
Memebox I’m dual pore brush

Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Permanent

Description of product:
“Bring your cleansing routine to the next level with I’m Dual Pore Brush. The first step to perfect skin is a good, thorough cleanse. Our ultra-soft microfiber and silicone brushes detox, rejuvenate, and retexturize. #beginwithcleansing

• The white microfiber brush is made with 550,000 microfiber bristles that deeply clean pores without irritating the skin. It draws impurities and blackheads out of the pores for incredibly soft and even skin texture.
• The pink silicone brush is made with gentle silicone bristles that help remove stubborn blackheads and whiteheads. When gently pressed against the skin, it helps reduce puffiness in addition to restoring circulation and resilience.”

Price:
$12 regular (on sale now for $9)

Ingredients:
Handle: plastic
Bristles: Microfiber
Pink Pore brush: SiliconeProduct packaging:
When you first receive this brush, it comes in a clear plastic box with the signature “I’m” motto which I always find it cute since it is like the product is talking to me.  This facial brush measures 13 centimeters tall with two sides to the brush, a soft bristled brush to lather and create foam, and a silicone bristle side to get deeper into your pores.

The first time I used this brush, I noticed right out of the packaging that the bristles are grouped up in 18 groups and I was wondering why.  I have experiences with other pore brushes which you can easily find in Daiso or eBay for one or two dollars, so I was curious as to see how the grouped bristles would be different.

*Please excuse the lighting in this picture.  I couldn’t fit my lighting system into the washroom since it is a little small.* 
I really enjoy the fact that there is a flat handle so I can stand up my brush.  I don’t like to use my other pore brush because it either has to be hung or be sat down by the handle which can cause the water to settle into the bottom of the brush, in turn causing bacteria to harbour.  I do not want a science project being rubbed back onto my face, YUCK! 

The silicone side is also very nice and feels great on the skin.  I love using this side especially on my nose around in hopes of reducing blackheads.  I haven’t noticed a big difference with my blackhead habitation so far.

Texture/ Feel on the skin:
I don’t know how this bristled brush is sooo soft but once I start using it to cleanse my face,  I don’t want to stop!  Usually I take about 20-30 seconds to cleanse my face, but the recommendation time is approximately 1.5-2 minutes.  Before I couldn’t be bothered to take that long to cleanse, but because this brush is so soft, I have found myself to really cleanse my face for 2 minutes straight. 

I have tried many other facial brushes such as the one offered in the body shop and the generic one you can find in any skincare, beauty store or ebay.  The one I got in the pass from the body shop, I don’t understand how it is suppose to be for the face.  The bristles were so coarse, it felt like I was rubbing a iron scrubber on my face.  That brush might as well be for cleaning my dishes, how the heck is that for the face!! I was slightly scarred (experience wise) from that and stayed away from manual facial brushes for a while.  Then I got the Clarisonic and of course I loved it, but it is slightly too finicky for me to use everyday.

How to use:Take your cleanser and put some on your hand. I have tried using the facial brush by either lathering the cleanser on my other hand first or just placing cleanser on the brush and then proceeding to massage my face.  Both way works but I like lathering it on first. Also I have noticed using this brush to lather your cleanser, you actually use a lot less cleanser!  Usually I use about two squeezes of cleansers, however with this brush, I use only one squeeze.

Wet your facial brush.

Shake the excess water out of the brush.  You don’t need to have this dripping wet, you just need it to be dampened.

Once the brush is wet, the bristles group into their little cliques.

The first time I used this brush, I was slightly concerned that the bristles were in small bunches.  I thought the brush would possibly skip, if you know what I mean.  Surprisingly, not only does the grouped bristles aid with dry time, it also makes the  bristles glide on the skin a lot easier. I found that my other generic pore brush would slightly drag on my face, hence me not using it ever.

Lather lather~

Bubbles!  Proceed to cleanse your face and sing a song for two minutes or have Youtube videos running while you cleanse.

Dry time:
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this brush dried super fast!  Once I was done with it, I just rinsed away the cleanser, brushed the excess water onto my towel and had it sitting next to my sink.  The next morning when I wake up, it is already 80% dry!  Then when I come back from work, it is fully dry.  My other generic pore brush, it took two stinkin’ days to dry!  That is absurd.  So the grouped up bristles do make a difference.  Interesting…

Performance:
During my cleansing stage with this brush, I noticed (as I said before) that the brush glided over my skin with ease and no tugging or skipping.  If you watched the video I linked in the beginning, it demonstrated that you could use this to remove your make up as well. I’m not sure if they used a cleanser that is dual purpose and has a makeup removing ability, but with a regular cleanser and this brush, I couldn’t remove my make up.  It removed it a little bit, but not as thorough as let’s say if I were to use a cleansing oil or my Clarisonic.  I did like using the silicone side with my cleansing oil to remove my makeup and it did a good job massaging every part of my face.

Dupe for Clarisonic?:
There are a lot of products out in the market, whether it is the Western or Asian market, that is trying to offer as close as a dupe to the Clarisonic as they can.  But of course, the Clarisonic is patented so no one is allowed to make exact replicas of them unless you want your butt to be sued to the moon and back.  So do I think this an alternative for the Clarisonic?  Not exactly.  Let me explain.  Clarisonic is an electronic device created by the same company as Sonicare (yes the toothbrushes) and they use “sonic technology” that “oscillates at a sonic frequency that produces 300 movements per second.”  So what does that mean translated back to English, this means the Clarisonic does not spin clockwise as many other alternative electric brushes do in the market.  Instead, they use a technology that makes the brush head move up and down so gently that it came to loosen dirt, oil, and makeup more effectively.  I have tested this “theory” out before by literally slapping on black eyeshadow all over my face, lipstick like a clown and everything and Clarisonic managed to remove everything.  The downside to the Clarisonic, of course, is it being super expensive, retailing at the insane price of $150 up to $300+, replacement of the brush heads ($30 recommended to be replaced every 3 months) and while in use, the sonic technology makes my mirror all dirty from the water being shaken out.

So do I think this is an alternative for the Clarisonic?  No, not really.  Of course, there really isn’t comparing since this is not an electronic device that uses sonic technology to cleanse the skin, but this product has its own advantages.
1) A lot more affordable $12
2) No brush head replacement needed
3) I don’t need to take the brush head off every time I use this and clean the device from any moisture.
4) This brush can be used everyday unlike the Clarisonic (recommended to be used only 3 times max.) because the bristles are 100 million times softer.  I even use this brush on my eye area as well because it is so soft.  You can argue that you can buy the Luxe brush head to use on your eyes, but really let’s be real.  Who wants to pay an extra $30 for yet ANOTHER brush head.  We got bills to pay damn it.

With that being said, I like this brush for its own reasons and I do find myself using this one a lot more than my Clarisonic which has actually been collecting dust because I can’t be bothered with taking the brush head off every time I use it and wiping down the device so it doesn’t get moldy.  Anything to make my life easier and hassle-free, I’m down.

How to cleanse the brush:
So you might also be worried as to how you can clean your brush from any bacteria build-up.  Here are the steps you can follow to ensure your brush doesn’t get devoured by nasty mold and mildew.  Of course, make sure after every use, you’d need to rinse off the soap away, dry the bristles off the excess water with your towel and leaving it to sit and dry in a cool and dry environment.  Here are some methods you can use to clean your brush:
-Place the brush into hot and boiling water to kill off bacteria.  Not sure if the silicone side will melt away, so I’d suggest maybe just submerging the bristle brush side to disinfect.
-Pour rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) onto the brush and leave to dry.

These two methods, you can do either or.  You can also do the first step with the hot water, and then the rubbing alcohol to make sure it is super clean.  The bristles on this brush isn’t natural hairs, so you don’t need to worry about the bristles drying out and becoming coarse.  Of course, if your brush goes to the point of no return, I’d think it is best to just buy a new one.

Pro:
-affordable
-cleanses effectively
-lathers cleanser well= less product used

Con:
-doesn’t cleanse off makeup that well/ through

Repurchase?:
Yes

Stars given out of 5:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall thoughts:
I do really like this brush and I would highly recommend it.  This is not a dupe for the Clarisonic, but it is definitely a close second for me if you don’t mind the fact that you can’t remove make up effortlessly like how the Clarisonic does.  I mean, do you really want to spend an extra $150 for a facial brush or do you want to buy a brush that is just as good for $9 and get on with your life and not be a broke b****.  Overall I really like this brush and would recommend this to anyone in the market for one and want to be more serious about their skincare skin care regimen.  Thumbs up!

What are your thoughts on this brush?  Would you be interested in one yourself?  Do you have one and what are your experiences with it?  Let me know in the comments down below!