AD: I tried the the Shark FacialPro Glow courtesy of Very.co.uk

There are 3 things you need to know about me before we get into this review:

1. Despite my best efforts to somehow reverse the progress of time, I regret to inform that I continue to age like old milk.
2. I am an absolute sucker for any kind of skincare device that claims to be able to help with this. BUT…
3. I am busy, and also kind of anti-social really, which means I am not willing to leave my home in order to achieve this lofty goal.

Enter the Shark FacialPro Glow Depuffi At-Home Facial Spa…

 

Now, as it turns out, there’s actually 3 things you need to know about this little gadget, too, because the Shark FacialPro Glow might fit into one cute little case, as shown above, but  it essentially has 3 different ‘modes’, which all do different things for your skin.

1. ‘Pro Glow’ Facial mode
2. DePuffi ‘InstaChill’ (Cold Mode)
3. Depuffi ‘InstaHeat’ (Hot Mode)

The first of these is designed to be used as a once-a-week treat for the skin, while the other two modes can be used every day, as a quick pick-me-up / glow-getter.

Here’s how it works…

A weekly facial with Shark FacialPro Glow

 

When you open the box, you’ll find the Shark base unit (which contains the battery), plus two separate attachments for it. The first one is the facial unit, and it looks like this:

The green nozzle on the end is one of four which are provided with the unit; there are two ‘gentle’ nozzles, which are suitable for sensitive skin, and two ‘regular’ ones. I used the regular nozzles, and, of these, there’s a smaller one for the T-zone, and a larger one which can be used everywhere else.

The purpose of these nozzles is to exfoliate and extract impurities from your skin, by essentially… well, suctioning them out, basically, a bit like a hoover. (Don’t worry, it’s much less alarming than it sounds…) Once it’s done that, it then puts some moisture back in, to hydrate and plump the skin, leaving you all glowy and fresh looking — or, at least, that’s the idea.

In order to do this, the kit comes with two different solutions, designed to be used as part of your weekly facial:

The first step is the Derm Detox solution, which uses glycolic and salicylic acids to remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. You apply this before switching on the device, and give it 3 minutes to skink in properly. While you’re waiting, you fill the water tank on the FacialPro with cool water…

(The other chamber is the ‘gunk tank’. We’ll get to that later…)

Once you switch the unit on, you just apply the nozzle to your face, at which point it kind of gently adheres to the skin with what the instruction manual rather romantically describes as a ‘soft kiss’. You then move it slowly in an upwards and outwards direction, and repeat for two minutes, at which point you can pause the device and switch to the smaller, t-zone nozzle, which you use on your nose, chin and between the eyes.

I won’t lie, this feels super-weird at first as it sucks onto the skin, but it’s not painful or unpleasant, and although it does leave my skin a little red in the places it’s ‘adhered’ to, the redness is temporary, and only lasts for a few minutes after the treatment, so please don’t be alarmed by my slightly patchy appearance above; it didn’t look like this for long!

The unit will automatically switch off after 3 minutes (this is one of the things I like most about it; I just don’t have time to fit a lengthy skincare routine into my day, even once a week, but not even I can claim not to have 3 minutes to spare…), after which you refill the water tanks, and repeat the process, this time using the Hydro Infuse solution, instead of water. This contains hyaluronic acid, to rehydrate the skin, and although you can’t expect to see results after the first use, I did actually think I looked quite ‘glowy’ after it:

Once you’re done with the treatment itself, it’s time to empty the ‘gunk tank’, where is where all of the stuff that’s just been extracted from your skin goes after cleansing. I’d read that this can be quite gross (although also pretty satisfying, to see everything it’s managed to get rid of), so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the water in mine wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I did clean my face quite thoroughly before I started, though, and I used the device first thing in the morning, so there was no makeup to remove, which probably helped.

Did it ‘boost my radiance’, though?

 

So, as I said, you can’t expect to see instant results from this (especially not with the facial attachment, which will take at least a few uses before it makes a real difference. Having said that, although the ‘glow’ I mentioned after my first attempt at a facial well have been wishful thinking on my part, the night after I tried it, I was taking my makeup off, and I was pleasantly surprised (and honestly quite amazed) by how nice my skin looked; which isn’t something I’m used to saying about myself, tbh.

It’s now a few days since the treatment, and I definitely feel that my pores look tighter, and my skin smooth; so much so, in fact, that this morning I actually did the school-run without my usual layer of foundation (Or CC cream, in my case):

(Yes, my hair was still a mess, but the it doesn’t do anything for your hair, unfortunately…)

Now, I am wearing eye makeup and brow pencil in this photo, but the only thing on my skin is SPF, and this is extremely unusual for me, because although I have been using less makeup as I’ve gotten older (I find that a lot of foundations and concealers just serve to highlight the fine lines rather than hiding them these days, hence the switch to CC cream…), I rarely go out completely bare-faced. I genuinely feel this has made enough of a difference to allow me to do that, though, and as this has happened after just one use, I honestly can’t wait to see what kind of results I’ll get from it in a few weeks.

In the meantime, though, the Shark has two other ‘modes’ which can he used on a daily basis, so let’s take a look at those…

Daily Depuffing With Shark FacialPro Glow

 

So, I have a puffy face. I just do. In fact, I always just laugh when I hear people talk about how a good night’s sleep is the best thing you can do for your skin, because, no matter how well I sleep, I always wake up looking creased, rumpled, and ever so slightly puffy. Hate that for me. “Beauty sleep’ it is not.

That, however, is what the second attachment for the FacialPro Glow is here to help with. Here’s what it looks like:

This is the Depuffi (cute!), and it has two modes:

1. InstaChill
2. InstaHeat

Now, I’m pretty sure you can probably figure out the difference between these two for yourself, but, in the sake of clarity…

InstaChill mode…

 

… provides what the instructions describe as ‘advanced depuffing’, working to reduce the appearance of dark circles, while also helping sculpt the cheeks and jawbone.

As you might expect, this mode makes the device feel cold to the touch, and I have to tell you, it. is. delicious. Especially first thing in the morning, which is when I’ve been using it, to basically wake up my skin and attempt to get rid of the early-morning ‘puff’.

There are three different intensities you can choose between (I always use the coldest, because why not…), and I love the way this feels on my face. I do think it helps to reduce the puffiness around my eyes, and because you only have to use it for a few minutes to feel the benefits, it’s just a really nice addition to my morning routine, which doesn’t take up too much time.

InstaHeat mode…

 

The second option, meanwhile, is ‘InstaHeat’, which aims to boost circulation and improve lymphatic flow for more radiant skin. You use both of these modes the same way – by lightly pressing the device against the skin, then moving it slowly up and out – and while the Instachill mode is nicely refreshing, this one is quite comforting and relaxing: I like to use it immediately after the ‘chill’ mode, so I get to do the school run looking vaguely human, but I also think it would be nice as part of a wind-down routine at bedtime.

Overall…

 

While it’s still too soon to declare this device a true miracle worker, my first impressions of it are really positive, and, of all of the various skincare electricals I’ve tried, I’d say this is the one that’s made the most obvious – and immediate – difference. If you’d like to try it for yourself, you can find it, plus other Shark beauty products at Very.co.uk — happy shopping!