Neutrogena: Wave Facial Cleanser

Neutrogena: Wave Facial Cleanser is an affordable hand-held face cleansing tool that you use with cleaning pads to more effectively clean your skin.

Can't afford a Clarisonic? Maybe Neutrogena's Wave will better fit your budget. There are two to choose from: the original vibrating Wave which costs $11 and the Wave Sonic, which costs $17. Both starter kits include the Wave tool and 14 cleansing pads.

To use, simply put a round cleansing pad on the tool, run it under water to activate the sudsing of the cleanser. The original Wave vibrates, claiming to clean 10 times better than regular washing, and the Wave Sonic rotates in circles, claiming to clean your skin 50 times better than regular washing.

Neutrogena instructs you to use daily, morning or night, so the initial starting kit will last you two weeks. The refills cleansing pads, which come in foaming or exfoliating and can be used on either Wave tool, come in 30-count refills currently priced at $8.00.

Things We Love:

• Price: The starting price of $11 or $17 for the tool, batteries included, and 2 week supply is great! And when you start buying refills, at $8 for the pack, it's only costing you $0.26 a day. (But don't forget that you'll need to add on the cost of another cleanser to use for your 2nd face washing of the day.)
• The Foaming Action: We used the foaming pads and they did an amazing job of foaming up.
• Water Resistant: We love that this can come right into the shower with us.
• Availability: Go to any drugstore and chances are good you'll find it - saving money on shipping costs.

Something's We Weren't Crazy About

• Still Having to Wash Parts of our Face: Because the head of the Wave is solid, and the little cleansing pad is stuck completely to it, there is no give or bend. It's hard to get the tool in some areas of your face, such as the sides of your nose. And because it's not gentle enough for the eye area, you have to go back and clean your eye makeup off separately.
• Battery Life: If you read some reviews online, you'll notice that a lot of people complain of the short battery life and even breaking after a very short time. It's not going to be a cheaper alternative to a more expensive tool if you have to replace it monthly.

Doing a little test, we washed our face with the Wave and a different day with a regular washcloth. Honestly, we couldn't tell the difference, as they both made our face feel much more of a deep clean than washing with our fingers alone.

If you're only using your fingers to clean your face, you'll notice a difference, but before you buy this, try a washcloth and see how your skin feels. It might be all you need.

But some people like to use fun tools for their skin care and beauty routine, and if you're one of them, this is a very cost-friendly way to add something fun to your facial regimen.

Necessary? No. Does it work? Yes. Will I buy the refills? Probably not.