[This is a sponsored article with Ogawa.]
To be very frank, I do the absolute bare minimum when it comes to self-care. General cleansing is good enough for me, but I’ve never had the opportunity to use beauty tools that take your physical self-care to the next level.
So when Habo by Ogawa asked us to try 7 of their top beauty devices for women, my colleague Faye and I were up for a new experience to try them all out in 1 day.
Since there are 7 products to review, let’s start with the most popular and best-selling ones first. Do note that these are rated on first-impressions, and not long-term usage.
At-Home IPL Hair Removal Device
Rating: 4/5
Favourite Feature: There’s only one button to press, which makes it extremely easy to use, and its auto-sensor that adjusts its intensity to your skin is a great safety measure.
The Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) device basically can result in permanent hair removal.
It comes with a shaver and a pair of shades (to protect your eyes from its bright flashing light). We first used the shaver on my left arm, and then proceeded with the IPL.
I’ve experienced laser treatments before, so the feeling of the light zapping on my skin’s surface wasn’t too much of a shock. It felt more like a rubber band snap. If you’ve never had it done before, Faye did share that she was surprised at first but got used to it very quickly.
The device is able to automatically adjust the light intensity levels based on the patch of skin you press it to. According to Habo by Ogawa, their goal is to give users silky smooth skin within 7-8 weeks of usage. After that period, you can manage any regrowth you see with touch-up treatments using the device..
Body Slimming & Massage Device
Rating: 3.5/5
Favourite Feature: Its easy-to-hold design that lets you pinpoint exactly where you want it on your body.
Using Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), heat (47°C) and ultrasonic vibrations, this device is meant to help you firm up fat in areas like your upper arms, waist, belly, and even lift breasts.
Do note that in order to see results, consistency is key. During our experience with it, we tested its different vibration strengths, and the heated core starts up very quickly so there’s no long waiting time to get the effect you want.
It’s relaxing to use, and since you hold it to targeted spots on your body, you can also do it while chilling in front of the TV or even while you’re sitting down for a long work call.
Automatic Foaming Facial Cleansing Massager
Rating: 5/5
Favourite Feature: The way it allows you to squeeze your cleanser into the device itself and foam it up automatically in just a few seconds, no messy dripping everywhere.
I’m more of a “wash face with hands” kind of person, but the Cleansing Massager was pleasant to use. It fits nicely in the hand and is easy to hold, and there are only 2 buttons to press.
The left “M” button controls the foaming function and acoustic vibrations, and the right “L” button controls the vibration intensity, which can go quite high.
The medical grade silicone bristles felt gentle enough on my face, and it foams up very efficiently. Adding just a few drops of water is sufficient enough to create a thick, foamy mix too (of course, this would still be dependent on your type of cleanser).
Cleaning the device after use was simple since I could just run it under water until all the soap was washed out of it, then leave it to air-dry.
Wireless Charging Blackhead Remover
Rating: 4/5
Favourite Feature: Its multiple strength options and different heads that allow you to customise the blackhead removal experience, and the fact that it actually works.
I tend to be quite sceptical about any blackhead removing devices, since a lot of ones reviewed on YouTube never seem to work. So, when I could actually see our blackheads pulled out of our very own noses, I was pleasantly shocked.
Even the more stubborn, deeply lodged blackheads were definitely being loosened up in the pores over time, from what we could see. With some patience, you’d be able to clear any major blackheads you have.
Peony Ion Cleansing & Infusing & Cooling Device
Rating: 4/5
Favourite Feature: Definitely the Cool feature, because it’s so rejuvenating on tired eyes especially.
This device enables you to carry out your skincare routine from cleansing all the way to moisturising with 4 different modes: Deep Clean, Fully Absorb, Moisture and Cool.
Deep Clean is not meant to be the first step of cleansing. Rather, it’s the second cleansing step after you’ve already washed your face in order to get rid of any extra makeup residue the first round left.
Personally, as I’m not a heavy makeup user, I don’t find it necessary to use Deep Clean every day especially if I’m already using the Automatic Foaming Facial Cleansing Massager. That does a great job of leaving my skin well-cleansed, and Deep Clean can be done just once or twice a week instead.
Using this device for moisturising and faster absorption of skincare products worked well, and we think the vibrations definitely had something to do with it.
Cool is the only feature on this device that utilises the back face, and it was really pleasant around the eyes since it felt like running an ice cube that would never melt all over your skin.
ThermoCryo Facial Lifting Device
Rating: 4/5
Favourite Feature: Its “cryo” function that’s refreshing to run all over your face thanks to its area of coverage too.
Straight up, we have to say the best part about this vibrating device was the “cryo” part of the name. Setting it to the cryo function (blue light) felt like we were running metal that had been cooled in the freezer on our face, which was really refreshing.
We can see how this would be good for depuffing in the morning, especially around the jaw area. Its surface area is thin but long in width, so it’s pleasant to run it all over the contours of your face. According to Habo by Ogawa, this device’s specialty is in helping users get an enhanced v-shape to their chins.
For the “thermo” function, it’s supposed to promote better blood circulation and help in the absorption of skincare products. If you like having a hot towel on your face to calm you down after a long day, this handheld device feels very similar to that.
Other than the hot and cold temperatures, it has a neutral function of just vibrating, which is relaxing in its own way to use on your face.
Wireless LED Light Therapy Device
Rating: 3.5/5
Favourite Feature: Its intuitive function of letting you know when to move the device to another part of your face to prevent overexposure.
This device is supposed to do reduce inflammatory acne by combining red and blue light beads that have their own purposes:
- Blue to lessen oil secretion and eliminate acne bacillus;
- Red to accelerate blood circulation and increase skin elasticity by promoting collagen production, among other things.
To use it, we put on the pair of dark goggles provided to protect our eyes, before turning it on and putting it to our faces.
Since the surface area of the device is quite large, it can easily cover half a cheek. Thanks to its sensors, the light also only turns on when it detects that it’s pressed to skin.
It takes 5 minutes for a cycle on each section of your face, which the device counts for you. Once 5 minutes is up, you’ll hear 3 beeps that tell you it’s time to move to the next section of your face.
Because you’d need to use this for weeks on end, our one-time use of the device didn’t show any immediately noticeable results.
However, research has shown that LED light therapy does indeed work to a certain extent, and it’s an acknowledged method to improve one’s facial acne, particularly with consistent usage.
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Overall, this mass review was an eye-opening experience, especially for two young women who carry out very basic skin and body care, and have never used such beauty tools before.
Our favourites were the skincare ones because we could clearly see how using them could elevate the effectiveness of our facial routines.
All the devices we tested also charged up quite quickly, so if you suddenly want to pamper yourself last-minute but forgot to charge them, a good half-hour of charging will ensure they have juice for several uses.
It’s amazing to see how far beauty technology has come, whereby devices and treatments that were once only available in spas can now be within an arm’s reach at home.
Furthermore, since we’re always at home now due to the ongoing pandemic and the ability to WFH, these handy tools can bring the quality of your self-care routine to the next level.
- You can learn more about Habo by Ogawa here.