Best beauty gadgets: Clarisonic, Silk’n, Chi, T3 and more

Last year—inspired by Hadley Freeman’s brilliant book The Meaning of Sunglasses: And a Guide to Almost All Things Fashionable—I wrote about Beauty Therapist Judgement. You know: it’s the well-meaning but mildly insulting evaluation of your skin, feet, nails, hair or whatever body part your beauty professional is treating—usually accompanied by some stupidly obvious advice about what you SHOULD be doing, such as drinking more water or using foot cream.
If you hate this kind of thing, as I do—and yet still require some high-tech beauty maintenance—then you’re probably a good candidate for one (or more) at-home beauty gadgets. Inspired by the devices used by dermatologists, hairdressers and other pros, you can now treat all kinds of beauty issues in the privacy of your own home, whether it’s removing unwanted hair, smoothing out your locks or giving yourself an anti-aging light therapy treatment. Sure, it might take a bit longer to get the results you would from a professional visit, but they’re definitely more affordable. Plus, you can maintain results yourself.
I’ve also gotta say: out of all the beauty swag I’ve tried and tested over the years, I freakin’ LOVE my beauty gadgets. They’ve changed my life and I’m really not kidding. Here’s the lowdown on which ones I recommend investing in—and then a few honourable mentions to consider.