THE PRODUCT:
Foreo LUNA fofo, £79, available at Cult Beauty
THE HYPE:
Foreo is known for producing revolutionary skincare tools. The latest launch, LUNA fofo, features two cleansing surfaces for different areas of the face with sensor plates that measure hydration levels and analyse your skin type. When use in conjunction with the app, it then feeds this information back to you, for a tailored-to-you cleansing routine.
REVIEWER:
Lima, Blogger @fashionicide
BEAUTY BIO:
My skin is combination/oily, and can get a little congested around the forehead. I take great pride in my skin and put myself through the 10-step Korean skincare regimen on a regular basis.
FOREO LUNA FOFO REVIEW:
The chances are if you’re reading this review, you’ve probably spent endless hours on Instagram or YouTube, searching for the best skincare routine for your face. The problem we all face, however, is that most skincare gurus online haven’t actually seen your face, and since everyone’s face is different, you can never really be sure that their advice will work for you.
The Foreo Luna Fofo feels very much like the first step towards a genuinely customised advice service based on your actual face.
Essentially, it’s a cute little silicone facial cleansing brush. But with the brush, comes brains. On the flip-side of the silicone bristles, are two sensors made from 24-carat gold that measure the moisture levels in your skin. The brains then come in the form of an app, which you need to download to your phone. Once you’ve downloaded the app to your iPhone or Android, signed up, logged in and created your profile, you then connect the cleansing brush device to your phone. I was really excited to see how the tool and app would work together with my skin.
Once it’s downloaded and you’re ready to roll, the app on your phone gives you some very simple instructions on how to measure the moisture levels at various locations on your face – left cheek, right cheek and forehead. From there, the app gives you a ‘Skin Score’ out of 100, and provides you with a customised facial cleansing routine to help you improve this score.
When the app gives you your ‘Skin Score’, it will also customise your cleansing routine, giving you on-screen instructions on where to focus your cleanse. The idea being that you analyse your face regularly and switch up your routine as the skin on your face changes and improves.
All of this sounds great, and the way the product works itself really does feel quite revolutionary. Gamification is everywhere now, and it’s fascinating to see that Foreo have ‘gamified’ skincare, something no doubt will catch on.
The brush itself is very gentle and the cleansing instructions are simple to follow. You just apply your usual facial cleanser to your dampened face, switch on the device and massage it gently in circular motions all over your face (taking note to focus on the areas you’ve been told) for around a one minute. Then you rinse off, pat your face dry and apply your usual moisturiser. The vibrating motion the tool makes on your face does feel like you’re giving your skin a thoroughly good cleanse.
But brush aside, there are issues. Well, OK, there is one issue, and that’s the app. To make sure it wasn’t just me, I hit the app store review section to see if anyone else was having the same problem as I was, and sure enough, the five most recent reviewers all talked about the exact same problem.
You see, the box promises that the app will tell you your skin’s ‘age’, but after a week of usage, not once did the app give me the instant gratification of telling me that my skin was 10 years younger than I am, or even any age at all. I mean, how’s a girl supposed to get her kicks?
Another issue is that the box promises to give you a detailed analysis of your skin, and the reasoning behind your skin score. But this just didn’t happen.
I happen to take great pride in my skin, so when I got a ‘Skin Score’ of 66 (out of 100), I was deeply, deeply offended! As the week went by, and I followed the slightly adjusted cleansing routines being suggested, my score did improve, but I found it really frustrating that I didn’t know why I was scored at 66 in the first place or why it was improving! I want details!
After a bit of research, it turns out the issue is an update to the app in November, and their technical team are working to resolve it. It is quite frustrating though, as until this is fixed, I can’t really tell what’s going on with my skin. Hopefully it’s fixed soon and I can give you a proper update once it’s working correctly.
FINAL VERDICT:
App issues aside, the Foreo Luna Fofo truly is a revolutionary concept that very much feels like it could be a turning point in skincare technology. If this is what we can do in 2019, imagine how much further they could advance the technology?
For now though, the cleansing brush is amazing, and my skin is beginning to feel softer, smoother and less congested, so the product itself is giving me the results I was hoping for – I just wish I knew how and why!
Read all about the latest beauty tools and cosmetic trends in GLAMOUR’s SS19 issue, out now.