Yesterday evening I started my microcurrent at-home device face off. This may not be scientific A/B testing but it is a side by side trial with the right side of my face trying out the NuFace Facial Toning System and on the left, the Suzanne Summers FaceMaster. And the winner is…. Well, you’ll have to wait a month to see. But in the meantime, I found the initial results interesting  - and surprising.

NuFace, by the Carol Cole Company, is a sturdy device about twice the size of cell phone with two round-tipped steel prongs or as NuFace calls them “spherical probes”.  The package ($250) comes with “conducive” lotions. With great reluctance, I smeared on the N+Current gel. To be fair it isn’t that bad (mostly acrylic polymers), but not great either (parabens and FD&C colors) and all gloopy and pore-clogging. This was followed by a spritz of the much more appealing Optimizing Mist, which even has Matrixyl.

I found the NuFace device a bit unwieldy – the steel balls are rather large and I didn’t think I’d be able to give my face a very subtle massage. Also NuFace cannot be used around the eyes or mouth. There is absolutely no tingling sensation and more than once I wondered whether the thing was even working. After following the instructions and moving the device in very slow upwards moves across my cheeks, forehead, jawline and side of the neck several times, I looked in the mirror to compare with the untreated left side. There was a notable difference on the right (NuFace) side – my skin looked much plumper.

On to the left side with the Suzanne Somers FaceMaster. Before starting, I had mixed feelings about this as well. I had just tried out Ms Somers’ famous thighmaster and wasn’t impressed, plus the woman looks like a relic from Dallasty. Her FaceMaster looks like a kids toy version of a salon microcurrent machine. It has two long wands, the tips of which are covered in disposable cotton “socks” and dipped in to the Soothing Conducive Serum before starting. The serum turned out to be a pleasant surprise – not gloopy at all and with several botanical ingredients (although there are the usual suspects in the ingredients department).

I liked using the FaceMaster much more than the NuFace and not just because of the serum. The wands (baby versions of what my esthetician) uses are easily manipulated (one in each hand) and their small tips seem to probe the face for a much more subtle massage. And there are no no-go areas – unlike NuFace, faceMaser can be used around the eyes.

But the real acid test came when I looked in the mirror. Unequivocally, it said that the fairest of them all was the…. tada … right side. Yes, the NuFace treated skin was looking notably plumper. And in the pinch test, my NuFace cheek felt distinctly firmer. It must be said that the FaceMaster side was definitely better after than before, just not quite as good as the NuFace results. Having said that, there is more "skill" required for using FaceMaster, so it will be interesting to see what happens after I have had more practice.

I definitely feel more optimistic about at home microcurrent than when I started. I shall keep using both devices a couple of times a week for the next four weeks and give my final verdict on the microcurrent face off.

Click here to find out which device won the microcurrent face off.....

Ingredients in N+Current

Water, 1,2-propanediol, acrylic acid polymer, cellulose polymer, methylparaben, propylparaben, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #5.

Ingredients in Nuface Optimizing Mist

Deionized water, rosemary, chamomile, glycerin, sorbitol, palmitoyl peptide-3, sodium PCA, allantonin, L-ascorbic acid, poysorbate 20, fragrance, panthenol, algae extract, phenoxyethanol.

Ingredients in FaceMaster Soothing Conducive Serum

Water, Butylene Glycol, Sodium PCA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Magnesium PCA, Zinc PCA, Manganese PCA, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol and Sodium Hydroxide.