Amy Karlson: ZIIP Beauty Device Review + Results

I’m so excited to share this review of the ZIIP Beauty device and micro-current facials.

Before we get started, I’ve said this before but it’s worth repeating, I love getting older and I don’t think “aging” is bad. I don’t necessarily want to look 21 (or be 21 ever again, ha!) anymore, but I do still want to look my best.

In my mid-to-late 30’s, I started noticing some big changes happening with my skin. Time marches on, man.

I’ve always been pretty great about getting a full night’s sleep, drinking water and having a proper skin care routine, three huge keys to great skin.

Even still, the bags under my eyes were getting a sunken look to them. The area under eye of the side I sleep on the most frequently was starting to have a permanent deep crease. I felt like I always looked tired, no matter how much sleep I was getting.

For the first time in my life, I considered getting under eye fillers, but felt like there had to be a non-surgical and more affordable option.

Enter nano and micro current.

Like most things related to beauty, I first came across these electrical facials on Instagram. I was intrigued and immediately wondered if these at-home devices actually work.

What Is Micro Current

Micro current devices work sending an electrical current that mimics your body’s own electrical system. Our bodies naturally have both chemical and electrical systems.

The device’s currents increase your body’s production of adenosine triphosphate, for short: ATP, a.k.a. the body’s most basic fuel. ATP transports energy within cells. Every cell uses ATP for energy.

Cells are responsible for driving many body processes such as muscle contraction, nerve impulses, and chemical synthesis.

Micro current therapy has been used since the 1980’s to treat people with Bell’s Palsy, which is the sudden paralysis of muscles that causes one side of your face to droop. Athletes also started using micro current treatments to get their muscles to heal more quickly after workouts.

The increased ATP helps your skin repair and produce more collagen and elastin in your skin, so it naturally plumps skin and decrease the look of wrinkles. They stimulate and tone the muscles in your face, giving you a lifted look and increase circulation, which helps create glowing skin.

Because of these results, nano and micro current are being touted as an alternative to botox and fillers.

ZIIP’s device stood out to me vs. other micro current tools because it has nano-current technology which can send the currents even deeper into your skin vs. micro current. This would, in theory, get me results more quickly.

ZIIP Product Details

at home electrical facial, lifts + tightens skin
initial price | $495, includes device, Golden Gel, charger, cleaning clothing and travel bag
gel refill | $129 for Golden and $50 for Silver
shop online | Revolve (global shipping) . Space NK . Barney’s . Violet Grey . Neiman Marcus . ebay

Is It Worth The Price

The internet was scant on details. Eventually, I gave up trying to find reviews and just ordered to try it for myself.

I reasoned that the initial $500 was still less than under eye fillers ($700 avg) and botox ($300-$500 avg). Fillers generally need to be replaced every 6 months to 1 year and botox every 3-6 months.

Micro current facials done in salon cost between $250-$500 per facial. They are done with a stronger current, for quicker results. So again, I decided that the cost of the machine was less than 1-2 facials, or botox or filler.

I was hesitant to spend $129 on the Golden gel, but they came out with the Silver gel, $50, and it felt more reasonable in terms of replacing every 5-6 months. Still, way more cost effective than botox or fillers, if it worked.

ZIIP Device

The ZIIP beauty device is small, white, and fit in the palm of your hand. It turns on by clicking the button on top. When you first turn it on, it will vibrate to let you know it’s on.

You can wirelessly connect it with the ZIIP Beauty app on your phone and pick whatever treatment you’d like that day. The app then sends that treatment to your device. Pretty cool.

They will also play a video to demonstrate how to do that treatment, which I found helpful the first 5-ish times I used the device.

The device sends a low level electrical current into your skin, conducted by the gel. You will probably feel involuntary muscle movements. It’s pretty wild and cool, in my opinion!

The device has four small lights that light up when it’s conducting properly. If you don’t have enough gel on, the lights turn off to let you know to add more gel for proper conduction in that area.

For some reason, I was expecting the device to vibrate, but it only does when it’s being turned on or off, or when it’s time to move to the next area on your face.

When the charge is running low, it’ll light up red on the end of the device and you can plug it into your wall or computer with the included usb cord to recharge.

Are Nano + Micro Current Safe

Yes.

(Except if you are pregnant or have a pacemaker. Then they are not recommended.)

Our bodies have a mix of chemical and electrical systems. Nano and micro current devices have current almost identical to our bodies. The micro current helps tissues and cells repair themselves more quickly.

How To Use For Best Results

The ZIIP device recommends anywhere from 4-18 minutes of use every day. You’ll need to use it at least 5 times a week for the first 2-3 months to start seeing results. After that, you can reduce to using a few days a week.

I’m going to be honest, you are going to want to use this every day. I’m telling you, micro current is addicting.

1 | I either use Koh Gen Do Spa Water to clean my face prior to use or wash my face with DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, dry it, then use five to six pumps of gel to cover my whole face and neck.

2 | I start at the bottom of my neck and pull the device upwards. There are videos on the app that show you the exact motions to use for when you first begin.

3 | After I’m done one round, I’ll usually try to fit in at least one more session. Ok, here is the crazy part that I’m slightly embarrassed to tell you. I find these ZIIP facials so soothing that on days I work from home, I actually will just keep the machine rolling on my face for hours.

I had to find out if this was safe to do use micro current for so long and that’s when I learned all the science behind micro current and how good it is for you.

4 | To clean my ZIIP, I spray a little alcohol from a spritzer bottle into a hand towel, then rub the device over it. This gets off any gel and sanitizes the device for the next day. You definitely need to wipe this down with a little alcohol every day to keep bacteria away.

It takes me 10 seconds to clean and sanitize my ZIIP.

Related Post | How to Use a Jade Roller

Results

I’ve been using the ZIIP beauty device since the end of January 2019, it’s been about six months of total use now. I’m still on my first bottle of Silver Gel (almost to the end of it).

It took me about 6 weeks of consistent use to see results. For that first month and a half I honestly was thinking “is micro current a total scam?”

Then, I had to wake up at 5 am for a makeup job one day. I expected things to look a little rough, but to my surprise, my under eyes looked fairly smooth and I had minimal dark circles. It was that early morning that made me realize that the ZIIP facials are really working!

I’ve noticed the most improvement in my under eye area. The bags and deep crease on my sleep side are almost entirely gone. My forehead is definitely smoother looking. I also feel like my cheekbones and jaw line look slightly lifted and more sculpted.

My upper eye lids have firmed up and my eyes now look bigger as a result. They were starting to droop a bit over the lid space and now I have all my lid space back. I kind of feel like I have my “old” face back.

The only area I’d really like to see smoother would be my “angry bird” muscles over my eyes. I constantly scrunch them when I type, so they are really deep. I’ve been doing the ZIIP over them extra times every day, I hope it helps relax them!

The nano and micro current strength of any at-home device is much less than a professional grade machine, but is still effective. Especially if you use it for hours, ha! But in all seriousness, you will still see results even if you only do 4-12 minutes a day.

It’s somewhat hard to explain, but I actually feel more energy in my body while I’m using this. It wakes me up. It’s especially noticeable when I’ve had wine the night before and wake up groggy, Within five minutes of using the ZIIP I feel back to normal. The science behind micro current with the ATP is incredible. It’s so weird to feel like I have more energy after using the ZIIP device, but I 100% feel more perked up after a ZIIP facial.

I could not be happier with the results so far and I’m only six months in!

Long Term Results |

lid of my eyes are visible again
forehead smoother
jawline contoured
nasal labial folds are decreased
under eye bags and creases are significantly reduced
under eye wrinkles are look less deep
skin is more dense
skin is brighter and more glowing

ziip beauty 6 month result before and after photos

ziip beauty results before after with makeup

Shop | ZIIP Beauty Device

Short Term Results | In the second set of photos, I had been traveling for almost 24 hours and when I woke up the next day (in Croatia, woohoo!) my eyes were so puffy and heavy, they were at half-mast.

In the after picture, you can see that after the 12-minute “Energize” facial:

my eyes are fully open
my eyebrows also look more lifted
my jawline looks more contoured

I feel like it’s important to note, that even though the lighting changed slightly in that 12 minutes (clouds shifting), I am not holding or doing anything different with my face.

To be honest, I think the lighting in the “after” is slightly worse and more harsh. I could not believe my own eyes looking at these pics side-by-side. The results are so good!

Shop | ZIIP Beauty Device

ziip beauty results before after with makeup

Pros and Cons

Pros |

machine is small and easy to use
way more cost effective than fillers, botox, and/or mini face lift
results show within 6 weeks
results are a long term muscle improvement, over a quick fix
painless with zero downtime
gives you energy (I can not explain this properly, but it feels amazing)

Cons |

must use daily to see results
must keep using to maintain results over time
conductive gel somewhat pricey

Conclusion

I am SO, SO happy I bought the ZIIP beauty device. My results have been incredible. I can’t wait to see even more results at 6 months or a year of regular use.

I will update the photos above as I continue to do these nano current facials.

If you are on the fence, I highly recommend getting the ZIIP beauty. It’s honestly a miracle worker!

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