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Predictable, consistently clear skin is priceless — but getting there can sometimes feel like a game of guess and check. It’s hard to know if that moisturizer you religiously apply is actually working, or if your go-to SPF is truly effective, but smart beauty devices can help you connect the dots. Blending innovative technology with real-time data, these mini-but-mighty products can help us refine our regimens, allowing us to confidently go makeup-free. But are they too good to be true? Read on to learn three experts’ opinions on these devices and whether they’re worth using.
La Roche-Posay
UV Sense: If you’re concerned about how daily exposure to sun and environmental factors can affect your face, this advancement in skin monitoring could put you at ease, so mark your calendars for its debut this summer. “It can provide real-time feedback about environmental factors so you can modify them,” says New Jersey-based dermatologist Margarita Lolis. Specifically, it monitors UV radiation and pollution, and recommends solutions when it finds that you aren’t adequately protecting your skin. For example, it might remind you to reapply sunscreen when it detects your protection levels are slipping, or alert you to a highly polluted area so you can avoid it. H20+ Beauty MiLi Skin Moisture Meter
: Keeping moisture in check is key to maintaining a healthy complexion, and this handy tool helps you understand your ideal hydration levels. Since we usually gauge how quenched our skin is simply by its look and feel, the daily updates and tracking that the meter provides can actually help us tweak our routines. “This product may be useful for those with dry skin or eczema,” explains New York City-based dermatologist Kristina Goldenberg. “Measuring skin hydration can be difficult, but this product allows one to monitor it and to see if their moisturizer is working.” While this mini meter can help you understand when you need to break out additional nourishment, Goldenberg points out that it doesn’t measure skin’s water loss. 
The small size of this portable device, which was “inspired by the tracking capabilities of wearable fitness technology,” according to H20+ Beauty CEO Joy Chen, makes it easy to toss in your purse (which is helpful if you’re traveling to an extra dry climate). The portability also lends itself well to using it on other parts of your body — don’t forget that your neck, hands, and chest need to be properly hydrated too! After applying moisturizer anywhere, you can see just how much your hydration levels rise and if additional products are needed by touching the tracker to your skin for five seconds. The data is then shown in the connected MiLi Pure app. It’s an easy way to make sure your face is properly plumped-up. The question still remains whether or not it effectively charts long-term issues.
3. FOREO UFO ($199): Pressed for time but still want to give yourself a spa-quality facial? Meet your new bathroom BFF. This palm-sized device, which well surpassed its Kickstarter goal, claims to give you the benefits of a 20-minute treatment in just 90 seconds. “The UFO is great for amping up your facial mask game,” says New York City-based dermatologist Michele Farber. “It cools, heats, massages, and helps your mask work more effectively.” The game-changing detail about this tech-enabled mask is that it combines multiple mask benefits in one thanks to its various settings, which are controlled via an app on your phone.
