I Tried Solawave's New 2-in-1 Skincare Mini with Red Light, and It's the Answer to Post-Travel Puffiness

• Red Light Therapy: Per Cleveland Clinic, red light therapy, which is a treatment that uses low levels of red light on your skin, has shown promise in ongoing research for treating wrinkles, redness, acne, scars and signs of aging.
• Near-Infrared Light: Rupa Health shares that when infrared light is used on the skin, it kicks cells into high gear and promotes tissue healing, inflammation reduction and pain relief.
• Therapeutic Warmth: Otherwise known as heat therapy, applying warmth to the skin can aid in increasing blood flow and circulation through the skin by relaxing the muscles and dilating blood vessels, per the brand. This also then allows oxygen and nutrients to flow more freely to help with tissue regrowth and lymphatic drainage.

How to Use the Solawave Skincare Mini

Unlike the OG Radiant Renewal wand (was $198, now $132), the Solawave Skincare Mini can be used on both your face and body since it doesn't include galvanic current(though the brand recommends a patch test on a small area of skin like your wrist, first), and should be used on clean, dry skin. You can use the device with or without the Skin Therapy Activating serum (was $29, now $20), which is sold separately, and you simply hold down the power button to get it started. Then, glide the device in circular motions for three minutes on one focal area before moving onto another. Your total treatment should take no longer than 12 minutes, after which the device will automatically shut off. The brand recommends cleaning after each treatment with an alcohol- or water-based wipe.

It's also important to note that this device should not be used by anyone that is currently pregnant, as it hasn't been tested for pregnancy safety, and shouldn't be used by anyone under the age of 18, subject to seizures or photosensitivity, that has skin cancer or with a known allergy to aluminum, silicone or plastic.

When I first unpacked the Skincare Mini, I first noticed just how compact it is—truly the perfect travel size. I was also happy to see detailed instructions were included, so I wasn't nervous to jump in and try it out.

Let's get right into a few things I loved about the mini device. First, it heats up quickly to a low warmth, so there's no waiting around for it to be ready to use—you can just turn it on and get going. Plus, it's designed with a PopSocket-like handle, making it really easy to angle on your face without dropping it. And as someone who tends to be super impatient with my skincare (you won't ever find me spending hours applying different products or using time-consuming devices), I also loved that I could just toss on an audiobook and it felt like the 12 minute treatment was over in a flash. As for the results, though it's a little hard to see in the photos above, I definitely noticed my face was less puffy and looked a bit brighter overall immediately after using it.

Now, on to what I didn't love. The biggest thing here is that, though, the Skincare Mini is designed for the light to blink when it's time to move onto a new focal area, I found that when I used it on my face, I wasn't able to see the blinking. So for my first session, I ended up using it way too long on the first side before switching. This is easily remedied by just watching the clock while you're using the device on your face (it's easy to notice on other areas of your body like your arm), but definitely something to note. Also, the light can be pretty bright when it gets closer to your eyes, such as when targeting the cheekbones or lower forehead, so keep that in mind, especially if you have sensitive eyes.