The Most Dramatic Difference I've EVER Seen On My Face. (And It's Instant)

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Please take a look at these before-and-after photos and be suitably shocked and impressed. The only difference between photos is that the second one was taken after I’d used my ZIIP Halo (at-home facial device that uses electrical currents to lift and tone as well as a myriad of other benefits).

There’s no camera trickery, no filtering, no subtly trying to frown for the before picture or smize for the “after” shot, this is just the effects of the ZIIP.

You can see that my face looks totally lifted in the second photo. In a way, I’m worried that these photos are too good. That nobody will believe me and will think that I’m just raising my eyebrows in the after photo, and putting on a smug expression, but I’m not! If I was raising my eyebrows then my forehead would runkle up into a concertina of horizontal lines - if I was frowning in the before photo, you’d see deep creases in the middle of my forehead.

If it looks as though all of my facial muscles are more alert and taut - more activated - in the after photo, that’s because they are! That’s exactly what the ZIIP Halo does. Gives the face the equivalent of a little gym session.

Perhaps this is better evidence - I took a photo midway through my ZIIP-ing session, having done only one half of my face. You can clearly see the lift here, too - it’s maybe even more apparent when the result is right there next to the starter material.

Sorry if I sound too excited: years I’ve been working with ZIIP Halo and this is the first time I’ve truly managed to capture the brilliance of the instant visible lift-and-tone effects.

It’s surprisingly hard to capture on film, because although in real life the results are profound and obvious, it’s not like a makeup before-and-after, or someone’s fitness before-and-after, where your eye can easily spot the difference. No “little muscles to massive muscles”, or “unadorned lips to red”.

So forgive the over-enthusiastic start. I had intended to begin this post in a very serene and mature way, formally introducing the ZIIP Halo and its benefits, moving on to how it works (and whether it works!) before describing where it sits in my skincare routine and answering some frequently-asked questions. But I feel as though I’ve bolted straight out of the stable and onto the racecourse here, which isn’t even a saying but let’s go with it, because it’s blatantly obvious that the ZIIP Halo does work and I’ve sort of covered what it does without even trying!

Sigh.

But for those who would like a sensible breakdown, the ZIIP Halo uses electrical currents to help give a more lifted and sculpted appearance. It can help to reduce puffiness and improve general definition, but the main takeaway is that instantly it gives a tighter, more sculpted look.

With consistent use, a few times a week, there are loads of other benefits - ZIIP Halo say seventeen altogether - but people generally want to know more about the instant gratification aspect. Which is, for me at least, that it gives a pre-maquillage facial pick-me-up that makes me look at least ten times less worn out, and with short-term lifting effects that easily last as long as my makeup.

I use the ZIIP Halo before starting my morning skincare routine. I don’t really cleanse beforehand (just a quick swipe over with some micellar water) because I’m only going to slather my face in one of ZIIP’s conductive gels anyway, and I prefer to remove these after ZIIP-ing, so.

On that note: it is very important to use a good conductive gel - one that a) you like using and b) works properly. The reason I’ve stuck with the ZIIP gels is that all of the others I’ve tried (doggedly researching on behalf of readers!) have gone tacky very quickly and then dried midway through treatments. So I’ve found myself repeatedly reapplying, which is massively annoying and disruptive and definitely chops off some of the seconds that the ZIIP Halo could have been working on lifting and toning my skin.

(ZIIP do a few different gels now; they have the basic Electric Complex Gel, which is a lightweight conductive gel and the cheapest option, but they’ve also developed the range to include one that has ingredients to help clarify and calm the skin (the Clear gel) as well as options to help with glow (Crystal), support collagen (Golden) and intensely hydrate (Silver gel). I use the Electric Complex the most, I think, but the device now comes with a selection of different gels in the box, which is a brilliant way of trying them all and deciding which one you like best.)

To use the ZIIP Halo, you apply a layer of gel to the skin (I usually find six pumps is enough for whole face and upper neck) and then turn the device on. You then slide the ZIIP firmly over the skin and the electrical currents cause the muscles to contract and relax, a bit like, as I said, a gym workout. But for the face.

Here’s where I think most people go wrong, though, when they have a ZIIP Halo: they just turn it on and start, moving it sort of aimlessly across the places they think they want to concentrate on. But the ZIIP actually has seventeen different treatment programmes. Seventeen. Everything from lymphatic drainage to the lifting and sculpting of specific areas (jowls, eyes, lips) and even a dedicated neck session.

How do you select your treatment? Through the (excellent) app. I like this - it keeps the ZIIP Halo device itself simple and minimalist, uncluttered - but I think a lot of people miss the app because it’s something you need to initially download and log in to.

I also think they maybe assume that the treatments on the app just show you where to glide the device, how to move it across your face, but each of the seventeen treatments has completely different waveforms that target different concerns! The app syncs with the device and tells it which waveforms to use. This, combined with a follow-along video guiding the particular placement and movement of the ZIIP Halo on the skin, creates a very specific treatment.

I really think you’re missing a trick if you don’t take the time (ten seconds?) to select a dedicated treatment before you start. I’m wondering whether this is why I got such good before-and-after photos this time around - usually I’m concentrating on the imagery, if I’m doing branded content, and so I just turn the ZIIP on and do an all-over session, but this time I did the Face Lift treatment (the strongest one available) and then I also did the Eyes treatment.

Probably why you can actually see my eyelids, for once!

Highly recommended the app, as you can probably tell. Don’t invest in such a great tool and then fail to access some of the best bits of it! Use it to its limits! And also don’t underestimate the power of consistent use - this isn’t designed to be an occasional pep-me-up, so build it into your skincare routine and aim for two or three times a week.

So: I ZIIP and then I do my skincare routine (see that here) and then straight in with makeup. It really couldn’t be easier and I think that this one singular step, the ZIIP-ing, makes the most immediate and obvious difference in my routine. It’s incredibly gratifying. As someone who is not interested in tweakments or injectables, it feels very exciting to get a perky lift to the facial features that is not only instant, with no downtime, but can be done at home, sitting on the sofa whilst Two Weeks in August is playing on iPlayer. (Oh my God, so much to say about that.)

OK: some FAQs. These are the questions that pop into my DMs every time I mention the ZIIP Halo.

Does using the ZIIP Halo hurt?

Nope. You may feel muscle twitching as the current passes through it, but I find it weirdly pleasant, that sensation. If it feels prickly, like you’re getting a little electric shock, apply more gel! Sometimes I forget to do my eyebrows or the very edge of my face with my gel and I always get the prickles - lots of gel. That’s what conducts the current, so if there’s no gel, the current can’t pass through and the whole thing is sort of pointless. A bit like rubbing some spoon-backs across your face. Pleasantly cool, but there are better ways to spend ten minutes!

How often can you use ZIIP Halo?

I use it a few times a week, on days I’m going to be filming or out in public and don’t want to look like a medieval weaver who has borne seventeen children and rises before the cock crows to milk her cow and walk eight miles to market.

You can use it three to five times a week initially, to jump-start results, but after about six weeks it’s best to stick to a steady three times.

How long do the lifting results last with ZIIP Halo?

I find the most dramatic lifting and sculpting results seem to last for most of the day, though if I was going out for an evening event I’d do the ZIIP-ing nearer that time, rather than in the morning.

I do think that there’s a cumulative effect, too, long-term and those effects (smoothing, just general improvement in firmness) seem to stick around. Hard to tell, as I’ve never stopped using the ZIIP completely to find out what might happen!

How long does it take to use the ZIIP Halo?

If you just switch the device on and start, it’s pre-programmed with a four minute treatment. However, I’ll say it again: do not ignore the app! Treatments on there can last up to twelve minutes and many will give you a much more intense result.

Can I use the ZIIP Halo straight out of the box?

You can: make sure it’s charged, only using the dedicated charging cable provided in the box, and then it’s ready to go. Sorry to bang on about the app but I absolutely would use it from the off - don’t be impatient, it takes minutes to download and set up and you only have to do it once! - but if you really cannot wait, and want to copy some of the people online who use their ZIIPs in quite frankly the most bizarre ways, be my guest. It’s ready to go. Just switch it on, glide it across your be-gelled skin and when it vibrates slightly, you know you can take it off and glide it across another bit of face.

How do I know how slowly to move the ZIIP Halo?

Guess what’s your friend in this situation? You’ve got it! The app! HA! Honestly, the people at ZIIP are going to think I’ve lost the plot, but I am a big fan of the app. You’d never know.

If you’re app-less then reasonably firmly and slowly - the metal bits both need to be in full contact with your skin and then I like to pretend I’m very slowly pushing royal icing across the top of a cake.

I have never actually pushed royal icing across the top of a cake but I imagine it would feel like this.

Which is the best treatment for jowls?

Oh God. I hate the word jowls! It’s my most-hated word that’s anything to do with the beauty industry. But if you’re after jawline definition and a firming-up of the area around the mouth, the treatment you need is very handily named…Jowls. If it’s neck-tightening you’re after then - again - the treatment is sign-posted pretty well, it’s called Neck.

If you prefer an all-over treatment then plump for The Everything Facial, which combines different wavelengths, movements and pressures, but if you want to amp up the power for maximum lift, it’s the Face Lift you need to try.

Enjoy. Report back. There’s a whole world of discovery right there in the palm of your hand!

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Any questions you’re desperate to ask that haven’t been covered here? Leave them in the comments. One of them should most definitely be: is there an app?

You can find the ZIIP Halo online here - use RUTHZIIP for 10% off