We Tried Opte: the New Beauty Device That’s a 3D Printer for Your Face

THE TL;DR REVIEW:
What It Is: The Opte Precision Skincare system centers around a skincare device meant to minimize the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
What It Does: The Opte tool claims to detect and correct dark spots, age spots and sunspots on contact while reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation over time with a combination of makeup and skincare.
The Price: $599
Who It’s For: People with Hyperpigmentation-prone skin / Mature skin

The Opte Precision Skincare device is here to challenge how we do our makeup. But will this new beauty tool really do away with our tried-and-true brushes and beloved foundations? The brand was generous enough to send us one of these highly-coveted devices to try, so I volunteered as tribute. Now I'm here to share whether this new beauty tool is a must or an overrated skincare bust.

Opte uses blue light technology to digitally scan your skin, analyze your complexion, and then works to camouflage age spots, sunspots, and hyperpigmentation on contact while fading their appearance over time. The new innovative technology (it’s been 10 years in the making) is said to be a skincare-meets-makeup routine that’s like, as Paris Hilton has said, “facetune” IRL. The star and socialite recently raved about the Opte system on her website, stating it’s one of her ‘top beauty secrets’ for flawless skin. She also gifted her BFF Kim Kardashian West with the Opte Precision Skincare system, and in the video the brand posted to Instagram, she tells her straight up, ‘it’s like Facetune.’

And with that, we were intrigued. So ET tapped their beauty editor, Kristen Gill (me), to give Opte a whirl.

I'm Kristen, ET's beauty expert!

I am 31-years-young, my skin is decently clear with a few sunspots and capillaries showing through under my eyes and around my nostril area with some texture on my cheeks. I’ve been using the Opte wand for almost three weeks now -- hoping it would make my spots and things disappear... so let’s get into the details.

The Opte System Includes:

Wand + Tip: A high-tech handheld wand that uses a digital camera and a blue light to scan and detect spots to apply the serum.

Optimizing Serum: Opte says its formula combines mineral pigments with no added sulfates, parabens, dyes, artificial colors, formaldehyde, phthalates, fragrances, or any animal-derived ingredients and has ‘powerful skincare ingredients,’ and powered by 5% niacinamide (aka: Vitamin B, an anti-inflammatory) to visibly fade dark spots over time.

Conditioning Disk: The smart conditioning disk self-cleans the wand while charging in the cradle. 

Cradle + Power Cord: Where the wand, tip and conditioning disk live and charge.

How It Works:

The Opte wand functions basically like a handheld printer, it looks just like that and is about the size of a 3oz travel-size lotion bottle. The size of the cradle it lives in is equivalent to a medium-sized makeup bag, so I had to take that into account when deciding where to charge this thing. I needed a bit of space (permanently if I decide to implement this into my everyday life) as the cradle and wand must be plugged in at all times so I chose an outlet beside my bed. It’s moved from my desk to the bathroom to my bedside table, where it lives now. FYI: If you unplug the cradle, the wand will not work.

Application:

The brand suggests using soft, feather-light pressure when applying. For best results when applying the product, Opte suggests using its ‘4 S technique’: Soft, Slow, Straight, and Sweep. As a self-proclaimed queen of exfoliating, the spikes on the rollers had me wanting to do just the opposite as it looks like an exfoliating tool. I ended up pressing the wand into the skin with some pressure because that seemed natural. Do not do this! My face turned bright red post-use, and I learned my lesson very quickly.

The wand deposits small amounts of a facial serum with pigment to treat and cover dark spots. In addition to being an immediate solution to a more visibly even skin tone, the device aims to minimize the appearance of dark spots over time. (Verdict is still out on that for us - we’re only three weeks in.)

Opte offers three shades (light, medium and dark). I have a lighter skin tone and used the shade ‘fair’ which at first glance, appeared too light but blended in throughout the day. Opte says the camouflage should last from 8-10 hours, and I did not notice it wearing off. 

Something to note: As the wand scans for dark spots on your skin, it will make clicking noises, as it detects the spots to cover. Don’t worry, that means it’s working.

Results after first use:

The desired result is to even out your skin tone so that you will not need additional makeup. However, I didn’t feel the coverage was enough to match my usual everyday medium coverage application. 

Other important caveats to note: If you have darker circles under your eyes, severe skin ailments or rosacea, the brand’s site says the product will not cover or solve these issues. 

Within three days of use, my skin felt tight and dry. I assume the tightening came from the blue light, but I should mention that this tool is not to be considered ‘blue light therapy.’ The blue light is there simply to detect the places on your skin that need correction and is not meant to be used without the accompanying foundation.

On the real, for anyone with imperfect skin, this will not be a dead ringer for Facetune or Photoshop IRL (sorry, Paris). But if you’re blessed with a relatively clear complexion and don’t like applying a full face of makeup, this could work for you. 

I was expecting a more polished version of my skin with a decent, light coverage. While I thought the Facetune claim was too good to be true, I was hopeful. However, I didn’t see much of a difference between my face with or without makeup. (And I went over my face a few times to build coverage.) If you love the no-makeup look, this is definitely in your wheelhouse. As someone who has some light hyperpigmentation, texture and who likes both light and heavy makeup, this will not work for a ‘night on the town’ type of coverage for me.

Results after three days of use:

Must or Bust:

Although I didn’t see permanent results in my three weeks of use, I will include Opte in my makeup and skin care routine for the next few weeks to see whether I will get the lasting results I was looking for. And while the hybrid of makeup and skincare is something I’ve been incredibly excited to experiment with, I don’t see this device completely replacing my foundation routine as I’m a makeup lover to my core. But, for those days when I’m looking for a natural Zoom-ready face, I’ll be reaching for the Opte. 

Other Products Used:

Before using the wand, I prepped my skin as if I was getting ready for the day and moisturized with my everyday Tatcha moisturizer and under eye cream.

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