I had the opportunity to experience the Ziip Nano Current Skin Care Device, $495, in the hands of its creator, electrical esthetician Melanie Simon, a few days after getting an acid-packed facial that made my skin break out. Up until that point, I'd been blissfully blemish-free for many months, making it even more embarrassing to meet Simon -- a facialist with a bevy of celebrity clients -- for the first time with a giant zit on both my chin and forehead. (I'm sure she's seen worse, but still.)

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The Ziip, which she developed with a team of engineers, doctors and scientists, looks like a really beautiful, white and gold computer mouse. But the Ziip's real beauty is what it does to your skin. The handheld facial device sends electrical currents into the skin and -- depending on the setting -- either encourages cells to produce ATP (cell energy, which is then used to create collagen) or kills acne-causing bacteria.

But the really remarkable thing about the Ziip is that it communicates with an app on your phone. When you open the app, you ask it to wirelessly locate your device. From there, you select a protocol for your face, eyes or acne -- and then the app tells the device what to do. As more protocols are added to the app, you can update your device without buying an attachment -- kind of like updating the operating system on your phone. But even though I Ubered to my appointment and checked Instagram while I waited, I was skeptical about the app.

Then, Simon demonstrated the Ziip's lifting protocol -- raising up the arches of my eyebrows and defining my jawline with an electrical tingle. When she was finished with a 10-minute treatment, she used the app to switch the device to the acne setting. And it worked -- the sensation was completely different. When she ran the spheres over my chin, I felt nothing except for a sharp zing right where the evil little breakout was located. Then, the same thing happened on my forehead. She moved the device around the rest of my face just for good measure, and I felt a zing on the side of my cheek and another one on my nose. "That's the current killing the bacteria," said Simon. "It stops a breakout before it forms." By the next morning, my skin was completely clear.

Since the only thing better than zapping (or popping -- not going to lie) a zit is zapping a zit even before it's visible, the Ziip has claimed a spot in my regular beauty routine. Once a week, I do the acne protocol just to ensure that nothing's brewing. And before an event -- or on a day when I feel like looking prettier -- I use the Ziip to lift and sculpt. And I do it all with the help of my iPhone. Welcome to the future.