Blog

“Wonderbar: 2010 Beauty Gem” Jolene Hart’s review….

February 26th, 2010

DSCF1153-1

BEAUTY IS WELLNESS

“That’s right- this little grey bar with its minimalist brown packaging is my first natural beauty hero of 2010! Don’t you love when good things come in small packages?

In the few weeks that I’ve been trying out Wonderbar, I’ve seen changes in  my skin that support all of the product’s promised benefits: overall balance in oily/dry spots; smaller pores; soft, glowy skin and reduced redness and breakouts. Which leaves me wondering, what makes Wonderbar effective where other products are not?

Quite simply, the genius behind Wonderbar seems to be its pH level. The Wonderbar has a pH of around 5.65- a perfect level to maintain the natural acidity of our skin, which has a pH between 4 and 6. What does pH have to do with beautiful skin anyway? Regular bar soaps and cleansers (that commonly rate between 9 and 11 on the pH scale) are likely to make the skin more alkaline-  resulting in an environment suitable for acne-causing (p. acnes) bacteria. Maintaining the skin’s natural pH  strengthens its defenses against environmental stressors and keeps away dryness and irritation.

Wonderbar also boasts some notably wondrous ingredients, specifically Chlorey’nahre, an algae extract blend, and Heilmoor clay, a 3,000 year-old therapeutic clay from Austria that detoxifies and heals beyond the skin’s surface.

It’s important to note that Wonderbar is not a soap. It’s essentially a treatment that you apply for a few minutes after cleansing and removing makeup.”

About Jolene Hart

 

Jolene Hart is a freelance writer and natural beauty and health editor, and in 2010 will become a certified Holistic Health Counselor via NYC’s Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She has worked in fashion and beauty editorial at People and InStyle and currently contributes to publications like Natural Solutions, Healing Lifestyles and Spas, Coco Eco and Organic Beauty View. Jolene has long been fascinated by the link between health and beauty and is passionate about natural beauty and the influence that our daily choices have on our appearance.

The “Healing Crisis” shouldn’t scare you NEARLY as much as the toxins trapped in your SKIN…….

February 20th, 2010

skin

I’m learning as I go, but did you know that we absorb environmental toxins through our skin and if you don’t draw them out, they’re absorbed into the bloodstream?  These free radicals not only age our skin, but mutate DNA so that it can’t be replicated properly, causing problems such as cancer, migraines, exhaustion, irritability, and more.

We can’t completely prevent it, obviously, because we have a lot of skin, so let’s just start with our face.  Toxins that we absorb from the environment, and even from various skin care products, can be so dangerous.  So it stands to reason that the Wonderbar could potentially reduce the amount of free radicals we contain in our bodies, greatly reducing our chances of significant problems.  What’s not to love about that??  It’s a no-brainer.

And…any product can claim to remove toxins through deep-cleansing….but don’t believe everything you hear.  The product needs to contain mostly natural ingredients, as these are the best and most healing for our skin. Also, a synergistic mixture of ingredients is important.  For example, Heilmoor clay is really effective at pulling out dirt from the skin, and when combined with quality moisturizing ingredients and one or two quality antioxidant ingredients, you have a good detoxifying product.  This is how these ingredients work in synergy: the clay absorbs oils and pulls out the toxins while the moisturizing ingredients protect the skin from the drying effects of the clay. Then the antioxidant ingredients absorb into the skin to fight the free radicals from the toxins left over.  In the case of the Wonderbar, though, all of these ingredients work even better because the added micro-algae has the ability to literally “heal” your skin deep down and the PH level of the bar is around 5.65, which is balanced.  The name Wonderbar is well-deserved…….getting the picture, yet?  I’m gonna pound you until you do! ;)  So buy a Wonderbar, get the toxins out and enjoy the “healthy skin” look.  Foundations and powders are SO 2009.


Sephora’s nine “Best Sellers” in skincare all add up in their abilities to….well….ONE little Wondrous-bar!

February 17th, 2010

beauty-products-730472

I know, it’s really incredible and exciting…..but maybe not for everyone.  The nine “top-selling” skincare products on the Sephora website claim to each do one or more of the following things:

fade pigmentation, shrink pores, improve clarity, treat acne, control oil and blemishes, improve appearance of age-related skin issues, reduce stretch marks, restore elasticity, firm and tone skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, moisturize, conquer skin damage……

They might do some of these things, but NONE of them do it all at the same time.  Which means of course that you aren’t getting out the door without two, three or even four products!  That is actually fine for some, people do like products.  The problem comes in when they spend all of that time and money and don’t get the results they are expecting.  At least this is what I’m consistently told by our clients.

Also……on the Sephora website, they have a list of ten areas of concern for the face, which can each be clicked on to show multiple product solutions for each area of concern.  They are as follows:

Enlarged blackheads and pores, breakouts and acne, dryness, oiliness, fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and uneven texture, loss of elasticity, redness/ rosacea and sun protection! 

Hmmmm, that’s all sounding a little familiar, and for good reason.  The Wonderbar addresses NINE out of ten of them- the tenth is a sunscreen and we just don’t do that- but a simple, effective one is easy to find.  SO, you can choose from HUNDREDS of products which may or may not address one or two concerns each, OR you can just buy a Wonderbar and a plain moisturizer/ sunscreen and be done.  

For now, let’s keep it between us that the Wonderbar is also a shampoo and scalp equalizer on top of everything else, we do NOT want to sound like we’re bragging! ;-)

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Sun Protection

Roses are red, violets are blue, with every large purchase, get a travel size too!

February 11th, 2010

As a token of our appreciation, and in honor of Valentine’s Day…….

with every purchase of a large bar, we will include a complimentary,

travel size Wonderbar!

February 11th- February 14th

Happy Valentine’s Day from WonderbarUSA!!

2_ASAD_Roses_450_834881405

“love is all you need……..and one tiny Wonderbar”- anonymous

 

Since beauty is only skin deep, might be a good idea to take care of your skin…..but while you’re at it, being kind never hurt anyone either.

February 9th, 2010
valentine hearts 3

“cause I think we all know that beauty fades and what you’re left with at the end of the day is….how you’ve treated the people around you.  This post is dedicated to my sweet husband, who, incidentally, has strangely youthful, albeit beautiful skin, but more importantly, always acts kind.  (Is that a run-on?) Anyway, he has been incredibly helpful while I’ve worked on this Wonderbar thing.  Even when people were saying to me that this might not work, there would be my sweet husband with a big ‘ol smile on his face, saying “it’s going to be a huge success!”  Secretly, he probably didn’t always believe that, but he was always nice enough to say it.  This should tell you that his beauty is FAR deeper than his skin.  Just a really great guy!  And even though Mission Wonderbar is not quite complete, I know that I could not have done my part without him.  You see, launching a product in this country is much more than you might think.  In fact….it is hours and hours of dedication, days and late nights on the computer, month after month of unwavering focus, thousands of emails (four thousand to be exact), tons of disappointment, lots of trial and error, educating hundreds of clients, stalking beauty editors, blogging,  traveling, perseverance in the face of the nay-sayers, being away from my husband and kids and sometimes even acting a little bitchy (I know….SO hard to believe ;-) ) ….but he put up with all of that- and with the biggest freaking smile on his face the WHOLE TIME!

So, here’s to the best husband and father anyone could ask for!  I happen to know six people who would whole-heartedly agree…

(yes, he is the very proud father of six!)   

Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!!  I’ve got the babysitter lined up, so get busy and make a reservation!!!

(I prefer pizza, if it’s not too much trouble)

Harper’s Bazaar. The Wonderbar. LOVE the way that sounds together…..

February 7th, 2010
headerv2-logo
9 Skin Secrets for Spring-
the latest antiaging news, breakthrough technologies & celebrity must-have products….
 

Miracle Soap?

Beauty junkies have been buzzing about the Wonderbar ($140 for a box of four), a tiny pH-balancing cleansing bar that claims to improve every skin type, from acne prone to wrinkle riddled. Verdict: After some initial dryness, our skin feels rebalanced, smoother, and firmer. Hooray for smaller pores!

beauty0310-perfectskin-02-de


Would you train for a marathon and stop at 13 miles because you got a cramp?

February 2nd, 2010

MarathonNewYorkJpeg

No, because that would be a waste of time.  But it’s the same thing as giving up on the Wonderbar at three weeks!  You are throwing your money away, not to mention denying yourself the gift of healthy skin.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I’m dry, should I quit using this?” or “I’m broken out.  Does this mean I’m allergic?”  The answer to both would be no.  This is a process and it takes time.  People who give up at three weeks are misunderstanding what the Wonderbar is and what it does.  I understand that it can be uncomfortable and less than ideal to break out and get dry, but if you want to get the toxins out and heal your skin, then you have to run the marathon.

I have a friend who recently bought a Wonderbar.  She is a skeptic, it’s okay- I knew she would come around.  Anyway, she understood the product before she started.  I’d describe her as mentally prepared.  Mainly because she spent the weekend with me at the beach and listened to me talk to clients about the healing crisis the whole time.  So, when she got her first “cyst” five days in, she was so excited.  I got this voicemail and it said, “Guess what???? It’s working!!  I have a big pimple on my forehead and I’m so excited!!”.  I was immediately worried she would quit- some people do.  However, she hung in there like a champ and I have to tell you in all honesty, she has never looked better.  Her skin is even, balanced and the bumps and redness that have been there since college are gone.

Regarding that dryness people feel…..they tend to think immediately that it is a bad “dry”.  Like a soap “dry”.  Just to reassure you, it is not.  It is a good “dry”.  A healing“dry”, and necessary to the process I might add.  If you scraped your knee and it was red and raw, what would happen next?  It would get dry and itchy?  Then would it get darker and maybe turn into a scab?  Then it would come off and what might be underneath it all??  New skin would be underneath it all and the old damaged skin would be gone…….this is the healing process.  You can get dry patches with the Wonderbar and they can even turn a little brownish, right before they come off!  This would be an extreme healing crisis, but it happens occasionally and right where it needs to.  It happened to me on my neck and it only took 13 days for me to see healthy skin underneath…..others simply describe a tightness and dryness that subsides as their skin begins to find the perfect balance.

So hang in there, you are not alone.  There are hundreds of other faces running this marathon with you, but in this case, it doesn’t matter who gets to the finish line first……only matters that you get there!



Dear Mineral Powder…..

January 31st, 2010

break-up-main_Full 

There is no easy way to say this, but it’s over.  I know we haven’t known each other that long, but when it’s not right, it’s not right.  I know you will make someone very happy, though, and I hope you know that I wish you the best.   We work against each other and every time I try to do my job, you come along and it ends in disaster!  We don’t work well TOGETHER.  You always seem to just want to cover things up, but I like to tackle our issues and get everything out in the open.  Almost every time there is really dramatic crisis, you are the culprit.  Frankly, you smother me too much and I feel the relationship is toxic.    

So, I wish you all the best and I will hold the memories close- even though they are slightly traumatic. 

Regretfully,

The Wonderbar    

p.s. You can keep the acne, I always thought it liked you better anyway.

The Launch of the Wonderbar- SUCH a BLAST!

January 28th, 2010

wonderbar-usa-evite

Thanks so much to the Bollare girls, Alle Fister and Jamie Stone, for a very productive, educational and exciting day with the editors!  We held the event in a suite at the Bryant Park Hotel and sat around, very casually, and talked to beauty editors from 20 national magazines about the Wonderbar.  They came in 30-minute shifts and it lasted all day long.  They each left with their samples and instructions…..seemingly excited and beyond intrigued!  It’s like a big high school, this very small editor’s world, where each one knows each other and has a long history together.  And in a high school, exciting news travels very fast…….so will be the case here.  With the buzz getting louder, we remain very optimistic and confident that the Wonderbar represents a breakthrough in skincare and that soon, many more will know about this new alternative to multi-step regimens and toxic, expensive medications and treatments. 

We are ready. :-D

“3-in-1 facial product: the Wonderbar” as reviewed by Nadine Jolie

January 28th, 2010

nadine





3-in-1 facial product: the Wonderbar

Let’s be honest: some beauty products are utter crap. They’re all smoke and mirrors and ancillary-offshoots, with few benefits and costing way more than they’re worth. But, because they’re released by XYZ company with a huge R&D and marketing budget, we all hear about them, and sometimes because we’re bored and looking for something new, we fall prey to the hype.

To borrow one of my favorite phrases from the French: c’est normale. Who could blame us?

The Wonderbar is not one of those products.

As a beauty blogger, it’s exciting when I’m able to direct readers toward something not only new but actually worth your attention—and here we have Exhibit A, the Wonderbar. It looks like a soap, but is so much more: a beauty treatment bar that acts as cleanser, mask and moisturizer rolled into one. And while the benefits—fewer breakouts, brighter, healthier, simply better looking skin—are not immediate, taking about 2 months to see as your complexion’s pH adjusts, they are definitely dramatic. I’ve been using it for over 3 months now and jaded ol’ me has been very impressed—I think you’ll be similarly amazed.

Pros: The product works: you’ll see fewer breakouts, clearer, brighter skin, fewer fine lines. Because it acts as a cleanser and a moisturizer, it will simplify your regimen (all you’ll need is an SPF during the day.)

Cons: The price tag, $105 for 80gm, is steep. (There’s also a $40 bar for 25gm, however.)  You’ll have to use the bar for 2 months before seeing benefits. Some mineral makeup users might experience temporary breakouts (as the bar draws up deeply buried impurities.)

Verdict: Worth it for acne-prone skin, for oilier skin, for ruddy complexions and for those looking to simplify their routine.