Raising the bar (of soap, that is..... :D )

Being a bonafide product junkie, Beauty Wonkette has tried ALOT of products (ah, haven't we all???). That said, there are certain products that are etched in Beauty Wonkette's memory forever.

First up was some ungodly creation that was called something like Phisohex or Phisoderm?!?!? It came in a big green plastic bottle and was supposed to guarantee that my pubescent face remained zit-free. Unpleasant as the stuff was, I think it worked.

Next up was Noxema. The smell still makes me nostalgic. Then, I went the Clinique route. Everybody probably did at one time or another. But, then, Beauty Wonkette grew up and got a fancy shmancy job in fancy shmancy NYC and it was time for a real skin routine. That was when Beauty Wonkette became an Erno Laszlo girl (12:00 she was if the feeble memory still works). There was no product that made the impact that Laszlo's black soap made on Beauty Wonkette. ADORED it !

How can somebody get excited about soap (a question only the uninitiated would ask btw)? True, soap has been around for almost 5000 years. One would think it would have evolved a bit more since the Bronze Age, but there have been few advancements in its technology - at least, few for the better. It's one of the reasons Beauty Wonkette has a permanent place in her heart for all those artisan soapmakers out there. The soap they make may not be greatly innovated technology wise. But it's GOOD soap. It smells good, feels good, and is undoubtedly better for you than the dreaded Irish Spring BW's hubby refuses to part with.

For this reason, among others, Beauty Wonkette cannot help but get inordinately excited when someone comes up with truly inspired, innovative soap, like Erno Laszlo has done.

More than just a cleansing slab, Laszlo Blue Firmarine Treatment Bar is a wonder-chunk of skin-improving ingredients. As expected, it gently washes away impurities; but long after you've sudsed up, it's still working.

Like some of our favorite high-performance serums, the Firmarine Treatment Bar (which smells exactly how you'd expect the color blue to smell) features an encapsulated delivery system—a quality essentially unheard of in soap—that ensures the distribution of firming, smoothing, hydrating and antioxidant benefits from the likes of spirulina, algae, shea butter and vitamins C and E.

More anti-aging formula than cleanser (though entirely efficient as the latter), this brilliant bar is uniquely sophisticated in a sea of antiquated soaps.

At least that is what Erno promises.... ;- )