On Sunday 1^st August, Dermalogica’s ‘Defying Gravity’ event brought together more than 170 skin therapists and industry professionals at The Barbican Theatre in London to celebrate women’s success and female entrepreneurship.

Discussing the subject of ‘The Power of Diversity: How Women are Leading Success in Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ included speakers from women’s film charity ‘Bird’s Eye View’, an organisation which celebrates and supports international women filmmakers. Rachel Millward, Founder and Creative Director of Birds Eye View, highlighted the fact that only 7% of filmmakers are women and the impact of this women all over the world. Elizabeth Karlsen, Producer of Ladies in Lavender, Little Voice and The Crying Game, was also invited on stage to share her experiences as a female producer.

After a buzzing networking lunch, The International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica founder Jane Wurwand inspired guests with a discussion of how the skincare industry has a contrastingly female majority: “As an industry we’re so extraordinarily dominant as women: 98% of skin therapists are women and 92% of our clients are women. As an industry we put more women into business and create more women entrepreneurs than any other industry in the world.”

She explained, “We have an extraordinary opportunity as an industry to, quite simply, be a role model industry of how women with a transportable skill can create and build financial independence. I want us, as an industry, to provide shoulders for many women coming into business. We must provide the shoulders for others to stand on, and rise up even taller than before.”

Jane concluded by introducing a new global initiative that Dermalogica will be launching next year to help 25,000 women in less developed countries become financially independent.

The day culminated with an exclusive screening of the highly acclaimed film ‘Please Give’ by writer/director Nicole Holofcener.

Dermalogica is thrilled to have won two prestigious UK Beauty Awards as part of a lavish ceremony hosted by Clothes Show London at Earls Court, London. 

The UK Beauty Awards asked top beauty professionals, from beauty editors to make-up artists, to shortlist the beauty industry’s finest products across 13 categories. These beauty products went on to compete through a public vote on www.diarydirectory.com and www.handbag.com to be named as the UK’s favourite beauty products.

Two of Dermalogica’s newest products were awarded overall winners of two competitive categories:

Best New Skincare Product – Luxury - Dermalogica  – C-12 Concentrate.  C-12 Concentrate, the outright winner of the Best New Skincare Product, is a silky-rich, high potency treatment which brightens, minimises discolouration and improves skin clarity.

 Best New Men’s Grooming Product : Dermalogica – Invigorating Shave Gel Described by the judges as the “perfect product”, Invigorating Shave Gel is a multi-use, oil-free shaving aid that infuses skin with antioxidants, helps delay the signs of ageing and gives a “barber-close” shave.

Dermalogica spokesperson Lucinda Townend said “We’re simply thrilled to have won two UK Beauty Awards this year. To be recognised at a national level, with two out of fourteen awards is just overwhelming. We pride ourselves on developing the best possible products that give real, visible results and we are continually innovating and researching new ingredients and formulas to give even better results and treat more challenging skin conditions. These awards are fantastic recognition of this and are particularly momentous as they are voted for by consumers.”

Join Dermalogica for a series for free interactive classes, especially for brides-to-be. The new bridal classes at Dermalogica Kensington are sure to be a massive hit, covering topics like; acheiving that wedding day glow,  flower arranging and even first dance classes. These classes will give brides inspiration to plan their big day - plus every bride-to-be leaves with a free Dermalogica gift!

Forthcoming classes are on the 8th May and 19th June at 2pm, booking is essential. To book your place please call 0800 345 SKIN (7546) 

see http://kensingtonstore.dermalogica.co.uk for more details

How the swap works… just bring along four (or more) items of quality clothing, shoes and handbags you no longer want. Leave behind one item and swap the rest! Your item and everything else left over will go into stock local charity shops in the area, so you’ll be doing a good turn too!

Its just three days left till the swap so don’t miss out, book now!

Date: Thursday April 22nd 5.30pm

Venue: Dermalogica Kensington, 8 Lancer Square, Kensington Church St, London W8 4EH

To book call: 0800 345 SKIN (7546)

Goody bag for every attendee!

Happy Swapping!

I am counting the days ‘til we don our 3-D glasses to see Johnny Depp as the deliriously Mad Hatter in the new “Alice in Wonderland”. Who’s even playing Alice? Don’t know, don’t care—she’s simply the conduit to Depp. Yes, I’m a fan.

I was discussing the casting of this film with my daughter Molly, the future theater maven. We concur on Depp. We also concur on the brilliant casting of Helen Bonham Carter as the Red Queen—“Off with her head!”. But too-pretty Anne Hathaway as the White Queen just seems so bland. So predictable. So tame. So safe.

Our vote for who should’ve gotten the White Queen role: Lady Gaga. Because she’s odd. Quirky. Peculiar. She probably got picked on a lot in school, while Anne was probably popular. Not only is Lady Gaga weirdly wonderful—she could have sung the soundtrack.

As for Mr. Depp. I believe it’s his oddness that makes people of all sorts go crazy for him. It’s his authenticity that gets people. He’s a great actor, and has fabulous cheekbones. But Hollywood is chockablock-full of talent and pretty faces—Depp has more. He’s got that original oddness. Consider the wild cult status which is now exploding around a local LA leathersmith, Brennan Byers (www.gbbleather.com) , who makes all the fabulous leather stuff for The Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He recently replicated a leather wristband for Johnny Depp, and now the wristband has spawned a crazed, viral following, especially in Japan. Brennan’s leather cuff is an instant icon, an emblem of cool, a feverish, frothing object of desire, because in wearing one, we connect with our own deep weirdness as epitomized by Depp, who makes it OK to be odd. In fact, I may have to have one as my birthday gift to myself….

The lesson for all of us: take a chance. If we must err (and we must), err on the side of something risky and interesting. The truth is that playing it so-called “safe” isn’t really safe. You may die of boredom. Push the edge…and remember the words of T.S.Eliot: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

I am not a dermatologist. I never went to medical school. I respect those who have.

But often, I find that the skills of people like me—a licensed skin therapist—are perceived as second-tier when it comes to knowing about the skin. Not true. Most dermatologists don’t cleanse the skin, touch the skin, apply treatment products or do a non-surgical extraction. Yet these are routine skills which are the skin therapist’s bread-and-butter.

And another thing: some dermatologists get the Big Eye when they see how much money there is to be made in so-called “vanity” procedures. I’m in favor of people doing whatever they want to themselves in order to feel fierce, frisky and fabulous. But it’s unnerving when trusted MDs compromise their professional ethics by promoting new products in which they have a vested interest, even before these products are approved by the FDA.

That’s exactly what happened to Dr. Lesley Baumann of Miami Beach, at the beginning of the new year. She was holding forth about the benefits of Dysport, an injectable intended to erase the “worry furrow” between the brows, even though the drug hadn’t been approved by the FDA. And she got a well-deserved spanking from the Feds for jumping the gun. Naughty, naughty Dr. B!

I think the message is clear: don’t be blinded by the dazzling white of the lab-coat. Yes, doctors are usually smart people. But like all of us, they can get greedy, and this may put the consumer at risk in the process.

March 7 is the 82nd Academy Awards, and from the buzz on the streets, everyone in Los Angeles seems to think they’ve been nominated! Stocking up on gourmet snacks, having a pedi, getting the car washed for the big night, dodging imaginary paparazzi.

Who’ll win what is anyone’s guess. Of course, I look at the nominees with a specific kind of scrutiny. Here are a few of my recommendations for the nominees:

JEFF BRIDGES – I detect very slow cell turnover. Of course he needed that crusty, crispy, craggy, beef jerky look for his leading role in “Crazy Heart,” but J, a professional exfoliation treatment or two will prevent you from being put out to pasture before your time.

GEORGE CLOONEY—The silver fox has a really thick, macho-man beard—he always seems to be fighting after-five shadows. I’d recommend our Shave System, especially our pre-shave prep products for heavy, coarse beards to get superclose and prevent ingrowns.

JEREMY RENNER – Only his skin therapist knows for sure, but I feel that Jeremy may be acne-prone. He always looks shiny, and like he’s about to burst into a flurry of spots. Our MediBac Clearing ™ products will keep his sebum levels balanced.

GABOUREY SIDIBE – See above. She has gorgeous skin, but oil production may be an issue. I’d recommend a daily mattifyer to keep sebum and cell debris from causing blemishes.

MERYL STREEP and HELEN MIRREN – I love the fact that these glorious midlife lionesses aren’t all tarted up in an attempt to look like ingénues. I’d just stick with Dermalogica AGE Smart™ to keep the integrity of collagen and elastin intact, exfoliate gently and consistently, and masque twice-weekly for vitamins and deep hydration.

SANDRA BULLOCK Is so appealing because she lacks the diva-gene—she’s the perpetually sunny girl-next-door. Speaking of sunshine and UV exposure, I’d suggest that she address hyperpigmentation and brighten her skin with our ChromaWhite TRx® system, especially Extreme C and Pure Night.

May the best skin win!

March is National Women’s History Month — suggesting, of course, that the other eleven months of the year belong to men?

This is so relevant to us and our profession — over 90% of skin therapists are women, and most of our clients are women. One of the reasons I love what we do is that our profession extends an opportunity to women to create personal wealth, without benefit of male power. This would please legendary feminist Gloria Steinem, since she’s on a real tear these days about the persistent discrepancies in pay between work as performed by men and women. News flash: men still get paid more for the same work. And, their dry-cleaning and hair cuts cost less. Just so wrong.

But here’s another twist. In one aspect of what has for centuries been considered “men’s work”: the military-women now are being brought in to do a job that men cannot. The job: peacekeeping in a war zone.

The UN is now conducting a recruitment campaign that’s called the “thin pink line”: a female peacekeeping initiative. Right now in Congo Town, Liberia, a place so torn and shattered not only by war but by a history of governmental corruption, a female unit has taken to the streets. There also are similar female units in action in Afghanistan, who patrol neighborhoods on foot, coming into intimate contact with the local residents who are largely female — the men are all fighting on the front lines, or dead.

The mission of these Kalashnikov-toting girl-power units is to curb violence. On a subtler level, they connect with other women and their children, since the peacekeepers by and large are also married women with children.

So women are warriors for peace. These female peacekeepers also support another of Steinem’s messages: that physical strength and fitness, versus mere beauty and slenderness, have never been more politically relevant for women. She explained recently in a Los Angeles Times interview that rich patriarchal societies pressure women to be thin; poor patriarchal cultures encourage women to become hugely fat. She says, “But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for women to become physically strong is very profound.”

So, you may not be ready to put on a military uniform and fire an assault-rifle. But, in the interest of unleashing your own inner “Iron Woman” (that’s what the Liberians call their President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf), eat healthfully, make yourself strong, and be fierce. Your specific partisan stance is not the point here, sister. The mere fact of making yourself a strong woman sends an unmistakable message of power.

The downturn itself really is a tremendous opportunity to reassess. If this sounds like sugar-coating, it’s not. But if you want to go with a confectionary theme, consider this: Candace Nelson was part of the dot-com boom-bust the last time everyone thought the world was coming to an end. She got laid off, and thought about what she really liked. What made her happy? Cupcakes came to mind (as they often do), so she started a cupcake company in Beverly Hills called Sprinkles.

Now Oprah loves Sprinkles cupcakes. Ditto for Tyra Banks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Courtney Cox, Jessica Alba, Jimmy Kimmel, Jennifer Love Hewitt, even Arnold (the Governor). Could anything be more fun? And isn’t having fun every day a really good definition of being a success?

If you step outside your comfort zone willingly, you’re jumping. If you’re pushed out, you’re merely falling. Either way, it’s time to figure out what you do when you land. You might start by having a cupcake.

March 20 is the Vernal Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun will cross directly over the Earth’s equator. This brings the tilt of the Earth’s axis to 23.4 degrees, and this means that the sun’s rays hit us full-on.

March 20 also is Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Doesn’t it make sense to you that the new year begins on the first day of Spring, when birds court and coo, and tender buds swell, rather than in January? I’ve also read that the Great Sphinx is angled in such a way that the rays of the Spring sun point directly at it.

Which brings me to: unless you, too, are an ancient stone carving, you need to step up the solar protection starting right now. It’s incredible to me that, even though the American Cancer Society has been conducting an aggressive public service campaign about the risk of melanoma for more than two decades, the incidence of skin cancer is up, not down.

I think the reason is that new technology makes people cocky. They read that their sunblock is SPF 400, and they think they can bask safely.

Not so. Also, many consumers simply don’t slather on enough of the stuff. You need a teaspoon on your face, a shot-glass of it on your body. Re-apply as you swim and sweat, or just every few hours if you’re in intense exposure.

Or here’s another bad reason not to protect your skin: you’ve experienced breakouts as the result of using sunscreen. This is simply because you’re using a formula which doesn’t make your skin happy. Check with your Dermalogica skin therapist and identify your skin conditions. If your skin is sensitized, acneic, in need of deep hydration, and so on, there is a UV product which will keep your skin safe from free radicals and worse without causing more problems.

And here’s a flash from Dr. Diana Howard, our resident chemistry authority. Properly exfoliating skin after sun exposure—which really is every day—may be helpful in averting carcinogens. They may literally be whisked safely off the skin’s surface. Talk to your skin therapist to choose an exfoliant which works for you.