news & events

Gupta, Korkki and Galifianakis—don’t you just love saying that?—are not a law firm. But they know why you may not want to go to work in the morning.

Recently I read in The New York Times (July 9, 2010) the article titled, “An Entrepreneur Who Took A Chance on Herself”, written by Prerna Gupta about her own unlikely entrepreneurial path.

She describes her supposed dream-job, “fresh out of Stanford with a degree in economics”, which bored her silly and left her dreading each day. Desperate for change, she thought that perhaps a new career in venture capital would fan her flame. But after six weeks at a new position in that arena, she was, again, by her own description, “miserable”.

So she quit, because she had an idea. She’s now the queen of “reverse karaoke.” Her iPhone music app, called LaDiDa, creates background music when you sing into a microphone. It even seems to correct the howling of bad singers.

Her Times piece is far from sugary. She states flatly, “My future is perhaps more uncertain than it has ever been. But the realization that I face a high likelihood of failure is not enough to send me back into the corporate cubicle.”

A few days later, also in The New York Times (July 16, 2010), an article titled “The True Calling That Wasn’t” by Phyllis Korkki discusses why many people are dissatisfied with their jobs. Some of the reasons cited include that parents, peers and teachers may influence our choices early in life, before we’re sure about who we really are. Especially if a job delivers prestige or a fat wage, we may find ourselves stuck, unwilling to leave it. But the fact that the job doesn’t click with our authentic selves leads to disillusionment.

Okay, doesn’t “reverse karaoke” sound made up to you? Like a joke? Just the idea reminds me of comic Zack Galifianakis’ hilarious description of his dream-job as “Vice President of Eternal Frisbee.” Remember that this is the man who starred in the dark comedy, Visioneers, as a successful executive destined to literally, spontaneously self-combust—i.e. burst into flames—because he is so mindlessly productive.

Gupta, Korkkii and Galifianakis are unlikely birds of a feather. What they seem to be telling us is that it doesn’t matter what other people think about your work and career. What matters is what you think. This is the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit, but also the key to satisfaction if you work for someone else.

Are any of you out there reading this old enough to remember this song? Ever even hear of Dr. Hook?

Well, if not, it’s okay. And my picture is not on the cover of ROLLING STONE magazine, but it’s even more amazing than that.

I was just in New York where I was photographed by Annie Leibovitz, my new BFF. Perhaps I exaggerate. But it is no exaggeration to say that Annie is considered the most influential editorial portrait photographer of the past half-century. She did indeed put lots of people’s pictures on the cover of the ROLLING STONE – she was that magazine’s house photographer for the first ten years of its publication. And she’s created many of the most iconic, unforgettable images, mostly of celebrities, many for VANITY FAIR and other magazines.

Many of these images, for me, have a lot to do with skin. She likes to get people naked. She photographed Bette Midler naked, covered in heaps of long-stemmed red roses. One of the rumors, perhaps true, about this photo is that Annie, being a bit of a stickler, had assistants remove all of the thorns so as not to prick Ms. Midler.

Annie photographed Whoopi Goldberg roaring up from the depths of a deep, old-fashioned bathtub filled with milk—surely Cleo herself would have been jealous. She famously photographed a very pregnant Demi Moore naked. You can almost feel the double heartbeat in that image.

Those are three of thousands of pictures Annie has taken that we can’t forget. And, she just photographed me for a forthcoming book about the politics of women’s sexuality. I was lucky enough, earlier in the summer, to participate with Gloria Steinem (ooops—and I told Gloria she was my BFF — hope she doesn’t get mad!) in a roundtable hosted by STEP UP WOMEN’S NETWORK and Bayer Healthcare, addressing, among other things, the 50th anniversary of the Pill. And this roundtable formed the content for the book, which will be published in 2011.

Did I get naked for Annie? Wait and see.

The very nature of a female anatomy makes women more prone to certain types of injuries – Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), for instance. While anyone can get it, narrower wrists and keyboard-based jobs are an almost sure-fire formula for CTS. Pregnancy and slinging newborns around are the frequent source of hip and back pain among women. And, according to elle.com columnist Joseph Hooper, women would rather get hands-on treatment, namely manual therapy – deep tissue work, orthopedic techniques, and so on – than a prescription for pain killers.

Are women just more touchy-feely than men? I hesitate to genderize or generalize, but yes. Some would argue that this is because women are ALLOWED to be more touchy, societally and culturally speaking. Men who like to hug and kiss in public are more likely to go to jail, for one reason or another.

I’m convinced that the need to be touched is what drives the skin care industry, the massage world, and even beauty services like hair and nail care. Of course we like to have our follicles de-plugged and buffed. Of course we like to have our calluses and hangnails smoothed, and our split ends sheared away. But really: the feeling of someone’s fingers kneading warm lather into your scalp, then running streams of tepid water through your hair? Heaven. Ditto for a warm botanical soak and scrub for the feet, or a good back-rub on the table. Extractions may not be quite so heavenly, though necessary – but all aspects of beauty service involve touch. And this experience is deeply centering, grounding, and essential to mental well-being as well as physical health.

When I myself was a full-time skin therapist, women would often wander in to the skin care center without an appointment. They might ask for a treatment, and if we were already booked, they might ask for a massage. If we were booked in that area as well, they might gaze longingly at the menu of service, and literally start working their way down the list, plaintively asking for any service we could give them on the spot. The message: give me an eyebrow tidy, a lip wax, a manicure, ANYTHING, just touch me, please.

Do men have the same desire to be touched in a non-sexual way? Again, I won’t generalize. If so, men have even fewer socially acceptable venues through which to express the need for physical contact.

I’m not much of a basketball fan, but I always stop and marvel at how much the players touch each other during an NBA game. Big, hulking, macho, multimillionaire athletes. Bruisers, literally. Yet when one of these titans falls during a play, the protocol seems to be that he holds up his arms like a toppled toddler. One or more of his teammates will sprint over, tenderly take his hands, and HELP HIM UP TO HIS FEET, like a cherished granny who’s unsteady on her pins. There is also a lot of head-rubbing, impromptu hugging (usually at a full run down the court) and, of course, high-fiving, chest-bouncing and butt-patting during a game. This is a rare display of male vulnerability and intimacy, uniquely permissible within the brutally macho world of pro sports. We all know that out on the street, this kind of behavior would result in all sorts of humiliation from other guys.

Men are such mysterious, delicate creatures. Meanwhile, women make no apology, and pay for professional touch. Any way we can get it.

It was my current hero, Gloria Steinem, who said nigh on some three decades ago that a woman without a man was …”like a fish without a bicycle”. I love the visual hilarity of the comparison, although I don’t entirely agree. I like having my husband Raymond around—he tells me when I’m wrong. The nerve!

But I do have to post these recent pics and brag on my sisters. As we say in the UK, I am gobsmacked (i.e., knocked senseless) by the brilliance of women, especially entrepreneurial women. The group shot shows me (center) at the second “Women’s Dialogue” in the Los Angeles City Hall Council Chamber. I was honored to participate in a recent panel of five female business leaders discussing what it takes to keep business thriving, even in these tough times. The group was led by City Controller Wendy Greuel, and I shared the mic with, among others, the amazing Barbara Lazaroff (stunning in purple!) who helped a fledgling chef with an improbable name launch a restaurant which would become legend. The chef was Wolfgang Puck. The restaurant was Spago. I don’t know if Barbara herself can even boil water, but she knows what is required to succeed.

And the other shot is me with the dynamic Karen Garruto, President of the Board for Beauty Industry West (BIW). BIW just named me Entrepreneur of the Year at an inspiring event held at the Crown Plaza Hotel here in LA.

And, here I am with the inspirational Shaun Stephenson (thanks for the photo, Shaun darling!) in Washington, D.C. where I was honored as Keynote Speaker for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) at the annual Women’s Business Conference held at the International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. This year’s Conference was themed “The Power of One”. Because as we all know, women are changing the world one opportunity, one milestone, and one achievement at a time, and through the combined synergy of ALL women’s work, everywhere on earth.

I also had the pleasure of addressing the finalists at the 4th Regional NETWORK FOR TEACHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP (NFTE), a non-profit empowering urban youth. Edgar Holgiun (wearing blue shirt) was awarded the Regional honors, and will go on to compete in the nationals division in New York for $10,000 in seed-money for his business venture.
Once again, I am gobsmacked. Thanks to all!

Also, well-exfoliated, moisturized, and free of hyperpigmentation and comedones. Good skin is good news for many reasons. Not just because healthy skin feels better, looks better and wears makeup better. Skin care is good business, in America and everywhere on earth.

A skin care practice is a profession ideally suited to an entrepreneur. I have seen this with my own eyes in hundreds of communities, especially in the developing world, where women often are able to create financial independence and personal wealth using their own two hands, caring for skin.

This is remarkable in terms of the world economy, because it empowers women to rise from poverty with comparatively little capital investment, and with a relatively brief and affordable education. Although I recommend that skin therapists, and all the rest of us, remain perpetual students and always continue to study and learn.

Here in America, the good news is this: according to the US Labor Department “Occupational Outlook Handbook”, skin care professionals will be in high demand through 2018! This handbook anticipates 38% growth in this professional, meaning licensed skin care therapists who are self-employed, or who work at salons, spas, and medi-spas.

That’s a substantial number! If this is of interest to you and you live in New York City—lucky you. Dermalogica Academy has just opened in Chelsea! And there are great schools all over the country, and all over the world.

I think it’s because the world is hungry for touch – even if customers have to pay for it. That sounds risqué, but you know what I mean.

Today’s blog takes both you and me into terra incognita – someplace I cannot even pretend to describe. But I think it’s worth a visit. I’m just learning the vocab myself, so come with me on this journey.

As you know, I am a big fan of human touch. I believe that we need to touch and be touched in order to qualify as fully human. Isolation makes us less human. Our current industrial lifestyle leads to isolation, and I sincerely believe that lack of contact, including positive social-physical contact with other human beings, contributes significantly to disease, violence and way too much Farmville.

Lara Grant, a recent graduate of Interactive Telecommunications from NYU, is blazing a needed trail between high touch and high tech. As reported on coolhunting.com/tech, her thesis, “Soft Sensors,” “…fuses the digital world with physical experience by creating computer controls out of felt. With so much anxiety about an increasingly digital existence, her project refreshingly points out the potential for truly warm and fuzzy interfaces. Using soft circuitry, Grant made an array of felt housings that – when stretched, squeezed, prodded or poked – change the electronic resistance which feeds into a computer.”

At this Brooklyn resident’s own site
(http://laras-home.com/itpBlog/category/mediated-intimacy/), well, the call to action falls somewhere between creating mayhem in the streets and crocheting a granny-square afghan.

One of her key points is that our consumerist society has deadened us, and made us passive. She says that we must “revive the tangible, awaken the senses and tear at the cloak” of sterile modern life in order to reclaim our imagination and individuality.

She goes on to reference a revolutionary departure from conformity, calling this departure “matterism,” and informs us that the human eye can discern between at least 100 shades of green – something we should celebrate, but do not.

All I know is that I’d love to roll around on some of these intriguing felt creations like these in the photo. I love how the one in the photo matches the model’s hair. And I plan to keep on reading, because I agree with Ms. Grant that touching and communicating are the beginnings of a soft revolution.

Father’s Day, June 20, is an occasion to reconsider our definitions of masculinity. From Anglo-Saxon-Celtic mythology, we know of an ancient character known as the Green Man. Sort of like the Greek goat-god Pan, the Green Man gives life to all things, makes seeds germinate, trees grow, and is the spirit of the primeval forest.

Who knows—maybe The Jolly Green Giant was inspired by this protean being. His booming laugh was manly, yet kind, and he encouraged little ones to eat their veggies. And, he looked pretty hot in those green tights. All good.

I am not clear where the more recent green guy, Shrek, comes from. Late-night show host Craig Ferguson and I agree that he’s got a fake (read: Canadian) Scots accent, though.

But my favorite green man these days is named “FEMINIST HULK”, created by feminist theorist Judith Butler. This Hulk still loves to smash stuff—like hegemonic forces, patriarchy and mindless masculine dominance. He’s still no Oprah-loving creampuff, but now he’s smashing in the name of cultural mindfulness. FEMINIST HULK (just Google him) is the subject of a recent interview in msmagazine.com, where he addresses, among other things, the seeming rudeness of typing all in caps, i.e. online shouting:

“HULK USE ALL CAPS. HULK CHOOSE NOT TO IMPOSE HIERARCHY ON LANGUAGE. PLUS, BIG HULK FINGERS MAKE SHIFT-KEY PROBLEMATIC.”

I like a superhero who’s sensitive without sniveling.

FEMINIST HULK: My heart belongs to this big daddy.

Your skin feels tight, hot, itchy, prickly, inflamed. It looks red or blotchy and reacts with painful inflammation to your favorite products. Even a splash of water may set it off! You call it “sensitive”. It’s probably actually what skin care professionals like myself call “sensitized”. What does this mean for you? Call it what you like, you need Dermalogica UltraCalming™ for serious relief.

Truly sensitive skin is technically a genetic condition which is inherited. It may be related to asthma, certain allergies, and other inflammatory responses. Dermatologists state that 50% of their patients experience inflammatory skin conditions which patients describe as “sensitive skin”.

More likely, this condition is sensitization, which is a response to external factors applied to the skin, and conditions in the environment. The most common of these, causing violent inflammatory reactions, are aggressive medi-spa procedures and exfoliation ingredients. You know, a microdermabrasion / laser lunchtime combo with a glycolic acid chaser.

And, free radicals, sun damage, toxins in the air, including micropollutants in your indoor environment, like fumes from a new carpet, etc., all can antagonize your skin’s immune response, nervous system and other defensive processes to produce the blushing, flushing, stinging and other symptoms. Add stress to the mix and you’ve got a five-alarm face.

The bad news – the skin’s inflammatory reaction, and aggressive procedures which may trigger these reactions, make the skin thinner, more fragile, less elastic, and thus actually may make the skin seem to age faster because it is less resilient.

The good news: the new UltraCalming™ system helps skin chill out, banish irritation, quiet down any flare-ups, shield against stress, become more tolerant—good for your skin, and for the rest of you, too.

These are really exciting times for Dermalogica. The business community at large seems to be sitting up and taking notice of the fact that the skin care industry is unique in that it offers small-business owners exceptional opportunities for success, with very little required in terms of start-up capital or other resources. In fact, all you really need: nerves of steel.

And, because the majority of those who discover and take advantage of this opportunity are women, I am being called upon to speak on behalf of female entrepreneurs. I could not be more honored.

Or dehydrated. I always keep a bottle of my lifesaver Antioxidant HydraMist in the car, one in my desk, and a teeny sample spritzer in my purse when I fly.

So, spit-spot, off I go:

June 2 – CITY OF LOS ANGELES—LA City Controller Wendy Greuel moderates this dialogue between five female entrepreneurs. I’m one of them.

June 10-11 – NAWBO/LA – NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS – I’m honored to be the Keynote Speaker at the Annual Business Conference, held this year at the International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

More to come.

Something I’m also thinking about lately are the differences between male and female entrepreneurs. Especially in the developing world, where women’s bravery and entrepreneurial spirit are at their most truly mind-blowing, most female entrepreneurs also are mothers. And the weight of parenting falls more heavily upon the shoulders of these women in traditional, ethnic, tribal, rural cultures.

Even here in Los Angeles, many female entrepreneurs are mommies, too. Yes, there is such a thing as a “house-husband.” And some parents manage to share the load equally, or so they say… but my observation is that generally, in all but the most unusual circumstances, female parents are more directly involved with childrearing than their male partners.

As Craig Ferguson says, I look forward to your letters.
But it’s true!
How do we do it? I’m just glad that we do.

A friend of mine just called me to tell me about her fab new layered haircut (she sent me a photo – and it DOES look cute: kind of like Keith Richards’ choppy, neo-mullet shag, circa 1975). She’s so excited because it is, and I quote, “Super low-maintenance.”

Each morning before work, this is her new hair-styling regimen:

1. Wash and condition
2. Untangle with wide-tooth comb
3. Blow-dry to semi-damp state using diffuser-attachment (head turned upside-down)
4. With fine-tooth comb, separate hair into one-inch sections
5. Mist with thermal protection spray
6. Working section-by-section, roll each section onto a round brush
7. Apply hair-dryer diffuser to each rolled section for 5 to 7 minutes
8. Unroll section, grasp ends, and twist strand until it coils down onto itself
9. With hair clip, clip “coil” to scalp
10. Continue until entire head has been rolled, unrolled, coiled and clipped
11. Gently unclip and finger-comb out each coil
12. Dab with finishing serum for shine and control
13. Shake head – do not brush
14. Hair spray optional
15. VOILA! Approximate styling time: 35 minutes

And here’s what she does to her face:

“Well, I just got out of the shower. So my face has to be pretty clean. Right?”
In other words, she doesn’t exactly wash her face in the shower. Let alone microfoliate it. She goes with the idea that washing her hair sort of magically cleanses her face along with it. She added a bit defensively, “Well, Jane, I DO wear sunblock under my make-up.” Well, tally-bloomin’-ho for that.

I know other alarmingly chic women who do even less, because they don’t necessarily wash their hair each morning. One Nolita fashionista chum simply dabs at her eyes with a baby-wipe (in her defense, she’s a new mum) and generously spritzes on Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist from scalp to navel before slipping into her oversized Mary-Kate Olsen sunglasses and hurrying off for the day’s first latte. “It makes me feel dewy-fresh,” she reports, “Plus it flattens down my frizzies.”

Okay. To my friend who showers each morning: yes, the rushing warm water from your shower does most likely whisk away wakey-wakey eye-crusts (ew!), as well as some of the sebum and dead cells which have accumulated on the surface of the skin as we sleep.
But not enough.

And as for the early-morning denizen of Nolita, I realize you’re sleep-deprived with the little one. Even more reason to take care of your skin, which is no doubt experiencing all sorts of stress and hormonal weather-systems as your body adjusts to motherhood.

First things first: whenever you shampoo and condition your hair, be sure to remove all hair product from your hairline. Stand under the showerhead, crank up the pressure, and let the water run directly over your face. In the morning, we all tend to rush. And this often means that we don’t thoroughly rinse out shampoo and conditioner – or even residue from the previous day’s styling products – from the roots. Often, skin therapists observe patterns of comedones and other issues around the hairline which are triggered by malingering hair-product left in prolonged contact with skin.

When you get up in the morning, especially if you had a bath or shower in the evening before retiring, your face probably seems “clean” to you. It’s all relative. Remember that the skin, among other functions, serves as a waste-removal system. It’s almost as if the skin is breathing, and the waste-products of these “exhalations” are dead cells which quickly pile up on the surface of the skin. As we sleep, the skin also excretes sebum, even if you don’t have a noticeable shine upon rising.

So when you apply moisturizer and make-up directly over this 6, 8 or 10-hour accumulation, there is no way that these products can perform at maximum throttle! Just think about it: your foundation, etc. are trapping vintage impurities, which can cause trouble when you least want it.

I recommend the double cleanse. Wet skin with warm water, either in the shower or standing at the sink. Apply the acid-balanced cleanser of your choice – do NOT use your boyfriend’s deodorant bar on your face! Massage the product lovingly into skin. Rinse well with warm water. Repeat the process. Yes, wash your face a second time. Rinse very well with warm (not hot) water. Blot – don’t rub – with a clean towel. The clean, bacteria-free towel is essential, since hand-towels which hang in the bathroom aren’t clean enough. Keep a separate small towel exclusively for your face. Then apply spray toner, moisturizer, daily defense against UV, treatment boosters of your choice, make-up if you like. Do this again at night, and people will think you’re in love, just got back from a fabulous vacation, or just had some “work” done…

Total time for this miracle: 7 minutes, morning and night.