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.

MyBeautyBunny.com, a site known for “cruelty-free beauty product reviews for stylish ladies and gents,” couldn’t stop singing Dermalogica’s praises in their recent online review!

Value for the money and result? Check.

Education that helps one learn about her skin? Double check.

Speed Mapping^SM skin analysis and professional prescriptions to help you understand your skin’s needs like never before? Triple check!

Read all the rave reviews for yourself…

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.

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!

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.

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.”

This is the fire under the pot for our latest inspiration – we just hosted a frankly fab event at our SoHo location in collaboration with Gen Art’s “The New Garde” annual show. Our SRO event drew over 300 fashionistas, to honor four up-and-coming artists: new fashion brands GAR-DE, NOMIA, SOPHOMORE and WESFELD. And tonight, Wednesday, February 10, we’re calling upon Dermalogica Nation (that’s you!) to send all of these young designers good vibes as they debut their Fall 2010 collection during NY Fashion Week. Rock on, guys!

We’re delighted to be a part of this innovative and creative process. Because it’s our process as well. And it goes without saying that the freshest “fresh faces” are properly cleansed, toned, treated and cared for with the big-name product that still has a rebel heart: DERMALOGICA!

I don’t think so. We’re all just exploring our resourcefulness. The key, I think, to thriving right now is a willingness to shed old preconceptions. Such as, what we call things—how we label things. If you can look past the label, new possibilities appear.

Take restaurant dining. For decades, restaurants have offered “Early Bird Specials” at around 5:30 or 6 pm. These discounted specials were popular primarily with retired people, because younger, working people were still at work at 5:30.

But times change. Perhaps because fewer people are in fact working, restaurants are now calling the same early evening offer “Prix fixe.” And so it’s no longer just Granny and her bingo-posse wolfing down the discounts — it’s singles, families and all sorts of multi-hued demographics who are up for a good meal at a good price.

The same goes for skin care. You may not be in the mood or the tax-bracket for a weekly, hundred-dollar refinement of your dermis. But you can still benefit from a targeted treatment as-needed, for about the price of a designer latte and a scone.

By having specific skin issues, such as a blemish, or a vacation-sunburn, treated effectively by a skin care professional, you’re protecting the investment which you made in your skin during more free-spending times.

The great thing is this: when your skin is basically on-track as the result of professional consultation and an effective at-home program, it’s doesn’t take much to fine-tune it now and again. And save the big bucks for the next time you want to dine fashionably late.