The “Valley” is a force to be reckoned with. First of all, for anyone not familiar with Los Angeles, yes, this is the same Valley from whence hail Frank and Moon Unit Zappa’s tubular and awesome “Valley Girls”. It is home to many studios and arms of the entertainment industry, and its dazzling economy rivals that of many small nations overseas! Simply, you can buy anything you’ve ever wanted right on Ventura Boulevard, the Valley’s main artery. A designer wedding dress? A shot of fresh wheat grass juice? A rare vintage LP? A pink sapphire “Hello,Kitty” tongue-stud? All right there, with valet parking.

What I spoke about was the power of optimists. I said that although pessimists are often right in their gloomy assessment of things, optimists are the ones who engineer change. And a receptive attitude toward change and innovation is key to surviving and, even better, thriving, as the world changes around us.

I just read that even Mickey Mouse, who put Disney on the map back in the day, is feeling a sea-change. According to The New York Times, the world’s most recognizable American icon is about to undergo a major makeover. Why? Probably something to do with the fact that less than 20% of Mickey’s $5 billion in merchandise sales are generated in the US. Today’s Nickelodeon and Pixar generation don’t relate to the squeaky-voiced rodent.

His new incarnation as “Epic Mickey”, designed for Nintendo’s Wii console, is slated for Autumn, 2010, and is hoped to make Mickey more relevant and more lucrative. A lesson to all of us who resist the inevitable. No pain, no change, no gain.

MAC, for being busted using a competitor’s products, a brand called Ben Nye, to illustrate effects promised by the launch of their own Colour Craft collection – naughty, naughty MAC!

L’Oreal’s mascara ads with the lovely Penelope Cruz, who was clearly and obviously wearing false lashes as well as the mascara being advertised. Quelle horreur – that’s just plain cheating, and not even clever.

Something else which brought frosty disapproval from shoppers in the UK and Ireland: celeb spokesmodels in ads. That’s why we don’t use them. Of course, we don’t buy ads in your favorite glam and beauty magazines, anyway—sorry! But we do take photographs of people to show how our products are used, and how they improve the health of skin.

But we use real people. Like these two. Stuart Leitch and Sona Tolani work in our marketing department in Los Angeles. They’re our kind of people—the kind of people we put into our posters and consumer information.

And about those moustaches. While you may think they’re undercover spies, lurking in the shadows to suss out skin care scandals, they actually are showing their support for MOVEMBER.

We hope that you’ve already gotten involved as a MOVEMBER partner with Dermalogica! This international movement creates awareness of men’s diseases such as prostate cancer. Men participate by growing a moustache during the month of November, sponsored by friends and family the way we support walkers and runners in marathons for other causes. And we’ve put together a fantastic incentive program centered around our Shave system.

In fact, some of the guys we work with—like our CEO Jerry Wenker—are growing a ‘stash to support the cause. Stubble and five-o’clock shadow aren’t quite as glamorous as long eyelashes—but we like the way it makes us feel.

Annet King of The International Dermal Institute talks skin care savings with Holly Hannula on The Daily Buzz. Check it out and get some winter care tips that save your skin and your wallet!

Hundreds competed, but Dermalogica took top billing in Shecky’s Beauty at its Best 2009 Awards!

• Best Exfoliating Scrub: Daily Microfoliant® “Get ready for smooth and healthy skin.”
• Best Cleanser: Special Cleansing Gel “Invigorates sleepy, dull skin.”

As the “Girls’ Day Out” authority on everything from fashion and faces and fun, Shecky’s prides themselves on wading through millions of products to honor the ones that really deliver results. That’s why we’re honored to have made the list two years in a row!

Want award-winning skin? Find out if these products are right for you at a skin treatment center, salon or spa near you.

Whether you’re in the skin care industry or have found your passion elsewhere, listen as Jane shares the start-up story behind Dermalogica, and get in-depth advice on how to better your business!

Ready to up the status quo?
All through the month of November men worldwide are growing and grooming a Moustache to raise funds and awareness for men’s health issues, including prostate cancer. The charity they’re doing it for is called Movember (where the ‘MO’ in moustache meets the ‘vember’ in November), and Dermalogica wants you to join the fight!

Help us in supporting this cause by growing YOUR ‘MO’ for MO’ney
• go to the Movember link below
• register to join our derMOlogica team (it will take you less than two minutes)
• start growing your ‘MO’ November 1
• update us with your growth on Facebook (images welcome)

Win Prizes
As part of our team, you’ll be part of our sponsorship of this hair-raising cause. And, you’ll be mo eligible to win Shave products, enter to win prizes and participate in contests including coolest MO, innoMO (most innovative moustache) and MO before and MO after.

Join team derMOlogica

I recently had the pleasure of speaking on a distinguished panel of “Women of Influence,” hosted by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Los Angeles chapter. The theme was “mentoring” – and it got me thinking.

After eons of collective, cooperative shared work, where young people learned at the elbow of a master, the Industrial Revolutions changed everything. Replacing mentoring and apprenticeship traditions: the individualistic, every-man-for-himself brand of capitalism which has now reigned in commerce for close to two centuries.

Women can bring the practice back. Part of the reason is not because we are morally superior to men, but because we have never been fully vested into the Good Old Boys network. Yes, for the past few decades, stilettoe’d and pin-striped women here in the prosperous and progressive West have taken delight in proving that they can be excessively selfish and ruthless in business. Point taken, ladies.

But in most of the world, where business is done in more traditional ways, women are lower down the food-chain. They must work together like dolphins rather than prowl alone like sharks, and I think that there is a lesson here for all women, and for the world economy.

In more depressed economies, people work collectively because they must. While personal initiative is rewarded, the larger truth of interdependency is recognized and embraced.

This concept is illuminated so beautifully in Malcolm Gladwell’s book “OUTLIERS,” where he explores the notion that seeming disadvantages can become great opportunities. In the shadow of centuries of oppression, women are fluent in mentoring, apprenticeship and networking. Aren’t these skills the pillars for a new business template, as we step over the charred remains of our old paradigms?

Remember – dolphins are smarter than sharks. I think that this is because they share ideas and collaborate. Start swimming, ladies!

He wrote that brands, per se, were losing their hold upon the imagination and loyalty of consumers like all of us. And that it takes unique qualities – mystery, sensuality, intimacy—to make a person fall deeply, madly, truly in love with a brand, and stay in love.

The analogy which comes to my mind is UGGS vs. CROCs. Okay, yes, I do have a footwear-fetish. So here is a story of two ugly shoes. One is a Lovemark; the other is a lesson in how to lose the confidence of the American public.

Real UGGS are a Lovemark. People are willing to pay a lot for them. They’re willing to wait-list for the new colors which come out occasionally (this past spring, I knew several people who were delirious over the seasonal, short turquoise Ugg). Why? They do make your feet feel like hot buttered toast, and the quality sheepskin wicks moisture away from your bare feet. Fake UGGS with synthetic fleece linings get wet inside after a few hours—can somebody say “toe fungus?”

These are contributing factors, but the real reason that UGGS make people crazy with desire and happiness, and have done so for decades, is that UGGS are real. They are the real deal, and they are not sold everywhere (although their imitators are).

CROCS seemed real in the beginning. They made claims as a child-minded safety brand, making antibacterial claims about their foam fabrication. They were clunky yet lightweight, and came in funky colors. As with all shoes, the baby sizes were adorable.

But CROCs overexpanded. Suddenly, they were everywhere, in places we wouldn’t want to buy shoes, surrounded by brands we didn’t love. And, unlike UGGS, the cheap CROC imitators seemed able to replicate the shoe’s magic so well that no one could tell the original from the fake.

People who love their CROCs are in good shape—one pair lasts for decades. But people who love UGGS can’t wait to see what fleecy fun the next collection has in store. Because you see, with a Lovemark refuses to sell itself short, the consumer—that’s all of us—can never, ever get enough love.

Dermalogica is excited to partner with Movember, the world’s largest men’s charity event taking place in Australia, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the US the entire month of November.

Movember’s objective is to raise awareness about men’s health issues — specifically prostate and testicular cancer – by pairing with men who grow moustaches during the month of November.

The moustache is Movember’s ribbon; the vehicle by which we raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, Movember’s commitment is to grow a moustache and change the face of men’s health.

Join the ‘MO’vement and show your support! Every Dermalogica Shave purchase made in November means a $1 donation to this hair-raising cause. And get all your ‘MO’ coverage right here at dermalogica.com or at facebook.com/dermalogica as we bring you “30 Days of Movember,” chances to win Shave prizes, to share photos of you sporting your own Mo, information on exclusive events and more!