Redefining Beauty – Dermablend’s New Beauty Ads Follow the ABC Philosophy

Dermablend came out with new video advertisements last week, shaking up the beauty world.

Since then, I’ve been reflecting on my friendship with Flori Roberts, the founder of Dermablend. Over 30 years ago, I appeared in several of her commercials and videos for department stores.

I love these ads. They show that beauty is more than skin deep. It upholds the truth and my philosophy that every woman is entitled to look and feel good about themselves.

No one is perfect. We all have flaws and sometimes even the slightest defect can make us feel insecure.

Building a woman’s inner strength and self esteem is what Academy by Candy Skin Care Products is all about. It is what I’m all about and it is nice to finally see a cosmetic company with similar values.

You can watch the videos by clicking here.

 

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12 Things I Learned From Being a Woman Entrepreneur for 25 Years

I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 25 years. I started researching and developing Academy by Candy, my skin care line, in the 80s, and wow, things have changed over the years.

Computers. Cell phones. Smart Phones. Hair styles. Women’s roles at work and in society. Competition.

I have to adapt to every single change or my business is lost.

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Candy Langan 15 years ago (look at those earrings!)

Combining my medical, creative, and business senses was no easy feat. But it has been the most rewarding journey, even with all of the challenges.

It would be ideal for me to have a 36-hour day. Since that’s impossible, I’ve learned along the way.

Here are 12 things I’ve learned that I hope can inspire the women entrepreneurs of today and of our future.

1. Surround yourself with knowledgeable and caring staff. You can’t do everything yourself, even though you want to and will try to.

2. Care for your customers. If I want my customers and patients to care about me and my business, I have to care for them and about them.

3. Be respectful and appreciative. So much more has come my way because of this.

4. Please and Thank You goes a long way.

5. Believe in what you’re doing. I must. And I refuse to con myself, much less anyone else.

6. Always be helping others. What I do, MUST, in some way, help others. Not be hurtful.

7. Always keep learning. I enjoy to learn so learning something new is exciting and rewarding for me.

8. Love what you do. It will be difficult to work if you don’t. I absolutely love what I do.

9. Learn what work/life balance means to you. One of the biggest learnings I’ve had over the years is about work-life balance. Creating a balance is extremely hard, especially for a woman. We wear so many hats in our personal lives: the hat of a wife, mother, grandmother, good friend, caretaker, daughter. Then we put on our professional hats: the hat of the creator, researcher, business woman, financier, sales woman, marketeer. We juggle, juggle, and juggle—with no time to spare. Create your own balance so you can live a life you love.

10. Rejection is never ideal. I still have difficulty with it. Take a deep breath and move on to the next.

11. Adapt to change. As a Registered Nurse, one of the biggest changes I’ve encountered is being hands off, literally. With technology growing leaps and bounds, people can now buy my products online without ever talking to me, let alone seeing me in person. I’m used to handling all of the care with my patients as skin care and medical procedures are very personal and hands on. My challenge is maintaining the close relationship I want and need with my customers in order to build the trust I’ve always had in the past. That’s why I encourage direct communication to me on my website and social media. I want to get to know everyone who uses my products. I want to answer any questions they may have. I want to know how they are feeling and if using Academy by Candy products helped them feel good about themselves. I want to know their stories so that at the end of the day, I am fulfilled by my work even more. Making someone else feel good makes you feel even better.

12. Believe in what you do. Be honest and forthright. Treat your employees and customers with courtesy and respect. Keep learning. Work hard, but do fulfilling work.

This is what I’ve learned in over 25 years. I love to help other women. I’m always available to talk to you. Tell me what your piece of business advice for women is in the comments.

More Than Skin Deep – My Journey in Founding Academy by Candy

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Candy Langan, owner of Academy by Candy Medical Skincare, works with patient Diana Antholis of Middletown at Langan’s Freehold Township office. (BOB BIELK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Over 30 years ago, a woman came to me and my husband, a Freehold facial plastic surgeon, asking us for help. She needed surgery that no one wanted to perform. Why not? Because her age and advanced cancer of the face and neck would require very complex reconstruction.

Together, we performed extensive surgery removing the cancer and reconstructing her face. However, in addition to extending her life, I wanted to do more for her appearance and self-confidence. This experience set the foundation for my business.

As a registered nurse specializing in head/neck cancer, reconstruction and facial plastic surgery, I decided to use my past experience in modeling and cosmetics to help many women who are concerned about their appearance.

Initially, I used camouflage makeup on my post-operative patients. Then I taught them how to take care of their skin to look and feel better and improve their self-image. Helping patients look and feel good after surgery was as important to me as curing the patient. I strongly believed that other physicians needed to offer the same. But how?

Click here to continue reading my article on the Asbury Park Press to find out about my research on glycolic acid and how I starting selling to physicians plus the real reason I started the Academy by Candy medical skincare line. 

The Ingredient You Need to Avoid in Cosmetics Products to Avoid Inflammation

Fragrance.

Combining my medical background with my clinical knowledge of cosmetic products, I recommend, not only to my patients but to the physicians I teach, the avoidance of “fragrance” in formulating beauty products.

In most cases of skin problems I’ve seen, fragrance has been the culprit.

Why?

Fragrance can cause inflammation, especially for those with sensitive skin. Inflammation can cause premature aging of the skin.

And who wants that?

A Better Alternative

lemonWhen formulating products, I prefer to use certain antioxidants which not only fight aging, but have pleasant scents.

Often, I use Lemon Oil in my products. Lemon Oil not only smells nice but its scent has soothing, detoxifying qualities. Better yet, Lemon Oil rejuvenates dull looking skin and is an effective treatment for acne and oily skin.

Keeping products simple, easy, but positively effective is what matters most. Not the scent, not the packaging, not the advertising, but the effectiveness.

Look through your skincare products right now to see if fragrance is an ingredient.