Every arid Arizona winter, women battle with dry skin. Makeup won’t lay quite right on an uneven, tired face. A new beauty regimen can help enliven your look and make you feel more confident, especially at the start of a new year, but most makeup and beauty products are full of harmful petrolatum, artificial colors, sulfates and other chemicals. A new shop in UNION at Biltmore Fashion Park challenges the artificial standard, offering natural products to help cleanse, moisturize, rejuvenate and heal all skin types.
Citrine Natural Beauty Bar carries lines such as REN, Kai, Apothia LA, Jane Iredale, per-fékt and Pure Plant Spa. Opened in November, Citrine is a bright, cozy space with welcoming, knowledgeable women who swear by the products they sell. Owner Melissa Lenberg gave us two of her personal picks for curing dry winter skin for a revived, healthy look.
An excellent exfoliator is crucial, as moisturizer can’t even be absorbed through a layer of dead skin. REN’s Jojoba Microbead Purifying Facial Polish is formulated for sensitive skin, employing perfectly round, non-abrasive jojoba beads to gently remove dead skin and get a deep cleanse. It keeps skin cool with peppermint oil and fights acne and inflammation with juniper and sage oils.
For extremely dry skin, Melissa recommends the REN Rose O¹² Moisture Defence Serum. Using rose and other natural oils, this serum locks in moisture and protects against free radicals, all without causing breakouts. “This rose oil serum helps heal and repair moisture loss and dryness that occurs during the winter; so now, before we get into summer, we can get you transitioned back into the best skin that you already have,” says Melissa.
One of Melissa’s favorite products is per-fékt’s lash perfection gel, which does double duty for your eyelashes. She calls it “va-va-va-voom!” for your eyes, lending glamour without the fake look. It’s more than just mascara; it’s a silky gel that helps hydrate, extend and strengthen lashes. This one-coat, high-quality formula leaves smudging, clumping and flaking behind. This is Citrine’s best-seller and has a loyal following.
While you’re there, check out the fragrances, candles, diffusers and lotions from the exclusive Apothia LA. According to Melissa, their best selling scent is Apothia’s IF, a “fun, modern, fresh fragrance…nine out of ten women love it!” A clean, romantic scent, IF has notes of both flowers and citrus, making it suitable for even the pickiest of perfume wearers.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, men can quit guessing which fragrances we might like. The perfect gift for any woman is the opportunity to visit Melissa at the beauty bar at Citrine. There she can help you create your own custom fragrance from the finest organic essential oils. There are myriad combinations of oils to blend the perfect scent to compliment your skin, and as she says, “The oils pick the person!” The health benefits of essential oils are well-known, and now we can toss the toxic perfumes and get personalized fragrances made from these wholesome, organic oils. Perhaps a blend of Somalian Frankincense and Egyptian Jasmine as an aphrodisiac for Valentine’s Day? If you like citrus, oils such as Italian Blood Orange and Brazilian Litsea might suit you; if you prefer more spice, try ingredients like Indonesian Ginger and Sri Lankan Nutmeg. Both 1 oz. and 2 oz. bottles are available, and each mixture is unique. Melissa calls her specialty blends a labor of love, especially when she can help those with sensitive immune systems; if you are recovering from an illness or are allergy-prone, give her a visit.
The wall of the shop reads, “Naturally Glamorous,” and when you see Melissa, you see her motto in action. Sit in her chair and let her pamper you with luscious moisture and light products that won’t clog your pores. Beauty should be healthy—and it turns out that we can have our cake and eat it too, after all.
On February 9th and 10th, with a purchase of $100 in Kai products, receive a 2 oz. Kai Bathing Bubbles free.
Citrine Natural Beauty Bar
Where:
UNION—Biltmore Fashion Park
2502 E. Camelback Rd. #148-K
602-955-2354
When:
Mon. – Sat.: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sun.: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Online:
