Owner
&
Licensed Aesthetician

Hi! I'm Karen Lillie - Burns, and I'm extremely lucky to be the owner and Licensed Aesthetician of Citrine Skin Spa in New Berlin, WI. It has been a dream of mine to be able to offer specialized, state - of - the - art Skin Treatments to all of my clients, known to me only as my Spa Family. You are personally invited to join the family and discover your healthiest skin. If you have 2 spare minutes and would like to know a little bit more about how Citrine came to be, I invite you to keep reading.

 

Do you know how it feels when you experience something in life and think wow, this just feels so right? Well, that’s exactly how I felt the first day I decided to learn Aesthetics and that feeling has only grown stronger and stronger over the past 11 years.  

 

To be completely honest, it wasn’t the first, the second or even the third career choice for me. At the time, I was  focusing on the wrong things.  I went to work every day, Monday through Friday, 8 to 5,  working in a position I had no passion for. I wondered, how can I do this another week, let alone the rest of my life? Is this really what life is supposed to be? And after a few years of this, I got really, really tired.

 

 I was let go from my job, had only partial dabs of college education and was only really  skilled in customer service based positions . My future felt bleak, to say the least.  My here - and - there college experiences expended my parents college funds, they really weren’t interested in throwing away more money.  I knew  whatever I did next HAD to work. No fallbacks, no more second chances.  So I took inventory - what was I good at, what did I like? Makeup? - hell yes. But who would take me seriously without credentials? Makeup credentials? Is that even a thing? (turns out it is ) And then I thought about skin...

 

Growing up I had severe psoriasis, covering a large part of both arms and legs. It was traumatic, it hurt and sometimes kids made fun of me. And because it’s worn on the outside like a big, neon illuminating badge, I couldn’t hide it - especially during summer. In the early 90's there weren't many treatment options available for psoriasis, other than steroids. It took (my Mom (and I) years of different remedies and treatments to find a routine that worked for me. Because of this, I know exactly what it's like to  lose and gain both confidence and self-esteem because of a skin related condition.

 

When I discovered getting licensed in Aesthetics embraced both makeup and skincare, it was only natural to follow through with it. Finally, I knew what I was going to do! It  was always what I was supposed to do and it was always there, I just couldn't find it. 

​

In 2012 I graduated at the top of my class from Aveda's Institute of Beauty and Wellness in downtown Milwaukee and gained years of experience working for some of the areas top spas before opening Citrine. I'm also a Certified Dermalogica Expert that has taken dozens of classes at Dermalogica's International Dermal Institute in Chicago. 

​

Fast forward 11 years later and I have more love, passion and respect for the art of Aesthetics than I ever thought possible. It’s so much more than skin and makeup, skin just happens to be the really cool part that we get to see real change happen, in real time. It’s the part that lets my inner nerd come out with ingredient knowledge and science-y stuff.

 

But the part of esthetics you won’t see unless you experience a skin treatment, now that's the really special part. Its the part that can literally lift you up and boost your self esteem, increase your confidence and give you your power back. The part that lets you completely detach from the world and be one with yourself.  Human touch and wellness is the part of being an Aesthetician that sets me apart from all of the other skin nerds out there. It's the part that keeps me coming back for more because seeing you transition never gets old. I LOVE my job. Thank you for letting me serve you and Thank You for letting me be your Aesthetician. This is my life's work and it's truly an honor. I look forward to servicing you every, single day. I can't wait for you to be a part of our Spa Family!

xoxo, 

Karen.

​