Inspiring Conversations with Monica Cissell of U. beauty & skin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Cissell.

Hi Monica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
We (Monica & Katina) spent about 15+ years in the beauty industry, specifically as Estheticians. When we met, we bonded for our desire for knowledge, understanding of our craft, and the love of growing and learning. All of which we still strive for today. It’s also a bonus when you just genuinely vibe as humans and respect one another! 🙂 When our world shifted in 2020, we began to dream, as many people did! We wanted to go past the creative ceiling that we felt we had hit and be able to provide more attentive one on one opportunities for ourselves and our guests. We hoped for a fun place and light and that our guests feel welcome and relaxed, and we think we have done just that. In 2022 we officially partnered with our favorite girls, Brittany and Gaby, who own Trim Salon, to share space! We run our businesses side by side, and while entirely separate entities – we are thrilled to provide the opportunity for guests to receive hair and skin services in tandem if desired. We settled on our beautiful downtown space, housed in the Firestone building, and transformed it from its previous life as an art gallery into a salon and two-room esthetic space. It is airy, bright upon entering, and cozy and calm within U. beauty & skin’s rooms. We went with an earthy but modern aesthetic and a relaxed and inviting energy.

Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting a business and learning has bumps, especially as mothers with children ranging from newborn to 11 when we began our journey. Like many other fledgling businesses, we needed funding in every area we could find. There is no perfectly smooth transition into owning and running a business; it’s sometimes overwhelming and requires lots of extra time and energy – but if the love, desire, good intention, and determination are there, things will work out. Any challenges usually become lessons learned and equal growth, and that’s a great place to be! We are still learning and growing and are so thankful for the opportunity to do so.

As you know, we’re big fans of U. beauty & skin. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
U. beauty & skin is a small business with two estheticians who truly love what we do; we hope to create and hold space for the beautiful guests we can serve. We understand that beauty and feeling good goes further than just the surface, so we feel passionate about wellness and using and providing products that are good for us; we also feel connection and relationships to be very important.

Although in a relaxed environment, we must provide high professionalism and integrity. We do not cut corners and genuinely want to meet our guest’s needs and wants. We are proud of our work and very thankful for any opportunity to serve clients.

We are in love with our skincare line, Circadia Skin. It powers all of our skin treatments ranging from enzyme-based facials to gel-based peels with little to no downtime, all the way to deep treatments requiring up to a week of downtime. We also love dermaplaning and customizing our skincare offerings for our guests. The best part is ensuring each treatment is relaxing, calm, and enjoyable so our guest feels refreshed and lighter. We also love doing brows, laminations, waxing, and tinting. Lashes; extensions. Lash lifts, tinting makeup, “enhanced but U.” All waxing.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Monica: I was shy and a rule follower. I have always enjoyed learning, creating art, and using my imagination. These remain true, except now I love meeting new people, learning about them, pushing past my shy inner girl, and helping make others comfortable. I grew up spending much of my childhood outdoors in the Sonoran Desert, and I still do. For all these reasons getting to do what I do now and is located in downtown Tucson in our warehouse arts district feels perfect!

Katina: Growing up, I was always interested in pretty girly things and loved and still loved the outdoors. My love for makeup started with reading beauty magazines and experimenting with myself and anyone who would let me. One time in junior high, I did coordinating eye makeup for my whole softball team! I was a serious kid, always analytically thinking.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @U._and_monica @U._and_Katina
• Facebook: U. beauty + skin

Image Credits
Ashley Guice Creative @ashleyguicecreative Ashleyguicecreative.com