Their Regimens: Miami Beauty Entrepreneurs Celene and Natalie Gee

For many a beauty aficionado, running a beauty store — not to mention one that offers services like brow shaping, lash lifting, and facials — sounds like a dream. There are opportunities to select the products that line its shelves, test new brands and products before they launch, and even create a makeup line all your own. Now, imagine doing it all with your mom and sisters.

That’s everyday life for sisters Celene and Natalie Gee. “Beauty has always been in the Gee family blood,” Natalie says. She and Celene work alongside their mother Miriam and sister Stephanie, and together, they founded Gee Beauty^®, a group of boutiques and spas, with outposts in Miami and Toronto. They opened in 2005 — long before small, independent beauty boutiques were as common as they are today.

“We’re unique because of our mix. We’re a brand with our own range of modern makeup, we have two studios offering treatments and an edited mix of world-class brands, a lifestyle retail shop in Toronto called 6 By Gee Beauty, and have a content-driven online shop where clients anywhere in the world can feel like a part of Gee Beauty,” Celene says.

It was an early interest in beauty that inspired the brand. The sisters fondly recall watching their mother apply her skincare when they were younger: “We were in awe of her technique and rhythm,” Natalie says. “We knew we wanted to recreate that feeling for our clients when we decided to open Gee Beauty.”

Each sister has a different role. Brow guru and makeup artist Natalie manages day-to-day operations at Gee’s Miami Location, while Celene is the creative director and oversees the brand. This means she works on everything from their e-commerce platform and creative content, to merchandising, marketing, and more.

Unsurprisingly, these busy Miami-based sisters rely on their team — and each other — for glam, be it a facial, date-night makeup, or lash extensions. However, they have a number of other trusted sources for wellness, fitness (Natalie is married to a master Barry’s Bootcamp instructor), and beauty — read on to discover the beauty experts these beauty experts trust. 

Beauty

Natalie’s Cut: Anh Co Tran. “He’s my hair god. He’s one of the smartest and nicest people, and I just love my time with him.”

Celene’s Extensions: My sister, Stephanie Gee. “She does incredible tape-in extensions to give me more length. She also trims my hair to blend it together.”

Natalie’s Color: Lhonette at IGK^SM Miami. “I started going to Lhonette recently, and I love my color by her! I love being at IGK salon too — it always has the best buzz.”

Celene’s Color: Sheenon Olson at Atma Beauty^SM in Miami Beach. “He also does a baby trim on my ends . . . I’m kind of bad about getting a real haircut.”

Natalie’s Blowout: Mathias David at IGK Miami. “A good blowout is like a good smoothie: when it’s good, it’s great. I am so thankful I met Mathias. He always puts a smile on my face, and his blowouts last!”

Celene’s Makeup: Gee Beauty Artists. “Most days, I love doing my own makeup. After using a vitamin C serum, a hyaluronic acid serum, eye cream, and SPF, I use my foundation stick, my favorite brow pencil, cream blush, a touch of powder and two coats of mascara. But for a night out, I love the way the makeup the artists at Gee Beauty do it! It’s more glamorous, but I still look like myself. Our makeup is so light and breathable — we call it a lifestyle line because it’s all about enhancing your naturally beautiful features, not hiding or changing them.”

Natalie’s Makeup Artist: Sean Medina at Gee Beauty. “Sean is one of our senior artists at Gee Beauty, and his fresh approach to makeup is exactly what I love about him. He’s always up to try something new while staying in tune with who I am and what my lifestyle is all about.”

Natalie and Celene’s Lashes: Danubia Gudi at Gee Beauty. “Danubia is my lash goddess,” says Natalie. “She will give me the most natural looking lashes that last up to four weeks. She has my heart and my lashes forever! Just the sweetest and kindest person to be around!” Adds Celene, “When I do want full, faux lashes, Danubia is the absolute best in the city.”

Celene’s Nails: Love Nails. “I love a gel manicure because it lasts a full two weeks. I love three coats of OPI Funny Bunny or Essie Marshmallow.”

Natalie’s Spray Tans: Jina Chavis. “Jina comes to our home to do our spray tans! I love her organic spray tan, and her applications last for up to two weeks! I make sure to exfoliate before and gently a few days after for maximum long lasting, soft skin effects.”

Celene’s Self-Tanner: “I’m in love with the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta^® Glow Pad^TM Self Tanner For Body ($45). They’re instant, light, travel friendly and keep my skin hydrated while giving me a beautiful natural glow! For a big event, Fabiola at Sobe Tan^SM is unbelievable.”

Natalie’s Eyebrows: Gee Beauty. “Call me biased, but I do believe we have the most talented brow artists at Gee! We specialize in tinting, tweezing and threading. We love emphasizing your natural brow shape, and tinting with that, really does a brow good!”

Celene’s Eyebrows: Brow tinting and threading by my sister Natalie. “She has such a clear vision of what your best brow is, and after a five-minute brow tint and light threading, I get exactly that!”

Skincare Treatments

Celene and Natalie’s Facials: Gee Beauty. “Our two skin therapists, Kennia Saffer and Dayra Diaz treat your skin totally differently at every appointment because your skin needs a fresh treatment in order to get the very best result,” says Natalie.

“I am a big believer in consistent skin treatments to condition my skin. I love microdermabrasion, microneedling and all kinds of beauty tools,” Celene echoes. “When I’m in our Toronto studio, I make sure to book myself in for a combo therapy laser treatment consisting of IPL, Skin Tightening, Radio Frequency and Cryotherapy. It’s amazing how quickly I can see the difference in the plumpness of my skin! I also love dermaplaning for effective, quick exfoliation. I love it on my chest — it’s an instantaneous way to lift sun damage.”

Wellness

Natalie’s Food Expert: Sally Schimko. “Sally has an Instagram page worthy of ‘I need to make these tonight’ recipes. She will give you inspiration and ideas for not only you, but for your kids as well. She has the most creative and inventive ways of putting together meals that make healthy, vegetable-based eating fun!”

Celene’s Food Expert: Kimberly Snyder. “I’ve followed her for years. I love her approach to wellness in connection to optimal energy and beauty. I believe in eating lots of vegetables, protein, and drinking lots of lemon water. Coffee is a forever staple, too, though!”

Natalie’s Workout: Barry’s Bootcamp^SM. “My wife Rachel Robinson is a Master Instructor at Barry’s and I love taking her classes. She is (in my humble opinion) one of the toughest, but most motivating instructors, and she never fails to support, encourage, inspire, and engage with every single person who takes her class. Follow her for daily life inspiration!”

Celene’s Workout: Rachel Robinson at Barry’s Bootcamp^SM. “Rachel’s classes make me feel like I’m in a one-on-one workout. Her attention to detail and encouragement gives me the strength i need to complete her incredible classes. On my off days from Barry’s, I love doing Barre at FlyWheel^SM, a sculpting class by Starr at JetSet, or jumping into a class at Sweat 440 in Sunset Harbour.”

Natalie’s Stylist: Serena Bassil. “Serena is my go-to for any event or photo shoot I need dressing for. Her personal style alone is worth following her for, but she just does the best job at outfitting your wardrobe to best reflect you. I love working with her, and I trust her taste for all my wardrobe needs!”

Fillers

Celene’s Fillers Dr. Trevor Born in Toronto and New York, and Dr. Roberta Del Campo in Miami. “My personal outlook: do it, but do fillers subtly.” 

[Editor’s note: Injectable filler is a temporary treatment that adds volume to areas of the face such as the lips, cheeks, and laugh lines. Like any medical treatment, it has potential risks and side effects. Be sure to talk to a licensed provider to see if it’s right for you. Have more questions? Chat with our team of trained aesthetic specialists now.]