Salt Lake Magazine

As someone in her late 20s with sensitive, combination, but mostly dry, skin who experiences breakouts and wants products that are considered clean. (Sounds impossible, right?) After much trial and tribulation, I can attest to these products. Bare in mind, however, I’m no dermatologist or master esthetician, so please always ask your doctor for advice before trying new products, or if you have questions about your products or skin.

The Outset 

• Gentle Micellar Antioxidant Cleanser: The Outset was created by Scarlett Johansson and Kate Foster who also claim sensitive skin and created this company’s insight. The skincare essentials are powered by botanical hydration, gentle enough and effective for sensitive skin. 
• Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream: I love a good night cream, this one is formulated with bakuchiol, an alternative to retinol that reduces fine lines and wrinkles. 

KORA Organics 

• Turmeric Glow Foaming Cleanser: This entire line is honestly a dream. The cleanser is brightening, it easily washes off my tinted sunscreen, it clears my skin, the formulated peppermint gives a lovely cooling sensation, plus it smells amazing. You’ll feel like you’ve just left the spa. 
• Turmeric brightening Pore Scrub + Exfoliating Mask: This mask is my go-to whenever my skin needs some extra boost and brightening. When it dries it looks like you have little gold flakes sitting on your skin, making the experience feel a bit bougier. 

Summer Fridays 

• Light Aura Vitamin C + Peptide Eye Cream:A little goes a long way with this eye cream, I use it day and night for a little extra brightening. 
• Jet Leg Mask + Moisturizer: My skin tends to be very dry, so to have a thick lotion that I don’t have to cake on and waste product is a plus. This moisturizer is super hydrating, I like to put it on before bed and my skin feels like butter by the morning. 
• Lip Butter Balms: Speaking of butter, their Lip Butter Balms are super dreamy, silky and keep my lips hydrated. 

Milk Makeup

• Hydro Grip Hydrating Makeup Primer with Hyaluronic Acid + Niacinamide: This has been my go-to primer for a while now. It’s in the name- the hyaluronic acid hydrates. It feels lightweight, it does not make me break out like others do, and really smooths my skin and locks in my makeup for the day. 
• Bionic Liquid Blush with Hyaluronic Acid: Another product from Milk that I love and have continued to use for some time. Most blushes irritate my skin and cause breakouts, but this one hasn’t done that for me. You can use a little for a subtle blush look, or add a little extra for some extra rosy cheeks. (I love the dusty rose color.)  

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Karmen Berentsen sees people. And she’s on a mission to make sure that women see themselves, too. Her strategy? Fashion. 

“It all began with my mom. She definitely modeled for me the power of fashion and that pride in getting dressed every single morning and saying, ‘What do I want to project to the world?’” Berentsen says. “I saw that model from her—and then I used it in building my first company.”

Fashion, Berentsen says, gave her the confidence to walk into executive offices of Fortune 50 companies at the age of 28 to pitch on her consulting boutique that many said wouldn’t go anywhere. They were wrong. In less than 10 years, Berentsen had become a 30-something multimillionaire selling her company and entering early retirement. Only, fashion was calling, and her entrepreneurial spirit wasn’t ready to rest. So she launched A Line Boutique.

A Line was born from Berentsen’s own disdain for shopping. She loves clothing, yes, but she doesn’t like shopping for herself. She wanted to bring the curated, pampered experience she discovered at European designer boutiques to her community in Colorado, where the first A Line opened. 

Twelve years and six locations in three states later, Berentsen has grown A Line into a movement—a pathway to empowerment and connection for women through shopping, client adventures, and a podcast.

“It turned out that I wasn’t the only woman who didn’t like to shop,” she says.

Berentsen relocated to Salt Lake City in 2023, opening A Line Boutique at its Foothill location in the summer of 2024. The boutique offers mid to high-range clothing designs, accessories, and jewelry for women. 

It also features a team of expert stylists ready to serve each customer a drink and a dressing room lined with items curated just for them. It’s an experience that can transform even the most apprehensive of shoppers as long as they are willing to try on the clothes and begin the journey to unleash their inner confidence. 

“I love pausing and taking a moment to see the person and what they need. I have to keep helping women feel seen,” Berentsen says. “At A Line, you get to be taken care of.”  

When You Go:

A Line Boutique
1328 S. Foothill Dr., SLC. aline-online.com; Instagram: @alineboutique 

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Want a garden that looks good and does good? When you plant, think of the bees.

What if our landscapes could be both eye-catching and support a biodiversity of local pollinators such as bees, butterflies, beetles and more? We don’t often think about pollinators as we plant, but they should be a consideration, especially the diverse species of native bees that are found only in the West. Intermountain West urbanization has diminished resources such as pollen and nectar, as well as habitat, which the bees rely on, but we can help! Here’s a few tips on planting your own pollinator garden in Utah:

‘BEE’ SUNNY. 

Plants that produce blooms often need to be placed in a sunny location. Full sun equates to 6-8 hours of sunlight throughout the day. Part-sun and shade plants are available, but the resources available for pollinators are often diminished.

‘BEE’ ACCESSIBLE. 

Choose plants that are easy for pollinators to access. Flat, daisy-like blooms support bees, butterflies, flies and beetles. Blooms that are tubular in shape, such as honeysuckle, support pollinators with long mouthparts like hummingbirds and moths. Avoid difficult-to-access plants with multiple layers of petals.

‘BEE’ LOCAL. 

Incorporate native plants into the landscape when available. Native plants, such as Penstemon and Gaillardia, often support native pollinators best. See our plant list for more ideas.

‘BEE’ INVITING. 

A shallow dish filled with river rocks and topped off with water will attract thirsty pollinators. Provide nesting sites such as areas of bare ground without mulch and open cavities like those of a bee hotel. Waiting to cut back perennials in the spring instead of fall can provide needed overwintering habitat.

‘BEE’ ABUNDANT. 

Incorporate plants that bloom spring, summer and fall to provide resources year-round. Avoid planting a single plant, instead plant in groups of three to five to provide ample resources.

Garden Checklist

Get your garden season-ready with these tips from the landscape and horticulture specialists at USU Extension. In May…

• Plant warm-season vegetables and annual flowers after last frost. 
• Plant tomatoes deep enough that they are able to form more roots along the stem.
• Thin overcrowded seedlings using scissors. 
• Plant summer-blooming bulbs (e.g.: gladiola, begonia, dahlia, canna).
• Divide warm-season ornamental grasses when new growth begins to emerge.
• Allow the foliage of spring blooming bulbs to die down before removing the leaves.
• Control broadleaf weeds in the lawn when temps are between 60-80 F. 

See how it’s done 

Located in the USU Botanical Center in Kaysville, the Pollinator Garden was installed in 2021 by USU Master Gardener volunteers to showcase a variety of flowers that provide nectar, habitat and other resources to pollinators throughout the seasons. Unique planter boxes and art focus on bees and other pollinators. See more here.

Find more of our lifestyle coverage. And while you’re here, subscribe to Salt Lake magazine to receive six beautiful print issues a year!