AS FALL SLOWLY FADES into winter, adding layers of warmth to our bodies is not the only change we need—an update to our skincare is imperative. Transitioning to a nourishing, restorative cold-weather routine should be top of mind. “It’s so important to practice self-care,” says Melanie Hart Narbutis, director of beauty at neapolitan collection, “and get back to basics.” Specifically, Narbutis recommends that one should “exfoliate once a week, always cleanse, always tone, and always hydrate. Hydrate a lot,” she emphasizes. “Do not let your skin get dry, especially during these harsh winter months. If your moisturizer isn’t working for you and you’re still feeling dry, then you need a change.”

At neapolitan collection, owner Kelly Golden and her team are well-known for providing clients with extraordinary choices in women’s luxury ready-to-wear, shoes, and accessories—but they also carry a full line of the finest skincare and make-up available. Recently, the boutique began carrying Mila Moursi, the world-renowned skincare line previously only available at the likes of Barneys New York and Neiman Marcus.

“Our best ideas come from our clients,” says owner Kelly Golden. “We have always prided ourselves on offering exceptional service, and adding these exclusive products is one more thing that we do to differentiate ourselves from department stores and online stores.”

When Golden and Narbutis decided to add a skincare line to the mix, they connected with Mila Moursi, who is based out of Los Angeles, and invited her to come visit. Moursi was immediately taken with neapolitan collection. “I’m from France, so we’re used to this type of high-end boutique, but in the U.S., you don’t see too many of these,” Moursi says. “At neapolitan I was so impressed by the concept and the choice of material and the choice of brands and the fact that they are not saturated.”

“We cater to the same clientele,” continues Moursi. “We have Chicago clients that love our product, love going to neapolitan. We actually started doing some facials there, and then COVID-19 happened, and we had to stop. The energy in that store is out of this world—and the quality and the layout and the staff. And the owner, Kelly is just wonderful. I was very happy when I when I first met with them. I said, ‘this is what I would like to do. I want to be only in this kind of boutique because of my clientele, and because my brand is a precision brand. I don’t want to be all over the place. I want to be very selective. And neapolitan is really the store for us.”

“Melanie is so knowledgeable and caring and so into customer service. It’s something you don’t find in the big stores. She knows what she’s doing. I have confidence having my brand in her hands.”

Narbutis loves the Mila Moursi products for this transitional time. “Mila Moursi is exceptional for the winter months because of the many self-care options. There’s a soothing mask that you can use overnight. Just put it on before you go to bed. Nothing else. You wake up, you have hydrated skin. So that is great for anybody with normal skin, of course, but also if you have rosacea or acne or anything like that. If you get yourself in trouble where you’re breaking out or dehydrated, the soothing mask is very, very helpful.”

Narbutis also stresses that although summer may be over, the time for sunscreen never ends. “People sometimes forget about driving or walking or skiing. I love the Mila Moursi sunscreen—it’s by far our bestselling product. It feels like a matte-finish primer, and when I put it on the back of a client’s hand, I get a lot of oohs and aahs. I actually use it when I apply makeup because the finish is so special.”

Several years ago, neapolitan collection also began offering its own makeup line. “It started with a line of lipsticks all named after streets in Winnetka,” Golden says. “When we sold out of those within the first few weeks of selling them, Melanie told me ‘it’s time to do our next product.’ We now offer a full line of makeup and brushes. Melanie introduces new shades of eyeshadow, lipsticks, and other products to complement the clothing we have in store each season. We are able to truly give our clients a head to toe makeover.”

Caroline Burns is a devoted neapolitan collection customer. “I love everybody that works there,” Burns says. “It is always fun to just pop in and say hi— it has that neighborhood feel.” Over time, Burns has gotten to know Narbutis quite well. “I adore her. I got to know her and started using her make-up line, and I think now I have all of the lipsticks. I just love how they feel.”

“There’s just this thing about Melanie. I’ll walk in and she’ll say ‘Caroline, I was working on something and I was thinking about you. What do you think about this?’ She’s thinking about her clients all the time and ways to personalize things. I love how she makes me feel like she’s creating makeup specifically for me. She now knows my style and the things I like.”

With winter’s chill on the way, it is comforting to know there is a warm place waiting to welcome you in and take care of the whole you.