Anyone with an HBO subscription knows Sydney Sweeney. The 24-year-old actress stars in Euphoria alongside Zendaya and Hunter Schafer, and stole the show in The White Lotus, a dramedy series that The New Yorker called a “brilliant, biting social satire.”
We spoke with Sweeney through Zoom recently, where she discussed her new beauty contract, the work she does with HBO, how her off-camera life has changed, and her favorite beauty products. She also talked about her hair crimper, as well as the $34 lash serum, which gets her eyelashes complimented on a regular basis.
Q: Hi! I love The White Lotus. Your character Olivia is amazing to me. Was it difficult to play that role? Was it easy to relate to the character?
Sydney Sweeney: White Lotus was one of those crazy blessings, especially in such an insane year. Starstruck was all I could think of. It was unbelievable that I was filming a comedy show in Hawaii during a pandemic. Olivia is a girl that I believe every girl can relate too in terms of bickering and the relationship between mother-daughter. However, my personality would have made me afraid of her.
Q: Olivia’s personal style was so deliberate and in-the-moment. She wore aviator reading glasses and bucket hats. What did you think of the hairstyles and makeup that you wore to set?
Sweeney: I wanted her to look very different from Cassie (my character in Euphoria). Both are on HBO, airing at the same time in the same place. For Olivia, I loved the wavy, crimped look. It was not as long and blond. I wanted her makeup to be less complicated and not too bold.
Q: It’s cool that you were able to contribute some creativity. What kind of crimper did it use?
Sweeney: I actually have this huge crimper. It has three clamps and produces those cool waves. We didn’t use foundation because it was too hot in Hawaii. We used concealer, blush, minimal mascara and that was it.
Q: What is your beauty routine in real life?
Sweeney: Depending on my skin’s appearance, makeup is a matter of personal preference. Because I get very shiny, I use a lot of Charlotte Tilbury Powder. I love the Glossier blush. I use Anastasia clear gel on my brows. It doesn’t matter if it’s for work or red carpet, we use the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. It was difficult to find a foundation that would work for my combination skin. This foundation doesn’t break on my face. It stays put and works well for my skin. It’s wonderful.
Q: Have your ever had skin problems or suffered from acne?
Sweeney: Horribly! From middle school to high school, I begged my mom to not send me to school. I was ashamed of my skin. My T-zone is oily and dry so I would develop severe cystic acne on my forehead, chin, and in the crevices around my nose. I couldn’t pick. I would go digging and digging until I got these horrible scabs on the side of my face.
Q: Hormonal acne can be the worst. Have you found anything that helped? Or do you believe you have gotten over it? Your skin is gorgeous now.
Sweeney: To cover my skin for school, I used to use makeup, which would make it worse when I returned home. After my first year, I stopped caring about makeup and decided to stop wearing it. My trick to help me pick – and possibly why I don’t have scars which is insane – was to mix Neosporin with aloe vera gel and apply it on my skin until the healing process was complete.
I was able to find products that weren’t irritating my sensitive skin. Before cleansing, I use Bioderma water. My gel cleanser is combined with an exfoliator. SkinCeuticals oils are my favorite, and I have a lot of them. This is the Avene collagencream that I use. For my body, I also use the BIC Soleil Sensitive Advanced razor. When I was younger, I had terrible bumps and rashes. I no longer need to use shaving cream that used to make me break out.
Q: What about nails. What colors and designs are you currently into?
Sweeney: My nail artist Zola is unbelievable. She does my nails every two weeks. They are currently dark blue but they will eventually get a cat eye. Zola invented this thing that holds a magnet to your nails, creating a design. It’s fun. You can show off your creativity. Before every appointment, I bring my ideas and moodboard.
Q: Where do your beauty and style inspiration come from? Are you a fan of Instagram or TikTok for inspirations in hair and makeup?
Sweeney: I love to watch all videos and read articles with tips. I follow skin-like people and try to find products that work. Now that I have a good idea of my products, I just enjoy the process of reading and watching the videos. This TikTok shows a girl using this eyelash serum. I was intrigued and ordered it. My eyelashes grew like crazy.
Q: What serum do you recommend? It is what I need.
Sydney Sweeney: It’s RapidLash. It’s my daily routine. Everyone has said something. I never tell anyone. Melissa Hernandez, my makeup artist was like, “Sydney your eyelashes have grown longer.” Then Donni, my makeup artist for Euphoria was like, “We don’t even need to put eyelashes on you anymore.”
