Sydney Sweeney’s name conjures up something altogether more light-hearted and whimsical than the complicated, emotionally-challenged characters she plays on screen. Ever since Sydney broke onto the scene – with roles in Sharp Objects (she played a patient at a mental health facility), The Handmaid’s Tale and, most recently, Nietzsche-reading Olivia Mossbacher in The White Lotus – she has defied expectation.
After all, Sydney Sweeney is best known for playing Cassie Howard in Euphoria, one of the series’ most complex characters. “I am always inspired by characters that are totally different from myself or any other characters I have played," she says nonchalantly. "If I can find a character that is completely different to all the ones before, those are on my bucket list.” No wonder Hollywood has failed to pigeonhole its most promising rising star.
The strategy is clearly paying off. Last year alone, Sydney received Emmy nods for both Euphoria (supporting actress in a drama) and The White Lotus (supporting actress in a limited series), and was honoured on the 2022 TIME100 Next list. She is also busy adding to an increasingly long list of talents. She fixes up vintage cars on her TikTok account, Syds Garage, and in 2020 she launched her own production company Fifty Fifty Films, which is going from strength to strength.
TikTok content
Now Sydney has another accolade under her belt as the face of Armani My Way fragrances, starting with the new My Way Parfum, which she says conjures up memories of her childhood home. “It’s why I love My Way so much. It really represents a lot of who I am and who I wanna be. The vanilla reminds me of cooking with my grandma, making cookies. Or of home because I love vanilla – I have vanilla candles everywhere! So I feel like I'm always home and cosy with it." The cedar wood, she says, reminds her of growing up by a lake. "I grew up outdoors and hiking and exploring and campfires. So a lot of aspects of the perfume are truly who I am.” Of course the beauty of an empowering perfume is that you can take it anywhere, to which she replies, “Yes, you can, and then I'm always me.”
Instagram content
This wholesome upbringing in a small town in the Pacific Northwest of America seems a world away from the hedonism of Euphoria. Sydney has often spoken of teenage years spent studying rather than partying. “We [Cassie and Sydney] are very different. I'm definitely more of a tomboy than Cassie and I like to just kind of stay home and not go out,” she says, laughing.
My Way is also a supremely feminine scent but Sydney's interpretation is, tellingly, very Gen Z. “Femininity is confidence, fearlessness, being independent and being driven to combat your own path.” All qualities, in fact, that Sydney oozes as we discuss what inspires her in the film business. “I want to take the initiative of telling stories, be able to control the narrative and find interesting and diverse people to collaborate with. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to find some books of amazingly talented female young writers and turn their stories into TV shows and movies.”
As for what draws her to those stories? “It definitely fluctuates between what the story is, whether it’s a compelling, emotional journey that the character has gone on; a character that inspires me in different ways or I can spot a fun, artistic journey that I wanna go on.”
While Sydney taps into the power of scent to make her feel confident and “like I can do anything I set my mind to”, she adds that, “I feel empowered when people actually listen to me and they actually understand who I am.”
Instagram content
It’s a battle she’s waged since high school when she hit puberty early. “I had boobs before other girls and I felt ostracised for it…,” she revealed in a recent interview with GQ. “So I did play every sport and I studied really hard and I did everything that people wouldn’t think I would do, to show them that my body doesn’t define who I am.”
When asked if she can, therefore, identify with Cassie’s insecurities, she says: “We're both girls and so I think that we both relate to multiple of her insecurities, whether it's how we look through other people's eyes or just how we're growing up and who we wanna be. I've definitely learned a lot and I'm growing as a person. I really hope that Cassie does, too.”
Sydney is also refreshingly honest about her cystic acne, a skin condition she likens to “one of those bad relationships that like kept coming back. They would just keep calling and keep calling and not hang up. I thought that magically for whatever reason, when I went to college, it was gonna disappear and I was gonna be a grown up and grown ups don't get acne. But I was very wrong and I still battle with it today.”
While Sydney worries less about breakouts now than before – “no one actually cares about a zit or something on your face” – she has also found ways to control them. “Whenever I break out, it's like one or two big zits and I'm a terrible picker. My number one ritual is to always wash my face. No matter how tired I am or where I am, I always wash my face before I go to bed.”
Sydney previously revealed to GLAMOUR that Avène cleansing gel is her go-to face wash. “I like this one because I’ve found different cleansers are either too strong or not strong enough, but this one is nice and gentle. Sometimes I’ll mix in an exfoliator, just to help, because I do have combination skin. If I don’t exfoliate the dry skin off, then my makeup will sit weird on my face, and my face will break out.”
The Euphoria star shares the affordable products she uses to keep her acne-prone skin in check.
Likewise, she revealed that when it comes to hydrating her skin, she leans on the SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier. “My skin does get dry, so it helps soak everything in. I use it every day and night.” While Elta MD sunscreen is perfectly suited to her sensitive skin and doesn’t give her spots.
Ice, it seems is her acne secret and a way of dialling down the inflammation from a spot, as well as reducing general early morning face puff. And she uses her JYTOP Ice Roller with the same gusto as Cassie does during her 4am skincare routine. “The ice roller that Cassie uses is actually my roller that I brought to the set. I have an ice roller everywhere I go. I put it in my freezer and I use it every morning.” She also swears by aloe vera if she picks a spot.
She even inspired the Euphoria cast and crew to buy one, too.
Makeup-wise Sydney’s a self-confessed minimalist. She was introduced to the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation by a makeup artist six years ago and credits it with changing her life. "I’m so grateful she did, because it was the start of me being able to figure out what worked for my skin.” She will often just “put a little under my eyes” in place of concealer. Mascara, blusher on the apples of her cheeks and brushed up eyebrows is her everyday makeup uniform. “I don’t really do much,” she admits.
With so much life experience under her belt, it’s easy to forget that Sydney is still only 25 years old. While she defines herself as “adventurous and I’m determined and I’m a free spirit,” she is also still learning to trust her instincts as a woman, a producer, an actress and a celebrity. “I always believe that you should trust your own gut," she says. "Women are so powerful and strong, and I think it is super important to listen to your own voice. So many people around you will try to influence your decisions. I think if you just stay true to yourself and follow your own path, that’s probably the best thing to do."
Giorgio Armani My Way Parfum, £102 for 50ml, will be available at Look Fantastic from 1st February and retailers nationwide from 1st March 2023.
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Acting Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
