Sydn4sty 🌞💕💋

Makeup artist, creative mastermind, and certified Hottie™️

If you’re someone who’s marginally interested in makeup, the LA scene, or influencer culture in general, you’ve probably stumbled upon Sydney Szramowski, better known as sydn4sty. An LA native, Syd’s been working in fashion, music, film, and makeup for over 10 years. While she knows pretty much everyone—from your fav nepo babies to the tinder match you dodged at Prado—she’s the least stereotypical angeleno I’ve ever met. With Syd, there’s no ego, no ‘pick me’ patterns or mean girl energy, just a really ridiculous infectious syd laugh and endless ~ good vibes ~. There’s simply no one else like sydn4sty.

We’ve been friends for over 6 years and everything about her (creativity! style! ingenuity! spirit!) constantly lights up my life. Despite being a figure within the Scene™️ — you literally can’t go anywhere with Syd, without her running into at least 11 people that know and love her — Syd’s path has been anything but linear or easy. And in fact, her career, while seemingly the influencer dream, is challenging, fun, sad, and honestly, really confusing. She’s my first feature of Limbo as she’s a huge lifeline for me, and many of our other friends, when discussing where we’re at, where we want to go, and how we can support each other along the way.

This interview was a Bestie Special™️ between me, Syd, and our dear friend, Cass Smith. You’ll see some questions from them throughout.

”It's funny, I was sitting on a private jet the other day, but I can't fucking pay rent. What the fuck?”

Cassie:You don’t need an intro but let’s just do it anyway. How did you start your career? Did you know when you were in high school this is what you wanted to do?

Syd: I wanted to be a fashion designer, but then working at Unif, I think that I got really fucking jaded from that and honestly what led me to makeup was Instagram. I'm not even kidding. Do you remember when people were literally doing lip art? people would literally make little paintings on their lips and post closeups of their fucking lips and weird art, just weird. And then I was like, this is fun. This seems like I could do it. And then I started playing around and I loved it and then I started doing it at the Unif shoots and then after that I was like, after I got fucking laid off, I was like, might as well try this instead

Isadora: Everyone feels like you're killing it but since we know each other personally, I know you don’t always feel that way. Can you share a little bit about what limbo means to you right now?

S: To be honest, not even, it's funny, I was sitting on a private jet the other day, but I can't fucking pay rent. What the fuck? I thought about that. Fuck. And I was like, in what world is life like this? I think that that's kind of an interesting thing about the world that you exist in. Yeah. It's like I'm going to these parties with celebrities and being at these places, but at the same time I literally am living from job to job.

C: Do you feel fulfilled when you’re working on creative projects even if the money sucks?

S: The other day I had a 12 hour shoot. It was for a magazine that’s really weird and cool and It was seven people in seven looks and it was free, completely free and a 12 hour day. And I was really not looking forward to it, but after the day was done, I was so happy and I was like, this is great. This is going to be sick and I can't wait to see the photos, but it's also just daunting to be like, okay, here's another free work day.

C: And at the end of that day when you're saying you felt so fulfilled, why do you think that changed?

S: Seeing your work come to life and you're like, damn, I did a good job and I am good at this. And it’s just like, okay, this is why I'm in it, this is why I'm going to do it. But then it's like I've done a shoot with this really big photographer. This was literally last year, 2023 at the beginning of the year and the photos haven't come out, but I know that if those photos are released, I feel like that would actually bring my career up to a huge level, but it's so frustrating because I just have to wait till whenever he wants to publish and that was also three days of free work.

C: It's like how do you exist in the same world of creativity, of makeup, of everything that you like and also get paid your worth?

S: That's kind of why I do the tiktoks and the fucking social media. I hate doing it. I do not want to be an influencer at all, but to be honest with you, before I was getting paid to do makeup jobs, I was getting brand deals and people paying me to make content, so I was like, well, whatever's going to make me money, I'm going to do it.

I: But obviously it’s a blend of both the money but stuff that also excites you.

S: It's funny because even last night at this party, I literally talked about this with everybody just like maybe someone I'd tell will have a job or know someone who knows someone. One of the girls was like, have you ever thought about bridal makeup? That doesn't excite me. I feel like that would actually make me like makeup less because I would be doing makeup that I don't even care about but I'd also probably be getting paid. Yeah, I could do bridal makeup, but at that point I'm like, I'd rather get a normal nine to five than do that.

C: What does validation look like for you?

S: If I like my work, I'm so proud of it no matter what, but it is really nice when people talk about it or repost it or it gets a lot of likes even though it doesn't really matter, and also other makeup artists I know will be like, this is so sick. That's really validating and nice to hear. I feel like in LA in general, people are so competitive and don't really want to, if you're in the same field, they don't want to help you. You know what I mean? So it's nice and there's people who are in the same career as you who are like, oh my god, you're doing so well or you're slaying or this is nice or share it.

I: It’s interesting because it used to be like that in an office job where it was girl bossy, and competitive but there's been a transition, realizing there's enough space for all of us and I wonder if that hasn't existed yet in the creative field that you're in and if it ever will.

S: I also feel like because we're winning jobs, it is more competitive. I guess if you work in an office, people get promoted, I don't know. I guess it's the same everywhere..

I: When you started moving in full time makeup direction, did you know that this was right for you? Or has it kind of been a chase, are you not sure this is where you want to put your energy?

S: That's what I'm saying. That day after a shoot I’m like, oh, I am good at this. This is what I should be doing. But then when I'm stuck at home sitting on the couch and don't have a fucking job or know how I'm going to pay for dinner next week, it's very scary.

C: Why do you like creative direction and makeup? What is it about all of this that inspires you?

S: Do you guys know that Nineties Magazine, fruits magazine? The Japanese one? My mom bought me that book when I was 10 and I just always was like, people can be so cool and unique and it's awesome to be so different. You know what I mean? To have your own originality and style and I think with creative direction and makeup and all that stuff, that's what you are. You're trying to think of new cool shit and I love that. You know what I mean?

S: I got this magazine and I honestly feel like my whole life changed. I was like, oh my god, people are so cool. I was like, how do people think of this? I love that people can just think of weird outfits, you know what I mean? And just weird makeup and it’s so sick.

At this point in the interview, I fucked up my camera and had to ask Syd’s partner, Ramez, a very talented director, for help. I admire both his and Syd’s work. I started to share a bit more about this project and immediately started to feel imposter syndrome setting in and spoke to it.

I: The purpose of this whole thing is just to find some inspiration, have a little fun. But it’s also scary. I am not a photographer. I am not a writer. I have a lot of friends that are, and so there is this fear of putting something out there that incorporates those things and being like—

R: Don’t do that. It doesn't matter if something's perfect or not, just keep doing it. You just keep doing it, creating

R: It'll get better. I mean I look back on the stuff that I did early on and I'm like, oh, that was shit. But it doesn’t matter. I have photos nobody's seen except for Syd, I don't regret taking them.

C: If you could zoom out and have the perfect kind of life (career or not), what do you think that would look like? What would you want to be?

S: When I was working more jobs and felt like this was actually a sustainable thing, but now I'm so goddamn bored, I'm so fucking, I literally don't know what to do with my time and it doesn't even make me want to do makeup. If I'm here at home and I wake up in the morning and I don't have a job, I'm sitting on the couch watching Netflix or something. Yeah, I think because I'm not doing anything, my brain's not happy and so I don't even want to create.

C: When you’re working, what does that feel like?

S: It makes me be like, oh, people do know I'm a makeup artist or do care or do want to hire me and it feels great. There's been brands who I love Urban Decay who have literally asked for me, but then I don't get the job and I'm like, what happened there? But it feels even just that aspect of knowing that they wanted to hire me or they know who I am felt feels great, but then I'm also, it's been a while. I need action to happen.

C: A lot of people look up to you and your work. I love what you do. I think you're so sick. If someone were to ask you how do I do what you're doing, what would you say?

S: Stay in there. Just continue practicing on yourself and doing it on friends or whoever asks. But what I want to do and what I think people should do for themselves is get friends, take photos of it and post your work. Sometimes because I'm depressed or anxious, I tend to not take the extra steps. I should be fucking reaching out to people I know who are cool and being like, can I do your makeup and can I take a photo?

I: Do you think that you don't take the extra steps because of fear of failure?

S: 100% and also I honestly just think of my depression as failure and well, if it's not working now, what's going to change? That kind of a thing.

I: What are tools or ways in which you found that can kind of help alleviate those feelings or that depression?

S: To be honest with you, and it’s what most people say with depression, hanging out with people and talking to them really does fucking help. And you go out, hang out with friends and talk to them and get out of your head and get off the fucking couch. I would also say depending on what you want to do does actually help to just start doing your makeup and playing around and getting out of your head.

I: You know you’re sick, right? You’re literally the coolest.

S: Sometimes. Sometimes, I will look at my Instagram and I'm like, okay, yeah, this is tight. Well, this is literally a shoot I produced and did all by myself and why don't I do this anymore?

C: Why don’t you?

S: I don't know. I look at this and I'm like, wow, this really was inspiring.

I: What do you wish you could do?

S: That's even harder. And I sometimes think about that. What if none of this is what I’m meant to be? What if I don't actually have a clue what I'm supposed to do? And I think that's the hardest challenge. We have one life to live where it really matters, especially the older you get, it’s important to me to figure out where I’m putting that energy.