For New York-based esthetician Sydney Utendahl, skincare has always been part of the equation, even if, at times, it wasn’t easily solved. When Sydney’s own skin struggles opened her eyes to a lack of knowledge in the industry, she took matters into her own—aptly moisturized—hands. Combining her extroversion and genuine adoration for human interaction with a lifetime of passion for skincare, she created Dorian Skin Studio, a skin studio in Manhattan, New York. Amidst the craziness of starting her own business, we sat down with Sydney to talk skincare, sister therapy, and more.

What sparked your interest in skincare? How did you decide to study to be an esthetician?  

Ever since I can remember, I have always been into makeup, skincare, and beauty. I would watch my mom—who taught me early on the importance of taking care of your skin—get ready for work and events and be completely enamored by her routine. A few years ago, I got pretty bad adult acne, and it deeply affected my self-esteem. Having problematic skin can impact your mental health on a level only those who experience it understand, and to be frank, I never understood the drama around acne until I had it myself.

To figure out a solution, I jumped around to different dermatologists and estheticians who gave me bad advice and ruined my skin. Melanated skin scars differently, and certain ingredients, lasers, and treatments can—unless used properly—cause permanent damage. I learned the hard way that most people do not know how to work with melanated skin. Ultimately, a few well-trained dermatologists and estheticians who were educated on my skin type helped me get it back to a healthy state.

While I was already interested in beauty, focusing so intensely on my skin for so long made me quickly realize that I wanted to be in the skincare world. I began by working in product development for a few years, starting my career at Soft Services. I learned so much about ingredients through working with labs and presenting ingredient efficacy every week, that I decided I wanted to be hands-on and try esthetician school. While I was there, I enjoyed working with people in real life—I'm a big talker, and if I could get paid just to talk all day I would—so becoming an esthetician felt like the perfect career pivot. My goal is to be the go-to esthetician for POCs (and everyone!).

How do you practice self-care? What does that mean to you? 

Self-care for me is my skincare routine before bed. I have sleep issues, but I find that a nighttime routine really helps. It includes about 30 minutes in the bathroom—doing facial massages, hair masks, and retinol. This is my go-to way to wake up ready for the day, looking like a well-rested glazed donut.

Tell us a bit about your relationship with your sister – how does she inspire you?

My sister is my best friend. We are opposites but the same. I am smiling while writing this because people joke that if you are ever looking for me, just call Madison. She always knows where I am and also knows my schedule—something I can’t even keep up with myself. We are so honest with each other (to a fault at times), but I can always rely on her to keep it real with me. We go to sister therapy—which most people find odd—but it was one of the best decisions we ever made. At the end of the day, we want to get along forever and always be each other’s cheerleaders, so learning how to effectively communicate has been great.