Getting Ready With: Sydney Greene

The creative strategist shares how she gets dressed, winds down and stays ready.

Oct 06, 2023

Sydney Greene invites you to take a seat. Stay a while. And that’s exactly the energy her daily routines and dressing philosophies embody: mindfulness. You may know her from her styling company, Reneux Studio. Or maybe you’ve come across her eclectic outfit videos on TikTok or sharing her love for secondhand Eilleen Fisher pieces. Here, she shares her daily mantras, sustainable style wisdom and her intuitive approach to getting dressed.

Where to find Sydney: TikTok, Instagram, Reneux Studio, Newsletter: The Lounge

Q: Any quotes, affirmations or lyrics that you think about at the beginning of the day?

SG: One of my lock screen backgrounds is a tweet that says: "I'm just excited and unapologetically confident about the expansion of my life moving forward." That always gets me right before I start my day, because it's so easy to wake up and automatically start thinking about the various weights you're carrying in your life, whether it be job, relationships, family, money — and waking up knowing that my life is going to expand in ways I can only dream of right now is incredibly moving.
There is excitement in knowing that everything that I am asking the universe for and everything that I am manifesting is bound to come true — and the life I'm living in the present is in preparation for all of that.

Q: What is the first thing you put on every day?

Definitely my Aquaphor! I know there are so many popular TikTok lip products that folks swear by, but Aquaphor is going to do it for me every time — and it's pretty cheap.

Q: What are some morning or beginning-of-the-day rituals you like to do?

SG: I start my day either writing in my journal (especially if I had super memorable dreams or if I'm feeling anxious) and I'll pull a card from my favorite oracle deck by Kendra Austin to help ground me and give me something to reflect on throughout the day. Then I will do my oil pulling for 15-20 minutes, which is an ancient way of detoxifying your mouth and removing bacteria.
I'm one of those people who can't do anything until my mouth is clean and fresh! My last ritual is drinking a cup of hot lemon water before making myself breakfast — I'm not a big breakfast person, but I take the time in the morning to prepare it and enjoy it before I start work for the day. It's my sacred time to nourish myself before I start pouring my energy into other people and tasks.

What do you like to listen to while getting ready?

SG: More than a year later, I'm still blasting Beyonce's Renaissance like I'm listening to it for the first time. Each time I listen to it, I feel like I'm transcending somewhere else; it also feels incredibly nostalgic because I saw her at the beginning of the summer in London and I had the time of my life on that trip.
If I need some therapeutic or mindfulness vibes, I'll listen to the Expanded Podcast by To Be Magnetic; and if I want to get lost in someone else's world, I'll turn on a long YouTube video either from Paige Wassel, Deeply Madly Moden, or Wearilive.

Q: What does your outfit building process usually look like?

SG: My outfit building process really starts from my intuition and what I'm feeling in my body and mind. How do I want to move throughout the day? What are the colors, fabrics, and patterns that I feel inspired by? What do I need to make myself feel strong, brave, confident, and authentic? Those questions typically help me put an outfit together.
I'm a Capricorn moon which means I love routine and consistency — so there are a lot of constants in my personal style like the suite of vintage rings I wear everyday and the earrings I wear in my second and third holes.
Another consistent thing I consider a part of my personal style are my tattoos. I have seven of them, and I love how they are my everyday accessory that go with everything I wear. I can't wait to get more LOL.

Q: What is a piece of clothing you're gravitating towards at the moment?

I truly cannot stop wearing button down shirts. I thought it was just a summer thing, but as we ease into Fall, I still find myself gravitating towards them. I really like them because you can dress them up or down, and they're a good base to help build my personal style story for the day.
Over the course of a week, I'll wear a button down with a flowy skirt and my New Balance 2002r's or I'll wear them with a pair of black slacks and my Doc Martens. Sometimes I'll do a bold lip or add a vintage statement necklace. Last time I counted, I owned 17 button downs, so they definitely aren't leaving my wardrobe any time soon!

What do you always have in your bag before leaving the house?

I've talked about this in my newsletter before, but I am what I like to call a Big Bag Bitch™️ – and that's because I need at least 10 things when I'm leaving the house. I have a little Baggu zip pouch that always has deodorant, Shiseido sunscreen, Glossier ultralip, C.O. Bigelow Rose Lip Balm, a random sample of perfume, a small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol, and hand sanitizer. My motto is "Stay ready so you don't have to get ready" which is why I always have a mini CVS Drugstore in my bag!

What is your process for getting unready?

SG: I'm very much like a baby in the sense that my wind down process is incredibly important for my sleep hygiene and how well I sleep that night. I try not to watch any TV or movies (and content in general) that will have me super activated and/or emotional so I won't bring that kind of energy into my dreams. I start my wind down process with showering or taking a bath — I'm a night shower girl to a T.
My showers help wash off whatever I've carried throughout the day; my baths help ground me and allow me to meditate on whatever feelings are coming up for me. I try not to rush my bathing process and take my time scrubbing, exfoliating, moisturizing, etc. and I've also incorporated lymphatic drainage techniques into my night time routine to calm me down even more.
My favorite products I love to unwind with are any kind of natural, handmade soaps, Osea Malibu's body scrub and body butter, and Maude's bubble bath. My skincare routine is incredibly simple, mostly using Kiehl's and LaRoche Posay products.