By: Amber Kallor
The Brand Whisperer: Erin Kleinberg
SIDIA’s founder, a shelfie pioneer, shares what’s in her shower and makeup bag.
Beauty is a family affair for Erin Kleinberg, who named SIDIA—her chic range of body products, candles, and accessories—after her late grandmother. “She taught me what it means to create love, build a family, foster my career, and perhaps most importantly, to care just as much for myself as I do for the world around me,” says Kleinberg. Grandma Sidia also emphasized the importance of applying eye cream, moisturizing, and pulling a look together from fashion to fragrance—rituals she viewed as more than skin deep. “As a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to this country at a young age, beauty and fashion played a major role in her life,” explains Kleinberg. “After overcoming such struggles, these genres made her feel proud and like herself.”
What I love about beauty and skincare is that it is totally democratic and for all
SIDIA The Brand
Until fairly recently, however, Kleinberg considered herself a full-on fashionphile. She interned at W magazine, rifled through the closets of It girls and guys as co-founder of Coveteur, and created a clothing line. In 2015, she launched Métier, a creative agency, where she discovered the more inclusive nature of beauty while building Ouai haircare with celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin (the agency’s first client). Though style was always important to Kleinberg, she often felt excluded from aspects of the fashion world because she wasn’t sample size. “What I love about beauty and skincare is that it is totally democratic and for all,” she says.
SIDIA Lifestyle
SIDIA The Body Exfoliant
The brand is really a multi-generational celebration of the matriarchs that came before us
After giving the world a glimpse into the fabulous lives (and wardrobes) of notable figures at Coveteur and working with iconic companies like Playboy, Chanel, and Maybelline at Métier, Kleinberg decided to lean into her “beauty heritage” and launch a shelfie-worthy brand of her own—one she’d be proud to display in her giant, custom-made medicine cabinets. Grandma Sidia served as the “blueprint” for SIDIA, while Kleinberg's mother and daughter continue to help the founder bring her vision to fruition. “The brand is really a multi-generational celebration of the matriarchs that came before us,” she says. “It is woven throughout everything that we do.”
SIDIA Natural Candles
Here, Kleinberg shares her secrets to entrepreneurial success, where she goes to get away from it all, and the legendary New York apartment she’d still love to see IRL.
The biggest lesson I learned from my grandmother was to listen to my intuition and gut instinct…The other thing I've learned is that everyone's journey is going to look different and you need to stay in your lane and follow your path.
Her best business advice: “The biggest lesson I learned from my grandmother was to listen to my intuition and gut instinct…The other thing I've learned is that everyone's journey is going to look different and you need to stay in your lane and follow your path.”
Her proudest product moment: “I am especially proud of our body care system. I can't tell you the amount of people who have thanked me for creating such gorgeous, easy-to-use, essential products that elevate your shower. People are fundamentally lazy, so our goal was to create a two-step system that cleanses, soothes, refreshes, hydrates, and liberates the senses.”
Her current candle obsession: “Pyro…it's inspired by that fiery passion we all have inside of us.”
Her morning ritual: “Mornings are big for me. A kid cuddle, a cold shower, and my sacred skincare routine are daily occurrences. [My skincare routine] doesn't always consist of the billions of steps I'd love it to, but it does include cleansing, moisturizing, gua sha or ice rolling, and misting. I even find my five-minute makeup routine is a moment to pause and create a small sliver of artistry before the day. I do five minutes of breathwork, and when I'm lucky, I get out for a 7 am walk. Nature is a big part of my wellness journey.”
SIDIA The Hand Serum
SIDIA Pyro Candle
Her wind-down routine: “In the evenings, I love taking the opportunity to cook with my family and have dinner together. Once they’re in bed, I head to my bathroom and take a long and very hot shower. I light my Braless candle, put on my SIDIA towel, and just absorb the day. I love being cozy! And after being online all day, that alone time really brings me back to myself.”
Her words of wisdom: “Take good care of yourself in whatever way feels most comfortable to you. I hate that beauty standards are so extreme and unrealistic. I fear the day my daughter turns to me at 12 and asks for Botox. I want my children to understand that there is nothing wrong with aging gracefully and timelessly. It's important to me that they understand that beauty is unique to the beholder and it’s all in how you care for and carry yourself.”
Her biggest beauty indulgences: “After the Zoom chronicles of the pandemic, my face got tired of emoting on [camera] and I started to get really deep into tools…I have a full collection, which includes my jade gua sha, my ice roller, and my Theragun for face (which comes with multiple attachments that deliver infrared light, microcurrent, and hot and cold therapies). My latest must-have: Theragun SmartGoggles. You lie down and this device delivers a 15-minute massage with heat around your eyes. It’s perfect for headaches.”
Her best drugstore discovery: “My holy grail is L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara. It is tried, tested, and true!”
Her favorite pros: “Katie Jane Hughes is masterful at teaching everyone how to create looks; a true visionary. Linda Rodin is distinctly her, now and always. She is my style icon.I could go down a deep rabbit hole watching [pastry chef] Cédric Goulet’s fine craftsmanship for hours. The way he perfects delicate dessert confections reminds me of how makeup artists paint their canvases.”
Her beauty icon: “My mom is my beauty icon. She opened up my eyes and turned me from a fashion girlie to a beauty girl. Her understanding of formulas, makeup, textures, and color is so inspiring.”
Her dream vanity raid: “Given the fact that I had the privilege of rummaging through so many tastemakers’, editors’, and celebrities’ bathrooms [at Coveteur], I have to say a lot of the folks I dreamed of raiding have happened already! I would, however, kill to sneak into the bathroom, vanity, and medicine cabinet of Carrie Bradshaw from the early 2000s. It was such a rich era for indie beauty. I remember buying products like Lipstick Queen from the basement of Barneys in New York and I feel like [Carrie] would have such an insidery, cult-ish collection of products.”
Her go-to escape:“My bathroom is the easiest place to escape quickly, especially from screaming children! I built it to be my own personal oasis; moody lighting, heated floors, and a big shower with gold finishes make it feel like the inside of a jewelry box. I always find solitude in this space.”
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More Subject:Matter
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