In honor of Blood Cancer Awareness Month...
Before her name was on the door of a thriving Arcadia salon, before her bold brows and signature warmth became a staple in the Valley beauty scene, Sydney Goldstein was just tired. Not the kind of tired you fix with a nap… but the bone-deep, something-isn’t-right kind.
“I thought it was just the chaos of everything catching up to me, but then my feet started turning purple. Like, Barney purple," she says.
Sydney laughs now, but it wasn’t funny then.
“I was always freezing, my eyes were bloodshot, and I couldn’t shake the exhaustion. I finally got bloodwork and the results came in… and they were devastating.”
What followed was a whirlwind. Her legs swelled suddenly, and she was hospitalized for six days. The diagnosis? Polycythemia vera, a rare blood cancer.
“At first, no one was sure what was going on. All I knew was that I was in a hospital bed trying to run a salon on my phone.”
Her first thought?
“Oh my God. Am I going to die? I’d just opened the salon. My kids are still little. Who’s going to go to market and buy the holiday clothes for me to sell?!”
And yet, she kept going. Not just physically, but emotionally.
“I think I just went numb. My mom- literally my savior- stepped in and took over the whole unit. My husband was incredible. I didn’t even realize how sick I was because I was still functioning. Barely. But functioning.”
It’s hard to picture Sydney in survival mode. Her energy is infectious, her presence grounding. But she found herself getting blood drawn in rooms filled with chemo patients.
“It was intense, but I’m glass-half-full. I’d start talking to people. Connecting. I’d tell them, ‘When you get your hair back, come see me.’ That became my thing. I could still help people… and that helped me.”
Through it all, Sydney discovered a version of herself she didn’t know existed.
“I’m a woman, a mom, a business owner… and now I was a very sick patient. But I stayed calm. I had to. If I freaked out, everyone else would’ve too.”
Sydney G Salon opened before the diagnosis. It started as a dream to create a space that felt like getting ready in your best friend’s closet- fun, welcoming, a little bit glam and a lot of real.
“I’ve always loved making people feel beautiful. That’s where it started… makeup, hair, clothes, and connection. But after cancer, it changed. I realized this salon wasn’t just about beauty. It was about resilience.”
Today, the boutique-meets-salon-meets-support-system is thriving. Sydney stained the wood herself. She built the bones of the place. And now, it breathes life into others.
“This space is about celebrating who you are in every chapter. Bald, growing back, gray roots, full glam.”
She still hears people walk in and say, “Wow, I thought this place would be stuffy, but it’s not.”
And she smiles.
“That’s the biggest compliment. I’s not superficial. It’s sacred.”
Looking back, a thriver and survivor, cancer changed how Sydney sees beauty.
“I used to think it meant polished. Now, it means presence. Strength. I tell my clients, ‘You’re already beautiful; I’m just here to bring it forward.’”
Her clients sit down for makeup or brows, but they often leave with something else.
“We talk. We cry. We laugh.”
In honor of our Style Issue, Sydney shares her favorite fall trends rooted in authenticity, not artifice.
HAIR
From textured bobs to bombshell volume, it’s all about wearable drama.
“Fall is the season for richness and depth.”
MAKEUP
Some go bold; others want skin that glows.
Her one rule? No mismatched foundation. “There’s nothing worse than an orange line on your face.”
LIFE
“You can go through something life-changing and still show up. Still build. Still laugh. Even on days that don’t feel balanced, you’re still moving forward.”
sydneygsalon.com
IG @sydneygsalon
“I used to think beauty meant polished. Now, it means presence and strength."