S4. EP. 67 - Urban Decay’s Wende Zomnir Is Back - Building Caliray, Her Next Beauty Icon

Wende Zomnir, a beauty industry disruptor and co-founder of both Urban Decay and Caliray, joins us today to talk all about breaking beauty in two different decades, the serendipitous aerobics class connection that led to partnering with Cisco Systems co-founder Sandy Lerner, and how finding plastic trash on a deserted island in the Maldives sparked her mission to create truly sustainable beauty.

She breaks down the wild early days of Urban Decay - from tracking down Shirley Manson through Minneapolis phone books to creating the first social media campaign by paying cool New York girls to pass out makeup to their friends. Wende also opens up about her extensive wellness routine that includes surfing, weightlifting, yoga, and competitive tennis, and why she believes hormone replacement therapy should be accessible to all women. Plus, she shares the origin story behind Urban Decay's legendary All Nighter setting spray (spoiler: it involved spraying her face with actual hairspray during beauty pageants).

Welcome to It Takes A Village with Delina Medhin, where inspiring founders & creatives share ‘who I built this with’. Have you ever asked yourself…“how can I be happier, healthier, peaceful, famous, powerful, or successful?” When you want change, your life will shift, you let go, and begin to trust other people. This new energy will attract new people & create momentum in your life that reveals your purpose. Awareness is life’s balancing tool and you are in the right place at the right time, always. 

00:00 Introduction

00:09 Wende's Career Beginnings at Cisco Systems

00:37 Sandy Lerner's Influence and Female Empowerment

01:19 The Evolution of the Beauty Industry

03:58 The Serendipitous Meeting with Sandy

07:43 Wende's Son and Family Life

08:53 Wende’s Passion for Surfing and Sports

12:27 The Birth of Caliray and Sustainability in Beauty

14:10 Challenges and Innovations in Sustainable Packaging

18:33 The Evolution of Beauty Marketing and Social Media

31:27 The Iconic All-Nighter Setting Spray

35:24 Mitigating Life Drift: Hormone Replacement Therapy

37:18 The Beauty Drink: A Lifestyle Brand

38:55 The Importance of Wellness and Exercise

41:26 Fundraising and Building Relationships

45:05 The Caliray House: A Unique Workspace

47:05 Exciting New Products: Lip Guards

49:19 Challenges and Team Dynamics in a Startup

55:01 Leadership Lessons and Personal Balance

57:58 The Magic of Yoga and Beginner's Mind

01:00:41 SPF Routine and Product Recommendations

01:05:26 Global Aspirations and Brand Identity

01:09:05 Advice for Aspiring Founders

Learn more about Wende Zomnir:

Wende Zomnir is a modern beauty industry pioneer. She unleashed Urban Decay in 1996, filling the void with makeup that fueled a beauty revolution. Urban Decay democratized beauty and wellness, and Wende paved the way for the indie beauty movement and future beauty entrepreneurs. After running over plastic bottles with her surfboard, she turned her sights on another beauty revolution: sustainability and performance clean formulas. In January 2022, Wende founded Caliray, a West Coast beauty and wellness brand serving face and planet. Caliray creates performance clean beauty products with skincare-level ingredients, and infuses the products with sexy sustainability and innovative packaging solutions. 

Connect with Wende:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wendezomnir 

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@wendezomnir 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/caliray/ 

Website https://caliraybeauty.com/ 

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@caliray 

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/caliray/ 

Connect with Delina:

⁠Instagram @delinamedhin⁠

TikTok @delinamedhin⁠

YouTube @delinamedhin⁠

Threads @delinamedhin⁠ 

Website ⁠www.delinamedhin.com