From the moment Wende Zomnir answers my call, it's like I can feel rays of California sun beaming through the phone. While I'm settled in a New Jersey suburb, she's enjoying Newport Beach, California. It's where the beauty mogul runs her latest cosmetics venture out of a Zomnir-described "surf shack" that sits in front of the ocean.
Natural light filters through every window, and a mix of beauty products, succulents, and driftwood decorates seafoam-green shelves beyond the rainbow-painted entryway. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.
Have an account? Log in . Advertisement "I was just lifting in my garage gym before this interview," she told me. "You can see the beach from here.
" Wende Zomnir using a Caliray lip gloss. Caliray If you're unfamiliar with Zomnir's name, you're certainly acquainted with her work. She cofounded Urban Decay in 1996 and created the brand's most iconic products.
Remember the beloved Naked eyeshadow palette ? Yeah, it was her idea. She led the brand to reach $1 billion in annual sales and sold the company to L'Oréal in 2012. Less than a decade later, Zomnir launched a sustainability-focused beauty venture called Caliray.
But she's not starting over. Zomnir is simply expanding on something she's been doing for years. "I tried making eyeshadow compacts out of corn plastic 15 years ago.
And Urban Decay was the first brand to have all recycled paper cartons," she told BI. "So it's.