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AGING OUT LOUD

Wende Zomnir on Makeup for Mature Skin, Meaningful Movement, and Midlife Confidence

The Urban Decay co-founder has never been interested in following beauty industry conventions, and with Caliray, she’s proving that innovation, confidence, and great makeup don’t expire with age.

Mia MaguireCommerce Managing Editor, Scouted + The Looker

PublishedMay 20, 2026, 12:19 PM EDT

UpdatedMay 20, 2026, 12:19 PM EDT

Updated May 20, 2026, 12:19 PM EDTPublished May 20, 2026, 12:19 PM EDT

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Now, at 58, Zomnir is channeling that same ethos into Caliray, a West Coast clean beauty brand formulated for movement. “I work out twice a day, and I need my makeup to last through both workouts,” Zomnir tells me over Zoom, her skin somehow glowing like she just stepped out of a facial. “That’s really what Caliray is about. I wanted makeup that could move with you, feel good on your skin, and still perform.”

That philosophy extends far beyond makeup. Her approach to wellness feels distinctly Californian: intuitive, movement-heavy, outdoorsy, and centered on activities she genuinely enjoys (tennis, surfing, and rucking) rather than logging hours on a treadmill in a fluorescent-lit gym. She also strength trains three to five times a week, practices yoga for mobility, and spends as much time outdoors as possible. “I try to do everything,” she says, laughing. “Even if I’m tired, I’ll just get outside and paddleboard because being in nature matters to me.”

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It’s this balance between high-performance beauty and holistic wellness that feels especially relevant for women over 50, a demographic Zomnir believes the beauty industry still misunderstands. “I think women over 50 are often made to feel invisible,” she says. “And I just don’t think you have to accept that. If you still feel sexy, hot, powerful—dress that way, wear your makeup that way, do your hair that way. Stop apologizing for your sexuality.”

That mindset informs her makeup philosophy, too, particularly when it comes to mature skin. According to Zomnir, one of the biggest mistakes people make is piling on thick, full-coverage concealer. “In real life, that stuff cracks, creases, sinks into pores and fine lines. It just doesn’t wear well—especially if you’re active.”

She also emphasizes the importance of product placement when using complexion products for those over 50. While blush swept across the apples of the cheeks may have worked in your twenties, Zomnir says a higher placement on the cheekbones creates a more lifted, sculpted effect as the face changes with age.

Sephora

$29

Caliray Hideaway Brightening + Hydrating Under Eye Color Corrector Concealer

This crease-proof and cake-free concealer is a true triple threat. It shapeshifts into a color corrector, illuminator, and concealer, while also giving crepey undereyes a line-filling boost courtesy of three hyaluronic acid molecules. The formula leaves a radiant, light-diffusing effect, lifting undereye darkness without emphasizing texture or fine lines.

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That frustration inspired Caliray’s Hideaway Color Corrector + Concealer, which she describes as “a hyaluronic acid serum with just enough pigment.” The formula combines multiple molecular weights of hyaluronic acid with subtle color correction and what she calls “secret illumination,” a non-shimmery light-reflecting effect that brightens without emphasizing texture. “It sort of miraculously looks like nothing, but changes everything,” she says.

More broadly, Zomnir approaches makeup from a skin-first perspective. Instead of masking texture, she prefers formulas that blur, hydrate, and move naturally with the face.

That’s especially true for Caliray’s newest launch, a multi-tasking rose gold elixir, which she describes as a hydrating skin milk with illumination. “A lot of illuminating products make you see every pore,” she says. “This one actually blurs while it hydrates the skin.” Zomnir wears it alone, mixed into foundation, or tapped onto the high points of the face for subtle radiance.

Sephora

$29

Caliray Light Source Blurring & Hydrating Illuminator

Powered by desert whale jojoba, phospholipids, and light-adjusting interference pearls, the formula delivers glow without the glittery or pore-emphasizing finish many liquid highlighters can leave behind.

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That less-is-more mentality carries into her five-minute makeup routine. On most mornings, she mixes a half-pump of illuminator with a few drops of skin tint, taps a bit of concealer under the eyes, adds mascara and brow gel, and calls it a day. After all, the goal isn’t to look 25 or like an Instagram filter. It’s to look like the best version of yourself.

Still, Zomnir is refreshingly honest about the realities of aging. Her nighttime routine includes prescription retinoids (i.e., Retin-A), facial estrogen cream, peptide serums, barrier creams, silicone chest patches, lip-shaped mouth tape, and the occasional layer of Lansinoh nipple cream as lip balm. “I look ridiculous when I sleep,” she jokes. “I’ve got tape all over my face.”

Yet beneath the humor is a refreshingly nuanced approach to aging, wellness, and longevity—one rooted less in chasing perfection and more in paying attention to what your body and skin actually need. In an era of 12-step skincare routines, hyper-filtered Instagram posts, and endless TikTok misinformation, Zomnir’s approach feels, again, almost rebellious in its realism.

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Her message for women over 50 isn’t about harnessing makeup, wellness rituals, and even movement to try to turn back the clock. It’s about refusing to disappear with age. It’s about feeling strong, expressive, and fully visible. And if that means wearing pink lip-shaped mouth tape and nipple cream to bed? So be it.

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Mia MaguireCommerce Managing Editor, Scouted + The Looker

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