Brand Interview with Wander Beauty Co-Founders Divya Gugnani and Lindsay Ellingson

Tell us about a bit how Wander Beauty came to be as a concept. We love its connectivity to travel.

Divya and Lindsay: We were constantly time-starved and on the go. We needed fuss free, foolproof makeup but there were no brands speaking to our lifestyle so we launched Wander Beauty. We create clean beauty essentials you reach for every day, wherever you wander. Our multitaskers streamline your routine so you can spend more time doing the things you love.

You are a product pioneers. What made you interested at first in the makeup and skincare categories?

Divya and Lindsay: Makeup and skincare are the two largest categories in beauty. We wanted to focus on the categories where women were spending the most time and energy.

How many products are in the line currently, what are the must haves?

Divya and Lindsay: We have over 40 multitaskers in our assortment, including our bestselling Baggage Claim Eye Masks, Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara, and Mile High Club Volume and Length Mascara, all of which Allure Best of Beauty award winners.

Share with us your go-to essential products and what issues they tackle.

Divya: My must have go-to essentials in the lineup are:

• • • Dualist Matte & Illuminating Concealer is my mommy multitasking go-to! A combination of hereditary factors and my busy schedule as a mom and entrepreneur makes it very hard to tackle under eye circles. Dualist helps me to look fresh and awake in no time.

• • • On-the-Glow Blush & Illuminator is our original multitasker. It’s a full look in the palm of your hands. I use the cream blush on my cheeks and my lips and the illuminator on my eyes and the highpoints of my face and body. This multitasker makes it super easy to get glam and going whether I’m home or on the go!

• • • Do Not Disturb Overnight Repair Concentrate is the ultimate beauty sleep booster! The powerful 1% retinoid formula maximizes my time between the sheets by reducing texture, fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots.

Lindsay: And my must haves are:

• • • Baggage Claim Eye Masks are my mommy must have for days when I haven’t had enough sleep. They freshen up my under eyes and make me look more rested. I love to store these in the fridge for a cooling and soothing effect. The gold foil gently warms the skin for maximum serum absorption.

• • • I over plucked my brows in high school so Frame Your Face Micro Brow Pencil is the first product I reach for in the morning. I fill in my brows before anything else since I think they are the most important feature on your face. I like to add micro strokes to mimic hair and make my brows look fuller and more youthful.

• • • Unlashed Mascara is my holy grail mascara. I love this formula because it’s buildable and water resistant, while also strengthening and conditioning my lashes. We spent over a year developing Unlashed to get it just right to make sure it would last throughout busy days without flaking or smudging.

"We provide our community the education and formulations to help them love the skin they’re in and feel like the most beautiful versions of themselves."

Do you see your brand expanding with different products?

Divya and Lindsay: Yes, we are continuing to grow our skincare and makeup portfolio of multitaskers.

What inspired your brand’s name Wander Beauty?

Divya and Lindsay: We were living our lives in motion and the name Wander Beauty signified that we could do our beauty on the go.

Does social media play a substantial role in your brand?

Divya and Lindsay: Social media allows us to bring our story to life. As a brand that’s primarily DTC, social media is an amazing tool for us to showcase how our multitaskers function in beauty routines and fit into the busy lives of wanderess everywhere.

Do you believe a great skincare and makeup routine change your mindset?

Divya and Lindsay: We provide our community the education and formulations to help them love the skin they’re in and feel like the most beautiful versions of themselves.

What are your morning rituals?

Divya: I start my day with ginger water and meditation to calm my mind and body and give me the strength I need to focus for the day. Ginger water is anti-inflammatory, filled with antioxidants, and helps ease digestion. I also like to do a quick workout on most mornings with Obé Fitness.

Lindsay: Since having my son Carter, I wake up at 5:30am to pump and listen to guided meditations while wearing our Baggage Claim Eye Masks. It’s a quiet moment for myself that helps start my day off right. I drink a lot of water with lemon and then always make myself a cup of coffee with my favorite almond milk creamer from Califia. When Carter wakes up, we spend some time together before getting ready for work. I make sure to eat a healthy breakfast before starting my day so that I feel good and energized.

"The customer is queen. If we listen to her, focus on her needs, and include her in the creation of our multitaskers, she will keep coming back."

What has been your favorite part about building this business together?

Divya and Lindsay: In building this business together we have a sounding board in each other to work through all of the problems and challenges of entrepreneurship.

What have been key learning experiences being a D2C business?

Divya and Lindsay: The customer is queen. If we listen to her, focus on her needs, and include her in the creation of our multitaskers, she will keep coming back.

Did you change anything about the business with the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic?

Divya and Lindsay: We pivoted our social media programming to feature live workouts, at-home beauty treatments, and opportunities for giving back. We had a direct conversation with our community about the type of content they wanted.

Aside from Wander Beauty, what are you passionate about?

Divya: Cooking, living a healthy lifestyle, and investing in and advising entrepreneurs.

Lindsay: I’m passionate about content creation. When we launched Wander Beauty, we had to wear many hats (and still do) so I taught myself photography and video editing so that we could create all assets internally. I really enjoy being behind the camera and playing with lighting and different lenses. It's a lot of fun to see our products come to life from concept to creation and then to photograph them to really tell our story.

Philanthropy is core to your mission at Wander Beauty, tell us a bit about some of the organizations that you have worked with.

Divya and Lindsay: Since the launch of our brand in 2015, we have invested in our community and donated to various charitable organizations such as Dress For Success, The Farmlink Project, Black Lives Matter, ACLU, and many more. At the start of the pandemic, we also donated to frontline healthcare workers across the country.