The Power of Doing Less Better
Wendy Nowell-Usticke has spent long enough in beauty to know when an industry is overcomplicating things. In a world that thrives on excess, multi-step routines, endless launches and ever-changing trends, she has found herself moving in the other direction.
That shift did not come from trend forecasting or a sudden change in taste. It came from experience. Before founding Corbin Rd, Wendy had already spent decades in the beauty industry, including helping build Thin Lizzy into one of New Zealand’s best-known beauty brands. She had seen the product cycles, the promises, the constant push towards more. More steps. More activities. More reasons to feel as though whatever you were doing now was not enough. For a long time, she believed it “boots and all!”
“I used to believe more was better,” she says. “More products, more steps, more and stronger actives. Now I know the opposite is true.”
Wendy’s thinking changed because she saw, firsthand, what too much was doing, not just to the market, but to skin. Her own skin had become compromised, stressed, reactive and overworked by the very world she had spent years in. As her original draft puts it, before Corbin Rd was a brand, it was a problem. The Restorative Cleansing Balm, the product that started it all, came out of that realisation. It was not designed to be one more thing in an already crowded routine. It was designed to stop the damage, to remove makeup, sunscreen and environmental build-up while supporting the skin barrier rather than stripping it. It was simple. And it worked.
“I’ve seen skin perform better when it’s switched from being stripped and over activated to gently supported. Simplicity, done properly, is far more powerful than complexity.”
Corbin Rd launched in 2019 with a clear point of view around simplified skincare, clean formulations and multifunctional products that replaced the need for cluttered routines. Wendy is quick to point out that this was not some recent correction. That focus was always there.
“Corbin Rd was created to be a more focused, simplified offering from the beginning, designed for real life women. That principle still guides every decision we make, from formulas to packaging. If it doesn’t support simplicity, real results or our sustainability values, it doesn’t make it in.”
As the brand found its feet, Wendy was not just building a skincare line. She was building an ecosystem. In Napier, an iconic Art Deco building was renovated into three modern apartments with a commercial ground floor that became Urban Wellness, an international-style urban wellness clinic and spa for Hawke’s Bay. There was private sauna and ice bath therapy, full-body photobiomodulation, PEMF therapy, compression therapy, oxygen therapy, and the Corbin Rd spa experience itself. It was ambitious. And, as her original draft rather bluntly puts it, poorly timed.
Then the external pressures hit. Interest rates rose. Consumer spending tightened. The economic growth many had expected did not arrive. Cyclone Gabrielle disrupted Hawke’s Bay. Discretionary spending softened further, especially in beauty and wellness.
“It taught me that growth isn’t just about moving forward. It’s about knowing when not to. In business, I learned that not every opportunity deserves a yes, especially if it comes at the cost of control or puts pressure on the foundations you’ve built.”
Business culture still loves the idea that bigger is better. Wendy sounds far less impressed by motion for its own sake. Personally, she says, that period taught her about pace.
“It taught me the importance of stepping back, thinking more clearly, and protecting my energy so I can make better decisions for the long term.”
That is easy to say and harder to do when you are emotionally attached to what you have built, and Wendy does not pretend otherwise.
“Letting go of things I’d invested time, money, and belief into was hardest emotionally, especially knowing there was still potential if I could have lasted the start-up distance. There’s a real emotional attachment to what you build, and to the people who’ve been part of that journey. But I also knew that holding onto everything simply wasn’t an option.”
The business was restructured and non-core ventures were sold down. The focus narrowed dramatically. What remained was Corbin Rd. After four years of operating in the background, pulled in multiple directions and competing for attention, the brand was given a singular focus.
Some of the shift was structural. Some of it was about language. The brand’s earlier “slow beauty” messaging, while philosophically sound, created a perception problem. The implication of slow results worked against them in a market that reads words literally and moves quickly. Corbin Rd went through a sharp repositioning, moving towards a clearer and more direct message: less is more for beautiful skin. The point was to remove confusion, deliver results, and not overwhelm the skin.
“Skin safe clean beauty formulations and sustainable should be expected. That’s the baseline now. What sets you apart is performance, and whether people connect with what you’re doing.”
In an age of supply chain disruption, freight volatility and constant uncertainty, Corbin Rd’s commitment to local sourcing and manufacturing has given it real stability. Key botanicals and New Zealand-made botanical actives are sourced locally wherever possible. Manufacturing is designed to minimise energy use. Packaging prioritises glass and aluminium. But Wendy’s point is that none of that is enough on its own. Consumers still want results. She is equally clear about what the beauty industry still gets wrong.
“It still underestimates how savvy women are. There’s so much noise, overpromising, and unnecessary complication in our industry. Women are busy and wary of wasting time, money, and effort on products that don’t deliver. The women I speak to don’t want a 10-step routine, and they definitely don’t want five if it’s not working. They want simple. They want results. And they want to feel confident they’re doing the right thing for their skin without constantly second-guessing it.”
That same focus on trust and efficacy runs through Wendy’s own view of beauty now.
“It’s become less about appearance and more about condition. Healthy skin, strong skin, well-looked-after skin. That’s what reads as beautiful. I’m also far more confident and comfortable in my own skin.”
It could just as easily describe the way she now approaches business.
“The ambition is still there, but it’s directed. I’m far more selective about where I put time, energy, and investment.”
And while Wendy pulled back from a broader expansion across multiple verticals, Corbin Rd is very much in growth mode. The brand has expanded into body products, a dedicated spa-only line, and a refined hotel amenities range for luxury properties, with placements in lodges including Cape Kidnappers, Matakauri and Coronet Ridge. It has also found a natural place with clean beauty facialists looking for effective, multifunctional products that work well in treatment settings. The difference is that the growth feels considered.
“Ten years ago, the concept of success probably looked bigger. Now it looks better. A strong brand, clear direction, products that genuinely perform, and a business that’s sustainable, that’s success to me.”
When Wendy is asked what she would tell a younger woman trying to build something enduring without losing herself in the process, her answer is clear.
“Stay close to your original idea. Don’t chase everything. And don’t compromise on quality, because in the long run, that’s what people come back for. You don’t need to do more, you need to do it better.”