One day, long ago, Sandy Lerner (cofounder of Cisco Systems) couldn't find the right shade of purple nail polish to satisfy her alternative make-up tastes. Her lamentations over the fact that there were 500 colors of pink polishes, but no greens or purples motivated her to create Urban Decay Cosmetics. A woman of action, Sandy teamed up with David Soward “the token suit” and Wende Zomnir “creative dynamo”. They collectively unleashed her vision on the cosmetics world in January of 1996. The line of alternative colors, which began with 10 shades of lipstick and 12 shades of nail enamel, appeared in a memorable advertisement with the tagline, "Does Pink Make You Puke?"

Apparently, the company had its finger on the button of alternative culture. Under Zomnir’s creative direction, the trend-setting cosmetics company became famous for color names like Roach, Smog, Rust, Oil Slick and Acid Rain - inspired by the beautiful hues of America’s urban landscape. This fresh approach has redefined how both consumers and the cosmetics industry look at color.

The often imitated ten-year-old company - whose dramatic nail, lip and eye colors have been featured on runways, television, in movies and magazines - is also distinguished by its line-up of trend-setting products and concepts. Urban Decay brings cutting-edge innovation to more mainstream products like its beautiful Eye Shadow, Lip Gunk, Urban Camouflage Concealer and cruelty-free brushes.

Setting another trend in the cosmetics industry is Urban Decay's webstore, urbandecay.com, where, since July of 1998, shoppers have been able to purchase Urban Decay products and receive application tips online.

The success of Urban Decay has not gone unnoticed. In February, 2000, wild child Urban Decay was adopted by Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the French luxury goods conglomerate. LVMH grew the company until December, 2002, when Urban Decay caught the attention of three business-minded brothers who bought the company on the advice of their teenage daughters. They’ve served as Urban Decay’s father figures ever since.

Urban Decay is sold in luxury retailers around the world, bringing beauty with an edge to fashionable women (and men!) everywhere.

WENDE ZOMNIR
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR/MS.DECAY

As Executive Creative Director and one of the original co-conspirators of Urban Decay, Wende's chief priority is to keep Urban Decay one of the hippest, most aggressive niche players in the burgeoning cosmetic industry. Her diverse lifestyle and extensive world travel have opened her eyes to creative approaches that, though not always conventional, have proved truly innovative and powerful.

Originally from Texas, Wende was raised in part in Belgium and attended St. John’s International School in Waterloo. While in Belgium, Wende studied French, did some modeling, ran track and played basketball (she’s, like, 10 feet tall!). She also became proficient in the fine art of hitchhiking as a way to go out dancing. Due to the central location of Belgium, Wende was able to spend time in most countries throughout Europe, including The Netherlands, Scandinavia and the Soviet Union (where she and a friend traded a pack of Marlboros for access to a secret club). Wende and her family returned to Texas when she was seventeen. It was quite a culture shock to realize that not only were her club days over, but she didn't even know how to drive (in Europe the drinking age was 14 and the driving age was 18). Always the trooper, she became a proper Texas teen in no time at all.

After high school and a failed attempt at the Miss Texas title (her hair was not big enough), Wende completed her degree at the University of North Texas and moved to Chicago to work at the Leo Burnett agency on "youth accounts" like Reebok and Nintendo. But the Southern California sun and surf beckoned, and she moved her life again to bring her Gen X/Y/Z marketing skills to promotional programs for Taco Bell. At this time, she learned to surf and nearly gave up corporate life to devote her time to writing and scuba diving. Instead, she met up with Sandy Lerner and found herself mixing nail polish in her Laguna Beach cottage and assembling Urban Decay press kits from hardware store supplies.

With Wende’s experiences, worldliness and creativity, Urban Decay has become a very important player in the fashion industry. She credits her staff for helping her to make Urban Decay what it is today, and takes pride in the sister-like bond she shares with her employees, excepting days when PMS hits. She works hard to maintain a unique and creativity-enhancing atmosphere in the office by a strict "dogs allowed" policy, no dress code (except "the crazier, the better") and an unusually high tolerance for loud laughter and swearing.

Today, Wende lives in Newport Beach, California with her husband Doug, black lab Marley, and little boys Crash and Cruz. She is interviewed almost daily by magazines all over the world, has served as guest editor at several magazines, and takes an active role in tons of charity events. In her spare time (as if she has any!), Wende is surfing, diving, snowboarding, mountain biking, practicing yoga, running, painting, and dispensing advice on natural child birth.

It's pretty. Maybe a little twisted. But never prissy. Makeup for your eyes, lips, nails, hair, and skin. It's always beautiful but sometimes unusual. It's makeup for individuals, not for those who want to blend in. Have fun, experiment, toy with a look that borders on dangerous. Shimmer, glitter, sparkle, sheen...use it all and change your face to match your mood. Go from a pixie to a vixen, from a rock star to a starlet. Be who you want to be today, just don't be average.

Urban Decay is beauty with an edge. It is feminine, dangerous, and fun...appealing to celebrities, rock stars and anyone who relishes her individuality and dares to express it.

Being a great cosmetics company doesn't stop at having the right colors or the most creative packaging. To keep loyal Urban Decay customers coming back, each product must be of the highest quality, and worth every single penny. Hours of overtime are spent in the labs to make sure that the ingredients selected yield the most benefits for the dedicated fans of Urban Decay.

Lots of people love Urban Decay, but not everyone knows what makes the products so fabulous...sure, a little Eyeshadow goes a long way - and it never, ever creases - but most people are unaware that it's because they’re jam-packed with pure pigment instead of binders, resulting in maximum color and ultimate texture. The Good Karma Cruelty-Free Brushes are SUPER soft, but who would know that the product development team searched high and low for the perfect synthetic fiber? As a result, our shadows apply effortlessly, and no little animals are hurt (We DON'T do animal testing. How could anyone?).

And for those customers especially concerned with our products’ ingredients (sometimes they are vegan, some have sensitive skin, and some are just curious), we list each products’ ingredients on our website, www.urbandecay.com. From tasty Lip Gunks to micro-milled Surreal Skin, from deluxe, creamy XXX Slick to the microsparkles in the Nail Enamel, our cosmetics are the best around. Urban Decay customers constantly grill us about the formulas on ALL our products, and we love to answer every question, because we know our makeup is amazing!