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BEHIND THE BRAND
The Urban Decay story begins in the mid ’90s, when pink, red and beige enslaved the prestige beauty market. Heaven forbid you wanted purple or green nails. Flying in the face of this monopoly, Sandy Lerner (cofounder of Cisco Systems) made a bold decision: If the cosmetic industry’s “big boys” couldn’t satisfy her alternative makeup tastes, she’d satisfy them herself.
Fatefully, Sandy’s business manager, David Soward, introduced her to fellow visionary Wende Zomnir. A creative businesswoman (and makeup addict almost since birth), Wende also recognized the color void and determined a shakeup was in order. Over high tea, the two forged a pact that led to renegade nail polish mixing sessions in Wende’s Laguna Beach bungalow. Sandy, David and Wende unleashed Urban Decay in January of 1996 with a line of ten lipsticks and twelve nail enamels. Inspired by the seedier facets of the urban landscape, they bore groundbreaking names like Roach, Smog, Rust, Oil Slick and Acid Rain. The first magazine ad queried “Does Pink Make You Puke?,” fueling the revolution as cosmetics industry executives scrambled to keep up.
Fast-forward some 25 years and Urban Decay has grown to a full line with a fevered following of cult-like devotees. The latest addition to the Urban Decay landscape is the Naked Skin® line of foundations and blushes. The completely weightless foundations blur imperfections to deliver a flawless finish that looks professionally retouched and feels completely invisible. Naked Skin comes in 18 meticulously -calibrated shades with buildable coverage and a luminous demi-matte finish. The blushes, introduced for spring 2013, come in a range of shades to suit and illuminate all skin tones.
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