What It's Like to Rule a Beauty Empire: Urban Decay's Wende Zomnir

Founding Mothers is a new column meant to inspire both women and men. Each woman profiled created her own company from the ground up, from color cosmetics to revolutionary skin care. We hope that by highlighting some of these cosmetic all-stars, we can leave the question, "So, you're a mom. How do you balance family and career?" behind. Because the truth is, many women work and manage a family - and have for centuries.

Say the word "naked" to a makeup aficionado and they know, instantly, you're referring to Urban Decay's bestselling eye shadow palettes. This marquee product is the envy of other cosmetics companies and a cut above the rest simply because it's a palette in which you "hit pan" with every shadow. (For makeup rookies, that's when you use the product completely - you see the pan at the bottom.)

Urban Decay's main initiative is breaking beauty rules, and the brand thrives off blush-inducing product names (hello, 69, Bordello, and Perversion) and revolutionary formulas. In addition, Gwen Stefani recently fronted the label's UltraViolet Edge movement, further establishing the brand's status in the limelight.

Wende, an avid surfer and tall drink of water (if I do say so myself), shared what she's learned over her years of product development, how being a mom has affected her work ethic, and what having a family adds to her business.

from POPSUGAR Beauty