Perversion. Gash. Lust. Wicked. Urban Decay has been one of my very favorite makeup companies since I discovered the best-selling, shimmery eyeshadow Midnight Cowboy that my makeup bag is never without.
Since 1996, Urban Decay has brought edgy, long-lasting, and fun cosmetics that are cruelty-free to the public. Never tested on animals — the company credo is “We don’t do animal testing. How could anyone?” — many of its products are also vegan. These are identified with the paw print of Marley, the dog of co-founder and executive creative director Wende Zomnir. The company is also working on converting its nonvegan offerings to fully vegan ones.
The Urban Decay offices have a “dogs welcome” policy (aren’t you dying to work there?), so I caught up with public relations coordinator Ava Shansky to find out how she and her adorable dog, Pickles, spend their days.
So, Ava, tell us about Pickles.
Pickles is a mix called a Pekehund. He is half Pekingese and half Dachshund. He will be turning three next month.
My whole life I had always been a cat person, as I was attacked by a Chihuahua when I was a toddler … so naturally I had a fear of even the tiniest of dogs. I grew up surrounded by Persian cats and I never planned on getting a dog. I had a Persian cat — I still have him, his name is Bacio — who I adored and didn’t think I’d have room in my heart for another animal.
Because I had never had a dog before, I knew little about how one would fit in with my life. But when I saw Pickles, it was as if I had no choice. When you have no choice, you make it work — so that’s exactly what I did! It was true love from the first moment I laid eyes on him, and I’m so glad that I work for a company that lets me spend most of my time with him.
How does Bacio like having a new dog roommate?
Bacio definitely prefers being the only animal in the house, but Pickles sure does love him. And by “love,” I mean he tries to hump him any chance he gets! It’s funny, though. It’s as if Bacio knows that Pickles is just a baby, and instead of scratching or even swatting him, he just turns the other cheek and looks annoyed for a few.
What’s a typical workday like for you and Pickles?
Once a week, Pickles joins me in my morning shower. As I get wet when giving him a bath anyway, this way I can kill two birds with one shampoo!
Pickles and I drive to work; he sits in the passenger seat with his seat belt on. He has his morning walk here outside the office. Then he usually sleeps beneath my feet where his doggie bed is, occasionally eating and drinking water at his leisure.
I take him on about three walks a day while at work, which is nice for both of us. If I didn’t have him with me, I probably wouldn’t get up at all! Because our office has such a great dog policy and we’ve been growing, there are more dogs here than ever.
We dog owners usually gather all of our pups together once a day and let them run around for about ten minutes when things are slow. It’s crazy, but in a fabulous way! Sometimes you’re on an important call and someone’s dog barks at another, but we are all used to it and laugh it off. There are about 20 or so dogs in the office now, and they all get along and have a great time together when they have playtime.
I love working for Urban Decay. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to work for a company whose products you love and believe in, and absolutely amazing to work for one that is cruelty-free and places importance on having an uplifting work environment. It really encourages you to truly love what you do, and I think that is seen in the quality of the brand and the products. We all love it here.
And what are your favorite Urban Decay products?
My personal fave UD products? That’s really hard — I love so many of them!!! I’ll give you my must-have weekend getaway list:
+ 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Siren
+ Stardust Sparkling Lip Gloss in Andromeda
+ Hotpants Eyeshadow (which I use as a blush)
+ Eyeshadow Primer potion in Sin
And, of course, our cruelty-free synthetic Good Karma Brushes:
+ Multi-Tasker Brush (a must-have)
Thank you so much, Ava, for letting us get to know you and Pickles better! You can support the awesome cruelty-free Urban Decay by purchasing their cosmetics online, or in-store at Sephora, ULTA, and select Macy’s locations.
Urban Decay has generously given us all of Ava’s must-have weekend getaway products in a gorgeous Quinceañera cosmetic bag!
To enter the contest to win them, go to the Urban Decay Facebook page and “Like” the page. Then leave us a comment here saying you liked the page. We’ll select a winner using Random.org next Thursday, so do check back!
