AARP Hearing Center
Cosmetics Queen Bobbi Brown, 68, Has Plenty of Advice on Living Well and Looking Great
The makeup entrepreneur shares her beauty tips and secrets to effortless style
Video: How Makeup Icon Bobbi Brown Found Her Simple Style
Barack Obama dubbed her “B-Squared.” Future queen Kate Middleton wore one of her signature lipsticks (Sandwash Pink) on her wedding day. Celebs like Cindy Crawford have declared themselves “obsessed” with her latest viral product, Miracle Balm. All this was from a nice Jewish girl from Chicago who pioneered the “no-makeup makeup” look and, along the way, created two colossal cosmetic businesses — the second, Jones Road, after her 60th birthday.
Bobbi Arlene Brown, 68, has had more than her share of blessings, and heartache, too (a mother with bipolar disorder, a beloved stepbrother who died of AIDS, another brother dead from a drug overdose), and they’re all detailed in her new memoir, Still Bobbi.
Bobbi Brown became a star in the beauty industry by championing a natural “no makeup” makeup look.
Courtesy Bobbi Brown
AARP spoke to Brown about her book and some defining moments of her life.
More Ways to Benefit
- Related Benefit 1
- Related Benefit 2
- Related Benefit 3
- Related Benefit 4
- Related Benefit 5
Growing up, her inner voice always said, ‘You’re not enough’
Not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Certainly not tall enough. [Brown is 5 feet tall.] I’m sure if my mom were here today, she’d say, “That’s ridiculous; you’re always beautiful.” But my parents wanted me to be more beautiful. I don’t hold it against them, though. I realize they were like that because that’s how they felt about themselves as kids. And they didn’t want me to suffer the same angst that they did.
She values simplicity
Before I created makeup lines, I was, for years, a makeup artist. I’ve been credited with creating the “no-makeup makeup” look, but it wasn’t 100 percent intentional. Early in my career, in the 1980s, I was working on this beautiful model who had tanned skin for an Italian magazine, and I knew I wasn’t good at contouring, the changing facial structure with color that was so popular at the time. So I decided to just go minimal. I put whatever bronzer I had on her eyelids, face, lips, and then I used just a little mascara. It was so simple and pretty, and it made the cover. I was warned by one photographer that if I kept doing this, I wouldn’t work in high fashion. But I wanted people to look like themselves. Then I started working with [photographer] Bruce Weber, who happened to like the most natural look possible. That’s a common theme in my life: I find the people who aren’t trying to change me.
Brown rose in the beauty industry without trying to hide her identity: “a soccer mom from New Jersey,” as she puts it.
Courtesy Bobbi Brown
She was told nobody would take makeup advice from someone like her
When my original company, Bobbi Brown Essentials, was first bought by Estée Lauder, I had young kids and I lived a very suburban life in Montclair, New Jersey. That was fine when Leonard Lauder was running the company. When he stepped back, there were people who thought the line needed rebranding. One executive took me aside and said, “You should really think about getting a pied-à-terre in New York City so the fashion editors don’t think you live in New Jersey and you’re a soccer mom.” And I was like, “But I am a soccer mom from New Jersey.” I didn’t think there was anything wrong with being a soccer mom. And guess what? Those moms buy makeup.
She thrives knowing someone has her back
My husband and I have been happily married for 37 years, but we’re so different. Nothing is overwhelming to him — and a lot of things are overwhelming to me. He spends a lot of time going, “Bobbi, don’t worry about it. Bobbi, calm down. Bobbi, it’s fine.” Left to my own devices, I would drive myself crazy.
Brown with her dog, Pippa. She's been married to Steven Plofker, a real estate developer, for three decades.
Ben Ritter
If you’re mean, she’s been known to just … leave
I’ve walked out of makeup sessions because the stylist was so nasty to me and my assistant. Divas aren’t worth it. There are lots of high-achieving people who just aren’t nice, for whatever reason. But then again, I’ve been lucky enough to have other people in my life who are the GOATs of achievement and kindness.
She’s a fanatical organizer
I love bringing order to the house. It gives me a sense of control — and peace. Unfortunately, I’m creative, so as soon as I get organized, I’ll make a giant mess again. I’m a work in progress.
She has a uniform
I’ve tried everything. When I first started working, all these incredible models would come in in the morning with a white T-shirt and bad jeans and their hair all messy, but they looked phenomenal. I tried that, and I looked like a bag woman. But then I’d see these French and British and Italian makeup artists and gradually came to understand good tailoring, nice jewelry — just trying to look effortless. So I have two T-shirts I’m obsessed with, and I wear them under a blazer or cardigan. And two different brands of jeans I’m loving. Plus button-downs: J.Crew Kids.
Jennifer Aniston is her fashion inspiration
When I was growing up, it was Ali McGraw, because she was so beautiful with very little makeup … and I felt I looked a little bit like her. Now, as I’ve gotten older, it’s Jennifer Aniston. She always looks effortlessly put together, just incredible.
The big makeup mistake of women over 50? Trying to look like they did when they were younger
We try to imitate the look we had when we felt we were most attractive. People don’t realize you have to adapt and adjust everything, from the way you exercise to what you eat to your makeup and hair. As you get older, you may need all the tricks, particularly products with a lot of moisture if you have dry skin. And aim for the color you have in your cheeks after you’ve been exercising.
Lounging is great, but …
The habit I’m trying to break is making espresso with half-and-half and going back upstairs to bed with my iPad and reading the newspaper. I love this ritual so much. But then I realized, Ah, I’ve been here for an hour, and it was my time to exercise, which is the key to aging well: exercising 30 minutes on a busy day. I get a trainer because I know myself — if it’s costing me a lot of money, I’ll show up.
The most essential beauty products
OK, five things. 1. Retouching pencil — the kind that brightens and opens up your eyes. 2. Blush. 3. Mascara, because my eyelashes have gotten fair. 4. Brown pencil to line my eye, fill in my brows; I even use it in my hair part when the grays start coming in. And of course: 5. Sunscreen.
She still lives by the phrase she had painted on her wall at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics: ‘So What, Now What?’
For me, this fall, the “now what” is about self-care. I want to get through my book tour like a trained athlete because it’s going to be very busy, and I don’t want to complain about how tired I am. So I’ve been putting a lot of work — and good food — into my body. I want to have the best attitude. I don’t ever want to think, Oh my God, I have to do this. I want to be thinking, I get to do this.
AARP Membership
Join AARP for only $15 per year with automatic renewal. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of benefits, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.
You Might Also Like
Unlock the Fashion Secrets of Stylish Women
Learn ways to elevate your wardrobe and look effortlessly chic
Style Secrets to Look Slimmer
Camouflage a few extra pounds with these sneaky style tricks
Insider Secrets From a Top Perfumer
How to make your favorite fragrance last — and why body sprays are making a comeback