In a world obsessed with exterior beauty, it’s refreshing to find that the world’s leading makeup artist, Bobbi Brown, also the founder and CCO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, continues

to inspire change. Since she started out, twenty three years ago, Bobbi Brown has taken it upon herself to transform the way people define beauty, in turn revolutionizing makeup. Determination took her to New York City; ideas resulted in the creation of a brand and true grit turned her into every woman’s dream makeup artist. In an interview with L’Officiel India, Bobbi shares her journey, the experience, how it all started and where it’s all going...

Tell us about Bobbi Brown, the woman. What drives and inspires her and what are her aspirations?I believe it is important to be who you are. This means everything—from learning to love your lines to appreciating your unique features. My mother always taught me that confidence is the most compelling aspect of real beauty. And I have always cherished that learning.

Tell us about your growing up years. What kind of influences—especially in terms of fashion and beauty—did you grow up amidst?My mother has always been my beauty icon. One of my early memories of watching my mother apply makeup in her blue gilded bathroom is still with me. I always hoped to be half as glamorous and refreshing as

she was. Also, I admire many legendary beauties—from Ali MacGraw, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn to Frieda Pinto. All these women have a unique kind of beauty, an inner strength that reflects on the outside.

You started as a makeup artist, and then developed your own makeup brand. How did you go about setting up brand Bobbi Brown? After getting a degree in theatrical makeup from Emerson College in Boston, I moved to New York City in 1980 to work as a freelance makeup artist. I found that often I couldn’t find the right shades of foundation, or the perfect lip colour to use on models. It was the 1980s, and most of the foundations were too pinky and the lip colours were never quite what I wanted. Most makeup I bought, I had to fix it, blending it with other shades to change the tone.

I met a chemist and told him I had an idea to create a special lipstick that had a natural yet beautiful colour. This colour became my Brown #4. I then created a collection of ten lipsticks that looked great alone or could be blended to create any perfect shade. The models loved it. Originally, I sold my makeup out of my house; it was by mail order only. Then, it was written about in Glamour magazine by the beauty editor at the time, Lesley Seymour. Then, one day, while in a conversation with the cosmetics buyer at Bergdorf, I told her about these lipsticks. She called me up

later and announced, “We’d love to have them.” The goal was to sell 100 lipsticks at Bergdorf ’s in a month. Instead, the first 100 were gone in a day! The Bobbi Brown brand was officially launched in 1991. But I must admit, it was a challenge to build a company while raising young children.

You propagate a very natural look and you’ve stood firm on your makeup philosophy at a time when people are going all out with colour and drama. How do you balance it all? Makeup is a way to empower women. It isn’t about rules; it’s about options. To me, it’s important to choose products that look the most natural and flawless on a woman’s skin. Because people should notice you, not your makeup. Whether you go out without a stitch of makeup or with a face full of it, your real beauty is reflected in how you feel about yourself. If you feel confident, you’ll project that and always look beautiful. I recommend that women experiment with different shades and looks until they find one that best suits their personality and lifestyle.

Tell us about the birth of the ‘Pretty Powerful’ campaign—the inspiration, the belief, the mantra.Pretty Powerful symbolises my belief that all women possess natural beauty and with the right tools, are taken to a higher level of pretty—Pretty Powerful, Pretty Amazing, Pretty Gorgeous, and so on. Through testimonials, videos and before-and-after sessions, I want their individuality and inner

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Beauty lies in the words of Bobbi Brown, who believes that a woman’s real beauty is reflected in how she feels about herself. The world’s most celebrated makeup artist gets

delightfully candid about her idea of beauty, breaking conventional standards and empowering women all over the world.

By Prerna singh and DessiDre fleming

MIstress of Beauty

beauty to shine through. The campaign celebrates the beauty of real women from a variety of backgrounds through inspiring stories, photos and videos. I think women can gain a lot of confidence by seeing realistic, beautifully natural images celebrated in the media.

Some of your products have been game changers in the beauty market—the Gel Liner, the Shimmer Brick, for instance, and now the foundation stick. Where does this level of innovation come from and how do you work out the technology?My inspiration comes from a variety of places—from travelling across the world to looking at colourful fabrics, to everyday women I see on the street, and also out of sheer need. One year at Fashion Week, a designer asked me to give all the models a lit-from-within glow. I took a shimmery eye shadow and dusted it on the models’ cheeks and that’s how the concept for Shimmer Brick was born.

When I launched the original formula for the Foundation Stick in 1992, it was the first foundation of its kind because it was skin-tone correct. The idea for Foundation Stick came to me when I was

on a swimwear shoot with photographer Walter Chin. After applying foundation on the model’s face, I quickly realised that it didn’t match the rest of her body. I had to apply foundation to the rest of her body to even out her skin tone (it was crazy)! So, I set out to create my own yellow-toned foundation stick—one that looked like skin, was user-friendly and revolutionised the foundation industry.

I have reintroduced the foundation stick after 22 years for a modern take on nude skin. The new creamy and lightweight texture melts effortlessly into the skin for flawless buildable coverage that helps minimize the appearance of pores and skin imperfections on all skin types, providing a smooth, natural looking finish. Featuring a new multi-layered transparent base, it allows for optimal skin matching. It cleverly adapts to the skin’s needs, resists water, sweat and humidity, delivering skin-tone correct and colour-true coverage that lasts up to eight hours.

You have one of the widest range of foundation in the market. And you’ve been known for it. Tell us about the kind of research that went into it.Foundation is one of our fastest growing

makeup categories. Like any other makeup, women shop for foundation based on their style and preferences, and also texture. But all women want their foundation to make them look like they have perfect skin. With 20 skin-tone correct shades and 12 formulas, we offer a wide range of options to choose from.

Tell us about your tryst with India and the Indian market.I was particularly thrilled to be in India. It’s such a beautiful country with rich history. We were excited to open our first store in Delhi because it’s home to women who are on-the-go and who need easy-to-use products that can help them look and feel pretty throughout the day, effortlessly. My goal is to develop products that meet the needs of woman of all ethnicity and cultures; so I’m always excited to be launching in a new market. I hope to reach a wider audience with the tips, tricks and skills that I’ve learned over the years.

What are your future plans?I’ll continue doing what I love doing the most, which is developing new products that I know women want and need. I want to help women look and feel their best and most confident selves.

“Makeup is a way to empower women. It’s

not about rules; it’s about options.”

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