Beauty Entrepreneur Bobbi Brown Is Reinventing Herself as a Wellness Guru
The headline of Bobbi Brown‘s newly revamped website, Justbobbi.com, “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself” indicates what lies ahead for the 61-year-old beauty entrepreneur: a moment of reinvention. Having gone from legendary makeup artist to self-made health and wellness guru, the industry icon is looking to redefine the notion of beauty—from the inside. “I have always been a health nut,” says Brown. “I have always taught the people working for me or the public that it’s not just about putting makeup on your face to look healthy; you have to be healthy.” And that is exactly what Brown plans to do as she enters the health and wellness space with her latest business endeavor, Evolution_18, a line consisting of everything from probiotics to protein powders. Here, Bobbi breaks down her love for wellness, the importance of reinvention, and why it’s never too late to focus on your health.
What inspired you to move into the health and wellness space and what was your process? I have always been a health nut. I have always taught the people working for me or the public that it’s not just about putting makeup on your face to look healthy; you have to be healthy. I’ve always taught lifestyle things from how to be a busy working mom to how to fit in exercise, and I’m someone who is really visual and I’m really curious and I always think that there’s something out there that could be better. So, when I had this opportunity with these products, I started to think what is wrong with the space right now. And what’s wrong for me is that I’m overwhelmed, I have too many things in my cabinet. Do I have protein? Do I have coconut? Do I have hemp? So I really wanted to sit down and simplify it, but mostly I wanted to create products that help the issues that we have; the products are lifestyle-inspired. The first part was finding the best natural clean lab I could find. I asked a friend of mine, an Ayurvedic doctor, to help me to make sure all of my ideas and ingredients really made sense. And then I just worked with the product developers in the lab, just like I did when I was in makeup.
Your mantra has always been “Beauty from within.” How is this line an extension of that ideology? Everybody wants to know what to do to look beautiful, what can I do with makeup to look beautiful? And for me, it’s so much more than that. It’s not about trying to be a different age or a different skin color. I’ve always taught “Be who you are,” and honestly, the most attractive people I know are people who are fit and healthy. I see this really big melding of the makeup world and the wellness world and I think it’s awesome, and I think it’s going to continue, and I think that everything is changing so rapidly from how people shop to how people choose things.
Why is self-evolution so important? I think that all of us—whether we turn 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60, whether we just had a baby, whether we just lost a job—there are so many opportunities to press the reset button. Things change: What works one season doesn’t always work the next, and that’s everything from your wardrobe to the vitamins you are taking to your hairstyles. I think sometimes you just have to take a pause and you just have to say what’s not working, how do I fix it? Clearly, it wasn’t working for me being part of a really large company and I wanted to be the boss again.
How have your beauty habits changed throughout your career? I’m not wearing a stitch of makeup, and I spend many a day without any makeup. And I take my makeup off now with coconut oil, and I am navigating and trying a lot of products in the clean green space. I’m still using a couple of things I made at the brand, but now I’m playing the field a bit and it’s really fun for me.
What beauty rules do you live by every day? Be nice, be true, be who you are. Fuel your body with really good ingredients, exercise, and breathe.
Is it ever too late to focus on your health? It’s never too late. Every day is a new opportunity, but I also think that it’s really important to be able to enjoy food and good things in life, and go out with people you love and have fun. You have to learn some kind of balance.
Bobbi Brown’s Top 10 Beauty Tips for Natural Makeup
How to find the right foundation shade: “On a makeup-free face, pick three shades close to your skin tone and apply them in two strips on your cheek. Check the colors in natural light; the color that blends in with your skin is the right one.”
How to use a blemish concealer: ” You never want to use your undereye concealer to cover a blemish because it is one shade lighter than your skin tone and will only highlight what you want to hide. Instead, choose a concealer designed for the face to spot cover any imperfections or redness.”
How to find the right powder: “For most people, a powder with a yellow undertone works to help cut redness and add warmth. Choose a shade that matches the color of your skin almost exactly. If you have very oily skin, powder can turn a darker shade, so go one shade lighter.”
How to choose the right bronzer: “Bronzer comes in liquid, gel, and powder formulas. A matte bronzer is the easiest to apply and works day or night. A bronzer with shimmer looks best at night. Gel formula gives a deeper color.”
Finding the perfect everyday blush: “A shade that matches the color your cheeks turn when they naturally flush is a good everyday choice. A pop of a brighter shade of pink or coral to layer over your everyday blush or bronzer will keep the color longer.”
How to layer eyeliner: “You can achieve many different effects by layering different liner types. It’s fun to play around and see what you like. A thin pencil liner followed by dry powder will create a slightly softer, smudged line. Gel liner on top of a pencil smudged over a powder will create a more intense liner look.”
How to wear eyeshadow as an eyeliner: “The darkest shadow can also be applied as eyeliner using a damp eyeliner brush.”
How to perfectly apply mascara: “Always begin by putting mascara on the top lashes, coating the entire lash. Apply one or two coats for a natural look, three for more definition. Bottom lashes need only one coat.”
How to maintain perfect brows: “Tweeze any stray brow hairs. Try to follow the natural shape of your brows. Don’t overtweeze, as super-thin brows aren’t flattering on anyone. It is helpful to get a professional to shape your brows and then maintain the shape on your own.”
How to find your everyday lip: “To find your best nude–your go-to color for an everyday, natural lip–shop when you are barefaced. Bite your lips and then try to find a lipstick that matches that color. The right shade will give your complexion a lift and make your eyes appear brighter–even when it’s all you have on.”
