Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown (born April 14, 1957) is an American professional make-up artist, author, and the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

She created ten natural-shade lipsticks which according to Entrepreneur "revolutionized the beauty industry".

She has written nine books about beauty and wellness.

In 1980, she moved to New York City to work as a professional makeup artist.

Brown became known for a makeup style that included moderate and natural tones, which was a stark contrast to the bright colors used at the time.

She and a drugstore chemist created a line of ten lipsticks on beige pigment.

In 1990, Brown worked with a chemist to come up with ten natural lipstick shades.

In 1991, Brown and her husband partnered with another couple to launch the brand Bobbi Brown Essentials, which debuted at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.

In 1991, the ten shades debuted under the name Bobbi Brown Essentials at Bergdorf Goodman.

She was expecting to sell 100 in a month but instead sold 100 in a day.

The following year, she released yellow-toned foundation sticks.

Estée Lauder bought the company in 1995, retaining Brown as an employee of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

Estée Lauder Companies Inc. bought Bobbi Brown Essentials in 1995, but Brown retained creative control of the makeup line.

In 2011, the first freestanding Bobbi Brown Cosmetics retail store opened in Auckland, New Zealand with a makeup school in the back of the building.

In 2012, her cosmetics were estimated to represent approximately ten percent of Estée Lauder Companies' total sales.

Brown has a collection of fragrances and a collaboration with In 2013 Safilo Group S.p.A. for an eyewear collection.

She is a creative consultant at Lord & Taylor.

As of January 2014, there were approximately thirty free-standing Bobbi Brown cosmetics stores.

In 2015, Brown and her husband acquired a historic inn located in Montclair, New Jersey, which was built as a private residence in 1902.

After leaving Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in 2016, she launched Beauty Evolution, LLC, and became certified as a health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Brown also started a line of beauty-inspired wellness products.

She curates an editorial website.

She and her husband Steven Plofker reimagined The George, a 32-room boutique hotel located in Montclair, New Jersey.

Born in Chicago, Illinois to a Jewish family, Brown graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a degree in theatrical makeup and photography.

In October 2016, Brown stepped down from the company.

Her work has been featured on the covers of magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Self and Town & Country.

Brown has received the Glamour Woman of the Year Award, The Fashion Group International Night of Stars Beauty Award, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation's ROBIE Humanitarian Award.

She was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation and has been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

She holds honorary doctorates from Montclair State University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Monmouth University, and Emerson College.

In December 2016, it was announced that Brown would step down from the company by the end of the year.

Following this, she continued creating new lines and participating in the beauty industry through other projects like beauty podcasts, a makeup MasterClass, and her website JustBobbi.com.

In 2019, she founded Evolution_18, a “lifestyle-inspired wellness line”.

The products she developed for the line included supplements, collagen, and effervescent tablets, and were sold at outlets including Walmart.

Following the release of her second makeup company in 2020, Allure magazine labeled Brown the "world’s patron saint of 'natural makeup.'"

In late October 2020, Bobbi Brown launched her second beauty brand, Jones Road.

The launch marked 25 years since she first sold her original line to Estee Lauder.

It has been described as a "clean beauty" brand.

According to Yahoo, which reviewed the line, this "approach is evident in the brand offering: a curated edit of makeup and skincare that doesn't overwhelm."

Its original offerings included balms, moisturizing cream colors, mascaras, glosses, washes, eye shadow, eye pencils.

They were also sold in combination in a start-up kit.