At her New Jersey home US make-up guru Bobbi Brown is considering how to do full-on party glam – when you’re a grown-up who doesn’t want to look like she’s rolled in glitter.
‘I really want women to not be afraid of a little sparkle and shimmer,’ she says. ‘People seem to think mature women shouldn’t add any and it’s wrong.
‘My brand is really good for women of a certain age because our shimmer products are transparent and don’t look cheap and frosty.’
That range is Jones Road, named after a street in the Hamptons, and with it Brown has helped rewrite the rules on what women of a certain age can expect from their make-up.
Launched four years ago, the clean, simple-to-use products were a huge success straight out of the gate and the brand is on track to being her second $1 billion company.
The first, of course, is the one that still carries her name, which she launched in 1991. She sold to Estee Lauder in 1995 but stayed on as chief creative officer. The deal was reportedly worth £58million, making Bobbi a multi-millionaire at 38.
Now she’s giving me a play-by-play cosmetics masterclass in where I’ve been going wrong all these years.
‘Find an eyeshadow in a shade you don’t have to blend or soften, and don’t be afraid of black eye pencil. It can be a little strong for daytime, but it’s a good switch for evening.
Bobbi Brown launched Jones Road during the pandemic in 2020 and the brand is on track to becoming her second $1 billion company after she sold her first to Estee Lauder in 1995
‘However much mascara you think you need, add more. It makes such a difference and opens eyes. Most women over 50 are going to need something to add definition, as we lose our eyebrows and lashes.’
‘Finally, if you add more blusher and a touch of highlighter on your cheek you’ll look dazzling – then it really doesn’t matter what you put on your lips.’
Bobbi takes me through all the products she uses when creating her signature ‘no make-up make-up’.
‘Let me see. I start with moisturiser and sunscreen and then two different products on my eyes, to conceal dark circles and brighten.
‘There’s foundation to even out my skin and then eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, some blush, maybe bronzer, then something for the lips, probably gloss.’
By my calculations that’s 12 products. Isn’t that rather a lot when the aim is to look like you’re not wearing any?
‘It’s not about ‘less’ – I’m not saying wear hardly any make-up,’ says Bobbi firmly. ‘If you could clear that up for the world, I’d be grateful.
‘I’m saying that if you choose the right colours and formula, you can deal with things like how to make hooded eyes stand out, how to make your skin even, how to fill in sparse brows.’
It’s a reassuringly practical vision. When it comes to contouring and other modern, social-media beauty tricks, Bobbi has no time for them.
‘Some other make-up brands really believe you can transform your face by contouring and doing all these complicated over-the-top things. It’s too much. I can’t even do contouring on myself, I just look like I have a dirty face.’
She says instead, when you want a fancy look, master how to do a smokey eye.
‘The name puts some people off but really it’s just a diffused brown eye. It looks good on any age as it makes eyes stand out so much and it’s great for glasses wearers too.’
Bobbi famously can do her make-up in four minutes flat, using the mirror of her car sun visor before heading to work.
‘I’m 67 years old. I need make-up but I’m also one of those people who is always dashing, always late, always doing a million things so I require a quick routine.
‘I use my fingers to apply most of it, you don’t need a big kit full of brushes. Women who fall in love with Jones Road say it’s the easiest thing they’ve ever used, because you never look like you have bad make-up on.’
Jones Road may be a runaway success now, but there was a time its very existence seemed unthinkable.
When Bobbi sold her namesake business, she signed a 25-year ‘non-compete’ contract, meaning she wouldn’t be able to launch a rival cosmetic brand until 2020 when she would be 63.
Back then, Bobbi believed she’d be done with the industry by the time she was in her 60s. It was only after she walked away from Estee Lauder in 2016 (and the right to use her own name in the beauty industry) that she realised this wasn’t the case.
Eager to reinvent herself, Bobbi had a charm necklace engraved with the date when her non-compete contract expired. It was on that exact day – October 26, 2020 – that she launched Jones Road, undeterred by the Covid pandemic.
‘For me, it had to be that day,’ she says. ‘When you work for other people, whether good, bad or indifferent, you are not being you. You’re compromising.
‘I needed to signal that I was back and there was a new sheriff in town. We took the brand to four big PR firms in New York and all of them said: ‘Don’t do this now.’ But what was I waiting for? There would always be a reason to not launch.’
The pandemic also changed attitudes towards make-up with women, particularly those in midlife, wanting to make fewer, longer-lasting, easy-to-apply purchases. And that’s what Jones Road offers.
In the UK, it is sold exclusively at Liberty. In the US there are eight stores in upmarket areas like the Hamptons and Palm Beach. However, 95 per cent of sales are online.
Bobbi puts her success down to quality and the fact she’s not selling ‘a box of hope’, but rather products that make a difference from the moment they’re applied.
‘I know I need something to work immediately. I’m not waiting 28 days for my skin to turn around.’
And she’s a great believer that looking good can make you feel good.
‘We know ageing makes you look tired. Teaching people how to not look tired with make-up actually makes you feel more energised. It’s crazy how the mind works with the body like that.’
As a champion of natural ageing, it’s clear Bobbi has had no work done herself and is happy to admit to dark circles, thinning brows and uneven skin tone. she admires women in the public eye who have not had work done.
Supermodel Christy Turlington, 55, gets a special mention.
‘So many of her peer models have either just let themselves go or have done so much preservation that you don’t even know who they are any more,’ she says.
‘And how about Naomi Watts [aged 56], now the voice of women of a certain age in menopause? Clearly, she hasn’t done anything to her face and she just looks incredible.’
Going grey, though, is one thing Bobbi is not prepared to embrace.
‘My dark hair makes me feel younger. I’m not ready to go grey and I think I would look totally washed out. For certain women grey hair improves their beauty but I’m not one of them.
‘I used to say I’d stop dyeing my hair at 60, then I moved that to 70 and now I’m saying 80.’
It may be dyed but her hair has the thick abundance of a woman half her age, the result of a ‘miracle’ solution. ‘Menopause and then the stress of the pandemic left me with the worst thinning hair. I had to wear tape-ins (extensions) to pad it out. A friend recommended a micro-dose of minoxidil.
‘I’ve been on it a year and my hair is so thick now. My brows have grown in too. You do get a little more fuzzy around the chin but I bought this great little machine, called Nood. It’s laser hair removal, you do it at home.’
While 38-year-old Bobbi couldn’t envisage still wanting to work in her 60s, 67-year-old Bobbi can’t imagine ever giving it up.
‘I can’t ever see myself not working, especially now I’m now really good at getting that work and life balance right.’
Much of that is due to Steven, the real estate mogul husband she married 36 years ago. Today he is the chairman of Jones Road, while her son Cody is acting CEO and her daughter-in-law Payal is head of brand.
How does Bobbi manage working so closely with her husband?
‘He still has his own business that he’s busy and involved in, he’s not up in all my junk. He’s there for the things I need him for. I’m aware that when it comes to work, I can be a bit of an emotional artist and he’s good to have on hand for that voice of reason. But, equally, there are times when I listen to what he says and don’t agree.’
Today, as well as her brand, Bobbi’s greatest joy is being a grandmother to Lily, aged two.
‘It’s the cherry on my ice-cream sundae,’ she says. ‘When Lily comes rushing into the room calling out ‘Bibi’, it’s the best thing.’
As for the future, as well as another grandchild due in February, Bobbi plans to carry on expanding Jones Road.
‘I’m not into golf, gardening, tennis or anything like that. What else am I going to do?’ she shrugs.
HOW TO GET BOBBI’S LOOK
Bobbi shared three of her favourite party looks which our make-up artist recreated on model Lauren.
BOLD LIP
BOBBI SAYS: ‘I love the red lip. It’s modern, sophisticated and chic.’
HOW TO: We began with What The Foundation in Beige, The Face Pencil in 9 and 11 then finished the brows with The Brow Gel in Ash. We then gave the cheeks some warmth with The Best Blush in Pop. The star is The Lip Tint in Ruby, a vibrant red.
PRODUCTS: What The Foundation (£42), The Face Pencil (£24), The Brow Gel (£23), The Best Blush (£27), The Lip Tint (£26).
SMOKEY EYE
BOBBY SAYS: ‘The smokey eye is both soft and wearable. The diffused smokey eye looks great on anyone and on any skin tone.’
HOW TO: We started with The Best Pencil in Black and gently smudged it before adding The Best Eyeshadow in Smokey Grey on the lid for definition. We put Sparkle Wash in Gilded on top for shimmer. We finished the lashes with The Mascara and brows with The Brow Pencil in Brunette.
PRODUCTS: The Best Pencil ( £22), The Best Eyeshadow (£24), Sparkle Wash (£24), The Mascara (24), The Brow Pencil (£22).
CLEAN AND FRESH
BOBBI SAYS: ‘I love this look – it’s chic, dresses up any outfit and works every time.’
HOW TO: Using The City Lights Kit, we started with the complexion and polished the brows with The Brow Pencil in Blonde and The Best Eyeshadow in Ash. We used The Bronzer in Dusty Rose before applying the Miracle Balm shade in The City Lights Kit –Chic, a dusty mauve.
We layered three Just A Sec eyeshadows – Linen, Baby Pink then Pewter. We lined the lips with The Lip Pencil in Nude Rose and applied Cool Gloss in Rosy. We finished with The Mascara and the Mini Miracle Balm in Magic Hour for a cool, wintry highlight.
PRODUCTS: The Brow Pencil (£22), The Best Eyeshadow (£24), The Bronzer (£32), Just A Sec (each eyeshadow £25), The Lip Pencil (£21). The City Lights Kit: Includes Mini Miracle Balm in Chic and Magic Hour, The Mascara and Cool Gloss in Rosy (£60).