Bobbi Brown

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This article is about the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. For the daughter of Whitney Houston, see Bobbi Kristina Brown. For other uses, see Bobby Brown (disambiguation).

Bobbi Brown
Brown in 2009
Born (1957-04-14) April 14, 1957 (age 66)
Wilmette, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Make-up artist, businesswoman, entrepreneur
Years active1980−present
Known forFounder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
Height5 ft 0 in (152 cm)
SpouseSteven Plofker (m. 1988)
Children3

Bobbi Brown (born April 14, 1957)[1] is an American professional make-up artist, author, and the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.[2][3][4][5][6][7] She created ten natural-shade lipsticks which according to Entrepreneur "revolutionized the beauty industry".[8] She has written nine books about beauty and wellness.[9][10][11]

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.[12][13][14] Brown also started a line of beauty-inspired wellness products.[15][16] She curates an editorial website.[17][18] She and her husband Steven Plofker reimagined The George, a 32-room boutique hotel located in Montclair, New Jersey.[19][20]

Logo of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

Biography[edit]

Born in Chicago, Illinois to a Jewish family, Brown graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a degree in theatrical makeup and photography.[3][4][21][22] In 1980, she moved to New York City to work as a professional makeup artist.[3][9] 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.[3][23][24]

She and a drugstore chemist created a line of ten lipsticks on beige pigment. 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.[21] Estée Lauder bought the company in 1995, retaining Brown as an employee of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.[3][4][25] In October 2016, Brown stepped down from the company.[26][27]

Her work has been featured on the covers of magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Self and Town & Country.[4][28][29][5]

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.[30][31][32] 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.[33][34] She holds honorary doctorates from Montclair State University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Monmouth University, and Emerson College.[35][36][37][38] Following the release of her second makeup company in 2020, Allure magazine labeled Brown the "world’s patron saint of 'natural makeup.'"[39]

Cosmetic lines[edit]

Bobbi Brown Essentials[edit]

In 1990, Brown worked with a chemist to come up with ten natural lipstick shades.[9][40] In 1991, the ten shades debuted under the name Bobbi Brown Essentials at Bergdorf Goodman.[41] She was expecting to sell 100 in a month but instead sold 100 in a day.[42] The following year, she released yellow-toned foundation sticks.[41] Estée Lauder Companies Inc. bought Bobbi Brown Essentials in 1995, but Brown retained creative control of the makeup line.[40]

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.[3][1] In 2012, her cosmetics were estimated to represent approximately ten percent of Estée Lauder Companies' total sales.[40] As of January 2014, there were approximately thirty free-standing Bobbi Brown cosmetics stores.[25]

In December 2016, it was announced that Brown would step down from the company by the end of the year.[43] Following this, she continued creating new lines and participating in the beauty industry through other projects like beauty podcasts,[44] a makeup MasterClass,[45] and her website JustBobbi.com.[46]

Jones Road[edit]

In late October 2020, Bobbi Brown launched her second beauty brand, Jones Road.[47] The launch marked 25 years since she first sold her original line to Estee Lauder.[48] It has been described as a "clean beauty" brand.[49] 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."[50] 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.[51]

Other product lines[edit]

Brown has a collection of fragrances[41][52] and a collaboration with In 2013 Safilo Group S.p.A. for an eyewear collection.[53][54] She is a creative consultant at Lord & Taylor.[55]

Evolution 18[edit]

In 2019, she founded Evolution_18,[56] a “lifestyle-inspired wellness line”.[57] The products she developed for the line included supplements, collagen, and effervescent tablets,[58] and were sold at outlets including Walmart.[59]

The George Hotel[edit]

In 2015, Brown and her husband acquired a historic inn located in Montclair, New Jersey, which was built as a private residence in 1902. It became the Georgian Inn in the 1940s,[60] and after they purchased it, they renovated the property and renamed it the George Hotel.[61][62] The hotel was opened in 2018 and has 32 guest rooms.[60][63][64]

18 Label[edit]

Brown cofounded 18 Label, a film and television studio based in New Jersey. Networks that have filmed in the studio include CNBC, BSTV,[65] and the Food Network.[66] The studio is housed in The Annex (also cofounded by Brown), an 11,000 square foot studio and event center.[67]

Brown has appeared on Food Network series, including The Kitchen.[68][69]

Media work[edit]

Editorial work[edit]

Brown is the Beauty & Lifestyle Editor of Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.[70] She partnered with Duran to produce a "Elvis Duran bronzer" as a part of her cosmetics line.[71] Brown served as Yahoo Beauty's Editor-in-Chief from February 2014 to February 2016.[43] A chance meeting with the grandmother of a producer of NBC's Today led to a 12-year run as a regular beauty consultant on the show.[72] Brown has also written columns for PureWow, Naturally, and Danny Seo.[73][74][75][76]

Books[edit]

Year Title International Standard Book Number
1995 Bobbi Brown Beauty: The Ultimate Resource[1][41] (ISBN 0-446-58134-8)
2000 Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty: Everything You Need to Look Pretty, Natural, Sexy and Awesome

with Annemarie Iverson, New York Times Best Seller [77]

(ISBN 0-06-095724-7)
2002 Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution: A Guide to a Lifetime of Beauty[21] (ISBN 0-06-008881-8)
2007 Bobbi Brown Living Beauty (ISBN 0-8212-5834-6)
2008 Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro (ISBN 0-446-58134-8)
2010 Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules (ISBN 0-811-87468-0)
2012 Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful with Sara Bliss (ISBN 0-811-87704-3)
2014 Everything Eyes with Sara Bliss (ISBN 978-1-4521-1961-8)
2017 Beauty from the Inside Out [78]

Causes[edit]

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics launched the Pretty Powerful Campaign for Women & Girls on International Women's Day in 2013.[79] Pretty Powerful supports organizations that seek to empower women through job skills training programs and girls through education.[25][80] Beneficiaries to date include Dress for Success (of which Brown is a former board member),[81] the Broome Street Academy High School, and the Girl Rising Fund.[25][82][83]

She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2015.[84]

Personal life[edit]

Brown married Steven Plofker in 1988[85][better source needed] and together they have three sons.[citation needed] The family lives in Montclair, New Jersey.[86] She spends her summers in Sag Harbor of the Hamptons, New York.[87]

References[edit]

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  2. ^ "Bobbi Brown to Step Down from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics". www.elcompanies.com. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Brown, Bobbi (November 2007). "How I Did It: Bobbi Brown, Founder and CEO, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics". www.inc.com. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d Welles, Linda (4 February 1990). "Style Makers; Bobbi Brown, Makeup Artist". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  5. ^ a b Hindash, Saed. "New Jersey Hall of Fame inducts Grover Cleveland, Whitney Houston". NJ.com. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  6. ^ Dougherty, Emily (21 September 2012). "The Pretty Powerful Bobbi Brown". Elle. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
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  9. ^ a b c Muther, Christopher. "Makeup class". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
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  13. ^ Gurley, George (31 March 2018). "Bobbi Brown is Ready to Slay the Wellness Industry. Nicely". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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  37. ^ "Cosmetics Pioneer Bobbi Brown and Energy Industry Leader Joseph Rigby to Address May 2017 Graduates". Monmouth University. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
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  50. ^ "Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands". uk.style.yahoo.com.
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  55. ^ "Health and Beauty Mogul Bobbi Brown Shares The Biggest Time Sucker -- and What You Can Do About It". www.entrepreneur.com. 21 December 2017.
  56. ^ "Makeup Queen Bobbi Brown on Selling a Business, Starting Another". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
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  58. ^ Peter, Shannon (7 January 2020). "Evolution 18 wellness supplements review". Stylist. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  59. ^ "Bobbi Brown Created a Collagen Beauty Shot to Give You Youthful Skin — and It's Only $10 at Walmart". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
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  67. ^ Orel, Gwen (19 June 2018). "The Annex at 18 Label Studios aims to build community". Montclair Local News. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
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  69. ^ "Bobbi Bares All | beauty guru Bobbi Brown". Food & Wine. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  70. ^ "'I really wanted to do things differently' Bobbi Brown talks leaving namesake company and staying true to her passion - ABC News". abcnews.go.com.
  71. ^ Elvis Duran (2020). Where Do I Begin? - Stories (I Sort of Remember) from a Life Lived Out Loud. Atria Books. p. 160. ISBN 9781982106348.
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  73. ^ Gold, Allie. "Bobbi Brown Shares Beauty Tips for Fall". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  74. ^ Editors, PureWow (31 January 2020). "Dear Bobbi: Please Tell Me How to Apply Concealer So It Covers Up Dark Circles". PureWow. Retrieved 13 August 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  75. ^ Seo, Danny. "Naturally, Danny Seo Media Kit" (PDF). Naturally, Danny Seo. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
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  78. ^ "Bobbi Brown wanted to leave makeup out of her latest book". Observer. 17 April 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
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  83. ^ Del Russo, Maria (8 March 2013). "Bobbi Brown Makes Women Pretty and Powerful". Pop Sugar. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  84. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2015: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  85. ^ "Bobbi Brown | Make-Up Department". IMDb. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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  87. ^ Gould, Jennifer. "Bobbi Brown ditches Jersey Shore for Hamptons", The New York Post, June 27, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2020.

External links[edit]

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