The Face Behind The Make-Up

WORDS: LIV MORGAN

As we find ourselves living in a world where it has become ‘trendy’ to wear rainbow rich palettes of loud, brash tones, it is refreshing to find a make-up artist who supports the ‘no make-up’ make-up look! Simple, flattering and wearable is the order of the day when it comes to Bobbi Brown. “The reason I do what I do is to empower women. I believe that makeup is a way to help women look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident,” says Bobbi.

A“Rather than trying to change or distort a woman’s features, I use make-up to enhance the features that make her unique. I believe that with the right knowledge and products any woman can look and feel her best which in turn gives a woman the confidence to feel good about herself.”

As a woman who is renowned for her unconventional definition of beauty, “a strong brow, bedroom eyes, a bump on the nose”, Bobbi believes that many of us are missing the point. “When I look at a woman I don’t see what’s wrong with her, I see what’s right – I don’t compare her to society’s current definition of beauty. True beauty is about accepting and feeling good about who you are, not conforming to an unrealistic standard.”

Almost two decades ago Bobbi Brown Essentials launched in Bergdorf-Goodman in New York. Hailing from Chicago, Bobbi earned a degree in theatrical make-up and then started a freelancing make-up career in the Big Apple. The make-up trends in the 80’s – white skin, red lips and contoured eyes – were far from Bobbi’s ideal. A chance meeting with a chemist resulted in the creation of ten brown-based lipsticks. Fashion editors, models and the ordinary consumer on the street were mesmerised by the new look.

The intention was to sell 100 lipsticks within a month but that happened within the first day of trade. Bobbi Brown Cosmetics was an immediate hit, and so began the era where women started enhancing themselves rather than masking their natural beauty.

“The biggest mistake a woman can make is trying to look like someone other than herself. Whether she goes out without a stitch of make-up or with a full face, a woman’s real beauty is reflected in how she feels about herself. I’ve always believed in showing women what’s right about them instead of what’s wrong.”

Read more about Bobbi Brown in the Winter 2009 issue of WMB