Bobbi Brown

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Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown at Pre-White House Correspondents' Dinner Reception Pre-Party.jpg
Brown in 2014
Born (1957-04-14) April 14, 1957 (age 68)
Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.
Occupations
Years active1980−present
Known forFounder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
Height5 ft 0 in (1.52 m) [1]
Spouse
Steven Plofker
​
(m. 1988)​
Children3
Logo
Bobbi Brown logo 2013.gif

Bobbi Brown (born April 14, 1957) [2] is an American professional make-up artist, author, and the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] She created ten natural-shade lipsticks which according to Entrepreneur "revolutionized the beauty industry". [9] She has written ten books about beauty and wellness. [10] [11] [12] [13] In 2025, Time magazine listed her as one of the world's 100 most influential people. [14]

Contents

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. [15] [16] [17] Brown also started a line of beauty-inspired wellness products. [18] [19] and launched a second beauty line, Jones Road, in 2020. Brown curates an editorial website. [20] [21] She and her husband Steven Plofker redesigned The George, a boutique hotel located in Montclair, New Jersey. [22] [23]

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois to a Jewish family, Joe and Sandra Brown, [24] Brown graduated from New Trier High School and from Emerson College in Boston with a degree in theatrical makeup and photography. [4] [5] [25] [26] In 1980, she moved to New York City to work as a professional makeup artist. [4] [10] Brown became known for a makeup style that included moderate and natural tones, which was a stark contrast to the bright colors used commonly at the time. [4] [27] [28]

Cosmetic lines

Bobbi Brown Essentials

In 1990, Brown worked with a chemist to come up with ten natural lipstick shades. [10] [24] 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. [29] She was expecting to sell 100 in a month but instead sold 100 in a day. [30] [25] The following year, she released yellow-toned foundation sticks. [29]

Estée Lauder bought the company in 1995, retaining Brown as an employee of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and Brown retained creative control of the makeup line. [24] [4] [5] [31]

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. [4] [2] In 2012, her cosmetics were estimated to represent approximately ten percent of Estée Lauder Companies' total sales. [24] As of January 2014, there were approximately thirty free-standing Bobbi Brown cosmetics stores. [31]

In December 2016, it was announced that Brown would step down from the company by the end of the year. [32] [33] [34] Following this, she continued creating new lines and participating in the beauty industry through other projects like beauty podcasts, [35] a makeup MasterClass, [36] and her website JustBobbi.com. [37]

Jones Road

In late October 2020, Bobbi Brown launched her second beauty brand, Jones Road. [38] The launch marked 25 years since she first sold her original line, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, due to a 25-year non-compete agreement she'd signed with Estee Lauder. [39] It has been described as a "clean beauty" brand. [40] [41] 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." [42] 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. [43] In an interview with the Financial Times in September 2024, it was revealed that the brand's revenue in its first year was $20mn, and expected to be over $150mn in the current financial year, with a valuation approaching $1bln. [44]

Other product lines

Brown has a collection of fragrances [29] [45] and a collaboration with In 2013 Safilo Group S.p.A. for an eyewear collection. [46] [47] She is a creative consultant at Lord & Taylor. [48]

Other activities

Evolution 18

In 2019, she founded Evolution_18, [49] a “lifestyle-inspired wellness line”. [50] The products she developed for the line included supplements, collagen, and effervescent tablets, [51] and were sold at outlets including Walmart. [52]

The George Hotel

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, [53] and after they purchased it, they renovated the property and renamed it the George Hotel. [54] [55] The hotel was opened in 2018 and has 32 guest rooms. [53] [56] [57]

18 Label

Brown cofounded 18 Label, a film and television studio based in New Jersey. Networks that have filmed in the studio include CNBC, BSTV, [58] and the Food Network. [59] The studio is housed in The Annex (also cofounded by Brown), an 11,000 square foot studio and event center. [60]

Brown has appeared on Food Network series, including The Kitchen. [61] [62]

Editorial work

Brown is the Beauty & Lifestyle Editor of Elvis Duran and the Morning Show . [63] She partnered with Duran to produce a "Elvis Duran bronzer" as a part of her cosmetics line. [64] Brown served as Yahoo Beauty's Editor-in-Chief from February 2014 to February 2016. [32] 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. [65] Brown has also written columns for PureWow, Naturally, and Danny Seo. [66] [67] [68] [69]

Books

YearTitleInternational Standard Book Number
1995Bobbi Brown Beauty: The Ultimate Resource [2] [29] ( ISBN   0-446-58134-8)
2000Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty: Everything You Need to Look Pretty, Natural, Sexy and Awesome

with Annemarie Iverson, New York Times Best Seller [70]

( ISBN   0-06-095724-7)
2002Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution: A Guide to a Lifetime of Beauty [25] ( ISBN   0-06-008881-8)
2007Bobbi Brown Living Beauty( ISBN   0-8212-5834-6)
2008Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro( ISBN   0-446-58134-8)
2010Bobbi Brown Beauty Rules( ISBN   0-811-87468-0)
2012Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful with Sara Bliss( ISBN   0-811-87704-3)
2014Everything Eyes with Sara Bliss( ISBN   978-1-4521-1961-8)
2017Beauty from the Inside Out [71]

Causes

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics launched the Pretty Powerful Campaign for Women & Girls on International Women's Day in 2013. [72] Pretty Powerful supports organizations that seek to empower women through job skills training programs and girls through education. [31] [73] Beneficiaries to date include Dress for Success (of which Brown is a former board member), [74] the Broome Street Academy High School, and the Girl Rising Fund. [31] [75] [76]

Personal life

Brown married executive Steven Plofker on September 10, 1988, [77] and together they have three sons. [78] They also have a daughter-in-law. [79] The family lives in Montclair, New Jersey. [80] She spends her summers in Sag Harbor of the Hamptons, New York. [81]

Recognition

Her work has been featured on the covers of magazines such as Elle , Vogue , Self , and Town & Country . [5] [82] [83] [6]

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. [84] [85] [86] 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. [87] [88] She holds honorary doctorates from Montclair State University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Monmouth University, and Emerson College. [89] [90] [91] [92] Following the release of her second makeup company in 2020, Allure magazine labeled Brown the "world’s patron saint of 'natural makeup.'" [93]

She was recognized as one of the BBC 100 Women of 2015. [94]

References

  1. ↑ Hou, Kathleen (9 September 2023). "At 66, Bobbi Brown Is Doing It Again". Elle . Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Donelson, Sophie (26 February 2009). "Bobbi Brown". TimeOut New York. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bobbi Brown to Step Down from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics". www.elcompanies.com. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brown, Bobbi (November 2007). "How I Did It: Bobbi Brown, Founder and CEO, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics". www.inc.com. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Welles, Linda (4 February 1990). "Style Makers; Bobbi Brown, Makeup Artist". The New York Times . Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  6. 1 2 Hindash, Saed. "New Jersey Hall of Fame inducts Grover Cleveland, Whitney Houston". NJ.com. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  7. ↑ Dougherty, Emily (21 September 2012). "The Pretty Powerful Bobbi Brown". Elle. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "Bobbi Brown Bio". www.premierespeakers.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Bobbi Brown Started a Beauty Empire with Just One Revolutionary Lipstick". www.entrepreneur.com. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Muther, Christopher. "Makeup class". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  11. ↑ Fearn, Rebecca (25 April 2017). "Bobbi Brown talks life after brand Bobbi & her exciting new project". Glamour. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "Bobbi Brown's winter beauty tips". The Today Show. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  13. ↑ https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2025/09/inside-nj-makeup-mogul-bobbi-browns-new-memoir-from-obama-to-springsteen-with-no-signs-of-stopping.html
  14. ↑ "Adam Scott: The 100 Most Influential People of 2025". TIME. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  15. ↑ Bliss, Sara. "Bobbi Brown 2.0: Reinventing Her Life and Career at 61". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  16. ↑ Gurley, George (31 March 2018). "Bobbi Brown is Ready to Slay the Wellness Industry. Nicely". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  17. ↑ Weatherford, Ashley (10 April 2018). "With Evolution_18, Bobbi Brown is Now a Health Guru". www.thecut.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  18. ↑ Danziger, Pamela. "Why Bobbi Brown Chose Walmart For Her New Line". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  19. ↑ Ioannou, Lori (15 February 2019). "Beauty Icon Bobbi Brown Reinvents Herself as a Wellness Guru". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  20. ↑ Reed, Sam (2 April 2018). "Bobbi Brown Launches Wellness, Lifestyle Brand". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  21. ↑ Shahid, Maisha. "justBOBBI.com: A New Lifestyle Platform From Bobbi Brown". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  22. ↑ Vora, Shivani (22 September 2018). "From Bobbi Brown, a Boutique Hotel in New Jersey". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  23. ↑ Minton, Melissa (20 February 2018). "See Inside Bobbi Brown's Newest Business Venture: The George". www.architecturaldigest.com. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Buck, Joan Juliet (17 February 2012). "The Mogul Next Door". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 Danielle Cantor. "Bobbi Brown". Jewish Women's International, Jewish Woman Magazine. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  26. ↑ Cooke, Jayna. "From The Inside Out: Bobbi Brown On Entrepreneurship, Beauty and Health". www.forbes.com.
  27. ↑ Long, April. "Beauty Insider: Bobbi Brown". Elle. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  28. ↑ "Bruce Weber Shoots Beauty Queen Bobbi Brown as Her Brand Turns 20". Barney's New York. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  29. 1 2 3 4 "The 411: Bobbi Brown". Style. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  30. ↑ "Bobbi Brown | Bio | Premiere Speakers Bureau". premierespeakers.com. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  31. 1 2 3 4 "What beauty means to an industry icon". AM New York. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  32. 1 2 Eytan, Declan. "Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Founder Steps Down from Company". Forbes. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  33. ↑ Brown, Bobbi. "Bobbi Brown: I'm Ready to Start Another Revolution". Refinery29. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  34. ↑ Draznin, Haley (12 June 2017). "Maekup mogul Bobbi Brown on her new venture: 'I am a start-up'". CNN. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  35. ↑ Hays, Kali (10 January 2020). "Bobbi Brown to Bow New Beauty Podcast". WWD. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  36. ↑ Robin, Marci (30 November 2019). "You Can Now Get Makeup Lessons Directly From Bobbi Brown on MasterClass". Allure. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  37. ↑ Singer, Maya. "What Bobbi Brown did next". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  38. ↑ Bailly, Jenny. ""Bobbi Brown is Back in the Game"". Allure. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  39. ↑ Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine. "Bobbi Brown is Back". Inc. magazine. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  40. ↑ "Bobbi Brown Adds Clean Skin Care to Her Buzzy New Makeup Brand". www.vogue.com. 16 February 2021.
  41. ↑ "Bobbi Brown isn't afraid of failure". fortune.com.
  42. ↑ "Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands". uk.style.yahoo.com.
  43. ↑ Rosenstein, Jenna (26 October 2020). "Bobbi Brown Is Back with Jones Road, a New Clean Makeup Brand". www.harpersbazaar.com.
  44. ↑ Flannagan, Kate (11 September 2024). "Bobbi Brown is en route to her second billion-dollar company". ft.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  45. ↑ "Bobbi Brown, fragrance collection". The Perfume Girl. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  46. ↑ "Bobbi Brown debuts new eyewear line". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  47. ↑ "Bobbi Brown Debuts Eyewear Collection". BWW Fashion World. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  48. ↑ "Health and Beauty Mogul Bobbi Brown Shares The Biggest Time Sucker -- and What You Can Do About It". www.entrepreneur.com. 21 December 2017.
  49. ↑ "Makeup Queen Bobbi Brown on Selling a Business, Starting Another". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  50. ↑ Griffith, Kathleen (4 January 2019). "Bobbi Brown Started a Beauty Empire With Just One (Revolutionary) Lipstick". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  51. ↑ Peter, Shannon (7 January 2020). "Evolution 18 wellness supplements review". Stylist. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  52. ↑ "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.
  53. 1 2 Vora, Shivani (22 September 2018). "From Bobbi Brown, a Boutique Hotel in New Jersey (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  54. ↑ "Explore Bobbi Brown's New Boutique Hotel, The George Inn". House & Home. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  55. ↑ Ramzi, Lilah (19 January 2018). "Bobbi Brown's Guide to "the Brooklyn of New Jersey," Home to Her New Hotel". Vogue. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  56. ↑ Minton, Melissa (20 February 2018). "Beauty Mogul Bobbi Brown Is Opening a Hotel in the Most Surprising Location". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  57. ↑ Lilit Marcus (15 March 2018). "Beauty maven Bobbi Brown is getting into the hotel business". CNN. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  58. ↑ "Local Announcement: 18 Label Studios Takes Center Stage in Montclair". Montclair, NJ Patch. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  59. ↑ "Why Bobbi Brown fell in love with Montclair | Video". NJ Spotlight News. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  60. ↑ Orel, Gwen (19 June 2018). "The Annex at 18 Label Studios aims to build community". Montclair Local News. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  61. ↑ "Treat Yourself to an At-Home Spa Day with Bobbi Brown's Edible Products". Food Network. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  62. ↑ "Bobbi Bares All | beauty guru Bobbi Brown". Food & Wine. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  63. ↑ "'I really wanted to do things differently' Bobbi Brown talks leaving namesake company and staying true to her passion - ABC News". abcnews.go.com.
  64. ↑ Elvis Duran (2020). Where Do I Begin? - Stories (I Sort of Remember) from a Life Lived Out Loud. Atria Books. p. 160. ISBN   9781982106348.
  65. ↑ Brown, Bobbi (27 August 2007). "Back-to-school beauty with Bobbi Brown". The Today Show. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  66. ↑ Gold, Allie. "Bobbi Brown Shares Beauty Tips for Fall". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  67. ↑ 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)
  68. ↑ Seo, Danny. "Naturally, Danny Seo Media Kit" (PDF). Naturally, Danny Seo. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  69. ↑ Brown, Bobbi. "Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself". justBOBBI. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  70. ↑ "Children's Best Sellers". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  71. ↑ "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.
  72. ↑ Beresiner, Sophie. "Bobbi Brown is Pretty Powerful". Elle UK. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  73. ↑ Kaiser, Rachel. "Girl Power! Bobbi Brown's Pretty Powerful Campaign". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  74. ↑ "Q&A With Bobbi Brown: How To Give Back". Forbes. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  75. ↑ "Dress for Success: Who We Are: Sponsors". www.dressforsuccess.org. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  76. ↑ 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.
  77. ↑ "S. D. Plofker, an Executive, Is Married to Bobbi Brown". The New York Times . 11 September 1988. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  78. ↑ Clack, Erin (21 August 2023). "Bobbi Brown Confesses She Has 'No Idea' How Much Her Hamptons Mansion Cost as She Gives Tour of Compound". People . Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  79. ↑ Duffy, Abigail (28 March 2024). "Meet Makeup Mogul Bobbi Brown". Palm Beach Illustrated. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  80. ↑ Galant, Debra. "The Makeup Maven of Montclair", The New York Times , February 16, 2003. Accessed November 28, 2007.
  81. ↑ Gould, Jennifer. "Bobbi Brown ditches Jersey Shore for Hamptons", The New York Post , June 27, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2020.
  82. ↑ "Voguepedia: Bobbi Brown". Vogue. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  83. ↑ Lawson, Carol (16 February 1997). "Bobbi Brown Puts Best Faces Forward". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  84. ↑ Solomon, Akiba (2 November 2010). "Women of the Year Turns 20: A Look Back at the Honorees". Glamour. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  85. ↑ WWD Staff (24 October 2008). "FGI's Night of Stars". WWD. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  86. ↑ "JRF to Honor Cosmetics Mogul Bobbi Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, and Vista Equity Partners Founder Robert F. Smith". Jackie Robinson Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  87. ↑ White House, Press Secretary (15 September 2010). "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". The White House, President Barack Obama. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  88. ↑ "New Jersey Hall of Fame Bobbi Brown". New Jersey Hall of Fame. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  89. ↑ "Founder and Chief Creative Officer: Bobbi Brown". Montclair State University. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  90. ↑ "SUNY Honorary Degrees Awarded Through FIT". Fashion Institute of Technology. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  91. ↑ "Cosmetics Pioneer Bobbi Brown and Energy Industry Leader Joseph Rigby to Address May 2017 Graduates". Monmouth University. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  92. ↑ "Emerson announce four honorary degree recipients". Emerson College. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  93. ↑ "Bobbi Brown Is Back in the Beauty Game". www.allure.com. 6 February 2021.
  94. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2015: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
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