Few entrepreneurs can say they’ve built one of the most successful beauty brands in America. Bobbi Brown has built two. She’s the rare founder who created a line of lipsticks, sold it to Estée Lauder in 1995, and then—plot twist—did it all over again at 63. The day her 25-year non-compete with Estée Lauder ended, Brown launched Jones Road Beauty in 2020, a line of minimalist products designed to deliver that elusive no-makeup makeup look. So far, that second act is even more successful than the first, proving that in business—as in revenge—timing is everything.
Brown has a new memoir, Still Bobbi, that combines hard-earned business wisdom with her signature no-BS straight talk: “Shit happens,” she writes about her departure from Lauder. “Be sad. Be angry. Be hurt, relieved, scared, and in doubt. Then do something about it.” At 68, she’s both energized and grounded—powered by protein shakes, Miracle Balm, hip-hop dancing, and a life motto about self-acceptance that could also be a tagline for her makeup.
WAKE-UP TIME: 6:00 AM.
BREAKFAST: A protein shake or oatmeal with berries.
VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS: Digestive enzymes, electrolytes, and AG1.
SNACK: A rice cake with fresh turkey or peanut butter and jelly.
COCKTAIL: The drink I coined called the Bobbi Rocks. It’s vodka or tequila with fresh cucumber juice, lemon juice, mint, and a giant ice cube.
WORKOUT: Weight training and daily walks.
ENERGY SAVIOR: A half hour in my Human Touch Massage Chair. A friend told me about it, so I went to check it out at a place called Relax the Back. It’s $10,000. You lie in it, it looks like a spaceship, and it’s like getting a great massage. Even if I go in for 10 or 15 minutes, it’s worth it!
PRODUCTIVITY HACK: I create a shared to-do note with my assistants to track what I need to do and what I’ve already done. Then I can sneak in time to finish what’s left during breaks at photo shoots or between meetings.
TRACKER: Oura ring.
FEELING ABOUT TRACKER: It’s a lifesaver for me! I don’t go anywhere without it, and I use it to track everything about me. Even my doctors love it.
GO-TO TREATMENT: Sofwave. It tightens, lifts, and it’s really subtle. I look better and more rested, and to me, that is everything as I get older.
MOOD LIFTER: My grandkids or hip-hop dancing. I love music and I love dancing. I once jumped on stage with Flo Rida, and it changed my life. I was at a small concert and met him before the show. He got onstage and said, “Where’s my new friend Bobbi Brown?” I dropped my purse and ran onstage. I did have a martini before. He took his gold chain off and put it on me, and I danced. I’ll be calling Flo to do my 70th birthday.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Caviar and potato chips.
SMALL HABIT THAT’S MADE A BIG CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE: Dedicating the morning to exercise, even if it’s just a quick walk. It sets me up for the day, and I feel great after.
LIFE MOTTO: “I am me.” It means this is who I am now, and I am okay with it. And I’m okay even if you’re not. Too many people spend years wishing they were someone else. When you accept yourself for who you are, then it’s “I am me.”
JET LAG HACK: Deep breaths, electrolytes, and lots of eye cream.
DESERT ISLAND PRODUCT: Jones Road Hippie Stick and our Everyday Sunscreen.
FIRST BEAUTY PRODUCT: My mother’s stick bronzer. It made me look tan and was always a confidence booster.
MAKEUP HEROES: Jones Road Miracle Balm, mascara, The Best Pencil, eye cream, and sunscreen.
BIGGEST MISTAKE WOMEN MAKE WITH THEIR MAKEUP: Contour. I think it gives the wrong message that you need to change your face. You don’t; you look great the way you are.
PRO MAKEUP TIP THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW: Your foundation should be the exact color of your skin and coincide with your body color.
HAIRCARE ESSENTIALS: Color every two weeks and oral minoxidil. I don’t have the attention span to apply some goop and wait for something to happen.
SCENT: Shower and BKLYN, both by Jones Road.
DAILY UNIFORM: Oliver Logan jeans, Håndvaerk classic tee, Prada navy sweater, Steve Madden or Gucci loafers, and Caddis glasses.
PAST STYLE REGRETS: I thinned out my eyebrows when it was popular, but I would run the other way if that came back in style. There was a perm I regret, and the very expensive clothes from a stylist in the East Village, which included leather pants that I never wore.
BEAUTY TREATMENT YOU’LL NEVER EVER DO AGAIN: Ulthera. The pain was worse than childbirth for me. I felt it in my gums and my teeth.
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE, WHAT WOULD IT BE: I’ve always wanted to know what it felt like to have long legs. I have a mirror from Target that cost $9.99 and I have it in all my houses. It makes me look like Gisele, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I walk out feeling like a much taller person.
PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF: I haven’t taken the advice, but it’s to learn how to chill and recharge. Sometimes I don’t know if I should take an Adderall or a Xanax, so I don’t take either.
ON STARTING A NEW BUSINESS IN YOUR 60s: The best part is being a boss and having the knowledge about what to do and not to do. The worst part is sometimes my friends or my kids ask, “Do you want to have lunch or go to the beach?” and I can’t. My schedule is so packed, but I just have to suck it up.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL? When I am on vacation anywhere. I don’t realize how much self-induced stress I have, but when I’m away, I get to breathe a little bit.
WHEN ARE YOU HAPPIEST? When I am with my family on the beach in the Bahamas, I’ve just had a vodka on the rocks, and I’m holding my granddaughter.
BEST THING ABOUT GROWING OLDER: Not caring about the things I used to care about. I can show up to an event with my hair in a ponytail and still be okay. I never would have gone out before without a full head-to-toe coiffing. Letting go is really a nice thing!
Holly Parmelee, formerly an associate publisher at Little, Brown and Company, is an editor and writer at Serendipity magazine
