A Conversation with Make Up Star Bobbi Brown

Makeup professional Bobbi Brown is about to release her seventh book, titled Pretty Powerful: Stories to Inspire Confidence. In her new work, she chats with real women who have inspiring and unique stories – those powerful life altering events and memories that have led to these women coming out on top. Coupled with her insider tips and tricks, Brown’s focus this time is about sharing global common experiences that help women overcome, conquer, and excel. Here, she sheds some light to Life+Times on what to expect from her upcoming book, the trends she’s bee noticing throughout fashion month, and why, regardless of the price, drugstore finds are always key.

Life+Times: You’re about to release your seventh book. Can you tell us a little bit about the experience putting this together?
Bobbi Brown: Over the years I’ve worked with countless women who have inspired me with their stories. Beyond makeup, we’ve talked about life-altering events; everything from the joy of being a new mom to dealing with homelessness and divorce. With each conversation, these women have shown that when you have the will and the heart, almost anything is possible—and that’s what Pretty Powerful is all about. So with this book I wanted to share some truly motivating stories, plus amazing transformations from real women, celebrities and athletes. I, of course, had to include makeup tricks and insight, but what I really set out to do was tell women’s stories about beauty, confidence, overcoming insecurities, etc. I chose women who were my friends, who have inspired me a long the way, or who I knew had a great story to share.

L+T: The main focus of this book is ‘beauty’ and how it is defined, across the world, based on people’s ideas and perceptions. How would you define this word?
BB: I define beauty as being comfortable in your own skin. Beauty is confidence and vice versa.

L+T: What was the most inspiring thing you learned about yourself while putting this book together?
BB: I learned that the more open I was about telling my story, the more open the women were about sharing theirs. I also realized that I am sometimes really hard on myself and that I don’t look as bad as I think I do.

L+T: Over the years, how has your personal makeup application procedure changed? Are there any trends you’ve seen in both yourself and in women?
BB: I have always rocked the natural makeup look as long as I can remember. Were there days when I tried blue shadow or red lips? Sure, but that was more experimentation than anything else.

L+T: With Fashion Month currently taking place, what are some trends that you’ve noticed on the runways? How would you translate these to real life?
BB: All of the designers I worked with wanted to focus on skin for spring. I noticed a lot more dewy skin, as opposed to matte, finished skin. Glossy lids were big as was shine on the cheek. A smoky eye using more browns was very popular as well at the shows, which looks super natural and is easy to replicate. I called the spring season a study in flawlessness. It is really about perfect skin and flawless makeup application. No makeup makeup, which takes a good amount of makeup to achieve. I always say that if you see a trend on the runway, you need to be realistic about translating it to your everyday beauty routine. If you see a bright blue on the eyes, look for a blue shadow that compliments your skin tone. The same goes for bright colored lips. Bright purple, red and pink don’t look good on everyone. Look for a shade in the purple, red or pink family that works with the natural tones in your lips.

L+T: What are some of your favorite drug store beauty finds?
BB: Disposable sponges, Dr. Bronner’s soap, EO hand sanitizer and Colgate Wisps.

L+T: Also, I’m curious to know what your views are on scents, such as fragrances and perfumes? Do you have a scent that you always wear?
BB: I think fragrance evokes a mood, which I why I believe that women should have many of them in their fragrance wardrobe. I personally love fragrances that smell like the beach or are very clean, so I created Beach and Bath. For evenings out, I like to wear something that makes me feel a bit sexier, so I created a very special perfume oil called Bed.