INTERVIEW: Bobbi Brown On Beauty From The Inside Out, Her Latest Projects, Life After Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, And More

With just ten simple lipsticks, Bobbi Brown founded a beauty company that grew into a global empire. Now, after more than 20 years with her namesake company, the beauty industry luminary, world renowned makeup artist, and best-selling author has returned to her roots as a makeup artist and is also focused on a few new wellness projects.

In celebration of “Beauty from the inside out, done simply” – an intimate conversation with Brown at The Surf Lodge on Saturday, July 21, we caught up with the serial entrepreneur to learn more about her latest endeavors.

You left your namesake brand just 18 months ago, what does life after Bobbi Brown Cosmetics look like?

BB: Really different. I have started a wellness brand and I have pretty much reinvented myself with a very lean, mean team and a bunch of projects ranging from a hotel to wellness to an editorial site and more things on the horizon.

Tell me a bit about your recent ventures into the wellness space with Evolution_18 and justBOBBI.com.

BB: It’s something I’ve been pretty much a student of my whole life – wellness and how to feel better. I realized early on in order to look good you have to be healthy and beauty from the inside out was always what I taught – even before I taught people how to do makeup. My ninth book was actually called Beauty from the Inside Out and it was a book based on not what you put on your face, but what you put in it. Also, around the time I left the company I started at IIN, which is the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I actually have five weeks left and I will get my degree. I’ll be a certified health coach. It’s just something I’m passionate about, I find it really interesting and I learned a lot in school and now I get to use it with the products. justBOBBI.com is basically an editorial site and we made jokes that we brought the band back together. A lot of the team that worked with me at Yahoo Beauty early on are now working with me on justBOBBI and it’s really fun.

You also recently renovated The George Inn, a boutique hotel in your hometown, Montclair, New Jersey. Were you always interested in interior design and architecture?

BB: Not professionally. My husband is an incredibly talented developer and he has built everything from photo studios in Montclair to sports facilities. We’ve moved a bunch and have owned some different homes and we basically do everything together – so it’s been a passion but not something I’ve done professionally. It was actually the first project when I left the brand. My husband said, “Great. Let’s do this together.” It was our first project.

That must have been fun working with your husband.

BB: It was fun and interesting. I’m used to being the boss and in this collaboration I was definitely the sous chef.

What are some of your beauty/wellness must haves at the moment?

BB: People don’t drink enough water. It’s everything from your skin to how you feel to how you think. I’ve been putting a little sea salt in my water for hydration and it just makes such a huge difference. I also really love collagen, not the kind you shoot in your face, but the kind you ingest. I put a lot of collagen in the products and I drink them in my smoothies, put it in my coffee. I really do see that it helps.

What else are you working on at the moment?

BB: I have a bunch of projects, a few I can’t talk about, but more wellness products are coming out in the fall. We’re opening, which I’m really excited about, a direct to consumer site for Evolution_18 – because it was exclusive to QVC for 3 months.

Would you ever think about starting another makeup/skincare line?

BB: I am really, really interested now in the clean space in makeup and skincare. I’ve been using a lot of different things and I’ve been experimenting with things. Never say never. Beauty is in my blood. I’m also with an agent and I am a makeup artist again and I’ve been doing shoots. That’s been really fun.

Currently, Evolution_18 offers Overnight Vanilla, a 60 calorie, creamy, vanilla drink that boasts collagen, hyaluronic acid, and coconut oil; a quick melt Probiotic with 10 billion live cultures; Strengthen, nutrient rich capsules that promote shiny hair, stronger nails and firmer skin; and Afternoon Chocolate, a chocolate drink featuring pasture-raised, grass-fed whey protein with vitamins and minerals that can be served hot or cold.

For more information about Evolution_18, visit evolution18.com.