Call it the inevitable comeback: after her long run at Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown followed her instincts, christening Jones Road after a street she spotted on Waze and rebuilding a new beauty brand on her own terms. The “no-makeup makeup” pioneer is now back in the driver’s seat, happier than ever, and increasingly at home in Palm Beach. Along the way, she’s doubled down on the philosophy that made her a beauty icon—enhance, don’t conceal—while minting modern cult heroes like her best selling Miracle Balm.
In a candid conversation with PALMER, Brown reflects on mentors, reinvention, and the confidence to trust your gut.
What does the title “Still Bobbi” mean to you?
Still Bobbi’ means that throughout my life, I’ve never forgotten where I came from. At heart, I’m a very grounded Midwestern girl from the Chicago suburbs. I’ve had a life that’s exceeded my dreams. I’ve had highs and lows like everyone has, but at the end of the day, I’m still me. My values haven’t changed. I still show up for my family, for my work, for life. That’s who I am…still me, still Bobbi.
You’ve said we should focus on what our upbringings gave us rather than what they didn’t. What did yours give you?
My Papa Sam immigrated here from Europe and built one of the largest car dealerships in Chicago. He was the first entrepreneur I knew and saw in action. He taught me the value of hard work and building relationships in your community. My father was a lawyer by trade but always prioritized his creative endeavors like painting and writing children’s books. He gave me permission to pursue a creative career. And my very glamorous mother nurtured my very early love affair with makeup.
Both your mother and your father gave you some life-changing pieces of advice when you were just starting out. What were they?
My mother was the one who encouraged me to become a makeup artist when I was at a crossroads in my life. I was home from college and wanted to drop out of school because I was bored. Rather than let me drop out of college, she encouraged me to find my passion by asking me, “If it were your birthday and you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?” I answered that I wanted to go to Marshall Fields and play with makeup. That’s when she told me to become a makeup artist and that we’d find a college who would let me study it—which I found at Emerson College in Boston.
My Dad gave me some invaluable advice when I was a struggling makeup artist in NYC. I was complaining to my Dad about how I couldn’t keep a budget or make ends meet on my meager salary. When I asked him to help me learn budgeting, he refused. Instead, he said I needed to figure out how to make more money and that would solve the budgeting problem. And it did!
Where did you get your love of makeup and beauty from?
My Mother was the most glamorous woman I had ever seen and I loved watching her do her makeup as she was getting ready to go out with my Dad. Every Sunday, she would include me in her own beauty routines—face masks, moisturizing treatments and doing our eyebrows. At a very early age, I saw how my Mom would make herself and she’d instantly become more confident and happier.
How have your definitions of beauty and wellness evolved over the course of your life?
Over the years, I’ve realized that true beauty and wellness is more about being confident and feeling comfortable in your own skin. It’s really not about any singular product or regime.
How did you deal with imposter syndrome as you climbed the ladder?
I never really experienced feeling like I wasn’t talented enough or that I wasn’t worthy of being in the rooms I found myself in. I had confidence in my own skills and my “no-makeup makeup” aesthetic, even when it wasn’t popular in the 90’s when I was coming up in the industry. I did sometimes feel like I wasn’t tall enough, skinny enough or pretty enough to be in the fashion industry, surrounded by supermodels, but I quickly realized that I could never compete with them so I leaned further into just being myself.
Why did you ultimately decide to break from Estée Lauder?
You can read all about this in the book and you can decide whether I left or got fired. But, I stayed as an employee of Estee Lauder for 22 years after they bought Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. For most of those years, it was magical. I had the support of Leonard Lauder and the executive team and we grew the company to over 1 billion dollars. But then, at the end of tenure, there were management changes and decisions were being made without me. One thing you can always count on is change, as nothing stays the same for ever. And that’s a good thing. I’m really good with change and if I didn’t leave Lauder, I wouldn’t have launched Jones Road Beauty and become the boss again. I’m happier now than I have ever been.
You recently attended Leonard Lauder’s memorial service. What can you tell us about this extraordinary local hero from having known and worked so closely with him?
Leonard was my mentor, friend and trusted advisor. He taught me everything I know about growing and nurturing a brand. He believed in me more than I believed in me sometimes. He gave me permission to always be myself and encouraged me to trust my gut and never ask permission—only forgiveness.
I had a three-hour long lunch with Leonard a couple years ago. We hadn’t seen each other since I had left Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in 2017, and I was nervous. But within minutes, we fell into an easy conversation between two friends. The love and admiration I felt for him at our first meeting nearly three decades earlier was stronger than ever. And he still wanted to talk business! He asked me about Jones Road—I told him everything about it, the growth we were seeing and the stores we were opening. He told me how proud he was of me, and that was all I ever wanted.
What’s the first thing you do when you arrive in Palm Beach?
Since I Iive in Palm Beach in the winters, the first thing I do when I arrive in January is spend a day unpacking and setting up the house again for the winter season. I’m an obsessive organizer and a very visual person so I can’t rest until I get everything in place and set up for the season ahead.
How did you come up with the name “Jones Road” for your comeback beauty brand?
The name Jones Road didn’t come from a team of experts around a conference table. It happened one day when my husband and I were driving. I was holding the phone to guide us, and Waze showed “Jones Road” as the street ahead. It wasn’t the turn we were supposed to take, but somehow the name felt like the direction I was about to take my new brand. That’s just how I operate. As a woman, as an entrepreneur, as a boss, things aren’t always planned or strategic. People who don’t know me probably think everything is carefully orchestrated, but honestly, nothing is. I follow my gut instinct.
What are the two questions that you always ask yourself in any situation?
What if? + Why not?
“What if?” is my curiosity talking about all the possibilities, even the ones that feel a little crazy. “Why not?” is me saying, okay, let’s actually try it.
What inspired you to popularize the “no-makeup” makeup look?
I’ve always believed in enhancing rather than altering a woman’s appearance. Faces are beautiful as they are, you don’t need to change them. If you’re constantly looking in the mirror thinking about what to fix, you’re doing it wrong. I wanted to create makeup that promotes confidence and self-esteem, something that lets women feel like the best version of themselves without hiding who they are.
How did you break into the cosmetic production industry?
I never set out to produce products. I was a working makeup artist in New York, frustrated that I couldn’t find lipsticks that were the color of people’s lips. So I started trying to make them myself. I started mixing colors to make my own lipsticks. I met a chemist on a photoshoot and he told me he could make them for me and he did. I started to give them to my friends and models. Then, an editor wrote about them in Glamour Magazine and people started buying them. Then, I happen to meet the cosmetics buyer of Bergdorf Goodman at a party and a few months later, I launched my line of 10 lipsticks at Bergdorf Goodman. We were expecting to sell 100 lipsticks in a month—we sold 100 of them on the first day.
Some of your best ideas were born of necessity—what is your favorite “surprise!” product?
Miracle Balm was a happy accident, and one of the best surprise products. I was just starting Jones Road and working with a new lab. They sent me some samples and they were not at all what I had asked for. I was skeptical, and a little angry about it, but then I put it on my face and immediately said, “Oh my God. This is a miracle!” That’s how it became our first product.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m endlessly curious. I have a very busy brain. I’m always thinking of new ideas. I don’t have any hobbies–I create things, and that keeps me very engaged. Oh, and my three-year-old granddaughter keeps me constantly inspired. I’m obsessed.
What would you say to yourself at 18, if you could go back?
* Don’t drop out of typing.
* Do weight lifting, not just cardio.
* Give yourself permission to do nothing when you need a break. I’m still working on this.
* It’s okay to be exactly who you are.
* Master the at-home blowout.
* You’re way cuter than you think you are.
* Make your bed.
* Chill out. I’m still working on this one too.
What inspired you to open a store in Palm Beach?
Palm Beach was the perfect location for a store. My husband and I live here for part of the year, so we’re familiar with the area. So many of our customers from our East Hampton store kept asking if we’d be opening in Palm Beach, since so many of them spend winters here. It felt like a no-brainer.
How would you define the Palm Beach look?
Colorful, Casual, Chic
What’s your favorite hidden gem in PB?
I’m obsessed with the sourdough bread by Breads by Johnny in West Palm Beach.
If you could host anyone, living or dead, for cocktails, who would it be?
Queen Elizabeth, of course.
Poolside or oceanfront?
Oceanside