Bobbi Brown finds renewal after moving on from the brand she built
The makeup pioneer reflects on career setbacks, creative freedom and starting over
ALL WOMEN. BEAUTY IS MORE OF A CALLING THAN A CAREER FOR BOBBI BROWN. WORK FOR ME IS NOT WHAT I HAVE TO DO. IT’S WHAT I CHOOSE TO DO. THE MAKEUP ARTIST, ENTREPRENEUR AND AUTHOR MADE A NAME FOR HERSELF IN THE 1990S WITH HER NO MAKEUP, MAKEUP LOOK AND EPONYMOUS COSMETICS LINE. I LOVE CREATING, I LOVE WORKING WITH A CREATIVE TEAM, CREATIVE PROCESS. I LOVE ALL OF IT. BROWN’S INNOVATIVE SPIRIT PROSPERED EARLY AT EMERSON COLLEGE IN BOSTON, WHERE SHE MAJORED IN THEATRICAL MAKEUP AND MINORED IN PHOTOGRAPHY. EMERSON ALLOWED ME TO CREATE MY OWN MAJOR, AND THAT WAS EPIC. I HAD TO GO OUT AND GET PEOPLE TO WORK WITH ME, YOU KNOW, IN THE SCHOOL TO GET CREDIT. SO I LEARNED HOW TO HUSTLE, AND I LEARNED HOW TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR. THOSE LESSONS CAME IN HANDY WHEN BROWN STARTED WORKING AS A MAKEUP ARTIST IN NEW YORK CITY. SHE COULDN’T FIND THE COLORS AND FORMULAS SHE WANTED, SO SHE MADE HER OWN. SO I STARTED ALMOST LIKE FIGURING OUT HACKS, HOW TO MAKE IT LOOK BETTER. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I STARTED TO HAVE A STYLE WHICH WAS ENHANCING NATURALLY, PEOPLE’S FACES. AND THAT’S WHAT I GOT KNOWN FOR. HER BRAND WAS SUCH A SUCCESS. ESTEE LAUDER BOUGHT IT. I HAD 20, 20 GREAT YEARS AND TWO TERRIBLE YEARS, REALLY HARD YEARS, AND I WOULDN’T TRADE THAT EXPERIENCE FOR ANYTHING. IT’S GOOD TO HAVE THE HARD THINGS AND NOT RUN AWAY FROM THEM. BROWN SAYS SHE WAS BLINDSIDED RIGHT BEFORE HER 60TH BIRTHDAY. YOU FEEL LIKE, IN ESSENCE, YOU WERE FIRED? YES, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO TAKE CREATIVE CONTROL AWAY. BUT JUST HAVE YOU AS KIND OF A FIGUREHEAD, RIGHT? IT WAS REALLY HARD. ALL SORTS OF EMOTIONS, YOU KNOW, ANGER, SADNESS JUST FELT LIKE MY LEGS WERE CUT OFF. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THE BRAND THAT SHE CREATED WITH HER NAME ON IT WAS NO LONGER HERS. BUT IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR BROWN TO FIGURE OUT HER NEXT STEPS. I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AND GOT MY DEGREE AT INSTITUTE OF INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION AS A HEALTH COACH, AND THEN I WAS STARTING TO CLEAN UP THE CHEMICALS IN MY HOUSE. THE SHAMPOOS. BROWN STARTED DABBLING AGAIN AND GOT BACK INTO BEAUTY, LAUNCHING HER NEW LINE IN 2020. JONES ROAD. WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT THE PRODUCTS IS THAT ANYBODY CAN USE THEM. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A SUPER PRO. I WANTED TO LAUNCH JONES ROAD THE DAY MY NON-COMPETE WAS UP BECAUSE I COULD. THIS LINE FOCUSES ON PRODUCTS THAT MULTITASK, ACCENTUATE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE, AND ARE FREE OF POTENTIALLY HARMFUL INGREDIENTS. OUR MIRACLE BOMBS IS WHAT WE’RE KNOWN FOR. YOU CAN NOT ONLY USE IT ON YOUR CHEEKS, BUT ON YOUR NECK TO TAME THE FLYAWAYS YOUR LIPS. IN 2025, BROWN RELEASED HER 10TH BOOK, HER FIRST MEMOIR, STILL BOBBY. AND I’M SO HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE I’M NOT THE FIRST PERSON THAT EITHER GOT FIRED, LOST SOMETHING, LOST. SOMEONE, BROKE UP. YOU GOT TO GO THROUGH IT. YOU GOT TO GO THROUGH IT TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE. THAT MESSAGE AND HER MAKEUP RESONATES. FANS LINED UP FOR BROWN’S BOOK SIGNING AT THE JONES ROAD STORE AT THE STREET CHESTNUT HILL. IT’S FRESH FOR EVERYBODY. IT’S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, COLOR BASED OR ONLY ONE BLOCK OF WOMEN. IT’S A VARIETY OF WOMEN. I THINK IT’S A VERY GOOD MESSAGE FOR WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE. EMBRACE YOUR AGE AND WHAT YOU’VE BECOME AND WHAT YOU COULD BECOME, BECAUSE WOMEN HAVE A PATH AND IT’S NEVER TOO LATE. AND SHE’S PROVED THAT. THAT’S GREAT. AND IF YOU’RE WONDERING THE NAME, THE STORY BEHIND THE JONES ROAD NAME, WELL, BOBBY WAS DRIVING AROUND AND SHE SAW A STRE
Bobbi Brown finds renewal after moving on from the brand she built
The makeup pioneer reflects on career setbacks, creative freedom and starting over
Updated: 8:22 PM EST Jan 7, 2026
Beauty has always been more of a calling than a career for Bobbi Brown. “Work for me is not what I have to do,” she said. “It’s what I choose to do.”The makeup artist, entrepreneur and author rose to prominence in the 1990s with her signature “no-makeup makeup” look and her eponymous cosmetics line. Brown’s creative instincts took root early at Emerson College in Boston, where she designed her own major in theatrical makeup and learned how to hustle, collaborate and think like an entrepreneur.After moving to New York City, Brown struggled to find products that matched her vision. She began making her own, developing a style focused on enhancing natural features. That approach made her brand a success and eventually led to its acquisition by Estée Lauder.Brown spent two decades with the company before she says she was blindsided just before her 60th birthday. She said she effectively lost creative control of the brand that bore her name. “It was really hard,” Brown said, describing feelings of anger and loss. “I didn’t know what to do.”The setback didn’t last long. Brown went back to school to study nutrition and began rethinking the ingredients she used in her daily life. In 2020, when her noncompete agreement expired, she launched a new beauty line, Jones Road Beauty, focused on clean, multitasking products designed for everyday use.In 2025, Brown released her 10th book and first memoir, “Still Bobbi,” reflecting on failure, resilience and reinvention. Fans lined up for a recent book signing at the Jones Road store at The Street Chestnut Hill, drawn to a message that resonates beyond makeup.“You gotta go through it to get to the other side,” Brown said. For many supporters, her story is proof that it’s never too late to start again.
Beauty has always been more of a calling than a career for Bobbi Brown. “Work for me is not what I have to do,” she said. “It’s what I choose to do.”
The makeup artist, entrepreneur and author rose to prominence in the 1990s with her signature “no-makeup makeup” look and her eponymous cosmetics line. Brown’s creative instincts took root early at Emerson College in Boston, where she designed her own major in theatrical makeup and learned how to hustle, collaborate and think like an entrepreneur.
After moving to New York City, Brown struggled to find products that matched her vision. She began making her own, developing a style focused on enhancing natural features. That approach made her brand a success and eventually led to its acquisition by Estée Lauder.
Brown spent two decades with the company before she says she was blindsided just before her 60th birthday. She said she effectively lost creative control of the brand that bore her name. “It was really hard,” Brown said, describing feelings of anger and loss. “I didn’t know what to do.”
The setback didn’t last long. Brown went back to school to study nutrition and began rethinking the ingredients she used in her daily life. In 2020, when her noncompete agreement expired, she launched a new beauty line, Jones Road Beauty, focused on clean, multitasking products designed for everyday use.
In 2025, Brown released her 10th book and first memoir, “Still Bobbi,” reflecting on failure, resilience and reinvention. Fans lined up for a recent book signing at the Jones Road store at The Street Chestnut Hill, drawn to a message that resonates beyond makeup.
“You gotta go through it to get to the other side,” Brown said. For many supporters, her story is proof that it’s never too late to start again.
