Staying True to Yourself as an Entrepreneur with Cosmetics Legend, With Bobbi Brown
Limitless Life
Melyssa Griffin
4.9 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2018
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
I feel like a lot of us go through those pre teen years where we just feel unattractive and awkward, and I was no stranger to feeling like an ugly duckling myself. Meanwhile, my idols were people like Hilary Duff and Britney Spears, beautiful women who looked nothing like me. Around that time when I was in junior high school, my mom bought me a book that was all about natural beauty. It was written by today’s guest, Bobbi Brown, and I didn’t realize it then but that book was a catalyst that helped me see myself in a whole new light. It celebrated diverse forms of beauty that I had yet to see in the media.
Bobbi Brown is still prolific in the beauty industry, and you’ve probably heard of her makeup company, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. The company was purchased by Estee Lauder in the 1990s, and she served as Chief Creative Officer there for more than 20 years. Now she has moved on to start an all natural supplement brand called Beauty Evolution, as well JustBobbi.com, an editorial and lifestyle platform. Bobbi has been a pioneer in the natural beauty space with a motto that says, “the secret to beauty is simple: be who you are.”
During our inspiring conversation, Bobbi and I chat about what it was like to create a brand that emphasized natural beauty in the late 80s, when the most popular beauty trends involved big, bold and unnatural makeup. We also talk about what it was like to go from being a makeup artist to running an enormous global brand, as well as the decisions she made that helped to set her company apart from all the other beauty brands out there. Whether you’re a makeup fanatic, a champion for helping people feel comfortable in their skin, or an entrepreneur looking for tips from a super-savvy business woman, this interview is for you!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Pursuit with Purpose. I'm your host, Melissa Griffin, and I know firsthand that it's |
| 0:07.0 | way too easy to slip into the rat race of competition and comparison. This podcast is all about |
| 0:14.0 | meaning and fulfillment and how to bring it to your life today and every day. So let's get into it. |
| 0:28.2 | Hello there, Pursuit with Purpose Tribe. So I feel like a lot of us go through those awkward preteen years where we just feel unattractive and awkward. And I was certainly |
| 0:34.8 | no stranger to feeling like an ugly duckling. I actually remember towering |
| 0:39.0 | over everyone else, having acne before it seemed reasonable, and being born with curly hair |
| 0:45.1 | that was a perpetual frisball because I didn't know how to take care of it. And meanwhile, my idols |
| 0:51.3 | at that time were people like Hillary Duff and Britney Spears. |
| 0:55.3 | So I was surrounded by examples of these beautiful women who looked nothing like me. |
| 1:01.5 | And I'd get teased a lot for what I looked like. |
| 1:03.6 | And I just had plenty of moments of wishing I had a different face and body. |
| 1:09.0 | And around that time, when I was in junior high school, my mom |
| 1:12.9 | bought me a book all about natural beauty, which was written by Bobby Brown. Now, I didn't realize |
| 1:18.3 | it then, but that book was a catalyst that helped me see myself in a new light, because not only did |
| 1:24.9 | it include images of women showing off their natural, imperfect features, |
| 1:29.5 | but it also celebrated diverse forms of beauty in a way that I hadn't really seen in the media so far. |
| 1:36.8 | And it just made me feel a little more normal. |
| 1:40.4 | And it gave me a hint of this new courage to feel comfortable with who I was. |
| 1:45.4 | Now, fast forward to today, and Bobby Brown is still prolific in the beauty industry. |
| 1:50.9 | You've probably heard of her makeup company, Bobby Brown Cosmetics, which was acquired by Estee Lauder in the 90s, and where she served as the chief creative officer for more than 20 years. |
| 2:02.7 | Now Bobby Brown has moved on from her cosmetics company to start an all natural supplement |
| 2:07.9 | brand called Beauty Evolution, as well as just Bobby.com, an editorial and lifestyle platform. |
... |
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