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In the bustling city of Chicago, a beauty mogul reflects on her journey of empowerment and authenticity. Bobbi Brown, a visionary in the cosmetics industry, has crafted a beauty empire centered on enhancing natural beauty rather than altering appearances.
The inception of Bobbi Brown’s makeup line began with a simple yet transformative idea: 10 lipsticks in shades of “nude,” designed to complement an array of skin tones. This revolutionary approach marked the start of Brown’s influential career, a story she recounts in her recently published autobiography, “Still Bobbi.”
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During a stop on her book tour in her beloved hometown of Chicago, Brown shared insights into the women who have inspired her journey. Her connection to the city remains strong, despite spending much of her time on the East Coast.
“It’s always good to be home,” Brown remarked, a sentiment that underscores her enduring bond with Chicago, a place that continues to hold a special place in her heart.
Brown has spent most of her life on the East Coast, but Chicago is still home.
“I was born in Chicago, and we moved to Wilmette when I was probably a year old. My parents, by the time they were 25, they had three kids living in the suburbs,” Brown said. “My mother always looked perfect, and appearances were really everything to both of my parents.”
It was Brown’s late mother who helped her pinpoint what she wanted to do with her life.
After Brown graduated from New Trier High School, she bounced around, from one college to the next. Bored to tears and ready to drop out, Brown’s mother pointed her in another direction.
“She said, ‘you can’t. You have to graduate. If it was your birthday and you could do anything you want, what would you want to do?’ And I remember saying, ‘I want to go to Marshall Field’s and play with makeup.’ She said, ‘Well, that’s easy, why don’t you be a makeup artist?’” Brown said.
That conversation started Brown down the path that would lead to fame and fortune for helping women to look like themselves, but better. Her aesthetic is inspired, in part, by her mom, but also by another woman, a little farther down the family tree.
“Growing up with a very glamorous mother was wonderful, who cared about looks and beauty. But I also had Aunt Alice, who is the most simple, practical, well-read, educated woman, with the most wonderful love affair with my Uncle Albert. She’s such an amazing role model. I’m lucky that she’s the one I can call, on many things,” Brown said. “She is just common sense. She is smart, but pure on common sense. You ask her a question, she starts every sentence with, ‘Look, comma’ and then tells you.”
Aunt Alice, now 94 and living in a Wilmette retirement home says that catchphrase is intentional.
“And I always say, ‘Now look.’ And the minute I say that, she’s quiet and she listens. I learned that the second time I used it. I said, ‘Oh, I know how to get to her,’” Alice said.
The pair are still very close. And they share that down-to-earth ethos.
Speaking of family, while Brown was building her billion-dollar business. She was also raising her three sons.