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Writer's pictureLindsey Walsh

Being Authentic with Bobbi Brown

Lindsey's Pick | just ordered the Miracle Balm

Use | Sustainable Makeup (ask your makeup artists if they use Jones Road)

Price | $18 to $44



This afternoon I got to listen in on a live interview with Bobbi Brown as she discussed being an entrepreneur and launching her new sustainable makeup company, Jones Road Beauty. I was very excited because I'm all for all things sustainable and curious to see what a woman synonymous with beauty was like in person.


Bobbi wasn't at all what I was expecting. Before today, I was anticipating Bobbi to resemble Meryl Streep's character from The Devil Wears Prada. Instead, she showed up in a navy sweater, a nice but understated necklace, and promptly took 30 seconds to apply her own makeup before starting. She's about as down-to-earth as it gets and it made me smile when she talked about the days of running her cosmetic company out of her home.


Twenty-five years after having sold Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to Estee Lauder, having authored multiple books, and having launched a new sustainable make-up brand, Bobbi was still easygoing and laid back. At one point she said, "I'm not fabulous, there's nothing fabulous about me. I'm just normal." The moderator responded by saying, "I'm sure I've heard people call you fabulous!" To which Bobbi said, "Fabulous in the normal sort of way."


Even today, she sees her company as a family company and her son is their Chief Marketing Officer and his wife does much of their branding. When asked what advice she'd give women who were considering reinventing themselves she said, "Health and family come first, work comes second. I'm lucky that I got to have a great family life and also a great career, but it comes second." She also recommended starting with your passion and figuring out what excites you, building the business around the passion. Bobbi started as a makeup artist and makeup has always been her passion.


She said she didn't start out to create a billion-dollar business (which Bobbi Brown Cosmetics did achieve) but instead, she just didn't like the intense makeup that was popular in the mid-1990s, so she decided to start her natural line of makeup. Because she was a makeup artist, to begin with, she also understood how hard it was for black and Asian women to find makeup tones that worked well with their skin. That's why she focused on offering a broad range of tones before other companies, she'd seen the issue first-hand.





Clean, strategic, high-grade formulations that work on every skin type and tone and that are as simple to use as they are the master. Jones Road is a lifetime of beauty knowledge, distilled. - Bobbi Brown, Founder



A CLEAN SLATE

No phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, PEGs, cyclic silicones, EDTA, or BPA. (Among many others.) We follow guidelines even more stringent than those of the E.U. to eliminate over 2,700 potentially harmful ingredients from our formulas. Because clean beauty is a no-brainer.






A Note from Bobbi


All of my endeavors start from my attempt to bridge the gap between What Is and What Could Be. I'm a person who is constantly taking mental notes, following the threads of my curiosity, asking questions.


Four years ago, after I left Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, one of those questions was: Why can't I find makeup products that are both clean and high-performance- that don't sacrifice one for the other?


Jones Road was born from a search for something that didn't yet exist. Because it didn't exist, I had to create it. What I wanted was the makeup equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife: easy, cool, multi-purpose products that could be used to nail any look, whether it be no-makeup makeup or something with more drama.


It began with the need to create formulas for my own kit. And then it became something much bigger. Jones Road is a growing collection of simple, smart products for all ages, skin types, and skin tones that help women achieve the no-makeup makeup look naturally- and an evolution of how good makeup can actually feel (as well as look).

I'm excited and honored to share the results with you.



1. Is the packaging recyclable?


Jones Road unit cartons are made from 100% recyclable Forest Stewardship Council®-certified post-consumer fiber. Our product shippers are also recyclable.


2. What are the Jones Road "clean" standards?


We follow even more stringent guidelines than those set by the E.U. to eliminate over 2,700 potentially harmful ingredients from our formulas. No parabens, phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, PEGs, cyclic silicones, EDTA, or BPA. Our products are also free of formaldehyde-releasers or donors; ethanolamine compounds; BHA and N+BHT; toluene; GMO; hydroquinone; triclosan; palmitate; methylisothiazolinone; methylchloroisothiazolinone; methyl cellosolve; benzophenone, oxybenzone, and its derivatives; benzalkonium chloride; triclocarban; bronopol; glycol ethers; ethoxylated chemicals; barium; urea; mercury or mercury compounds; sodium lauroyl sarcosinate; coal tar; nanoparticles; butoxyethanol; resorcinol and 2-methylresorcinol; and butylene/ethylene/styrene copolymer and ethylene/Propylene/styrene copolymer.

3. Are Jones Road products cruelty-free?


All Jones Road products are cruelty-free.



4. Are any Jones Road products Vegan?


The Mascara, most of our skincare, and our brushes are vegan. You can see our full vegan assortment here:https://jonesroadbeauty.com/search?q=vegan&type=product. Other products in our collection contain beeswax and carmine. While these ingredients aren’t vegan, we find them to be the best options for creating formulas that are both high-performing and safe.



What to try?

I just ordered my first Jones Road product - the miracle balm as it was a clear winner with the crowd. Also, the product description (which I copied below) is definitely in line with my makeup style - easy and simple!


It’s all in the name. Miracle Balm is the secret of no-makeup makeup: a wash of soft-focus moisture to perfect and enhance skin. A light-reflecting super product that’s as versatile as it is simple to use. Wear Miracle Balm alone or layer on top of foundation for an instant refresh.



Bobbi has followed her passion and it makes me happy to see such an established and successful entrepreneur focused on safe and clean makeup. I wish Bobbi, her family, and the whole Jones Road crew great success.


Until next time, I'll be digging in the dirt!


All the best,


Lindsey


 


This blog is a passion project where we explore all the earth-loving potential of weddings. Think of this as a fun and light-hearted place to find inspiration and ideas.


We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!


- Lindsey & Barbara




Growing Wild Floral Co |Sustainably-minded Wedding Florist | growingwild@msn.com

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