Ask the Expert | Bobbi Brown

What was it like being a pioneer of natural beauty back in the Eighties?

I was raising a family, living in the suburbs, doing interviews with Vogue editors on the phone, hoping they didn’t hear my baby spitting up in the background. They wanted to write about fabulosity! Back then, everything was so over-the-top and over-packaged. But I was always myself. And I saw beauty as similarly authentic. I always preferred models to look like themselves. Or at least an enhanced version. I definitely struggled. It was hard to find editors and photographers who saw makeup the way I did. But I look back now and I’m like, I was right!

Everyone is into clean, natural beauty now. 

Women, and certainly the young girls today, they don’t wear a lot of makeup. They’re into health and wellness. You don’t need much makeup. Even if you’re going out, it’s so chic to not do a lot of makeup. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was my style icon and crush. She always looked so effortless. She’d wear a red stain on her lips and that was it. It still looks so modern.

What is your all-time favorite beauty look?

I did a shoot with Bridget Hall for the cover of Allure years ago. She has freckles, full lips that are stained a bit, and some brown eyeshadow. It doesn’t look dated at all. My favorite look is one that doesn’t appear dated.

Least favorite?

Caked-on contoured makeup that completely changes the way someone looks. It’s the kind of makeup that I see everywhere on Instagram makeovers. I always prefer the ‘before.’

You love a natural look. 

Yes, but today, when you say ‘natural,’ people think of Kim Kardashian, where everything is beige. That’s not natural. Natural to me is when freckles show through, when skin looks fresh and has a healthy glow.

How do you create that look?

Don’t use foundation. I don’t wear it anymore; I don’t even use it on set. Skin looks best when it’s bare. I use touch-up sticks on the nose and on spots, concealer corrector under the eyes, and brown shadow for eyebrows, liner, even lips—it’s great as lipstick on darker-skinned women, mixed with a little balm. I love a cream blush. I use a couple colors: bronze on cheeks, forehead, nose and chin; and a pinker one on the apples of the cheeks and lips. And then I throw on some black mascara.

Very few products!

My personal kit is quite small. I could show up to a shoot with a ziplock filled with 10 things.

Do you try a lot of new products or stick to a certain favorites?

I try things all the time, and like some things better than others. I’m someone that loves formula. It’s really the formula that I look for. I like branding too. Some brands are all about the visuals. Rarely do you find one like Costa Brazil that does great formula and branding together. It is so chic, all around.

How do you like to use Costa Brazil?

I use the Body Oil right after the shower. I towel dry myself then massage it in. I take what’s leftover on my hands and use on my hair for flyaways. The Face Oil gives you a hydrated look that I love. I use it right after the shower, and then I put a little on an eyebrow brush and go over my brows with it. It’s also great on top of some cream blush. I lightly pat it on for added luminosity. You don’t need much makeup beyond that.