Bobbi Brown
She upended the cosmetics world by insisting that makeup should look like skin, launching a billion-dollar empire from ten simple lipsticks.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American professional makeup artist and businessperson·Birthday: April 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bobbi Brown’s career began not in a corporate lab, but in a makeup kit she carried as a freelance artist in New York City. Frustrated by the garish, artificial colors that dominated the 1980s, she partnered with a chemist to create ten lipstick shades that actually matched real women’s lips. That small line, launched in 1991, became the foundation of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, a brand built on a philosophy of enhancement over disguise. She sold the company to Estée Lauder in 1995 but remained its creative force for decades, becoming a trusted voice who demystified beauty for millions. Beyond the counter, she evolved into a wellness entrepreneur and author, proving her influence extended far beyond a makeup bag.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bobbi was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bobbi Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bobbi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in 1991, built on her revolutionary concept of natural-shade lipsticks.
- Served as the brand's Chief Creative Officer for over two decades after its acquisition by Estée Lauder.
- Authored ten books on beauty and wellness, establishing herself as a leading expert in the field.
- Was named to Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2025.
Did You Know?
Her very first professional makeup job was for a Vogue cover shoot.
She is a certified health coach and has launched a lifestyle website focused on wellness.
Brown initially studied theatrical makeup at Emerson College in Boston.
“Makeup is a way for a woman to look and feel like herself, only prettier and more confident.”
