Bobbi Brown Beauty

Bobbi Brown: Hi. I am happy to be here and I am looking forward to answering your questions.

Bobbi Brown: I don't think that it will harm your skin to use the self-tanning. You have to be careful not to look too orange. I also recommend you try a tinted moisturizer that should even out your skin tone and be very gentle, not to cause breakout.

Bobbi Brown: My own personal style is low key, simple, and done in the backseat of the car or at stoplights, due to my three children at the moment.

Bobbi Brown: Make sure your skin is hydrated. The right moisturizer makes a huge difference. You are doing the best thing to use sunscreen but don't forget to wear hats. I am a big fan of baseball caps.

Bobbi Brown: Lipstick is not meant to stay on all day. The long-lasting ones that do stay on look cakey and dry and not very flattering. My suggestion to keep lipstick on longer is with a lipstick on underneath, but use a tawny color that is close to your lips and that will look more natural. Make sure you fill in the whole lip and then put your lipstick on top. Two hours would be a great amount of time to keep your lipstick on.

Bobbi Brown: Yes. I believe that 99 percent of women have yellow undertone, even the very fair. If your skin is very light, it has to be a very pale yellow tone. Our "porcelain" foundation works well for very pale skin, with only a bit of yellow in it.

Bobbi Brown: That is a terrible story! The right color foundation in a creamy formula would be a perfect way to cover breakouts or blemishes. Make sure the texture isn't too drying. Stick foundation works well for this. On top of the foundation make sure you use a small amount of loose powder and very minimal lipstick, possibly a lip gloss is best.

Bobbi Brown: In three easy steps: A pop of brighter blush -- my favorite is bright pink; a shimmering or slightly darker lipstick; and charcoal or black applied along the lash-line is a very minimal and perfect look for evening.

Bobbi Brown: Mixing lipstick color is not only a perfect but also an efficient way to find the right color. A lip palette is great for cutting your lipsticks into small pieces, and then with a brush you can be really creative!

Bobbi Brown: Your eyes will look beautiful in the gray and slate tones. It is very soft and a cool tone rather than a warm tone, and you can add a small amount of "shell" (a soft pink) to give a little bit of color without making your eyes look red. Another option is "Heather," which is a soft tone for the eyes.

Bobbi Brown: The biggest problem in drugstores is there aren't many testers so it is hard to tell how the foundation, blush, or lipstick looks on you. Sometimes spending a little more on foundation will save you in the end because you won't have to buy three or four.

Bobbi Brown: Most long-lasting lipsticks are not flattering on most women's lips. They are too drying. I think the style now is to have some sheen or shimmer on your lips, and that is hard to get with a matte lipstick.

Bobbi Brown: I think that the look in makeup should be whatever goes with your style. My preference is natural makeup. To me it is not makeup that is hardly there but what is right for your skin tone. My advice is to not always have a natural makeup but experiment with different colors that look good on you. This spring natural makeup will be really in again.

Bobbi Brown: I like to get a good facial about twice a year. I think monthly facials are not worth it. You can take care of your skin yourself. I much prefer to get a massage!

Bobbi Brown: We don't have a marketing team. I am the one in control of that. Our products in name try to describe the color.

Bobbi Brown: An even coverage with a light foundation and powder applied with a powder puff will tone down any redness and stay away from blush. Use a bit of bronzer if you need it on the cheeks.

Bobbi Brown: It is actually the segment I am doing Tuesday morning on the "Today" show: "Holiday Make-Unders!" You don't have to always go for red lipstick. Shimmer is fun and easy to apply. A silver or pink shimmer on your eyelid with lots of black mascara. A slightly bright blush pinky or plum. Try a soft lip with a shimmer and a deeper lip line but make sure that pencil is blended.

Bobbi Brown: I am the beauty editor and I am on once a month. It happens to be this Tuesday. If you want to see me more, write in!

Bobbi Brown: Stick to shimmer that is a little more natural and has less pigment. I never use it on the body. It doesn't make sense. I like to use it on the nails, lips, and eyes. I don't like it on the cheeks, as it makes artificial highlights and makes anyone's lines appear more obvious.

Bobbi Brown: Make sure that the area around your eye is not too creamy or greasy. If you use an eye pencil, it is too emollient so it tends to smear. Use a powder shadow on top of your eye pencil to keep it on. Two other tips: Make sure you use a loose powder on top of your concealer, and instead of pencil use a matte or dense shadow with a damp eyeliner brush, and it will stay on longer.

Bobbi Brown: Ah -- thank you, thank you, thank you!

Bobbi Brown: Bronzers are definitely good all year long. You might use a lighter shade in the winter. If your bronzer turns you dirty looking or orange try a lighter shade.

Bobbi Brown: The sticks will not clog your pores. I like the sticks for convenience. They can be applied as sheer or dense as you like. A liquid foundation is just another option.

Bobbi Brown: Try to pick a color that is close to your lip tone. For me it is "Nude." For someone with darker skin it is "Raisin," and for someone who is very fair I recommend "Barestain." Or try sheerer lipsticks. They are easier to wear.

Bobbi Brown: Makeup brushes help your application so it is easier and more precise. Good makeup brushes are worth everything. Just make sure you take care of them and cleanse them every few months.

Bobbi Brown: Yes. One of the old makeup rules is lipstick and blush should be in the same tone. If you wear pink lipstick, tawny looks good. You can also use a pop of a brighter pink blush. With more red lipstick tawny also looks good, but put a pop of rose blush that has more red in it.

Bobbi Brown: My inspiration for the book comes from what I believe in beauty -- that everybody has it! And that I feel that simplicity is the way to go. Beauty is obtainable to all women.

Bobbi Brown: Anyone who has dry skin or dry parts needs moisturizer. It is important to keep your skin hydrated, which will improve the way your skin looks. The four most important things you can do for your skin: enough sleep, proper skin care, drink a lot of water, and exercise. And I almost forgot -- good nutrition!

Bobbi Brown: Some of my favorite aren't necessarily the most beautiful, although Brooke Shields and Christy Turlington share incredible beauty and are two of the nicest people I have met. Doing Donna Shalala was incredible fun for me and in exchange she gave my family a tour of the White House -- which was definitely a highlight.

Bobbi Brown: AHA means alpha hydroxide acids, and they are an ingredient in skin lotion. You can buy them in any drugstore or department store. It is a fruit acid that exfoliates the skin. Sensitive skin should go for a low percent or avoid it all together. My face lotion has 4 percent, which works for most types.

Bobbi Brown: Start with concealer and foundation. Next either blush or lipstick. These are the first most important.

Bobbi Brown: There are many options. I prefer using a moisturizer with sunscreen for everyday use and using a foundation without sunscreen because the texture will be better. In warm climates where the sun is brighter I recommend using a higher SPF, at least a 30. And waterproof is recommended for humid areas.

Bobbi Brown: Well, this is very interesting because I just started working on a teenage book. There is a huge problem with women and self-image. It is across the board from young girls to women in their 80s, and I hope that in my lifetime I can help women feel good about themselves. The magazines do not help with so many young skinny models in the pages.

Bobbi Brown: It is really a process of learning to accept your face -- what you look like and who you are. It doesn't necessarily mean making your nose look bigger but trying to focus on your best features. If you have small lips -- play up your eyes. The point is women who have accepted themselves often look beautiful.

Bobbi Brown: Go to sleep early the night before and use a little extra concealer. Drink lots of water and don't forget a pop of blush will make you look more awake.

Bobbi Brown: Well, if you want any more information, you can visit my web site at www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com! Thanks!

"Imperfect" Beauty: Taking a "Flaw" and Making It Your Most Striking Feature

I love a cleft in a woman's chin. I love really pale skin. I love deep-set eyes, extremely full lips, and strong, hooked noses. For me, it's not "Oh, how do I fix it?" Rather, it's claiming the features that make you who you are and making the most of them. Some call these qualities "flaws," but I find that they are the key to finding one's own beauty identity.

My definition of perfect beauty is that it be unique and completely individual. Unfortunately, my way of thinking is not yet universally accepted. No one ever told me as a child that my deep-set eyes were beautiful--but I now know that they are a striking element of my look. No one ever says that freckles are nice--but I think they are beautiful and should never be hidden.

It happens all the time: The very feature women complain to me about is precisely what I find most beautiful. And it's no wonder women don't like these features, since most of us have never heard them complimented. In a perfect world, mothers would remind their daughters each morning how beautiful their strong noses are, how lovely their deep-set brown eyes or pale skin, and how special their curly red hair or full lips. In a perfect world, we would grow up to accept ourselves for our special traits and to be genuinely content with our natural looks. We would possess an endless amount of self-confidence.

But too often this is not the case. Mothers, themselves feeling insecure about a particular feature, pass that feature on to their daughters along with a sense of shame or insufficiency about it. Boyfriends or husbands pick up on a woman's feelings ofinadequacy, sometimes making her feel even worse. It is an unhappy cycle.

I refuse to accept that the only perfect beauty is that of a Barbie doll or a supermodel. Instead, I find beauty in the flaws, those characteristics that don't fit society's narrow definition of beauty. Sadly, women who have these characteristics have been taught not to like them. The challenge is to reverse this way of thinking.

Bobbi Brown: Hi. I am happy to be here and I am looking forward to answering your questions.

Bobbi Brown: I don't think that it will harm your skin to use the self-tanning. You have to be careful not to look too orange. I also recommend you try a tinted moisturizer that should even out your skin tone and be very gentle, not to cause breakout.

Bobbi Brown: My own personal style is low key, simple, and done in the backseat of the car or at stoplights, due to my three children at the moment.

Bobbi Brown: Make sure your skin is hydrated. The right moisturizer makes a huge difference. You are doing the best thing to use sunscreen but don't forget to wear hats. I am a big fan of baseball caps.

Bobbi Brown: Lipstick is not meant to stay on all day. The long-lasting ones that do stay on look cakey and dry and not very flattering. My suggestion to keep lipstick on longer is with a lipstick on underneath, but use a tawny color that is close to your lips and that will look more natural. Make sure you fill in the whole lip and then put your lipstick on top. Two hours would be a great amount of time to keep your lipstick on.

Bobbi Brown: Yes. I believe that 99 percent of women have yellow undertone, even the very fair. If your skin is very light, it has to be a very pale yellow tone. Our "porcelain" foundation works well for very pale skin, with only a bit of yellow in it.

Bobbi Brown: That is a terrible story! The right color foundation in a creamy formula would be a perfect way to cover breakouts or blemishes. Make sure the texture isn't too drying. Stick foundation works well for this. On top of the foundation make sure you use a small amount of loose powder and very minimal lipstick, possibly a lip gloss is best.

Bobbi Brown: In three easy steps: A pop of brighter blush -- my favorite is bright pink; a shimmering or slightly darker lipstick; and charcoal or black applied along the lash-line is a very minimal and perfect look for evening.

Bobbi Brown: Mixing lipstick color is not only a perfect but also an efficient way to find the right color. A lip palette is great for cutting your lipsticks into small pieces, and then with a brush you can be really creative!

Bobbi Brown: Your eyes will look beautiful in the gray and slate tones. It is very soft and a cool tone rather than a warm tone, and you can add a small amount of "shell" (a soft pink) to give a little bit of color without making your eyes look red. Another option is "Heather," which is a soft tone for the eyes.

Bobbi Brown: The biggest problem in drugstores is there aren't many testers so it is hard to tell how the foundation, blush, or lipstick looks on you. Sometimes spending a little more on foundation will save you in the end because you won't have to buy three or four.

Bobbi Brown: Most long-lasting lipsticks are not flattering on most women's lips. They are too drying. I think the style now is to have some sheen or shimmer on your lips, and that is hard to get with a matte lipstick.

Bobbi Brown: I think that the look in makeup should be whatever goes with your style. My preference is natural makeup. To me it is not makeup that is hardly there but what is right for your skin tone. My advice is to not always have a natural makeup but experiment with different colors that look good on you. This spring natural makeup will be really in again.

Bobbi Brown: I like to get a good facial about twice a year. I think monthly facials are not worth it. You can take care of your skin yourself. I much prefer to get a massage!

Bobbi Brown: We don't have a marketing team. I am the one in control of that. Our products in name try to describe the color.

Bobbi Brown: An even coverage with a light foundation and powder applied with a powder puff will tone down any redness and stay away from blush. Use a bit of bronzer if you need it on the cheeks.

Bobbi Brown: It is actually the segment I am doing Tuesday morning on the "Today" show: "Holiday Make-Unders!" You don't have to always go for red lipstick. Shimmer is fun and easy to apply. A silver or pink shimmer on your eyelid with lots of black mascara. A slightly bright blush pinky or plum. Try a soft lip with a shimmer and a deeper lip line but make sure that pencil is blended.

Bobbi Brown: I am the beauty editor and I am on once a month. It happens to be this Tuesday. If you want to see me more, write in!

Bobbi Brown: Stick to shimmer that is a little more natural and has less pigment. I never use it on the body. It doesn't make sense. I like to use it on the nails, lips, and eyes. I don't like it on the cheeks, as it makes artificial highlights and makes anyone's lines appear more obvious.

Bobbi Brown: Make sure that the area around your eye is not too creamy or greasy. If you use an eye pencil, it is too emollient so it tends to smear. Use a powder shadow on top of your eye pencil to keep it on. Two other tips: Make sure you use a loose powder on top of your concealer, and instead of pencil use a matte or dense shadow with a damp eyeliner brush, and it will stay on longer.

Bobbi Brown: Ah -- thank you, thank you, thank you!

Bobbi Brown: Bronzers are definitely good all year long. You might use a lighter shade in the winter. If your bronzer turns you dirty looking or orange try a lighter shade.

Bobbi Brown: The sticks will not clog your pores. I like the sticks for convenience. They can be applied as sheer or dense as you like. A liquid foundation is just another option.

Bobbi Brown: Try to pick a color that is close to your lip tone. For me it is "Nude." For someone with darker skin it is "Raisin," and for someone who is very fair I recommend "Barestain." Or try sheerer lipsticks. They are easier to wear.

Bobbi Brown: Makeup brushes help your application so it is easier and more precise. Good makeup brushes are worth everything. Just make sure you take care of them and cleanse them every few months.

Bobbi Brown: Yes. One of the old makeup rules is lipstick and blush should be in the same tone. If you wear pink lipstick, tawny looks good. You can also use a pop of a brighter pink blush. With more red lipstick tawny also looks good, but put a pop of rose blush that has more red in it.

Bobbi Brown: My inspiration for the book comes from what I believe in beauty -- that everybody has it! And that I feel that simplicity is the way to go. Beauty is obtainable to all women.

Bobbi Brown: Anyone who has dry skin or dry parts needs moisturizer. It is important to keep your skin hydrated, which will improve the way your skin looks. The four most important things you can do for your skin: enough sleep, proper skin care, drink a lot of water, and exercise. And I almost forgot -- good nutrition!

Bobbi Brown: Some of my favorite aren't necessarily the most beautiful, although Brooke Shields and Christy Turlington share incredible beauty and are two of the nicest people I have met. Doing Donna Shalala was incredible fun for me and in exchange she gave my family a tour of the White House -- which was definitely a highlight.

Bobbi Brown: AHA means alpha hydroxide acids, and they are an ingredient in skin lotion. You can buy them in any drugstore or department store. It is a fruit acid that exfoliates the skin. Sensitive skin should go for a low percent or avoid it all together. My face lotion has 4 percent, which works for most types.

Bobbi Brown: Start with concealer and foundation. Next either blush or lipstick. These are the first most important.

Bobbi Brown: There are many options. I prefer using a moisturizer with sunscreen for everyday use and using a foundation without sunscreen because the texture will be better. In warm climates where the sun is brighter I recommend using a higher SPF, at least a 30. And waterproof is recommended for humid areas.

Bobbi Brown: Well, this is very interesting because I just started working on a teenage book. There is a huge problem with women and self-image. It is across the board from young girls to women in their 80s, and I hope that in my lifetime I can help women feel good about themselves. The magazines do not help with so many young skinny models in the pages.

Bobbi Brown: It is really a process of learning to accept your face -- what you look like and who you are. It doesn't necessarily mean making your nose look bigger but trying to focus on your best features. If you have small lips -- play up your eyes. The point is women who have accepted themselves often look beautiful.

Bobbi Brown: Go to sleep early the night before and use a little extra concealer. Drink lots of water and don't forget a pop of blush will make you look more awake.

Bobbi Brown: Well, if you want any more information, you can visit my web site at www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com! Thanks!

"Imperfect" Beauty: Taking a "Flaw" and Making It Your Most Striking Feature

I love a cleft in a woman's chin. I love really pale skin. I love deep-set eyes, extremely full lips, and strong, hooked noses. For me, it's not "Oh, how do I fix it?" Rather, it's claiming the features that make you who you are and making the most of them. Some call these qualities "flaws," but I find that they are the key to finding one's own beauty identity.

My definition of perfect beauty is that it be unique and completely individual. Unfortunately, my way of thinking is not yet universally accepted. No one ever told me as a child that my deep-set eyes were beautiful--but I now know that they are a striking element of my look. No one ever says that freckles are nice--but I think they are beautiful and should never be hidden.

It happens all the time: The very feature women complain to me about is precisely what I find most beautiful. And it's no wonder women don't like these features, since most of us have never heard them complimented. In a perfect world, mothers would remind their daughters each morning how beautiful their strong noses are, how lovely their deep-set brown eyes or pale skin, and how special their curly red hair or full lips. In a perfect world, we would grow up to accept ourselves for our special traits and to be genuinely content with our natural looks. We would possess an endless amount of self-confidence.

But too often this is not the case. Mothers, themselves feeling insecure about a particular feature, pass that feature on to their daughters along with a sense of shame or insufficiency about it. Boyfriends or husbands pick up on a woman's feelings ofinadequacy, sometimes making her feel even worse. It is an unhappy cycle.

I refuse to accept that the only perfect beauty is that of a Barbie doll or a supermodel. Instead, I find beauty in the flaws, those characteristics that don't fit society's narrow definition of beauty. Sadly, women who have these characteristics have been taught not to like them. The challenge is to reverse this way of thinking.