Bobbi Brown shares her beauty hot takes, from her thoughts on influencers to grunge makeup

When Dior launched its $40 lip oil in 2020, it changed the game. TikTokers became obsessed with the product, and now brands like NYX, Merit, Haus Labs, and ELF Cosmetics have created their own versions.

But what exactly is lip oil? It looks similar to gloss on the lips but is generally more hydrating and beneficial to the skin thanks to ingredients like natural oils, vitamins, and hyaluronic acid, as Elise Tabin reported for Byrdie.

But Brown doesn't fully see the appeal. When asked about the rise of lip oils, she simply replied: "They're not new and are too greasy for me."

And she's right about the first part. Brands like Clarins released lip oils long before Dior's became a viral sensation.

Name any beauty brand, and there's a good chance it offers a liquid blush in its product range.

Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty led the charge in 2019 when it launched its $23 Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. The product has become so popular with makeup fans that Bloomberg reported in 2023 that the brand reached $70 million in blush sales alone.

But even though liquid formulas — from Rare Beauty and other brands — are all the rage, Brown said you shouldn't choose your blush based on what type is trendy.

"It depends on the skin," she told BI. "Whatever blush works for you and your skin is fine, as long as it's the right color. It could be liquid, cream, or something else."

Though stars like Charlize Theron have warned against participating in the trend, many people are still into the thin, arguably over-plucked eyebrow style that was popular in the 1990s.

Models including Bella Hadid and Gabbriette have experimented with the look over the past year.

But when asked what she would do if the thin-eyebrow trend fully returned, Brown quickly said: "Run the other way."

"The last time they were on the rise, I allowed them to happen," she added. "And I would love nothing more than my bushy eyebrows to come back."

Beauty influencers and makeup artists have often embraced faux freckles over the years, most recently on TikTok in 2023. Brands like Freck Beauty have also popped up, selling products that create freckles with the swipe of a pen.

But what does Brown think of the natural-inspired makeup look?

After some hesitation, she said with a laugh: "They're cute — for a photo shoot."

Grunge beauty looks — messy hair, smudged eye makeup, loose sparkles, and pale lips — have taken over TikTok and recently become popular with stars like Hailey Bieber.

Of course, these modern looks are inspired by the grunge styles of the late '80s and early '90s, when Brown was starting her career.

"When grunge makeup was first popular — thank you, Marc Jacobs — I was a makeup artist working with Glamour and Mademoiselle," she told BI. "The covers, I can see them now. 'Grunge makeup. Grunge clothes.' So I was there for the original, and I got it back then. I don't get it now."

After all, Brown's makeup mission is to help people look effortlessly beautiful and embrace their natural features.

"You know Jones Road's hashtag? It's #HowNotToLookLikeShit," she said. "I always just want to look better."

"When celebrities say they have no makeup on, I'm like, 'Lady, you have eyebrows, and you have mascara,'" Brown said. "Pamela Anderson, though? Love her."

Anderson told Elle in 2023 that she stopped wearing makeup after her longtime friend and makeup artist Alexis Vogel died of breast cancer.

She's even embraced the natural look at major events like Paris Fashion Week, which she attended last year in stunning fashion and little to no makeup.

"I mean, my dream is to do no-makeup makeup on her," Brown said of Anderson.

In many ways, Jones Road doesn't need to work with influencers.

"We definitely don't do what the other brands do because, No. 1, they have me," Brown told BI.

But many content creators also don't fit Brown's vision for her brand.

"When I saw the content of girls with nails out to here digging their hand in Miracle Balm or doing makeup that was so over the top, I just was like, 'No, no, no, no, no, we can't do this. There's got to be people out there who are on brand.' And we found them," she said.

So Brown and Jones Road introduced "Friends of Bobbi's," or people she finds organically who happen to have a lot of social-media followers.

These everyday folks — which include a local restaurant hostess, someone Brown met at a farmers market, and a "white-haired wisdom who started as a fitness influencer" — model Jones Road products and work closely with the brand.

"So we don't pay influencers," she said. "We do hire content creators."