A beautiful breakfast with Bobbi

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Earlier today, The Estée Lauder Companies helped celebrate Bobbi Brown’s 20th anniversary in the cosmetics industry, with a media breakfast at the Hélène Darroze Restaurant, at the Connaught Hotel.

La Brown herself was present at the event, looking far too youthful to be celebrating 20 years of anything. Dressed in jeans, a black sequinned top and a rather fabulous floaty scarf, she thanked all the writers present for their efforts, and showed off her wit and warmth in an impromptu Q&A session.


The Moodie Report’s Rebecca Mann with make-up maven Bobbi Brown

“I really appreciate all of the support I get [from the UK media], so thank you all,” Brown declared. “For me, beauty is simple and all about personal style. I’m probably best known for ‘natural’, but natural does not necessarily mean very little make-up. It’s all about individual style… and feeling good about yourself.”

Bobbi Brown President Maureen Case (a long-time supporter of the travel retail channel) revealed that the UK is now the single largest global market in the world for Bobbi Brown, outside North America. “Thank you for helping the consumer embrace Bobbi Brown,” she noted, revealing plans to open the first free-standing Bobbi Brown store in the UK.

“We believe our brand equity is involved in teaching, and the free-standing store format is a great way to express that,” she explained. “But we don’t preach to the consumer, we like to engage.”

Case concluded: “This [market] is a window on the world. If you are successful in London, you are successful everywhere.”

Over a suitably beautifying breakfast of fruit kebabs and egg-white omelettes, each journalist present was invited to submit a question for Brown to answer. (The Moodie Report’s contribution: ‘Who in the public eye is most in need of a Bobbi Brown make-over – or make-under?’. Answer: Lady Gaga.)

In a refreshingly revealing session, Brown described her personal style as “comfortable”; divulged a white-hot passion for actor George Clooney; and described golf as the best thing to happen to her family and marriage (in the sense that it gets her husband and sons out of the house for hours at a time, and brings them home happy).

As for the secret to that youthful skin and glow? Brown revealed her best anti-ageing make-up trick is to apply the Bobbi Brown Extra SPF25 Moisturizing Balm. “It’s by far my favourite product,“ she declared. We’re off to buy a truckload right now.