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Makeup artist Bobbi Brown: 'In my head, I certainly am not a woman of 60'

After walking away from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, the makeup artist spoke about her beauty philosophy and where she sees the industry heading.
/ Source: TODAY

Bobbi Brown is best known as the force behind her eponymous makeup brand and a pioneer of the "natural" look. Her beauty philosophy, that women should embrace and even highlight the features they consider "flaws," is why we were proud to name her a 2017 TODAY Style Hero. The "Beauty from the Inside Out" author, who left Bobbi Brown Cosmetics last year, spoke to TODAY Style about her beauty beliefs and where she sees the industry heading.

Bobbi Brown has always been the person women look to when they want to feel like themselves while still looking their best. The soft, "no-makeup" look inspired by women's natural beauty is coveted these days, but it hadn't always been that way.

"When I launched into the beauty and fashion world in the '80s, it was makeup that was highly contoured and you know crazy colors and I never thought the people looked beautiful," Brown told TODAY Style. "I found such natural beauty in the models and actresses faces when they had no makeup on."

Blending down the harsh makeup of the era made way for a new type of beauty industry that empowered women to love their natural beauty and embrace it.

"You've got a strong nose? Don't try to contour your nose, wear it proudly. You've got freckles? Do not cover them up. Curly hair? Why spend all the time blowing your hair dry," Brown said. "I just find that when you're really empowered to be the best version of yourself it's just so much better and easier."

"We all have things that we have to either overcome, or cut out certain words that you hear in your head over and over and over again," she said. "You just need to be your own positive 'I can do this.'"

For Brown, owning her height was part of that journey.

"I'm 5-feet tall and I have learned to embrace it," she said. "I don't need to walk in with high heels to show that I'm, you know, important and fabulous."

Since turning 60 this year, Brown has also been open about embracing those visible signs of a life well lived.

"There's nothing wrong with lines on your face," Brown said. "We earned them ... I don't spend a lot of time in front of the mirror and in my head I certainly am not a woman of 60."

She may have entered a new decade, but Brown is just getting started. Her newest book, "Beauty from the Inside Out" connects her natural beauty philosophy with health and wellness for a holistic approach to beauty.

"I think that beauty and wellness, inside and out, can definitely live together," she told TODAY Style.

"It's honestly about a healthy lifestyle. All the creams on the market, nothing is going to give you healthy-looking skin," she continued. "So it's got to be ... what you put in your body."

Embarking on this new chapter has the entrepreneur excited about the future.

"When you are part of a big company and a big corporation, you hear 'no' a lot," she said. "I am not someone that does well with no.

"My motto is always 'Why not?' And sometimes it's 'Watch me.'"

With a plenty of new projects in the works, we'll definitely be watching.

This story was first published on Sept. 16, 2017.