All products featured on Self are independently selected by our editors.
However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
When I had the opportunity to talk to Bobbi Brown, I fan-girled a little bit.
Roy Rochlin / Contributor/Getty Images
There was nothing that actually looked right on peoples faces, she tells me.
So she made a groundbreaking invention: a lipstick that “looked like lips.”
An international beauty brand was born.
The wellness-centric book is , with wisdom culled largely from her own life experience.
Brown’s glamorous life as a beauty icon didn’t start glamorously (nor was it particularly pretty).
When she started her cosmetics business, it was a side gig, a part-time thing.
“I was not exactly looking good or feeling good in those days.
When her firstlipstickswere about to hit the stores back in 1991, disaster struck at the last minute.
The key was to act like it wasn’t a disaster.
It was a major freak-out.
I believe my husband was the one who said, Lets move the date of the opening.
So we had to.
You got to think quick on your feet.
Thats called being an entrepreneur.
I think a lot of the mistakes I made were not mistakes.
Because truthfully, how would I have learned things if things didnt happen?
There were times in business meetings when I thought I should listen to people more experienced than me.
It doesnt always ring true because I pretty much knew what was right.
Note to self: If you believe in something in your gut, stick to it.
My entire motherhood was trying to juggle my obligations and wanting to be with my family, she says.
Her advice: Take time to focus on yourself.
Just figure out a way to take everything down a notch.
That could mean taking time for a massage or heading to the gym.
Brown didnt always prioritizehealthy eatingandexercise.
After long days on set, shed feel worn out andbloated.
Eventually she realized it was the food she was eating that caused her to wilt.
Bad food just makes me zone out, and I dont like to feel like that, she says.
Now, shes more conscious of her diet, and she does astrength and conditioningworkout three times a week.
In fact, Brown and her husband take time to have dinner with strangers on a regular basis.
My husband and I made a standing reservation atDe Novoin Montclair for four, she says.
We invite people we dont even know that well.
Its a nice way to know that were going to get out and have some interesting conversation.
Brown will tell you that a lot of her opportunities came from unintentional meetings.
Be open, be nice, and be kind.
I met this 80-year-old grandma at a book signing.
So many women are insecure about so many things, and they dont have to be.
You cant compare yourself to other women.
You cant compare yourself to actresses and supermodels, she says.
You just have to be the best version of yourself.
Confidence to me is about being comfortable and not trying to be someone that Im not.
Its empowering thing when you figure that out.
Her one holy-grail beauty essential:color corrector.
She uses it in the corner of her eyes to get rid of bluish-purple splotches.
You might also like: This 82-Year-Old Fitness Instructor Will Inspire You to Get in Shape
