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“I’ve always been particular about my brows—even on shoots with incredible make-up artists, I’d insist on doing my own.”
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On Community, Confidence and Playing the Long Game
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“Of course, I’m very grateful for the successes we have achieved, and yes, we can celebrate these milestones. But I’m always cautious – I never believe I have ‘arrived’. To me, one day you’re in and the next you could be out. You can’t rest on your laurels.”
“I say ‘work in progress’ a lot or ‘this too shall pass’. Also: ‘don’t forget to have fun’.”
What is your mantra?
“In the beginning, the biggest challenge was
doing everything with a small team, but I truly believe it’s important to be hands-on to understand what your business really needs”
“A very old Hermès trench, which I got when I worked at the [brand’s] sample sale in the ’90s, plus a McQueen embroidered cape.”
What is your most treasured fashion item?
£25
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£25
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£31
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£19
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£23
Modern Matte Lipstick
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£45
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I never set out thinking “this will be my career”... makeup artistry started from a genuine love and obsession. I was working on makeup counters, training, learning faces, textures, and skin, and at the same time sharing what I loved online with no strategy at all. I was working three different jobs, filming and editing in the evenings, and spending hours replying to messages and comments. And yet, not one second felt like work. The earliest sign that it could really be something was the community forming—people coming back, asking questions, trusting my recommendations. That trust changed everything.
I didn’t create a brand for the sake of it; I was solving a problem I genuinely had… I studied how brands would talk to their customer and noticed how many spoke from behind a wall or from a pedestal. I understood the everyday customer better than anyone, and because of my career online, I had got to grips with the commercial side too. I’d spent years working with other brands, understanding formulation, shade, finish, and how products actually live on skin. I wanted a brand that felt exciting, dependable, cool and approachable, so I created VIEVE to bring together high-performance ‘pro’ products with a shop-floor warmth and humility. Making the leap was terrifying, but it felt honest.
The pandemic taught me the value of agility, community, and clarity… and it shaped VIEVE into a brand that prioritises connection over noise. We launched with ten lip products during a time everyone was wearing masks, and they flew. It’s all about how people feel. When they are encouraged to feel beautiful in themselves and given the freedom to experiment with how they look, it is a beautiful form of self-empowerment.
Learning to trust and believe in yourself unlocks so much…Trusting my own instinct, especially when it went against advice, is the bravest decision I’ve made in my career so far. There have been moments where the “safe” option would have been easier, but choosing the long game and backing my vision has always felt more rewarding.
“I was working three different jobs, filming and editing in the evenings, and spending hours replying to messages and comments. And yet, not one second felt like work.”
Jamie Genevieve never chased a five-year plan. Growing up in Tillicoultry, a small village in Scotland, her relationship with beauty was shaped not by industry access or expectation, but by curiosity and craft. Working on makeup counters in Glasgow, she learned skin, faces and confidence in real time, then went home to share what she loved online, purely for the joy of it.
That openness laid the foundations for something quietly powerful. Long before metrics or momentum mattered, Genevieve was building trust—translating professional technique into something warm and accessible. The community that followed wasn’t engineered; it grew organically because people felt seen.
Today, as the founder of cult-favourite beauty brand VIEVE, a creator and a mother, Genevieve leads with instinct over ego and integrity over shortcuts. Here, she speaks to Lottie Winter on trusting herself, building a brand with honesty at its core, and why playing the long game has been her greatest strength.
Genevieve
The Signature Candle 2.0
Modern Lip Definer
Icon Mascara
Eye Wand
brand to Estée Lauder in 1995, and stepped down from the company in 2016. A mere four years later, in the middle of the pandemic, Brown surprised everyone—except, perhaps, herself—with the launch of Jones Road Beauty—a new venture that signalled a return to her makeup artistry roots by championed the concept of looking like yourself, only better. Current estimates place Jones Road at approximately $1billion, with this year’s revenue predicted to be over $150million.
But Brown is so much more than her multi-million dollar cosmetics brands. She’s a wellness advocate, teacher, mentor and creative. But at the centre of everything she does lies the same sentiment: that beauty should be simple, real and empowering. Here, in our Women Who Win series, she speaks to Lottie Winter about her reinvention, bravery and lessons learned from building not one, but two of the most influential beauty empires of modern times.
ew women have shaped modern beauty quite like Bobbi Brown. The legendary makeup artist and serial entrepreneur first appeared on the beauty scene with her namesake brand and its refreshing new stance on makeup that focused on accentuating natural beauty rather than covering it. She sold her
F
Image credits: courtesy of VIEVE
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What is a book that changed your perspective?
The Courage To Be Disliked.
My secret London spot is…the not-so-secret Covent Garden. I come down so much for work and spend a lot of time there for our office, and I just love it. I need to be a tourist in London more!
My favourite place in the whole world is… well, I love Florence, Tokyo and Paris. But my ultimate favourite place will always be home in Scotland. It’s where everything began and where I feel most myself.
Mygo-to coffee order is… boring! It’s just a Black Americano.
I don’t leave the house without… lip balm and my journal. I write everything down.
My dream mentor would be… either Emma Grede, Founding Partner and Chief Product Officer of SKIMS and co-founder of Good American, or Jen Atkin, hairstylist and founder of the haircare brand OUAI. They’re both such amazing women.
My desert island meal… is a cheese and onion toastie with mayo.
My most treasured object is… a handful of my jewellery collection. There are certain pieces that remind me of my daughter Romy, my husband Jack and my best friends. I feel like I carry them all with me.
Il Porcellino in Chicago
I don’t leave the house without… my journal
My secret London spot is…
My most treasured object
“I’ve learned that growth requires trust, not perfection.”
My biggest challenge so far has been…letting go of control. As the business grows, I can’t do everything myself, and learning to trust a team, delegate, and lead rather than execute has been a huge shift. I’ve learned that growth requires trust, not perfection.
As a female founder, I’ve been questioned…on decisions I know deeply, and there have been assumptions about my commitment, or times when I’ve been spoken to differently than my male counterparts. It’s often subtle rather than overt, but it’s taught me to be confident in my voice and unwavering in my standards.
For me, work-life balance is about being present… Some weeks require everything from me, others I intentionally slow down. Boundaries, support systems, and being present where I am matter more to me now than doing everything perfectly. I try to show up as my best for whatever I need to be that day, and understand I can do anything, but not everything.
“I try to show up as my best for whatever I need to be that day, and understand I can do anything, but not everything.”
The best advice I’ve received was… to play the long game. Build slowly, build intentionally, and don’t rush decisions for short-term wins. It’s always stuck with me and I try and live by it.
I celebrate my wins quite quietly… I’m not someone who needs fireworks. Sometimes it’s a moment of reflection, a dinner with my family, or just acknowledging how far we’ve come. I’ve learned that celebrating doesn’t always need to be loud to be meaningful. I do like to mark a milestone with a little token that reminds me of the wins.
I will never compromise on…the integrity of my work. Every product, piece of content, or decision has to feel aligned with who I am and what I believe in. If it doesn’t feel honest, it’s a no.
I wish I could change…the narrative around women’s ambition and timing. Women shouldn’t have to justify their choices, whether that’s building a business, starting a family, or doing both. We need more trust, flexibility, empathy, and representation at every level.
Jamie
The book that changed my perspective...
Americano please!
My favourite places in the whole world
cheese and onion toastie... My desert island meal
Skin Nova