Women Who Win Bobbie Brown Sandra

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The architect-turned-CEO of Manolo Blahnik shares how she’s helped to redefine her family’s luxury shoe empire—and why her uncle’s perpetual passion for learning has been key to its success.

“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 reinvention, risk-taking and why real beauty will always win.

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I originally studied engineering and worked in that industry for three years, so I launched my business later on in life. At 26, I left my job in France and came to London to study jewellery design. That was almost 10 years ago. I basically used my studies to start working on my business plan. Every time I had a school project, I would design pieces that would be part of my future collection. But I didn’t have a lot of experience in business; I had no idea what a small business was, how to hire, or how to be a manager. I had no connections whatsoever in London – nor in fashion or design.

“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”

“When we got our first negative TikTok review, I panicked. I thought we’d ruined everything. But it turned into one of my biggest lessons.”

“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?

£36

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£38

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£44

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£44

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£36

Lip and Cheek Stick

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£26

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The thing I love the most is… being a makeup artist and teaching women how to look like themselves, only better. After leaving my first brand, I launched a few new initiatives. I went back to school and became a health coach, launched a wellness brand and opened a boutique hotel with my husband in my hometown of Montclair, NJ. Then, Masterclass called and asked me to do a makeup masterclass, which was such an honor. When I was prepping for the Masterclass, I started experimenting with a lot of different makeup products and it made me realise that, before anything else, I’m a makeup artist first and that I love formulating and creating new products. So I met with a chemist and started experimenting - and that's how I created the first products in the Jones Road Beauty collection. My advice for budding entrepreneurs is… to always be practical. If you can’t afford to leave your job, think about what you can do while you still have it. Sometimes that’s just thinking and ideating, other times it’s reading and seeing what’s available. The second thing is to think about what you love and what your passion is. My passion is beauty and makeup, there’s no question about that. So, once you’ve identified your passion, think about whether you can build a company around it. My beauty non-negotiable is… that makeup is meant to make you look like a better version of yourself. No heavy makeup, no harsh contouring, just your elevated self. From my early career days at the counter to building Jones Road, I’ve always followed this philosophy.

“We celebrate wins—big and small—every day through a WhatsApp group with our leadership team. Everyone shares one big and one small win daily. It reminds us that progress, no matter how small, is still progress. “It’s natural to take inspiration from others, but it’s tough when we see replicas of our products on the market. There are too many loopholes that let brands get away with it. I used to stay quiet about it, but now I see it as a compliment—it means we’re leading, not following, and that Refy is aspirational. “I’m still learning to set boundaries with my phone. So much of my work and life happens there, but I can easily spend hours scrolling without being productive. I’m trying to create a new routine—once I finish work, I leave my phone on my desk for the evening . “I’m a chronic overthinker, and the best advice I’ve ever received came from my brother: whenever you have a problem, look in the mirror and ask, ‘Can I do anything about this?’ If yes, do it immediately. If not, let it go—it’s out of your control.

“I started posting on Instagram at a very good time. It was very early on. I would just put outfits together, and my mum would take pictures of me in the kitchen. At the beginning, I was just sharing to friends and family, but over time my following grew. It was a lot easier back then. As my following grew, so too did the opportunities, and I started working with brands, which is how I met Jenna [Meek, Jess’s co-founder]. “I’ve always been particular about my brows—to the point where, even on shoots with incredible make-up artists, I’d insist on doing my own. I was actually on one yesterday and said, ‘I’ll do my own brows.’ Back then, I’d use two gels and three brushes just to get them how I liked — I thought that was normal. Jenna saw what I was doing and asked why I was using so many different products. “I talked her through each step, and her entrepreneurial brain immediately lit up. She said, ‘I think there’s something here.’ We met for lunch and sketched out designs for a dream product — one that featured three brushes to create my everyday sculpted look and hold it in place all day. “Months later, Jenna called and said, ‘I’ve spoken to a lab — they think they can make it. Would you want to start a business together?’ Naively, I said yes, with no experience in make-up or business. I wish I still had some of that fearless energy, because as the brand grows, the stakes get higher, and I’ve become more cautious. I love where we are today, but nothing beats the magic of the beginning.

“Back then, I’d use two gels and three brushes just to get them how I liked — I thought that was normal.”

“I had no idea the process would take two years. Our prototype was a world-first, so there was a lot of back and forth. We eventually launched in November 2020 — a strange time, right in the middle of lockdowns. But with everyone on their phones, it actually worked in our favour. I launched Brow Sculpt on my channel with a simple video of me applying it and saying, ‘We have this brow product — hope you love it.’ That clip went semi-viral because of the instant wow factor. “The lab required a large initial order since it was a new product. We forecasted that the stock would last nine months — it sold out in six weeks. We were out of stock for three months, which wasn’t ideal, but it showed there was a gap for a brand that simplified beauty with innovative, time-saving products that did the hard work for you. “I’m not a make-up artist — I’m just a girl who loves make-up and wants to create beautiful looks in under 20 minutes. From then on, we kept asking, ‘What else needs simplifying in our routine?’ That question still drives everything we do.

“We forecasted that the stock would last nine months — it sold out in six weeks.”

“When we got our first negative TikTok review two years in, I panicked. I thought we’d ruined everything and relied too much on social media. But it turned into one of my biggest lessons — we needed to be clearer about who each product is for. Instead of saying, ‘Everyone will love it,’ we started saying, ‘Don’t buy this if you’re not after that specific look.’ “Our community is our biggest strength. It’s at the core of everything we do. We started out wanting to simplify beauty, but now it’s evolved — I’m often the second person to know what’s launching next because it all comes from our community. They influence everything, from product development to shades. We regularly email our database asking questions like, ‘What do you want to see next?’ or ‘Should the next mascara be blue or brown?’ “We’re so fortunate to have such a close relationship with them. Our products are made for them — nobody else. Some of our biggest viral moments have come from everyday customers, not influencers. One girl in America filmed herself applying Lash Sculpt from Sephora in her bedroom — that video now has over 100 million views. It sold out across Sephora US. You can’t buy that kind of exposure — it’s pure community power. “To stay ahead, we have to keep innovating — not just with products but with every aspect of the business: in-house processes, customer experience, and events. Three years ago, we hosted a community pop-up at a Pilates studio in London. We weren’t selling anything — just meeting people. There were classes upstairs, coffees and matchas downstairs, and a space to connect. People queued for six hours just to be part of it. It’s one of my proudest moments and reminded me why community matters so much.

“When we got our first negative TikTok review two years in, I panicked. I thought we’d ruined everything and relied too much on social media. But it turned into one of my biggest lessons—we needed to be clearer about who each product is for. Instead of saying, ‘Everyone will love it,’ we started saying, ‘Don’t buy this if you’re not after that specific look.’ “Our community is our biggest strength. It’s at the core of everything we do. We started out wanting to simplify beauty, but now it’s evolved—I’m often the second person to know what’s launching next because it all comes from our community. They influence everything, from product development to shades. We regularly email our database asking questions like, ‘What do you want to see next?’ or ‘Should the next mascara be blue or brown?’ “We’re so fortunate to have such a close relationship with them. They’re who our products are made for. Some of our biggest viral moments have come from everyday customers, not influencers. One girl in America filmed herself applying Lash Sculpt from Sephora in her bedroom—that video now has over 100 million views. It sold out across Sephora US. You can’t buy that kind of exposure—it’s pure community power.

“Starting a second company in my 60s, in the middle of a pandemic, was the bravest decision I’ve ever made.”

Few 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 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 championing the concept of looking like yourself, only better. Current estimates place Jones Road as worth 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. 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.

Bobbi Brown

“We sometimes say that we are creating objects that are right in every sense of the word—the right proportions, the right level of practicality, and the right balance between the quality and the price.”

The Mascara

BKLYN

Gel Bronzer

Miracle Balm

Just Enough Tinted Moisturizer

“Like a building, I understood the business’ foundations. Next, came the challenge of how high we could build it; how many more layers we could add.”

“I think longevity comes from being really clear on who you are, what you’re doing and who you want to be, both in terms of product and people.”

Manolo Blahnik’s brilliance is that it is unconstrained. Every season, the collection will take you by surprise. Yes, we have our classic styles that have captured people’s imaginations on a very large scale, like the ‘Hangisi’ buckled pump or the ‘Maysale’, which is your perfect 360 shoe in my opinion. But I think what differentiates us is that there is such a wide selection, and everything stems from deep cultural references and historical understanding that my uncle has spent his entire life learning, studying and consuming. Each collection is a visual feast. Even if you’re only going in to buy the simple ‘BB’ pump, you will always have something to look at, that will inspire you to think and make you curious to try it on. We don’t follow fashion, we just do our own thing. We’re not beholden to an Excel spreadsheet telling us what has to be made. Manolo is never told to do this, that or the other, or to follow certain trends or movements. It’s wholly unboundaried; an infinite world of surprise. No collection is ever going to be obvious, so that element of magic and surprise is consistent, and that has meant we’ve maintained our community. When someone connects with us, they will continue being connected. It’s not something that fades over time because there’s always something to excite. Speaking of surprises… We recently launched a Marie Antoinette capsule collection. It’s to celebrate the incredible exhibition that’s currently on at the Victoria & Albert museum [in London], which we immediately threw ourselves at to sponsor. It was one of those magical, very rare moments where all the stars align and we knew that Manolo just had to be part of it. Marie Antoinette is one of the icons of his life; [someone] he’s always been drawn to, so to get as close to her as he did through this process was so important to us. This little capsule collection he’s designed is very much with her in mind, but as if she was alive today. I currently own about 150 pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes, but of course I’d like them all! My most treasured are a pair of gold leather sandals from 1976 that I asked to keep when I spent three months in Bath photographing all of the shoes for our archives. I never wear them – they’re more of a collector’s piece, something really special that I own from the archives. Another treasured possession is my collection of ‘Maysales’: I have about 12 colours and I love laying them all out in a spectrum. Looking at them all together makes me smile – it’s like being in a candy store. Some of my shoes are not in such pristine condition, of course, but that’s only because they’ve had a lot of fun and been on many outings. They’ve danced, they’ve walked, they’ve run, they’ve battled the weather, but I look at them and they bring back all those wonderful memories, so I’ll never get rid of them.

We try to be sincere and authentic in everything we do. We sometimes say that we are creating objects that are right in every sense of the word—the right proportions, the right level of practicality, and the right balance between the quality and the price. You have to have respect for the customer, and we’ve kept our prices quite consistent all these years. I don’t agree with the mentality of selling super expensive products just for the sake of it, and you don’t care because you know that someone will be ready to pay for it. When you do that, they probably won’t come back. You need to keep that link with the customer; that’s what builds a future. The one thing I would never compromise on in business? Passion. It’s so important to have passion, and to transmit that to all the people around us. I think that only when you really do things with passion, that you can do them well. What I’m proudest of is the fact that we have been able to evolve. In nearly 80 years, we have gone from being a tobacco store to a lifestyle brand with a presence all around the world. We didn’t do it in one dramatic revolutionary way—we did it with consistency. We have always evolved, we have always innovated, created, re-imagined. But we have also maintained strong roots and strong pillars, like our Le Pliage and Le Roseau designs. Those two bags are more than 30 years old, and to see women today still wanting them and wearing them is something I’m very proud of. We’ve managed to succeed in keeping them desirable all this time, which is not something that many brands have been able to do. Success isn’t really what I’m looking for—it’s to feel that I have done my best. To know that I have achieved something in a good way, in the best way I could. And sometimes, of course, it doesn’t work, but I can still feel proud of it, and how I overcame difficulties or tried something different and innovative. We must always learn from our mistakes. A special moment I will always remember was our collaboration collection with Tracey Emin. It was the first one I ever did, and it was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Le Pliage in 2004. Collaborations were not so common then, few people were doing them—especially one that was so purely artistic. To meet her, to work with her, was incredible, and I think the result perfectly captured Tracey’s spirit, and Longchamp’s spirit too. It was really the beginning of a new page for the brand.

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

“I realised that before anything else, I’m a makeup artist — creating products that let women look like themselves, only better.”

Image credits: Courtesy of Bobbi Brown / Jones Road Beauty Courtesy of Claridges / Maybourne Hotel Group Getty Images

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A city that recharges your spirit is… London. I’ve always been a bit of an Anglophile. There’s just something about the scene in London that I really love. It immediately puts me in a better mood. I can never pass up a trip there. My favorite London hideaway is… Well, it wouldn’t be a trip to London without a stay at Claridges. It’s the perfect hideaway for some R&R, while still getting the full London experience. If you’re looking for classic luxury, this is the place!

A scent that instantly grounds me is… Shower and BKLYN, both by Jones Road. I use these two fragrances in the afternoon when I’m wiped out and just want to go home and sit on the couch. With just a little spray, I’m instantly revived. Fragrance is just like makeup. It’s a key to confidence. The right scent can lift your mood instantly, and that’s something I always want. A sound that soothes me is… the sound of my grandaughter calling for BB is immediately soothing. It’s something I’ll never get tired of.

Rose Bourbon Absolute

A woody, deeper take on traditional rose

The book that shifted my perspective is… Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, by Liz Murray is one of my favorite books that shifted my perspective. When I first picked it up, I couldn’t stop reading it. It touched me in so many ways that I reached out to her afterward, and we became friends. Liz was even featured as a model in my Pretty Powerful book. Life and distance have kept us from staying in close touch, but her story and her words have never left me. A piece of art or object I treasure is… a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk that I spotted during a trip to Grays Antique Center. My husband and I bought it on the way to the airport with no time to overthink its price or practicality. It is one of my favourite pieces and serves as a coffee table in our living room. A city that recharges your spirit is… London. I’ve always been a bit of an Anglophile. There’s just something about the scene in London that I really love. It immediately puts me in a better mood. I can never pass up a trip there. My favorite London hideaway is… Well, it wouldn’t be a trip to London without a stay at Claridges. It’s the perfect hideaway for some R&R, while still getting the full London experience. If you’re looking for classic luxury, this is the place!

The bravest decision I’ve ever made was… starting a second company in my 60’s, in the middle of a global pandemic and a week before an election, was the bravest decision I’ve made. The nation’s collective sense of unease and division was at an all-time high. Everyone said to me, "You’re crazy. Why are you doing this now? Just wait until next year,” but I told them we don’t even know what next year is gonna bring. It could be worse. And you know what, my noncompete was up. I started ideating before, but the pandemic made you stay at home and do things differently. No one wore makeup in the beginning, no one coloured their hair. It made me realise it wasn’t about putting makeup on, it was about feeling better in your skin. Which is what inspired the natural products. I had no clue if it would be successful, or how far it would go. But I had a vision and a belief, and I knew it was something I wanted to do. Don’t be afraid to take a risk. A beauty ritual I never skip is… moisturising! It’s the key to keeping your skin looking young and bright. A scent that instantly grounds me is… Shower and BKLYN, both by Jones Road. I use these two fragrances in the afternoon when I’m wiped out and just want to go home and sit on the couch. With just a little spray, I’m instantly revived. Fragrance is just like makeup. It’s a key to confidence. The right scent can lift your mood instantly, and that’s something I always want. A sound that soothes me is… the sound of my grandaughter calling for BB is immediately soothing. It’s something I’ll never get tired of.