Jones Road is launching its first full-coverage lipstick, The Classic Lip, in 12 shades that mirror the brand's Lip Pencil lineup. Bobbi Brown, Zooming from her home, described the moment as a full-circle moment: 'I started the first company with lipsticks, and here I am, 30-something years later, re-creating a classic lip,' she told Page Six Style.
The Classic Lip is clean, lightweight and non-drying, Brown said. The formula includes skincare ingredients like peptides and vitamin E to smooth and condition lips. 'People were wearing [the lip liners] as a lipstick. So when this idea came up to do the new classics, I said ... we have the best range of lip pencils. Let’s do that,' Brown says. 'So, we re-created the colors of the lip pencils. You could wear them together to get more definition,' Brown adds, or 'put the lipstick on top of a full lined-in pencil, and it will keep it on longer.'
Shades include nude pink, nude rose, rosewood, plus bolder hues like wine, coral and ruby. They are designed to echo the lip pencils, so customers can wear them alone or atop penciled lips for longer wear. The collection comes with skincare benefits and can be layered with Brown’s signature Cool Gloss to create a custom formula.
Beauty Stories, the accompanying campaign, centers on people’s first memories of makeup—in Brown’s case, memories of her Nana. The campaign also features Brown’s toddler granddaughter, underscoring the launch’s full-circle theme as Brown balances work and family.
As Brown outlined, finding one's perfect shade starts with looking at natural lips. 'I’m a nude lip person — and I don’t mean beige. Like a mauve, nude color,' she said, adding that the 'lip shade you wear is really the color of your lips.' 'Take a good look at your natural lips. It doesn’t look orange or pale,' she advised, noting that mixing shades to pinkier or more muted tones can shift day to day, depending on mood and lighting.
Brown, a makeup-artist-turned-entrepreneur who has authored nine beauty books, is also releasing her memoir, Still Bobbi: A Master Class in Leading an Authentic Life, next week and available for pre-order. The book, dedicated to her husband Steven Plofker, chronicles a career that began with makeup and evolved into Jones Road, a brand she launched during the pandemic after a 25-year non-compete with Estée Lauder. 'When I left the first company, I had not a clue I would do it again,' she recalled.
Brown’s career intersects with broader milestones: President Obama appointed her to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2010. She has since watched Jones Road develop into a cult favorite, especially the Miracle Balm, and she remains focused on growth on her terms. She says it's never too late to pursue new chapters, a philosophy she echoed in interviews about the brand’s future.
Looking ahead, Brown teased holiday 2025 launches that she says will be the brand’s best yet, along with new brick-and-mortar Jones Road locations. While she isn’t rushing past 2026, she said the trajectory feels right and that everything seems to be aligning with her plan. 'It’s never too late,' she quips, a refrain that has accompanied her three-decade run in beauty.
Her granddaughter affectionately calls her 'BB,' and Brown’s public persona—whether by design or instinct—has remained anchored in authenticity. From the first lipsticks to a modern-day clean-luxe lipstick line, Brown’s career reflects a continuing emphasis on performance, simplicity and self-expression across generations.
