Ten Questions: Bobbi Brown

bobbi brown

Photo: Courtesy of Bobbi Brown

Hot on the heels of releasing her seventh book titled Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful, Bobbi Brown sat down to answer ELLE.com's top ten questions. The Chicago native has been in the biz since the early 1990s, doing celebrity makeup, runway shows, and helming her eponymous beauty company. While we usually ask Brown for beauty tips, this time, we quizzed her on her inspirations and influences.

1. What is your favorite smell? "The smell you have when you are fresh and clean, just out of the shower."

2. What do you consider to be the epitome of happiness? "The simple things in life, like spending time with my family, preferably on the couch in a cozy bathrobe."

3. How do you define luxury? "Something that is classic and timeless and never goes out of style, like a Louis Vuitton trunk. I also think anything that makes you feel good is a luxury."

4. What is the last dream you remember? "A dream I had this week that I had to get up for live TV (which I actually did have to do in reality) and the only things in my closet that I had to wear were clothes I had given away or donated—stuff I would never wear. I guess it shows you what I was worried about that night before!"

5. What's your favorite childhood memory? "Watching my mother put on makeup—she was so glamorous and beautiful."

6. What's the last book you read and loved? " Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, written by Liz Murray."

7. Describe your home's aesthetic. "Laid back sophistication, clean, not too cluttered. Homey and lived in—I have a husband and 3 boys…"

8. What are your vices? "Tequila and working out—not at once!"

9. Describe yourself in five words or less. "Blessed, happy, nice, funny, mother."

10. What possession will you never throw away? "My favorite Prada penny loafers. No matter how old and beat up they get, I will never toss them."