(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Growing up, I looked through Bobbi Brown’s makeup books like they were my beauty bibles. The makeup artist is an industry icon, having pioneered her namesake brand back in 1991, but what some may not know is that she actually sold to Estée Lauder Companies in 1995. As such, she is no longer associated with the brand. Plus, the noncompete agreement meant she was not permitted to launch anything of her own for 25 years. Fast-forward to 2020, and her new beauty brand, Jones Road, was born. And I couldn’t have been more excited to try it.
Bobbi Brown pioneered the no-makeup makeup look in the ’90s when she carefully curated a range of neutral lipsticks as a palette-cleansing response to the red hues that dominated women’s makeup bags in the ’80s. So naturally, it made sense that Jones Road taps into Brown’s beauty DNA with easy-to-use and efficacious products reimagined in high-performing and clean formulas that deliver a “your skin but better” result.
I was curious to know what the best Jones Road products are, so I got my hands on some to put to the test. Scroll ahead for my honest review of the products that are deserving of a place in your makeup bag.
How We Tested
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Wearing a full face of Jones Road beauty products.
I called in a selection of products from Jones Road, which I put to the test over the course of a month. I tried heroes from the brand, such as the best-selling Miracle Balm and What the Foundation, as well as a mixture of eye makeup, lip and cheek products, skincare, and brushes.
The Best Jones Road Beauty Products, Tried & Tested
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
1. Miracle Balm
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Pros: Provides a dewy, healthy finish to the skin, multiuse, range of shades that can be used as an allover highlight, blush, or bronzer, ideal for dry and mature skin
Cons: You need to know how to use it to get the best from it, maybe too much used all over on oily or acne-prone skin, and it is not for those who like a matte finish
This is one of Jones Road’s best-known and most-loved products (it’s the best-selling product in Liberty, and one is sold every 30 seconds) but perhaps the most misunderstood if you’re not fully clued up on how to use it. As such, you may have seen divisive reviews of this—people either love it or don’t get it. Bobbi Brown created this multipurpose balm in a variety of sheer shades to act as a glow-boosting balm, which can be used all over, as a highlighter, blush, or bronzer, depending on which shade you pick. But there’s a way to get the most out of this product.
Rather than swirling your finger onto the surface product, you have to break the seal of the balm to enjoy the benefits. It feels a little wrong hacking into a beauty product, but if Bobbi is telling me to, I’m listening. I tried a couple of shades in the now-sold-out Miracle Balm Palette, as well as the full-size pot of the Dusty Rose shade, a muted pink, which I used as a blush-highlight hybrid. I personally love a dewy, glassy cheekbone highlight, and this delivers that exact effect. The effect is very sheer, so if you want a lot of color payoff as a blush or bronzer, you may prefer The Best Blush or The Bronzer, which are both in powder form.
As I have oily skin, I’d be hesitant to use these all over my face, but if you have dry or mature skin, you may find the totally sheer Au Naturel shade perfect for imparting glow and radiance to your skin. The bronzier shades are also great for adding a dewy bronze glow to your complexion, and there are also dedicated highlighter shades that have a little more shimmer, which are so pretty when tapped onto cheekbones to catch the light beautifully.
2. What the Foundation
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Jones Road
What the Foundation
Pros: Hydrating, provides sheer coverage, dewy finish, a little goes a long way
Cons: Could feel too heavy on oily skin
Upon opening this glass jar, I was a little nervous. On first impressions, the texture is intimidating, as it’s thick and balmy, but I was wrong. This doesn’t translate onto the skin. In fact, I’d liken this to a tinted moisturizer. The coverage is sheer, so while it managed to even my skin tone nicely, it still let my freckles peek through. Brown recommends using a pea-size amount for your entire face, and this is plenty. You certainly don’t want to pack this on, but you can build it up a little if required. For areas where extra coverage is needed, The Face Pencil is best for spot-treating areas. Because you only need a tiny amount, this jar will last a very long time.
It comes in 14 shades that cater to cool, warm, and neutral undertones, and the creamy formula of this tinted moisture balm really melts in and becomes one with your own complexion, resulting in a dewy and hydrated look. Think your skin but better. Like the Miracle Balm, you may find this too nourishing if you have oily or acne-prone skin, but those with dry skin who like a radiant finish will love it. In fact, the hydrating formula has been designed so that you don’t need to use a moisturizer beforehand, so it’s a great multitasker for busy mornings.
Brown is known for favoring fingertips to apply makeup, but this also works well if you’re using a foundation brush to buff it into the skin, which I personally preferred. On my combination skin, I needed to tone down the shine with powder in my T-zone and was half expecting my skin to look too greasy at the end of the day, but my skin retained a dewy glow that wasn’t overly shiny, and it didn’t separate on the areas where I’m oilier.
3. Lip and Cheek Stick
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Jones Road
Lip and Cheek Stick
Pros: Can be used on lips and cheeks, creamy formula melts into skin, great to throw in your bag for touch-ups
Cons: Can be tricky to retract back into the tube
Junior beauty editor Grace Lindsay told me this is one of her favorite blush sticks, so I had high hopes for it. It can be used on both cheeks and lips, making it a great multipurpose product that won’t take up too much room if you’re throwing it in your bag for touch-ups. The creamy formula is satiny in its finish and effortlessly melts into the skin, leaving behind a pretty flush on the cheeks and a moisturizing veil of color on the lips.
I tried the shades Rosy Brown and Mauve Rose, which delivered a glossy sheen to my cheeks and lips that could be built up for a bolder pop of color. I prefer a subtler look for my blush, and I liked the sheer tint it gave my complexion without looking too done. The only thing I found was that it’s hard to retract the product back into the twist-up stick after using it. It did go back down when pushing it with my fingers, but for that reason, I don’t push the product out too much when I apply it.
4. The Face Pencil
Jones Road
The Face Pencil
Pros: Creamy, full coverage, matte finish, conceals redness and dark circles alike
Cons: You’ll need to sharpen it occasionally
I’ll hold my hands up: I’ve not used a stick concealer in a very long time. I normally favor cream concealers, so I was worried this could be drying and chalky, but I was pleasantly proved wrong. This formula is really creamy. It glides onto the skin, but magically melts into the skin, whether you’re blending out with a sponge or your fingertips. It has a full-coverage matte finish, which is creamy enough to blend around the eyes but still does a great job at clinging to oily areas around the nose and chin.
I liked the precision that the pencil gave me, allowing me to conceal spots and target redness around the nose. Additionally, I liked using a slightly lighter shade to highlight and lift my features. It held up nicely on my combination skin, but if you have very dry skin, you may find a cream concealer more hydrating.
5. The Mascara
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Pros: Volumizing, fanned-out false-lash effect
Cons: The brush is quite large, which could be tricky for smaller eye shapes
This is another of Jones Road’s best sellers, and I’d heard great things about this mascara. The wand features a large curved bristled brush, which hugs the lash line and captures every little lash from the inside to the outer corners to instantly add a false lash-worthy amount of volume and fanned-out effect in just a couple of swipes. I loved the look it gave my lashes.
I did find that the brush picked up a lot of product on the first try, so I would recommend removing any excess when you first open it to avoid any clumpy situations. One coat gives a fluttery volumized effect, while two coats bring more drama, especially as this mascara is jet black. The brush itself is chunky, which could get in the way of those with smaller eye shapes or hooded eyes.
6. The Neutralizer Pencil
Jones Road
The Neutralizer Pencil
Pros: Creamy, counteracts dark circles, blends easily
Cons: Needs to be sharpened occasionally
Like The Face Pencil, this neutralizer has the same creamy consistency in stick form and helps to color correct dark circles under the eyes. I chose the shade Fair Rose, which has a peachy pink hue to counter purple and blue tones underneath the eyes. Jones Road has a helpful guide on its website for helping you choose the best shade for your skin tone and the undertones of your under-eyes, so I felt confident choosing one for my skin tone. I applied this before using The Face Pencil, and I found it neutralized the blue tones around the inner corners of my eyes really well, meaning I could use less concealer. I’d recommend ensuring that your skin is nicely moisturized so that these pencils glide on easily. I used a finger to tap the product into the skin to blend and was amazed at how much brighter my under-eyes looked. This one has a permanent spot in my makeup bag now.
7. The Tinted Face Powder
Jones Road
Tinted Face Powder
Pros: Great shade range, lightweight, doesn’t look cakey
Cons: Powder size is a little small compared to other powders
I never really get on with powders. They always end up looking a little cakey on my skin after a couple of hours, but not with this one. It’s finely milled and slightly tinted (although there is a translucent shade if you prefer), giving the skin a sheer mattifying tint, taking away excess shine while setting makeup in place. Among the shades are color-correcting shades such as yellow and rosy pinks, which work to brighten the complexion, so there really is something for everyone here depending on your skin tone and needs.
I liked applying a touch of this on my chin, nose, and forehead after applying What the Foundation to take away excess shine in the places where I end up looking oily during the day and sweeping a little onto my cheeks to set my makeup. Not only did it prevent my skin from looking oily, but I really noticed that my makeup held on better throughout the day. Some reviewers pointed out that it’s a little small for the price, but you only need the smallest amount to cover the face, so it will last for a long time.
8. The Lippie Stick
Jones Road
The Lippie Stick
Pros: Tinted, moisturizing formula
Cons: Lid easily falls off
This was my favorite lip product I tried from the brand. The Lippie Stick is a velvety tinted balm that imparts a punch of color to the lips in a way that’s sheer and feels very Parisian with an effortless finish. If you hate the feeling of wearing lipstick but still want a sheer hint of color, I’d highly recommend you try it. It glides on buttery soft and my lips feel really soft after wearing it (that’ll be the addition of cocoa butter and plant-based oils). You can apply a quick swipe for a touch of color or layer it up for more impact. It’s the perfect product to keep in your handbag, but saying that, I did find the magnetic lid a little loose and falls off easily, so proceed with caution if you’re taking it on the go.
9. Shower Fragrance
Jones Road
Fragrance – Shower
Pros: Clean-smelling, easy to wear for any occasion
Cons: None
I was thrilled when I saw that Jones Road had launched a fragrance, and it was love at first smell for me when this landed on the beauty desk. If you love the scent of fresh laundry or the soapy lather in the shower, you absolutely must try this. It’s the ultimate clean-smelling scent that I wear so often and always brings me compliments. It has notes of neroli, orange blossom, and sea spray, which make it feel bright, clean, and airy. It’s really well-priced, too.
10. The Everything Brush
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Jones Road
The Everything Brush
Pros: High-quality brush, multipurpose
Cons: None
While I know that Bobbi Brown likes to use her fingers for foundation application, you can tell that these brushes were made by a makeup artist. The quality is amazing (this brush would last for many years if you look after it) and the bristles are very soft. If I had to buy just one, I’d choose the aptly named The Everything Brush. From blending foundation to diffusing cream blush or bronzer, this makes light work of any makeup application to deliver a seamless result. The bristles on this brush are tightly packed—the perfect density for blending cream products. It’s the perfect makeup brush.
This story originally appeared on Who What Wear UK.
