We tried Jones Road beauty products, including What The Foundation, and this is what we thought
Social media has been flooded with contrasting reviews of the Jones Road products, but we’re here to shed some light on the new brand, reviewing almost every product and sharing how you’re able to buy them in the UK.
Founded by beauty mogul Bobbi Brown – who left her very successful namesake label back in 2016 – it’s understandable that the beauty-lover community has rushed to get their hands on any products they could find. But, not everyone was impressed.
The brand’s products have caused quite the media storm on TikTok, with huge beauty influencers, including Trevor Barrett, James Charles, Mikayla Nogueira and even Bobbi herself weighing in with very different opinions. So, of course, we had to try it for ourselves here at IndyBest, to make up our own minds and share our opinion with you.
The key product causing so much drama is the What The Foundation, which we’ve now – after many months of patiently waiting – finally been able to get our hands on, ahead of its very exciting debut in the UK. And, we were lucky enough to try almost everything else, including the miracle balm, face pencil, lip tint, shimmer face oil, lip and cheek tint and the cool gloss too, as well as the new ‘the best’ blush.
So, keep reading below for everything you need to know about the new hot beauty brand and to find out what we really thought and exactly how you can get hold of What The Foundation in the UK.
How we tested
Of course, to fully test these products we had to swap our regular make-up out for the full Jones Road collection – something we were very happy to do. We wore the range every day for around two weeks, seeing how the products fared during work meetings, dinners out and even a festival. We reviewed everything from ease of application, length of wear, how it felt on the skin, and, most importantly, how it looked.
The whole collection has been made around Bobbi’s desire to create better “clean” beauty products. As such, the range is free of sulphates, phthalates, petrolatum, PEGs (polyethylene glycols), cyclic silicones and many more ingredients. The brand has kept the collection quite small, with just a handful of core essentials that are all designed to be applied easily with just the fingers – or a brush if you prefer. With that in mind, we fully embraced the idea and jumped in with both hands to try it the Bobbi way.
- Best: Lightweight foundation
- Rating: 7/10
- Number of shades: 12
- Shade tested: Beige
This is the product everyone has been asking for, as we’ve been watching our American friends, beauty bloggers and writers arguing over whether it is the best or worst foundation they’ve tried. Launching in the UK on 4 October, we got a first look to see just what all the fuss is about.
Testing shade beige, the foundation comes in a wide circular glass jar that is on the chunky side, housing a heavy-set cream foundation more similar in texture to a rich night moisturiser. Dubbed by Jones Road as a ‘tinted moisture balm meets traditional foundation’, we couldn’t describe it better ourselves, so anyone with dry skin or those looking for a very light coverage is sure to be impressed. But anyone after a full foundation best look away now, as it isn’t going to completely cover or conceal anything. Our tester still loved it, as it evened out their skin tone, illuminated the face and felt lovely, but needs to be layered with the face pencils or another concealer to hide any dark spots, under eye circles or blemishes.
- Best: Blush
- Rating: 8/10
- Number of shades: 5
- Shade tested: P.O.P
Named the best blush, This product has a lot to live up to, but Bobbi seems quite confident that it is, in fact, the best blush to buy right now. So, we had to be one of the first to try the new addition to the range. On first impressions, it is incredibly small, looking more like a kid’s make-up set that would come with a magazine rather than a near £25 product. But, on the plus side, it easily slotted into our make-up bags, and the lid houses a mirror for easy application too.
Testing shade P.O.P, it looks quite daunting at first sight, with a bright and bold Barbie-esque pink that has a slight shimmer. But, when applied it mellows out to a more subtle flush although less is more, which suddenly explains the size. Owing to the shimmer, it also illuminated the face, ridding the need for a highlighter.
- Best: Face pencil
- Rating: 9/10
- Number of shades: 25
- Shade tested: 7 – light, neutral undertones
Starting with one of our favourite products, this face pencil really impressed our tester. Firstly, a wide range of 25 shades is great to see (the brand does recommend colour testing on both the forehead and the cheeks to get an exact colour match for both areas of the face). But, it was the ease of application and final result that really caught our attention.
For anyone looking to cover up redness, uneven skin tone, dark spots or acne scarring, we would really recommend giving it a go. Our tester focused on covering broken veins around the nose, chin and cheek redness, small acne scarring around the mouth and concealing under-eye bags. While it didn’t cover our eye bags as much as some other concealers, it did work wonders on everything else and was incredibly easy to apply – simply draw onto the face and blend in with the fingers. It was particularly helpful for quick touch-ups and on-the-go applications, but be sure to buy the sharpener if you don’t already own one that fits (£7.25, Jonesroadbeauty.com).
- Best: Lip tint
- Rating: 8/10
- Number of shades: 9
- Shade tested: All
We were incredibly lucky to test every single shade of the Jones Road lip tints, the latest release in the collection. Similarly to all of the other products, they aren’t as pigmented when on as they are in the packaging, meaning if you did want to experiment with shades you wouldn’t usually go for, this is the brand to try. But, if you are after a bolder look you can add another layer for more of a pop.
Castor oil again features as the key ingredient in this product, which not only moisturises dry skin but also works wonders on dry lips. Being a tint rather than a lipstick, it is designed to nourish the lips and provide a long-lasting colour at the same time, but we did find it a little bit difficult to apply precisely due to the softness of the product, so we did end up blending it out with our fingers.
- Best: Primer
- Rating: 8/10
- Number of shades: 8
- Shade tested: Dusty rose, disco and sunkissed
We tested three shades of the miracle balm, and we’re really glad we did as our favourite one was something we would never normally pick. Although it looks like each shade matches a certain skin tone range, any of these products can actually be used on any skin tone and will look rather beautiful – trust us. Our fair-skinned tester opted for shades dusty rose, disco and sunkissed, and surprisingly the latter – something they never thought would suit them – was their favourite.
Although they may look very pigmented in the pot, they instantly blend out for a very subtle tint that works wonders to revive tired-looking skin. This is thanks to castor oil being the main ingredient, helping the product to melt into the skin efforlessly. Whether worn alone or on top of the face pencil, cheek tint or a foundation, it is incredibly versatile and leaves skin feeling hydrated and looking dewy all day long. Rub the product between your fingers or around the edge of the pot to warm it up before applying with your fingers, brush or beauty sponge – just be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before or use a spatula (£5.30, Jonesroadbeauty.com) to extract and pop on the back of your hand if using any tool.
- Best: Lip and cheek stick
- Rating: 7/10
- Number of shades: 8
- Shade tested: Rosy brown
Again, with a range of eight shades, there is an impressive colour offering for a cheek and lip stick. Of course, the first plus was the fact that it’s a two-in-one, meaning fewer things to carry in your make-up bag. But, our tester did prefer it as a blush over a lipstick due to its rather large size – although it was very handy for on-the-go.
We tested shade rosy brown which (similarly to the miracle balm) looked to be very pigmented in the compact but was actually incredibly sheer with a very subtle pink hue. Our tester does prefer a slightly punchier and bolder finish but for anyone opting for just a subtle touch of colour, this would be a great option. Again, castor seed oil is the main ingredient meaning it glides effortlessly onto the skin and melts with just the touch of a finger, brush or beauty sponge while also acting as a great dewy-looking moisturiser too. Wear over the face pencil, foundation and miracle balm if you’re looking for a fuller coverage finish.
- Best: Shimmer face oil
- Rating: 9/10
- Number of shades: 4
- Shade tested: Pink opal
Another versatile product – a core element of the Jones Road collection – is the shimmer face oil. Working as either a highlighter or bronzer depending on the shade, a full face base or even as a skincare product thanks to a very impressive ingredients list, it really does work wonders in many ways.
We tested shade pink opal which worked as a beautiful highlighter that adds a subtle shimmer to the skin and body for an instant boost of vibrancy when simply rubbed in with the fingers. Core ingredients include sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, jojoba seed oil and orange peel oil which all work to nourish the skin while also giving off a great scent.
- Best: Cool gloss
- Rating: 8/10
- Number of shades: 11
- Shade tested: Mocha shimmer
To be fully truthful with you, we actually used this product as a bronzer for a good few days before realising it was actually a lip gloss – a very embarrassing mistake for our beauty buff tester. But, we’re glad we did, as in true Bobbi style we found that this does actually work as a multi-use product too. And, despite the minty smell – which should’ve been our first hint that it was for the lips – we would actually rate it a full 10/10 on the bronzer front.
The reason we were easily mistaken was firstly the colour – we tested shade mocha shimmer – and the fact that there is no stickiness at all, a usual lip gloss downfall. When used in its official capacity though it can either work as a lovely subtle lip shimmer or over any coloured gloss, as it delivers the perfect sheen. Again, the main ingredient is castor seed oil and shea butter, beeswax and peppermint oil are also included to nourish the skin while also acting as an antimicrobial agent too.
FAQs
What is clean beauty?
Clean beauty has been growing in popularity in recent years with more people becoming conscious of exactly what ingredients are in their beauty products. Essentially, clean beauty products are free from potentially harmful chemicals and have taken environmental and human health into consideration. Jones Road states that key potentially harmful chemicals such as phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, PEGs, cyclic silicones, EDTA, or BPA are never included in any of its formulas.
Where can I buy Jones Road in the UK?
The brand’s products are currently available on the Jonesroadbeauty.com website for shoppers in the US, Canada and the UK. There is currently free shipping on all orders over £75 to the UK, and orders under that amount will have a varying shipping cost that is calculated at checkout, but it seems to be around £9.29 for now. Please do note though that for UK orders over £135, any applicable duties or import taxes are collected at checkout.
But – and this is a rather big but – this should all be changing as of 4 October, as the brand will be distributed from a UK warehouse, meaning no long shipping times or costs.
The verdict: Jones Road Beauty
For anyone looking for a full coverage make-up look, Jones Road probably isn’t for you. But, any “no make-up make-up” lovers, or those just looking to brighten the skin and conceal any redness, dark patches or small scarring, will love this brand.
We’ve written up a full in-depth review of What The Foundation, to give it the full attention the internet-breaking product deserved. But, to quickly sum it up, it’s a tinted moisturiser-meets-foundation that hydrates and intensely nourishes the skin while lightly evening out skin tone and texture. It doesn’t cover under eye bags, blemishes or dark spots and isn’t designed to be used as a full-coverage foundation.
The miracle balm, face pencil, shimmer oil and cool gloss (when used as a bronzer) will be staying in our tester’s make-up bag for a long time to come and, what we liked the most about the entire range was its ingredient list, which nourished the skin from the inside too.
Designed for all skin tones, types and ages, we would encourage anyone to try it – start with the face pencil or miracle balm and see how you get on first. If you really do want something with more oomph, you could always add your own foundation or additional concealers on top too.
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