I have long loved Bobbi Brown for her makeup artistry and her eponymous line. She really pioneered fresh faced makeup and I love the looks she has done over the years. So when the renowned makeup artist started a clean makeup line recently, Jones Road Beauty, I was super keen to try it and bought a variety of products to test.
The Jones Road Beauty line’s philosophy is that the world doesn’t need more beauty products; It needs better beauty products. Bobbi set out to develop clean, high-grade formulas for the face, eyes, lips and skin. Today I am sharing an in-depth review of the brand and their best-selling products.
Jones Road Beauty Review
Jones Road Beauty is focused on clean ingredients so the line features no phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, PEGs, cyclic silicones, EDTA, or BPA. (Among many others more toxic ingredients.) The brand says they follow guidelines even more stringent than those of the E.U. to eliminate over 2,700 potentially harmful ingredients from their formulas so that you can feel good about using their products.
Miracle Balm, $38
Jones Road definitely touts this as their hero product and it certainly is a unique product. This balm has Jojoba Seed Oil and Argan Oil so it provides a bit of moisture and a bit of glow thanks to light-reflecting qualities. You can wear it alone for a no-makeup makeup look or you can layer it on top of foundation. I’ve also used it as more of a primer under foundation to help blur fine lines a bit before applying makeup.
Be sure to warm up the product a bit before applying to your face! The brand also recommends you break the seal of the balm with your index finger and then warm it up to apply all over your face or use it on your face’s high points.
Available in six shades so it suits a variety of skin tones. I bought shade Au Naturel.
Buy Miracle Balm.
The Face Pencil, $25
I was convinced on the efficacy of face pencils in my routine until I watched the Bobbi Brown Masterclass and saw how versatile they truly are. Unlike other pencils I have tried, this one doesn’t drag on the skin at all thanks to its formulation with ricinus communis aka castor seed oil. It’s super soft and it is a little wonder that’s great to have on hand at all times. It covers redness, dark spots, discoloration and it can lighten dark circles. There are no chalky tones either.
A makeup artist’s dream…but simple enough for a newbie to master. Cover redness and dark spots, correct discoloration, and lighten dark circles- while remaining virtually undetectable. Formulated with a clear base for no chalky undertones.
Available in 25 shades for a variety of skin tones. I use shade 05 but will likely buy additional shades following what I learned about blending and color correction in Bobbi’s Masterclass.
Buy the Face Pencil.
The Mascara, $26
This mascara is pretty good. It’s got an ultra-pigmented black color that I like and you can really build up lashes in volume with multiple layers. I like the curved wand and that lashes stay soft but impactful thanks to the Vitamins in the formula.
Buy The Mascara.
The Best Pencil, $22
I prefer gel liners more than pencils personally but I was curious to try this one out as I have used Bobbi Brown’s gel liner for nearly a decade and was interested in the fact that she released a pencil liner with her new brand first and foremost.
The pencil is highly pigmented which I like so it makes it relatively easy to use and the formula has cotton seed oil so it blends and smokes out nicely but honestly I do find it drags a bit too much to get as crisp of a line as I want. If you want to keep your look soft you can use your finger or a brush to smudge it but I also bought the brand’s Eyeliner Brush to use to blend it out to be a little less harsh of a line.
Available in four shades – I have black but I don’t use it much. I rely more on this eyeliner day to day instead.
Buy The Best Pencil.
The Best Eyeshadow, $25
Minimalist but impactful color – these shadows come in both matte and shimmer shades. I bought the Copper and like it but it’s a bit pigmented for all over on an every day basis. The color payoff on these is definitely major so use sparingly and be sure to also tap of excess product from your brush before you apply to your lid.
Available in 15 shades.
Buy The Best Eyeshadow.
The Brow Pencil, $22
This pencil was a big miss for me sadly. The blonde was too blonde and the light brunette too dirty-looking and the point not fine enough to really mimic brow hairs. I didn’t get volume or natural, more full looking brows. I much prefer the brow products featured in my Filling In Brows For Beginners guide.
Buy The Brow Pencil.
Just a Sec Shadow, $26
This bouncy shadow is very cool. You get a wash of luminous colors that really brightens the eye and I love to use the shade Golden Peach in the corner of my eyes for a truly bright-eyed look. The cushiony texture truly makes it very fun and very easy to apply.
Available in six shades- I hope they’ll introduce some additional neutral shades in more every day colors, too.
Buy Just a Sec Shadow.
Sparkle Wash, $24
This was too reminiscent of juvenile makeup for me and I was actually surprised it was part of the line’s debut given Bobbi’s philosophy of introducing essential makeup – not “more makeup”. If you’re looking for a similar product that I think is better for every day wear – I’d recommend the Kosas 10 Second Shadow.
Available in six shades – I tested shade Ice.
Buy Sparkle Wash.
Cool Gloss, $22
I like the wear of this gloss because it is lightweight but moisturizing similar to a lip balm. You get a minimal plumping affect and it isn’t sticky or heavy.
I didn’t love the sparkle in the shade Golden Shimmer that I bought but I may try out another color in the future. I wish it didn’t have the minty smell though – reminds me of lip gloss I used in middle school. I wouldn’t repurchase this.
Available in 10 shades.
Buy Cool Gloss.
The Skin Brush, $36
This is a good multi-masking tool to apply and blend foundation, the brand’s Miracle Balm or Face Pencil or your favorite primer. Related: 15 Essential Makeup Brushes to Have.
Buy The Skin Brush.
Meghan, this is a wonderful review! I have been so curious of this brand for so long. Did you feel it had staying power? Was there any smudging of the mascara?
Totally agree with you about there being a lot of sparkle. Thank you for testing these and giving such a thoughtful informative review!
I have been WAITING for this review!!
Questions: How did you select the miracle balm colour? That is what I struggle with.
What do you mean by warming it up?
Face pencil: how did you apply it? to the red spots alone? like a foundation?
Best tutorial to watch on how to use those two?
You’ll need to warm up the balm so that it can be more easily applied! And I just chose the one with no coloration since I am so fair!
Check out the Jones Road videos on Instagram – so handy! I use the face pencil to spot treat!
I tried the What the Foundation, a cream foundation. It separated after a month and a half into a big oily mess. I’m beyond the return date of 30 days. So when I emailed them, they said to just stir the product. I don’t think that’s normal. Maybe the formula needs to be perfected.
I haven’t tried it yet but it sounds like people either love it or hate it! I think it’s formulated for drier, aging skin