As a lover of Bobbi Brown, as a makeup artist (& brand tbh), I’ve been interested in her new brand, Jones Road, since its launch. But the brand really went viral with its release of its What The Foundation, and my interest was really piqued. A few weeks ago, I graciously received a goodie box from the brand and able to test a ton of their offerings. I have a lot of thoughts and left them all in this Jones Road brand review. But in this post I wanted to give an exclusive and detailed review of the Jones Road What The Foundation.
the basics:
The Jones Road What The Foundation is marketed as a tinted moisture balm that nourishes the skin while offering a little coverage to leave you with “an even, fresh complexion that looks like your skin on its best day,” per the brand’s website.
It retails for $44 and comes in 12 shades. I used the lightest shade, Porcelain.
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Jones Road What The Foundation Review
an introduction – WTF?:
This launched about a year ago with equal amounts of love and hate. Though the hate is what thrust it to go viral on TikTok. In present day, I definitely understand both arguments, but I’m in the camp of loving it.
I’m not on TikTok, so I didn’t see all of this go down in detail. What I gathered is that it was received with a bit of confusion … and maybe a little disgust.
And I kind of understand. Upon first opening it appears a little separated in the jar. You can see the oils pooling on the top. The smell is pretty herbaly. And when you actually touch the product, you can feel that separation of oil. They texture is kind of a pudding and grainy.
My actual first impression of opening and touch the product was an audible “…eeeeeew. I’m going to hate this.”
And I did. My dry skin felt heavy and oily. The makeup looked caked on and broke up a few hours on. Not to mention the shade was too dark. It wasn’t a good look.
However, after I familiarized myself with the product a little more, I am here to tell you – this is a really remarkable product.
a review –
I hated this upon first wear. I applied a similar amount of product as I do with most foundations to my face with my finger, and blended it in with a sponge. And then I applied a little bit more for a little more coverage.
And therein lies the problem. If you apply it that way, you’re also going to have a rough go. However, if you use the product the way it’s intended, which isn’t as a typical foundation, you’ll have a much different experience.
it’s skincare, not foundation:
What The Foundation is trying to blur and soften fine lines and texture while lightly tinting the skin while sinking into the skin /becoming one with the skin. It’s skincare, not a foundation. It’s tinted skincare, and when I reframed what it is in my head, I got along with it much better.
Upon application, it feels like a last skincare step. It feels like a thick, nourishing layer of skincare. And despite the oils on the top of the jar when opening, it doesn’t feel oily on the skin. It leaves your skin looking hydrated in an effective skincare type of way rather than in an oily type of way.
Applied in a thin layer and worked into the skin with my fingers, this left me with a more even, airbrushed looking complexion. It looked like I’d gotten botox.
but i have qualms:
No.1 | Though my skin looked more even overall, it doesn’t do a great job of covering blemishes. But it’s not trying to do that. So it’s not a negative to the product, but it’s something to keep in mind if you use this. You’re going to need to go in with a concealer to cover any major blemishes. And the Jones Road Face Pencil makes a lot of sense as a complementary product here.
No. 2 | The lightest shade just isn’t light enough for my skin. I can make this work, but ultimately it’s just the wrong shade for me. It’s a little too dark and a little too orange for my skin tone. I wish there was a shade lighter and that there was a better array of almost gray-leaning neutral undertones.
No. 3 | If I use this too many days in a row, I notice my cheeks breaking out a little. My skin is super sensitive to essential oils, and I notice if I wear this too many days in a row, I get little bumps on my cheeks. However, if I give my a skin a day or two in between wears, I don’t notice any irritation. This is something that’s a little more personal and would differ person to person.
final thoughts:
When used as intended, The Jones Road What The Foundation is an amazing skincare/makeup hybrid. It left my skin looked filtered and nearly flawless, as well as hydrated and nourished.
My only real hang up is the shade. And hopefully one day they add a few different shades in a slightly different undertone.
x,
Jacqie
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All Jones Road products were gifted (free) for PR purposes – though all opinions are my own, and I received no monetary compensation from the brand in exchange for this post.
How to get rid of the grainy residue after it’s applied
Hi! How do you apply the foundation? I typically warm it up in and apply it with my fingers, and I don’t typically notice a grainy texture.
My foundation is so grainy. Live the shade but I have to remove with sponge all the grains on my face.
I like to mix the product around a bit in the jar from time to time. But when I apply it, I really warm it up in my fingers before applying to my face. I also apply with my fingers and don’t tend to notice that grainy texture. Have you tried applying with your fingers, or do you only apply it with a sponge?