These Jones Road Beauty Products Are Our New Everyday Go-Tos

Welcome to Skimm Tested, where we put products to the test and then give them a report card. (Check out all of our tried-and-tested faves here.)

The assignment…

To see if the products in the Jones Road 101 Set are as easy to use — and universally flattering — as they claim, and if they deserve an official spot in our makeup routine. 

What we tested…

• Miracle Balm: a pigmented balm for all-over glow ($38)

• The Face Pencil: a draw-on concealer that covers redness and discoloration ($25)

• The Mascara: a buildable, ultra-black mascara ($26)

Straight A’s in…

• Miracle Balm. This was by far our favorite product of the three. Each tester found this silky, pigmented balm looked and felt great on their skin (even if their skin was pretty dry). We tried Flushed, Dusty Rose, Miami Beach, and Golden Hour, and loved that the product gave each of our skin tones (from pale with pink undertones to light brown) a dewy, lit-from-within glow. One tester even said she looked like she’d just had a facial. We love that this product feels like skincare and can be applied to clean skin or on top of makeup.  It also smells good, but in a subtle, natural way. Though there was a bit of a learning curve with the application (we’ll talk about this later), we would wear this every day.

• Shade range. Jones Road was founded by makeup artist Bobbi Brown after she left her namesake makeup line, looking to create a more inclusive line of products for all skin types and tones. There’s no doubt about it: in both the Miracle Balm and The Face Pencil, there’s a color that will be flattering for you. The balm comes in nine colors (many of which are designed to work with all skin tones), and the pencil comes in 25. Our testers used the online quiz to find the right shade and were pleasantly surprised by how well the color matched. One tester went so far as to say she’s never had a better shade match in her life.

• The formulas. These products are cruelty-free and “clean” — meaning they’re made without ingredients like phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, and BPA. We can’t get enough of how hydrating they are, even the face pencil (which is somehow not chalky at all). Though one tester is normally wary of trying new mascaras because of her sensitive eyes, this one did not cause any itching or burning. It also did not leave us with midday raccoon eyes or flake-off. One tester said, “On the first day I used this going to the office, another HQ’er stopped me mid-sentence unprompted to tell me my eyelashes were ‘ridiculously long.’ This has never happened to me before.”

Room for growth…

• The application. These products can actually be a little tricky to use if you just dive right in without reading the instructions, but once you get the hang of them, the payoff is worth it. With the balm, you can’t just skim your finger over the top and expect to get enough product. Per the instructions on the website, you have to “break the top surface of the balm with your index finger first, and then warm it up to soften the formula.” We found that you quite literally need to jab your finger into the product, scoop, and rub it together to make it the right consistency. Once you do that, it’s easy to apply with a brush, BeautyBlender, or your finger. Similarly, we found the pencil can be tough (and slightly painful) to apply directly to skin, but works better when drawn on your hand first and then applied with a brush (you can mix with a little moisturizer to make it even easier, too). 

• More mascara options. We really liked the mascara, from the fluffy brush to its lengthening qualities, but we’d love to see it come in a waterproof option or brown shade, rather than just ultra-black. We’re not ready to completely give up our old mascara mainstays just yet.

Plays well with…

• Our current makeup routine. We found we could layer these products with our favorite blushes, concealers, and glosses, and they worked together seamlessly. 

• A no-makeup makeup look. We’d recommend this kit for no-fuss mornings when you want to do something basic, but also let your natural skin shine through.

Gets extra credit for…

• Minimalist packaging that made us want to keep these products sitting out on our shelves and vanity trays.

• The balm really can be applied almost anywhere, from lips to cheeks (they don’t recommend using it on your eyes). 

• Usually we’re skeptical of a “find your perfect match” quiz. This one proved us wrong.

How we did our homework…

• Four editors, with a range of skin types (redness-prone, normal/oily, sensitive, and dry) and tones, tested the three products in Jones Road’s The 101 Set (the Miracle Balm, The Face Pencil, and The Mascara) over the course of two weeks. We applied the products to our skin without makeup and on top of makeup. We noted how well the colors matched our skin tones, how the products made our skin feel, and how well they lasted throughout the day. We tried the products without reading the instructions, went back to the website to read the instructions, then tried them again. We took note of any compliments we received while wearing these products.

Footnotes…

• The 101 Set, $96.90 at Jones Road

• Miracle Balm, $38 at Jones Road

• The Face Pencil, $25 at Jones Road

• The Mascara, $26 at Jones Road