Make-up maestro Bobbi Brown founded her first beauty company more than 30 years ago. We’ve had to wait a while for her latest venture, Jones Road, to come to Ireland. But now it’s on the way. And here’s what is worth putting on your beauty wish list …
All products featured on thegloss.ie are selected by our editors. If you buy something through affiliate links on our site we may earn a commission.
We all know the name Bobbi Brown. The make-up artist sold her eponymous beauty brand back in 1995, staying on until 2016; and then the week a 25-year non-compete clause lifted, she launched Jones Road, in 2020. It has since landed in Liberty in London – and it’s set to launch here in Ireland this year. “I love Ireland,” enthuses Brown. “I’ve had some great trips with my family; my husband and my sons are golfers so we’ve been many times.” She tells a story of her first trip here, when an “incredible opportunity to have tea with Bono’s wife” clashed with a call to do Michelle Obama’s make-up. Being Brown, she made it all work.
When I visited Liberty last year, Jones Road was easily the busiest counter in the entire beauty hall. Many shades were already sold out, and besieged staff were awaiting more stock, particularly of the foundation. “Yes, we definitely under-forecasted,” says Brown. “Now we’re back up with everything … I think we’ve hit a nerve with women,” says the 65-year-old, talking from Florida where she’s been spending the colder months, before heading back to New York, where she has just opened a store, in Greenwich Village. Jones Road is the epitome of Brown’s original USP, which was to highlight and enhance a natural look.
WHAT TO TRY
Where to start, if you’re new to Jones Road? “First see what you want to touch and feel, and just try. Try some Miracle Balm – I don’t care what kind of make-up you have on – just put a little Miracle Balm on your cheek and that might be a bit of a game-changer. If you have something to cover, pick up a pencil [The Face Pencil concealer, €28] and cover it. And go from there.”
It’s rare that that nearly everything in a range is instantly appealing. Usually, you’d pick out a lip colour, or mascara, and move on. But I found that each pot I opened was something I couldn’t wait to put on my skin. One Miracle Balm is simply not enough – there’s a bronze one for summer months, plus a soft petal pink one I’ve been using every day. It’s a non-sticky blend of castor seed oil, beeswax, and other fruit, leaf and seed oils, including rosemary and geranium for its soft scent, in nine shades from clear to bronze. It’s €40, and will easily last easily 18 months, and you use it anywhere on your face (except eyelids).
The textures are just what I want on my skin, particularly the What the Foundation? Moisture Tint (€46) – so many are too heavy or flat when you’re 50-plus, but this is a glow balm with a tint, and it’s more about texture and skin-conditioning than cover-up. Crayon concealers like The Face Pencil are not a new idea, but it’s easy to forget how handy and nimble they are (especially for travel, rather than a liquid one). The lip and cheek sticks are also nifty, and in softly flattering shades. There’s a great bronzer (€36, in seven shades) and range of brushes (from €24). I’d like to see recyclable pots going forward (the cartons are already made from recyclable material). I’d also love mini versions of the pots; for now, I’ll be repurposing the mini eyeshadow pots to fill with scoops of Miracle Balm and WTF to take travelling (though Brown says a lot of the kits have mini Miracle Balms in, and twice a year they sell a range of minis; keep an eye on the website). The products are made in the US and Germany.
MAKING SENSE
On finding make-up that suits you as you get older, she muses: “Everything is an adjustment – you have to adapt and adjust to where you are. You have to go, ok, this is not working now, what do I need to do? We get drier skin as we get older, because we don’t have the collagen we did as a kid. And you don’t have the fat you did when you were younger. It’s about finding what works.” And this is make-up that works, and has skincare benefits, for all ages. Most importantly, for me, it’s for women over 40 wanting to hit refresh as they get a bit older – in a low-key way. Softer, more moisturising textures are the way forward, and something that gives your skin luminosity, with moisture, is extremely important. Luminosity is really the key to the whole line. Brown urges me to try the Shimmer Face Oil, with lasting moisture that doesn’t dry down.
Being older, Brown will consider what other people won’t – for example, the idea of a bigger labels for the pots, because as we get older it’s harder to read what colour each one is! I, for one, am constantly squinting at ingredients labels. “I am in my sixties, and my friends are anywhere from 30 to 70. And at this age, I kind of know who I want to be. I know who I am, but I also want to be someone who is just comfortable in all aspects of ageing. I want to be young in my body – that’s more important than young in my face.”
ON FUTURE PLANS
As for future store plans, apart from her store and office in Montclair, where Brown brought up her family, and the new store in Greenwich Village, New York, they are also opening a small store in the Hamptons. “I don’t have hobbies, and my husband likes to travel, so I assume some time I’ll also have a store in Florida to keep me busy! I’m also incredibly lucky to have a granddaughter who is five months old, and I think that’s going to be my hobby for a while.”
There’s also merch, from baseball caps to sweatshirts, haircare and kits. Looks like Jones Road is set to run and run, with Brown’s plain speaking, pragmatism and expertise at the forefront. “I just love the creative process,” says Brown. “It’s like today, I’m here in a room with no art, so I just started taping up pictures. I just always make the best of something.”
For shoppers in Ireland Jones Road is available to order online from www.jonesroadbeauty.com.
