Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road Makeup Isn’t for Everyone. But If It’s for You, You’re Gonna Love It.

The two testers who most loved What the Foundation and Miracle Balm — that would be me and my coworker Annemarie — also received the most personalized, hands-on introduction to the products. While other testers received WTF and MB samples by mail, Annemarie and I visited the flagship store in Montclair, New Jersey, for a professional consultation and application. (Jones Road is a direct-to-consumer company that does most of its sales through its online platform. Yet there are currently nine brick-and-mortar locations, in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Austin, Texas, and Palm Beach, Florida. Those stores offer makeup lessons and application services for a fee. You can also just stroll in and receive product and color-matching recommendations at no extra cost.)

Annemarie is a few years younger than me, and she wears makeup even more rarely than I do, which is to say never. I’ve always been a low-maintenance, minimal-makeup gal, lacking the inclination or know-how to routinely administer a full face of glam. Annemarie claims she’s worn makeup only for her wedding and the TV appearances she makes for work. On those occasions, a pro has done the job for her.

Our makeup artist started by lightly tapping on a thin layer of WTF with a brush (you can also use your fingers or a dry makeup sponge, as noted in the product page’s How to Use section). I got the appeal right away. This foundation added warmth, evenness, and brightness to my pale, dull complexion — so much so that it glossed over (metaphorically and literally) the fact that some of my imperfections (small moles and that one discoloration that is definitely not an age spot, shut up) were still at least faintly visible. (Again, the brand emphasizes that What the Foundation is not intended to be a full-coverage product.)

For Miracle Balm, my makeup artist chose a coppery shade called Bronze. I was surprised, because as far as I knew, Paley McPalefaces such as myself aren’t supposed to be able to wear bronze. However, this showed up super light on my skin. When it was applied as an overall tint across the top of my forehead, my brow bones, and the high planes of my cheekbones, it delivered a little (truly, very little) extra oomph to my coloring. When it was coated a bit more generously onto the apples of my cheeks as a blush, it registered as a more noticeable, lovely, natural-looking flush.

Again, I feel like I got what Jones Road was going for. Neither of these products was transformative enough that anyone would stop me on the street and ask, “What are you all gussied up for?” But, looking at myself in the mirror, I imagined that someone I knew could bump into me and remark, “You look great, by the way!” Because that’s how I felt.

As for Annemarie, she was so instantly taken by WTF and MB that she was raving about them in ad-copy soundbites in the middle of the store. “It looks like I made an effort without making an effort,” she marveled about the Miracle Balm. When I asked her how the WTF felt on her skin, she replied, “Light. Like, it doesn’t.”

While she and I were both charmed by our movie-makeover-montage experience, I was still concerned about whether we could mimic it ourselves at home.

I’d received a full, soup-to-nuts sampling of Jones Road products at the store. In addition to WTF and MB (which were the only products our other testers got), there was eye shadow, gel liner, brow pencil, color-correcting and concealing face pencils, powder, and plenty of mascara. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about having all of that makeup on my face — again proving that I’m really not a makeup girlie, but instead a girl who likes makeup as a means to an end.

So here’s the most surprising part of the story: Annemarie and I continue to use and love WTF and MB to this day. Neither of us is the type to “play” with makeup. Yet we were both motivated enough by the products’ user-friendly, pleasing results to devise pared-down versions of our in-store regimens, so we can put on a face we like in under five minutes. When I’m really in a rush, I will just do WTF and MB and call it a day.

“I never learned how to properly apply makeup and it always intimidated me, but with this, there’s no crazy clown contouring involved and no caking it on,” Annemarie later told me. “I’ve felt comfortable enough to expand from WTF and MB. I also use Jones Road’s eyebrow pencil, a correcting stick, and a little powder. I’m applying makeup with some regularity that makes me feel put together.”

It helps that WTF and MB are pretty goof-proof and simple to use. (Before you dive in, I recommend checking out Jones Road’s tutorial videos, including one on WTF and another on MB, as our testers did.) Two other testers over age 50 — with no makeup experience — achieved looks they liked on the first try, with no do-overs (paging Meredith Duxbury). I’ve even applied WTF and MB without a mirror, just to see if I could. The results were great.

Once I started wearing Jones Road on the regular, the products kept proving their worth to me. When I had nothing but my WTF and MB on, a friend I see every day (but rarely while I’m wearing makeup) asked me, “Did you get a facial today? You look so glowy.” (I know that sounds scripted. I assure you, it was not.) On a night out, maybe four or so hours after applying my makeup, I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and happily saw the products’ creamy glow still reflecting back at me. A week later, I showed up to a facial appointment while wearing WTF and MB, and for the first time ever, my facialist called my skin “juicy” instead of her usual one-word assessment: “dehydrated.” A Wirecutter co-worker did my makeup before shooting photos for this article and immediately commented, “Oh, yeah, I can see why you love this.” Another told me at a casual out-of-office hang at a bar, “Your skin looks amazing.” (She knew I was wearing Jones Road because we’d talked about it, and it was one of those dimly lit dive bars where everyone looks fetching, but still.)

Annemarie, meanwhile, spent the week after our Jones Road visit at a children’s hospital where her daughter had undergone emergency surgery. “It was one of the worst weeks of my life, and I looked better than I ever have,” she later said. “What cognitive dissonance.” (Her daughter recovered quickly and is back to her old self.)

The last test for me came when I compared WTF to the medium-coverage cream I’ve been enjoying as my makeup base layer for years, IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Brightening Glow Serum With SPF 40. I was expecting this side-by-side comparison to be a very close call. It wasn’t. Sure, I had to apply a layer of sunscreen to my face before going in with WTF, since it contains no SPF. (IT Cosmetics admits that its CC cream likewise needs a layer of sunscreen underneath, for ample coverage.) Appearance-wise, the CC cream registered comparatively as cakey, overly matte, and a little gray — a shade I can embrace in my hair but prefer to avoid in my skin.