Jones Road Miracle Cream

Bobbi Brown is the woman behind Jones Road Beauty - a relatively new beauty brand founded on the principle that we don't need more beauty products, we just need better ones. No longer associated with the Bobbi Brown cosmetics brand, the make up artist launched Jones Road with a vision to cater to every skin type and tone and a focus on functional, 'clean', high quality products that deliver. 

The brand's makeup range is quickly gaining cult status, but there is a small selection of skincare available. It's all very minimalist and chic and truth be told I'm keen to try everything from the range. The skincare collection includes a solid oil stick, eye cream, use-everywhere balm, light moisturiser and the Miracle Cream, which I have here.

Created for very dry skin, Miracle Cream is rich and balmy in consistency. As is the case with Jones Road's popular Miracle Balms (tinted, multi-purpose makeup pots that I need to try), the Miracle Cream's 'seal' needs to be broken before use. The seal is basically the surface of the balm, which naturally forms a waxy sort of coating that you break through with a finger to get to the good stuff underneath. When I first tried the Miracle Cream I didn't break the seal quite enough, so ended up with a bit of the waxy film on my face, which initially turned me off the product as I thought this was the cream's texture. But the true texture lies beneath that waxy seal and, while it's rich and thick, it's not uncomfortable and strange, as I initially thought!

Miracle Cream is a sort of 'ritual' product, in that it needs to be warmed between palms before pressing into the skin. It's not the kind of thing you can just slap on and I actually appreciate this aspect of the product - I love something that forces me to slow down just a touch and enjoy the application process.

The intense moisturiser can be used during the day (used sparingly) or applied a little more generously as an overnight mask. The cream contains Shea Butter, Sunflower Seed Oil, Avocado Oil and Vitamin E as well as a blend of Fatty Acids and Glycerin. It's pretty full on and incredibly comforting - I think it will be perfect to nourish and protect on windswept, cold days outside and equally when I'm indoors and central heating sucks all the moisture from my skin.

Jones Road Miracle Cream is £34 for 40g at Jones Road.

Secret Santa Gift Idea: Bobbi Brown Mini Mask Trio

I know the Bobbi Brown Mini Mask Trio was released a little while ago but I spied it in John Lewis on the weekend and thought it's exactly the kind of Secret Santa gift/ stocking filler that I would like to receive! Bobbi Brown isn't exactly a cheap and cheerful brand so the fact that this little pack of three face masks is only £10 further sweetens the deal.
The trio includes cute 7ml tubes of Radiance Boost, Instant Detox and Skin Nourish masks so it's a great little kit for multi-masking or sampling Bobbi's masks before committing to the full sizes (the full sized 75ml tubes are £33 each).

The Radiance Boost Mask is an exfoliating mask that contains fine walnut grains for a physical exfoliation action. It also contains Orange Oil and is designed to instantly pep up the complexion and get things glowing.
The Instant Detox Mask is a clay mask that features an Amazonian White Clay base and is formulated with Hawaiian Sea Water. This is a pore-unclogging, clarifying mask which is a bit different to your standard clay mask in that you just leave it on for three minutes rather than wait for it to go all dry and crackly.
Finally, the Nourish Mask is a tissue-off formula that features Coral Grass and Green Algae. Similar in consistency to a face cream, I feel like this soothing mask would be particularly nice in the autumn/ winter months. In other words, perfect for now.

You can find the full size masks and Mini Mask Trio at John Lewis and Bobbi Brown online.

Favourite non-foundation bases

As much as I am both thrilled and intrigued by the plethora of foundations on the market, the truth is I don't really wear foundation that often.

I generally like my skin to look natural (except red lips, obviously) and glowing, so most of the time when I go out in public I reach for a base that offers some coverage, but isn't quite a foundation. BB Creams, Tinted Moisturisers and pigment-blurring potions are my friends and I use them all year round. They are just nice, low maintenance alternatives to full-blown foundations and every single one that I'm about to talk about blends away easily using just fingertips, so they're handbag-perfect and especially handy when you're in a rush.

BareMinerals Complexion Rescue*

I love pretty much everything about Complexion Rescue. From the mousse like texture through to the cooling effect on the skin, this is one seriously good skincare/makeup hybrid. The coverage of Complexion Rescue is definitely sheer- it just adds a bit of a tint to the skin and evens out skin tone for a nice natural finish. I wear shade Buttercream which is slightly yellow toned and gives my face a lovely glow throughout all four seasons- I just add a bit of bronzer in summer and it does the trick nicely. SPF 30.

MAC Prep + Prime Beauty Balm

I bought the Prep + Prime Beauty balm after using the Prep + Prime BB compact  and, whilst being impressed overall, felt the need for a little more hydration. Designed to be used as a primer or on its own, Prep + Prime creates a nice, even base that covers blemishes, pigmentation and dark circles without making you look too 'made up'. The coverage is heavier than Complexion Rescue and can leave me looking a tiny bit ghostly so I rarely use it completely on its own- for me, a pop of blush or bronzer is best. It's a thick, creamy texture that blends seamlessly and is a perfect foundation replacement on days when you don't feel like wearing a full face or simply can't be arsed. SPF 35. 

Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm

This citrus-scented pot of tinted hydration is my absolute favourite when the weather is really, really cold. I think I initially became interested in it because I'm irrationally drawn to any beauty product with the word 'balm' in the title. It's ridiculous, I know. The Tinted Moisturising Balm is one of my 'precious' products, which is probably due to the £35.50 price tag as well as the fact that it just feels so darn luxurious. Ultra rich, the emollient formula of the tinted moisturiser makes it very good for dry skins and not so great for oily complexions, which is why I only really use it when it's cold. In terms of coverage, this is in a similar league to complexion rescue- it just enhances and evens out the complexion rather than masks anything. If you live in a super freezing climate, have dry skin, or spend a lot of time in the alps, you need this in your makeup bag, stat. SPF 25.

Dermalogica Sheer Tint*

This one is extra special to me- it's the only base I took with me to Sardinia for my 30th last September. Not only did the Dermalogica Sheer Tint preserve my skin and stop me from getting horribly sunburnt, it made my skin look pretty good at the same time. I'm not a fan of wearing traditional sun cream on my face so this was a very good alternative that also gave my face a nice tint. I have the Sheer Tint in both Light and Medium shades so I can wear it all year round. The blend-ability of this one is particularly impressive, to the point that I could put it on while sitting on the beach using my phone camera as a mirror without looking weirdly patchy and not a tell tale tideline in sight. Success. SPF 20

What's your go-to non-foundation base? Let me know!

Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm Review

First of all, if you're reading this I hope you had a great Christmas and New Years Eve celebration! I didn't do that much myself as I didn't have much time off so I pretty much just drank quite a few elderflower gin and tonics and did some much needed hibernating.

Like every good consumer, I took advantage of the recent sales - 10% off beauty at Selfridges to be precise and bought myself one thing - the Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm. I've had one beady eye on the balm for aaaages but wanted to wait until it was good and frosty outside before I added it to my basket because I knew it was going to be very, very hydrating and thick.

This tinted moisturiser has an SPF of 25 - though you probably guessed that from the name, so was probably developed for use in the summer though I'm not sure it will suit my skin if I'm a bit sweaty (though I will put this to the test once ice cream weather is upon us).

This is what I would call a true tinted moisturiser. Definitely not a foundation in disguise, it is in fact a moisturiser with a subtle tint. I reiterate this because there are so many 'tinted moisturisers' on the market that completely cake your face the same way a good old fashioned foundation would and you have to be careful to get an exact match or risk looking like you're wearing a mask.

For me, the Bobbi Brown Extra Tinted Moisturizing Balm blends pretty seamlessly and just 'kisses' my skin with colour, so I think I could have gotten away with a few shades darker or lighted than the colour I opted for - Light to Medium Tint.

In terms of texture, the balm feels like a pretty luxurious, thick moisturiser and is designed to use in place of your regular moisturiser. It doesn't stick to any dry bits (though I have gone exfoliator-crazy lately) or sit in pores and just adds a healthy tint to my face, leaving a dewy finish, which could be counteracted with a bit of translucent powder if the dewy look isn't your thing.

Also it smells really, really lovely. Kind of herbal and not very dissimilar to the Vitamin Enriched Face Base.

If you have dry skin, I can't recommend this enough. You don't need to use a lot of product at all (though it is slightly buildable), which softens the blow of the horrendous £36 price tag. The Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm is available in 7 shades from Alabaster through to Dark Tint and can be found anywhere that peddles Bobbi Brown. ETA - As of 2019, this product seems to have been discontinued. I will update with links if it comes back!

Bobbi Brown Face Base Review

Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier are my top two luxury department store brands which I can rarely afford to indulge in, so when the opportunity arose for me to purchase this much lusted after Bobbi Brown Face Base I very much went for it.

I owned Bobbi Brown Face Base years ago in Australia when I was in my early twenties and a bit oilier than I am now and found it a little two heavy then for my face (and the Queensland climate). But now that I'm knocking on the door of the big 28 and living through moisture-sapping English winters I will take whatever extra moisture I can get!

Vitamin Enriched Face Base is a primer and moisturiser in one with a super thick, melting texture and a beautiful Vitamin C like scent to match the yellowy-orange colour of the cream.

This gorgeously thick face base is excellent as a nourishing, skin loving moisturiser thanks to the shea butter, carrot and vitamin C and E components and makes a fantastic pre-makeup primer, smoothing the skin and readying it for foundation.

Even though shea butter is a main ingredient in the cream, it's an oil-free formula. I'm not 100% how this works since I equate butter with oil but I do know that the face base leaves my skin glowing and dewy rather than with an oily sheen.

At £36, this is definitely a treat product to me but there's a lot to love with this product - the smell, the texture, the feel of it on my face, the lovely glass jar, the Bobbi Brown logo on the lid...

If you see this, give it a whiff and try some on your hand, if you're anything like me you're bound to fall for it fast.

Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base is £44.50 at Look Fantastic.