I admit, I bought into the hype. After seeing Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road Miracle Balm everywhere, I took the plunge. After hearing her enthuse, “I’ve been looking for a product like this my whole life…” I was sold. I mean, who knows more about beauty than Brown? According to a recent CNN article, “Brown is one of the beauty industry’s greats — she pioneered the “no-makeup makeup” look before it became a trend and has helped people feel empowered by enhancing their natural beauty for decades.”
What attracted me most to Miracle Balm was the natural, no-makeup, luminescent look of the “after” models shown. As I’ve grown older, I have come to the realization that less really can be more when it comes to makeup, especially foundation. And, while my fine lines and wrinkles can be camouflaged, filled, and plumped, without surgery, are not really going anywhere. So, Brown’s statement regarding normalizing wrinkles definitely resonated with me!
How to use Miracle Balm
The first step is to take a quick quiz to determine which shade is best suited to your coloring (there are 10 options). I went in with a pre-conceived notion about the color I should choose and was wrong, so don’t skip this step. (My actual match was “Dusty Rose.”)
When my product arrived, I was so excited! It comes in a pot. And, if you’ve seen the ads, you’ll know that the first thing you must do is break the “seal” of the product itself. (I had to use a Q-tip to avoid getting it under my nails). The consistency is something akin to a very firm lipstick, which was my first surprise.
To use it, just pat a little onto your face. Brown suggests cheeks and lips only in a YouTube video, which was my second surprise and really confused me. The ads seem to feature models with an all over “glow.” But when I used it all over, I looked like I had spent to much time in the sun.
An application to cheeks only provided a much-improved look. And, you can use this on top of a foundation. So, I tried a dusting of mineral makeup all over and accent on top with the Miracle Balm, which was more successful.
Miracle Balm: 2 Pros
Moisturizing Ingredients: Miracle Balm is made with Vitamin E, jojoba seed oil, and argan oil, so it is a moisturizing product, unlike a mineral powder blush.
Light Reflecting: Because it reflects light, it really does add a glow wherever you use it, unlike a matte product. The result is very healthy looking and bright “no makeup” look.
Miracle Balm: 4 Cons
Application: The delivery method is basically your fingers. And, because of the consistency, it is hard to remove from hands (I’ve been using a nail brush on my fingertips). Makeup brushes (even very stiff ones) and makeup sponges have not worked for me, as they have a tendency to pick up too much product.
Consistency. I assumed that this product would easily dissolve into skin (and many of the reviews I’ve read say this). However, the consistency is slightly grainy and those “beads” took a bit to work in. You can actually see them in the image, shown.
Finish: When applied, Miracle Balm feels sticky. Even after a full day, my face still feels tacky (I have adjusted how much and how little I use with no change.) I have seen videos that say this product should be used as your moisturizer, and to not apply over moisturizer. But that is a non-starter for me, as my skin is quite dry.
Scent: Miracle Balm has a very strong scent. I can’t emphasize this enough. The rosemary, rose geranium and grapefruit oil combined smell like Thanksgiving stuffing (to me). So, it was very off-putting. Now that I’ve been using it for a few weeks, I notice it less. But, for the first few days, I thought about turkey and gravy non-stop!
Retail at Jones Road Beauty: $38
My takeaway
While I appreciate the color and reflectiveness that this product provides, for me the cons far outweigh the pros. Miracle Balm simply did not live up to my expectations based on their ads. I was expecting more of a “tinted moisturizer” type of product, that could be used all over, not just a blush.
I give Miracle Balm a 2 out of 5 stars.
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