Beauty buffs around the world will remember the media storm that surrounded Jones Road’s What The Foundation. You may also remember the feeling at finding out the brand was only stocked on the US website, meaning long shipping times, a £9.29 delivery cost and potential import duties if you threw caution to the wind and bought up most of the brand – hey big spender.

But, no longer do we have to live vicariously through our friends across the pond, watching the TikTok drama unfold over this funkily named foundation, while we sit on the sidelines, thanks to shipping.

In an exciting announcement, Jones Road will be available in the UK from 4 October, meaning the heavily debated What The Foundation will be ours to try once and for all. And, in true IndyBest fashion, we got our hands on it early to weigh in on the controversial creamy-based product and share with you everything you need to know.

For those who can’t quite remember the drama that surrounded this foundation or weren’t as engrossed in it as our beauty editors, here’s a short summary of why this foundation is in the hot seat. Owned by make-up artist extraordinaire Bobbi Brown, ex-owner of the namesake bestselling beauty brand, Jones Road was the make-up mogul’s first solo venture since 2016. Focusing on ‘clean beauty’, simple ingredients and a ‘no make-up make-up’ look, the ever-growing line-up of products focuses on pared-back basics that anyone and everyone can use, regardless of age, gender and make-up prowess.

While we’ve already reviewed almost everything in the range, including the famous face pencils, miracle balm and shimmer oil, What The Foundation was the product dividing all of us that are mad for make-up. Make-up artist and content creator Meredith Duxbury wasn’t keen on the formula – you may remember the hotly-debated video of her controversially almost bathing her face in the product, while Bobbi’s instructions are that less is more. However, other make-up artists on social media held the product in high regard, and we’re now joining the ‘love it’ category. Keep reading below to find out why.

How we tested

Bobbi Brown recommends applying this foundation with either a brush, such as the skin brush (£32, Jonesroadbeauty.com) or just your fingers. We tried both but ended up preferring the brush, for a slightly less messy morning routine.

Although having watched influencers coat their face in the foundation (using almost a full pot at a time), we again went by Bobbi’s instructions in that less is more, applying just a pea-sized amount across the face and down the neck. Consistency, feel, scent and the final result were all on our rating sheet to test, and this is what we thought of it below.

Jones Road What the Foundation

Best: Lightweight, moisturising foundation

Number of shades: 12

Shade tested: Beige

Coverage: Sheer, lightweight

Size: 35g

Available in the UK from 4 October or from the US site now: £38.68, Jonesroadbeauty.com

Our tester is pictured here wearing only What The Foundation and the new Jones Road the best blush (£24.62, Jonesroadbeauty.com), to give you a good idea of what the final result will look like. As you can see, dark under-eye circles are still visible, along with a slightly pink colour on the chin. Up close, you could also faintly see some acne scars too. But, the radiant glow this product gave can be spotted a mile off, with a dewy-satin finish that looks healthy, natural and make-up free.

Formula

Jones Road’s main focus is on formulas, building make-up products without phthalates, sulfates, cyclic silicones, petrolatum, PEGs, EDTA, or BPA, to name but a few. Most of the products also double up as skincare solutions, and What The Foundation could be said to do the same.

A water-based formula with oil dispersed throughout, the first thing to note is that this product is incredibly thick and creamy, with the consistency of a heavy-weight night cream rather than a standard foundation. Jojoba-seed oil works to heal skin, reducing redness while helping to treat acne, eczema and dryness, making it well suited to anyone with dry, sore or flaky skin.

Castor-seed oil, candelilla wax and sunflower-seed wax all add to the moisturising properties of the formula, while ginger-root oil acts as a cleansing agent to remove unwanted bacteria on the skin. Meanwhile, sodium hyaluronate deeply penetrates lower layers of the skin, for a real inside-out approach to beauty.

What this means when actually wearing the product is that your skin looks healthy and hydrated. And, as a lot of the oils are absorbed into the skin throughout the day, we found the effects of the foundation lasted for quite a long time too – which we certainly can’t complain about.

Final look

Due to the creamy consistency of the foundation, you really don’t need a lot to cover the entire face, and our tester found a pea-sized amount was just perfect. But, and this is a big but, anyone who likes a full coverage make-up look most likely will not like this product.

It has a sheer, light coverage much more on par with a tinted moisturiser or CC cream than your typical foundation, and the brand even describes it as that, dubbing it a ‘tinted moisture balm meets traditional foundation’. For anyone looking for just a slight boost, elevating your natural skin rather than masking anything, this is the perfect pick, and that’s why our ‘no make-up make-up-loving’ tester was so fond of it.

It can be built up but only slightly, meaning you will need to jump in with the face pencil (£23, Jonesroadbeauty.com) or your regular concealer to cover under-eye bags, blemishes, dark spots and more if you wish to mask these areas.

Our tester loved the dewy satin-like finish, as, essentially, you are wearing a skincare product as a foundation, but it is also easily made more matte with the addition of loose powder.

The result

The result, as pictured, is your skin but better. What The Foundation adds a boosted glow to your skin that subtly blurs into a more even skin tone with added radiance. But, it’s not going to conceal or mask anything that is on your face, so treat it as you would a tinted moisturiser and pair it with a concealer if you’re after a fuller coverage.

The verdict: Jones Road What The Foundation

Our tester loved this product. While they won’t be reaching for it to conceal acne flare-ups or to sit under a full glam make-up look, for an everyday essential and for reviving tired, dull or winter-worn skin, it couldn’t be more perfect. Who wouldn’t love a foundation that also works to improve your skin from the inside too?

For dry, combination or sore skin, this is sure to go down a treat, and we think your skin will thank you for it. For anyone with oily skin, this may not be your best friend, due to the high amount of oils that are already in the formula. But, very few products cater to absolutely everyone, and that’s OK.

Finally, 12 shades may seem like a small number, but due to the lightweight nature of this product, one shade of What The Foundation works with around three to four shades of the face pencil, and, from what we can see, there is a shade for almost everyone available. So, we take our hats off to Bobbi Brown – TikTok drama aside, this is sure to be a well-loved product for subtle-make-up fans.

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Looking for more light coverage make-up? Check out our round-up of the best CC creams