Shop Jones Road Beauty Holiday 2024: City Lights Kit Reviewed

The great thing about holiday party makeup is that it feels special. The really great thing about this new Jones Road holiday kit, the latest from makeup artist Bobbi Brown, is that it achieves that while also keeping us—all of us—looking and feeling like ourselves. “These days it’s not about, oh, it’s the holidays so you have to do a smoky eye and red lip. I don’t care who says it, I don’t see people out like that,” says Brown, who has put together a kit that helps you amp up your day-to-day look. It’s also anything but cookie cutter and there’s not a glob of glitter in sight; instead, you’ll find balms that cast a wintery glow on skin and a lip gloss that adds a pop of rosy pink (plus, black mascara, of course!). “What I really love about the way we do holiday makeup is that it’s not like you’ll only wear the makeup now and never again. You can use any of these all year,” she says. As blessedly straightforward as it is to wield the four included products, there’s room to play and customize, too. Keep reading to see how five Oprah Daily staffers did just that.

Jones Road The City Lights Kit

“Bobbi Brown has built empires on her philosophy that less is more and her no-BS belief that makeup should be easy, not a time suck. She truly knows what women want: to look natural, but dialed up, radiant. This Jones Road kit packs in all the right oomph. The miracle balms are rightly pigmented and dewy—I used one as a creamy blush, and dabbed the other, a shimmery brown, on my eyelids for a bit of gleam. The mascara is super thick and creamy (even the wand is jumbo size), and the lip gloss is that elusive rosy-berry color that looks bold and dressed up, but in a fresh, not dated, way. This is her genius, always has been.” —Jennie Tung, senior director, wellness

“I like to think of this kit as the Goldilocks of holiday makeup palettes. Not too barely-there natural and not too over-the-top glam, it gives you a festive face that’s just right. The gloss is a pretty pink that would work on just about any skin tone. I like to pat it down so it’s a bit sheer. I even used a dab on my cheeks for a dewy flush. The Magic Hour Miracle Balm made for a great highlighter on my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose. And I will be using that conditioning mascara way beyond the holidays—no clumps!” —Holly Carter, contributing lifestyle editor

”This kit has all the essentials to take me from day to night—seriously, minutes before I’m rushing out of the office to an event all I need to do is add these formulas on top of my existing makeup and voilà I have a fresh, dewy glow, a pretty lip, and lashes with extra oomph.” —Rae Ann Herman, market director

“I love that you can customize and create different looks using this holiday kit whether you’re someone who loves no-makeup makeup, or thinks more-is-more. Personally, once I applied my own foundation and bronzer, I added a few layers of the mauve-y miracle balm onto my cheeks to create a very rosy appearance. And while I don’t normally gravitate toward bright pink lips, this kit is making me reconsider because I did receive quite a few compliments.” —Genesis Rivas, beauty editor

“The fantastic thing about these miracle balms is that you really can’t mess up. I started with a little dab of the mauve one on each cheek and by the end had blended it up to my temples and then over to my eyelids. I was light-handed with the lip gloss, but slid it into a pocket so I can reapply anytime. It’s no-mirror-needed makeup at its finest.” —Kate Sandoval Box, beauty director

Jones Road The City Lights Kit

Kate Sandoval Box (she/her) is the Beauty Director at Oprah Daily. She has over 18 years of experience at national women’s media brands; and, in fact, started her publishing career at O, The Oprah Magazine. She’s also held beauty editor roles at Shape, Self, Latina, and Cosmopolitan. Kate tests hundreds and hundreds of beauty products that cross her desk each year and interviews many top experts, celebrities, and indie brand founders to bring you the best in beauty. Follow her on Instagram.