#YAYNAY: Barr Cosmetics Full Routine 🌱 [17, Dry Skin]
“Great Ingredients speak for themselves” — Barr
Kirsten // Dry Reactive Skin // Late Teens
I was very humbled and delighted to have been chosen and I am so happy that I got the opportunity to try and give in-depth review on a new product that can help everyone and the Hikoco Team on their skincare journey.
I’m Kirsten and I am a skincare enthusiast who loves to share my thoughts and experiences with every product that I used and encounter in my journey — I post my reviews on my Skinstagram (@kirsten_skin_diary). Reviewing a product is very hard as sometimes it can take months to see the results and the product itself can ride a roller coaster on someone’s skin type like me. I stay unbiased at all time to fully give everyone the honest review they need in their journey.
Product Overview
- I received the product on December 23, 2020
- The product packaging was satisfactory — it was clean, eye-catching and it gives off a simple and unique look
- I love how it shows the main ingredient on the front packaging — this gives the idea of what it targets on the skin
- It doesn’t have any fragrance, so it is definitely safe on sensitive skin types
- The toner, essence, and the ampoule has a lightweight texture while the cream has a thicker texture
- My skin type is dry reactive skin, however, the only reactive part of my skin was my forehead area.
The main thing that I wanted to focus on improving was the appearance of dry patches on my forehead area, some bumps on my chin area, and to make my dry skin stay hydrated most of the times.
How did I use the product?
I started using the product on the 23rd of December as a night routine. I firstly used all the products as a normal night routine. I did not feel any tingling sensation on my first used, which I was surprised. My forehead usually became quite reactive when I introduced new products, but these products made my reactive forehead speechless.
Honest Review
The toner, ampoule, and the essence will be great for all skin types as it really calms and soothes the skin. However, I think that the barrier cream won’t be great for those who have oily/combination skin because it has a thicker and creamy texture and leaves a quite heavy feeling when applied.
Only weeks of using this — I noticed the improvement on my dry reactive skin. My skin became more hydrated and plump during the days and even the next morning. I noticed that my dry patches lessen a lot, and I was so shocked and amazed at the same time seeing these results. Unfortunately, I didn’t document this part. But, here is my almost a month of result using the toner, ampoule, essence, and the cream.
And, here is my full review of each product.
Centella Calming Ampoule Toner
80% Centella Asiatica, 0.5% Panthenol + Jojoba Seed oil and Houttuynia Cordata Extract
It has a watery like texture and doesn’t have any scent. My skin was already glowing the first time I used this toner. Even in a small amount, it can make my skin hydrated and glowy. Plus, the ingredients are very calming and soothing. I can feel that my skin is drinking up all of the goodies in this toner.
The Centella Calming Ampoule Toner is retailing for $37 NZD or $34 AUD for 200 mL which is reasonable if you are looking for a daily toner or a toner you’ll need when your skin is super dry... I’d say it’s not that expensive as you will get that much amount for a toner, it will be good for about 2 to 4 months depending on how frequently you used.
Centella Calming Gel Essence
85% Centella Asiatica, 0.3% Panthenol + Asiaticoside Madecassoside.
It has a lightweight gel texture and is fragrance-free. It absorbs nicely onto the skin and makes the skin hydrated. I didn’t feel any stickiness rather it made my skin more hydrated and juicy.
The Centella Calming Gel Essence is retailing for $34 NZD or $31 AUD for 60 mL, which is quite in between. If I will compare it to other essences, like the COSRX Snail Essence it mostly ranges between $21 to $30 AUD depending on which online shop it is. For me, it’s quite expensive but is it’s more like a meh. I’d say it will be a reasonable price if it’s retailing for $28 or $29.
Super Balance Brightening Ampoule
81% green tea water, 2% Niacinamide, and 1% Moist-7 Complex (7 molecular hyaluronic acids)
It has a milky viscosity texture and is fragrance-free. I noticed a slight brightening in my cheek area in a week. It’s soothing and hydrating as well. My skin drinks up all the goodies in it.
The Super Balance Brightening Ampoule is retailing for $49 NZD or $45 AUD for 30 mL, which is too expensive for me. I’d say if it’s retailed in a range between $33 to $38 I would purchase it, for it actually is great for sensitive skin who is looking for a gentle brightening serum. 
Centella Calming Barrier Cream
64% Centella Asiatica, 1% Panthenol, 1% Squalane, 1% Jojoba Seed Oil.
It has a thick creamy texture and is fragrance-free as well. It has a cooling effect after the application. This moisturiser was a bit thick for me as it’s currently summer in Australia but it will be a great moisturiser to use during winter.
The Centella Calming Barrier Cream is retailing for $35 NZD or $32 AUD for 80 mL which is a good price. It’s not too much nor too little. It has a thicker creamy texture and that would possibly last for 2 to 3 months. It can be used as a treatment if you have oily/combination skin and just a normal daily moisturiser.
AFTER ALMOST 4 WEEKS OF USE
After using this routine for almost 4 weeks, my dry patches lessen, and my dry skin felt much very hydrated every day. I did not feel any tight or dry feeling since I used these products. All of them are such gentle, calming, and hydrating products. I am totally head over heels on the Centella Calming Ampoule Toner, this became one of my favourites and my current holy grail toner, because of how hydrating, calming, and soothing it is! I would definitely always reach out to this toner, to make sure that my dry skin is always hydrated.
YAY OR NAY?
Overall, all of these products are a YAY for me 👍 I really really recommend this product for all skin types who’s concern is to calm, soothe, hydrate, and nourishing the skin’s barrier and moisture. It works extremely well on reactive or sensitising skin with some dry patches. For the people who have oily/combination skin, I would recommend trying the Centella Calming Ampoule Toner, Centella Calming Gel Essence, and the Super Balance Brightening Ampoule because it has a lightweight texture, very much different from the Centella Calming Barrier Cream that has a thick yet heavy texture.
However, if I were to choose 2 products that are closely a holy grail for me or a YAY, 👍 I will choose the Centella Calming Ampoule Toner and the Centella Calming Barrier Cream because the toner is much identical to the gel essence - their texture was the only difference. As for the barrier cream, it locked in the moisture and did a great job for making my skin hydrated. Additionally, the pricing of the toner and the barrier cream is reasonable and inexpensive for the millilitres you’d get.
That leaves to the Centella Gel Essence and the Super Balance Brightening Ampoule as a NAY for me 👎 Both of them did a great job as the others - hydrate, calm and soothe the skin. However, as I said, the toner is identical to the gel essence - that both delivers the glowy and hydrated skin. I am more fond of using lightweight toners than using gel essences.
And as for the brightening ampoule, I find it expensive, $49 for 30 mL. I also didn’t see much of the difference aside from a marginal brightening in my chin, forehead area and lessening my skin’s dullness. It is indeed great for sensitive/reactive skin type however I don’t think this is a good source of brightening ampoule.
Furthermore, the packaging is also on medium sizes along with being super lightweight! So it’s very travel-friendly!
If this Barr product line is stocked at HIKOCO, I would absolutely purchase these products and I will highly recommend for you to buy these products if you need the help of soothing yet effective skincare products to use, whether you have sensitive, oily, dry or combination skin — these products are worth to try and the money. If you also want to see the results in less than a month I would highly recommend the Centella Calming Ampoule Toner, Centella Calming Gel Essence, and the Centella Calming Barrier Cream. If you have longer patience to see some results, I would recommend the Super Balance Brightening Ampoule.
These products are skin-friendly and do a great job to solve my skin problems in less than a month. I believe that HIKOCO should definitely stock this brand and its products.
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YAY 👍 |
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NAY 👎 |
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- Written by. Kirsten B
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