#YAYNAY: Barr Cosmetics Full Routine 🌱 [22, Oily-Combo Skin]

Vanessa // Oily-Combination Skin // Early 20s

I have been using the Barr cosmetics line for about 4 weeks now. After double cleansing in the evening, I apply the Centella Calming Ampoule Toner, followed by the Centella Calming Gel Essence. I wait a bit to let it sink in, then use the Super Balance Brightening Ampoule. After letting everything absorb, I apply the Centella Calming Barrier Cream. In the mornings, I incorporated just the toner and essence into my existing routine.

As far as first impressions go, the packaging immediately got my attention! I love how light and practical it is. The boxes and the labels are so cute! None of the products has a strong fragrance, which I’m sure more sensitive skin types would appreciate. With my normal/oily skin, I’ve been using Niacinamide serums from other brands for a long time, as well as a Centella Asiatica toner! Therefore, I wasn’t as wowed by these two products as I was by the essence and cream - the texture and the smell for the Centella Calming Ampoule Toner & Super Balance Brightening Ampoule were pretty standard. I did like the packaging for these too, but I would not purchase these two products myself - I also think that the ampoule is quite expensive given the ingredients list; there are more affordable options that give similar results. The other three products on the other hand are very affordable and seem fairly priced given the quantity of product.

The Centella Calming Barrier Cream and Centella Calming Gel Essence I'd definitely consider purchasing myself - especially for wintertime when my skin can get a bit dryer! The essence sinks in like a dream, and it felt like it helped my other products which I layered on top to absorb better. A little of the gel texture goes a long way, which makes it a fantastic value product. The cream on the other hand was very thick. I usually prefer gel moisturizers, especially in the summertime, so at first, I found this too nourishing. I then decreased the quantity I used, and it worked a lot better for me!

As I already had a skincare routine featuring similar products from different brands, I did not notice any visible improvements in my skin; Centella Asiatica and Niacinamide are two ingredients that I already used frequently before trying this line. A huge plus for me is that Barr Cosmetics is a cruelty-free k-beauty brand! I try to only buy from cruelty-free brands, but sadly, a lot of K-Beauty brands don’t fit into this category, so I would buy from Barr again just for this reason alone!

I had a great experience incorporating this quad into my existing routines! I do think that this line would be best suited to sensitive and dry skin types, rather than normal/oily like mine. Nonetheless, I would consider purchasing the essence and cream myself for wintertime. Overall, the line is very approved by me, and I can see it working for a wide range of skin types!

To answer your YAY/NAY question, I would conclude that the Centella Calming Ampoule Toner and Super Balance Brightening Ampoule would be a NAY for me personally 👎 and a YAY for the Centella Calming Barrier Cream and Centella Calming Gel Essence! 👍 However, for someone just getting into skincare or someone who has not tried a similar toner or ampoule, I would also rate these two as a YAY! My only reason for not liking them as much is that I test a lot of products, and didn't find them unique enough to blow me away.

- Written by. Vanessa L