Nivea After Shave Balm (as makeup primer) - Review

A Bit About My Skin & Product:

This is going to be one of those very long posts as the product is so hyped up and raved about by so many MUAs, I don't wanna leave anything. But first off, I'd like to explain you all a little about my skin.
I have a combination skin with an oily T-zone. An oily T-zone that produces oil so much that any country that lacks oil production should invade me (not even kidding). I have no acne or scar marks. I had comedones on my forehead when I tried this balm and I was using a cream for that (only on my forehead).

I believe Nivea After Shave Balm to be used as a primer all started with a video by Nicki Tutorials because I remember watching her using this product. And then I saw a lot of other MUAs started talking about it and swearing by it. So I decided to give this product a try since my makeup does not stay well especially on the T-zone area.

If you check the ingredients, you'll find glycerin which is in just about every face primer on the market. I wanted to give this a try because I'm all about affordable solutions when it comes to makeup. Plus, unlike many other shave balms, this one contains no alcohol.

Review:



Nivea After Shave Balm comes in a milk glass bottle with a thick plastic screw-top lid. As it is a men's product the bottle is big and feels quite heavy in the hand. The mouth on this bottle isn't too wide, so you can control how much you dispense as the product itself is quite thin and runny.

It has a thin lightweight formula. The texture is smooth and feels light. Absorbs quickly into skin. It has a strong smell but as it's a men's product this is quite understood. Although it doesn't linger after application. You only need a small amount to apply on face.




The trick is to apply this balm before putting anything on the face and massage into the skin until your face feels tacky and that's when your face is ready for makeup. As I told you earlier, I had comedones on my forehead for which I was using a cream so whenever I applied my foundation, I'd get dry patches all over my forehead. That's the side effect of the cream. It makes your skin dry. So when I used this balm and applied makeup, I got no dry patches and my makeup looked so smooth but that's the ONLY thing it helped me with. Other than that, this balm did nothing for me.

I have tested this product for a month and I tried using it with every combination I could possibly think of. Directly on bare skin. On top of moisturizer. On top of moisturizer and serum. On top of moisturizer and sunblock. I have used it with powder and liquid foundations and BB creams, it just won't work! It made me sweat so bad and I kept blotting my face all day long. I am not using that cream anymore so I thought about giving it one more try, same result.
Overall, I am not pleased with it at all. As much as I wanted this to work for me, it didn't! So I gave it away. But that does not mean that it won't work for you. It varies from skin to skin. It is quite affordable so you can always try and you never know - it might work for you! :)

Pros:

• Works great as a moisturizer.
• Feels light on skin.
• No alcohol or paraben.
• Budget-friendly.

Cons:

• Does nothing to control oil.
• Makeup doesn't stay long.
• Won't fill pores or fine lines.

My Rating:
2.5/5

Nivea After Shave Balm can be bought from any local drugstore nationwide.