Monday 25 April 2016

Worth The Hype? Nivea Men's Post Shave Balm


You all know what this stuff is.  The whole world does, which is why it's sold out practically everywhere! Thanks to Nikkie Tutorials (aka the youtube makeup queen), Nivea's sales are through the roof, all over something as simple as a men's after shave balm.  Who would've thought it?

I know thousands of people have filmed youtube videos & written blog posts about it, testing it out, to see if it really is a miracle-working product, as Nikkie suggests.  To be honest, I've seen mixed reviews, but on the whole they seem to be very positive.

If you don't know by now, this post shave balm is being used as a makeup primer.  Bloggers claim that once applied to the skin, and rubbed in thoroughly, it becomes slightly tacky due to one of the main ingredients, Glycerin, which is also present in many primers on the market.  This enables products to stick to it and blend seamlessly, therefore making sure your makeup stays looking flawless all day. This sensitive one in particular also soothes any skin irritation.

It was time for me to put it to the test!  I made several trips to various Superdrug & Boots stores, and found nothing.  It was literally sold out everywhere.  Luckily, my dad found some for me in Asda, and it was only £4 which is RIDICULOUS! I believe you can get it even cheaper at some places.

(this is not my photo - credit to iamemmawilde.com)

 It's a pretty watery consistency, almost like a very runny moisturiser.  And yes, it smells like a bloke, but it's fine.  The smell goes away after a few minutes, anyway.  I think I still need to experiment to see whether using different amounts makes a difference.  I just use an average-sized blob, and massage it in for about 30 seconds until it soaks in and becomes tacky.

The main thing I notice when applying my makeup is how well everything blends.  I do pop a bit on my eyelids, and the first time I used it, I was in genuine shock at how easy my eyeshadow colours were blending together!


When trying out new primers, I always go for something that's mattifying and pore-minimising, as I'm super oily.  The shave balm, however, did a much better job at this than I expected.  I do always set my foundation with a bit of powder, though.  These photos were taken after a long day out shopping, probably about 7 hours after doing my makeup.  I made sure I didn't touch up with powder while I was out, as I wanted to get a true feel for the staying power!

I know my pores are huge, but honestly, they don't look that bad here considering I used flash, too. I became slightly around my nose, which is bound to happen, but it hasn't actually melted off!  That's pretty good going, for me!

I was also really impressed at how my foundation barely creased in my laugh lines around my mouth.


So I've tested this out a good few times now, and I'm totally for it!  It doesn't irritate, and it makes your makeup look so much smoother and airbrushed.  Considering the price for the 100ml bottle you get, it really is worth a try!  I think it's one of those things that you can use on any skin type, and it will be particularly good for those of you that are a bit sensitive to things.

You can buy it here and here!

Hannah x



1 comment:

  1. Love this. Will definitely be trying this. :)
    xxxxx

    ReplyDelete