Last year, Youtube Beauty Guru NikkiTutorials mentioned using her boyfriend’s NIVEA for Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm as a moisturizer/primer one day when she’d run out of hers and loving the results, so thousands of people (self included) went out to buy a bottle. At less than $5 for 3.3 fl. oz, it’s a steal, so the risk to try was super low. There are tons of reviews online (with results split 50/50), and I initially had mixed results….until I learned the best way to apply it for my skin.
NIVEA for Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm contains glycerin, which attracts moisture, so when used as a primer, it acts as a base so that makeup will go on smoother and last longer. It does NOT stop oil, so skin can still get oily as the day goes on if additional steps aren’t taken. What this means is, your face will be shiny at the end of the day, but your makeup will still be in tact and won’t move. When I read/watched reviews, that was the common misconception that people had. They thought using the balm would mean they would have matte skin all day which is not the same as your makeup lasting and not moving. Oils can cause makeup to breakdown on the skin through the end of the day (it will look “piecey”); the Post Shave Balm helps to prevent that.
Nikki has dry skin, so her tip was to apply a small layer and once it feels tacky against the skin, apply makeup. I’m oily/combination, so when I tried this when I first got the bottle and it did nothing for me, so after a few tries, I put it back on the shelf. I decided to test it again a few weeks ago, and this time I found that I needed to apply a nickel-size amount and let it dry first before applying makeup in order for it to work. It’s the only “primer” I’ve been using since then, and I love it. In addition to this, I also lightly set my makeup with a powder and setting spray, which allows me to wear a full face without it looking like a mask or melting into my skin at the end of the day. I still get a little shine, but it’s much more controlled than if I didn’t have anything on.
Have you tried NIVEA’s Sensitive Post Shave Balm?