Nivea Men Sensitive Skin After Shave Balm

If you've ever needed to slap on some makeup in a pinch, you'd be surprised at what creativity you can come up when faced with a limited amount of products and tools. We all know that products can be versatile and used in many different ways...why, recently, I tried using liquid lipstick as eyeliner, blush as eyeshadow, and eyeshadow in my brows. There are no rules in makeup, as they say, and it's true. The same can be applied to men's after shave balm, in this case.

I don't know what Nikkietutorials was thinking when she decided to slather her face in men's after shave, but she did, and she has been preaching it as a holy grail primer ever since. As I have fairly sensitive and very dry skin, I wasn't sure I wanted to try this despite my total faith in Nikkietutorials and her makeup magic. I continued to hear about this product on Youtube and it wasn't until KathleenLights tested it on her channel that I finally decided to pick it up. Knowing that she also suffers from dry, sensitive skin, I felt confident that my skin wouldn't freak out using the aftershave balm.

I purchased it at London Drugs and it costs $8.99 for 100 mL (3.3 fluid oz). I think we can all agree that this is a steal!! If the Nivea Men Sensitive Skin After Shave Balm really works as a primer, then it would be the most affordable primer ever! I skipped on home and I was super excited to try it out. This bottle is made of glass and is pretty heavy. It actually looks pretty damn classy, but it's definitely not suitable for traveling. A quick sniff of it confirmed that it did, indeed, have a strong "male" scent, a common scent that can be found in most men's products (like in my boyfriend's Dove for Men shampoo or Old Spice deodorant). While this smell of cologne is strong, it doesn't irritate my skin and it doesn't last for long. After I finish applying my foundation and the rest of my face makeup, the scent is not even noticeable anymore. This after shave is a very lightweight and liquidy product and looks a bit milky...let's be real, it looks like jizz. It rubs on very smooth and has a cooling sensation. After working it into my skin for a bit, the balm gets tacky which is due to the second main ingredient in this product - glycerin.

After rubbing the balm in until it was sticky to the touch, I applied my foundation. I tested this product 4 out of the 7 days I've had this product and I've used three different foundations (twice with the Urban Decay Naked Skin, once with the EX1 Invisiwear, and once with the Mac Face and Body foundation). During the application of the foundation, I was amazed each time at how smoothly the foundation went on. There was no dragging or pulling despite the tackiness of the after shave balm. After my foundation, my skin looked smooth though I could still detect my pores. As this product does not contain any silicone, I didn't expect any pore refinement. I ​continued with the rest of my face makeup...concealer, setting powder, bronzer, blush, highlight, highlight, and more highlight. Let me tell you, I was stunned at how airbrushed and perfect my skin looked. I sh*t you not, it looked sooooooo perfect, like I photoshopped my skin and put a filter on it.

I put it to the long-wearing test. Between commute and work, I usually have my makeup on for at least 11-12 hours a day. On each of the four days I used the after shave balm, I noticed my blush had worn off (which was typical no matter what primer I use), my highlight was visible if I tilted my head towards the light, but it was a ba-bam as when I first applied it in the morning, and my bronzer was still hanging around though it was a bit splotchy in areas. Now, let me just say, I work with young children. I see a lot of sticky hands and faces around my face and I'm often wiping my face with facial tissue because I'm constantly getting sneezed or coughed on. My line of work is disgusting sometimes. That being said, my makeup really gets put to the test with all the action it sees at work and not just from the environment (ie. wind, rain, etc.). Each of the days that I tested out this primer, I had to work. I want to assume that if I worked in a nice office environment free from other people's hands and germs, I would see less wear and tear in my makeup.

So, today...I used the Nivea Men After Shave Balm. It's Saturday, so I didn't have to work and nothing special happened today. I went to Sephora, had brunch with Chadderton, picked up groceries for dinner tonight, and we came home and hung out with our cat. I experienced a hands-free day on my face except for my own and my makeup only had to face a couple of nose wipes due to some powerful sneezes, and a windy, rainy, typical Vancouver day. I've had on my makeup for about 10 and a half hours now and my makeup still looks good. Bronzer looks as good as it did when I applied it in the morning, highlight is still on my cheekbones (although it's definitely not as strong as it was earlier in the day), the blush is a bit dull but it's faint so it's still hanging on. All in all, I really like after shave balm as a primer and, while it still doesn't top my favourite Too Faced HangoverX primer, it is a great find and an extremely affordable product that's worth the try!! It did not aggravate my skin and, in fact, it helped keep my skin hydrated (thanks, glycerin!) and made my makeup apply smoother than it does with some other primers I've tried. Two thumbs up and I'm so glad Nikkietutorials discovered this gem!

XOXO Cassandra