Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer Review

I have to admit that, in the past, face primers were a step that I purposely skipped in my makeup routine. Some were really oily and made my face feel like it needed to be washed again, others made my already dry skin feel like it was covered in a powdery film. Whatever they promised to do, I could not reconcile the supposed benefits with the obvious drawbacks and so I never got past the sample phase, of which the majority remained barely half used. This all changed when I heard about Nivea's take on the concept...

As part of their Daily Essentials line, the primer actually comes in 2 different formulas (already a step forward  from other, one cream fits all skin types primers!), one for normal and combination skin, another for dry and sensitive skin. I have dry and combination skin so I fell somewhere in between the two but my skin isn't what I would consider sensitive and I've been more likely to break out in my "combination zones" from overly moisturizing creams, so I went for first option. It does have the smell of a Nivea face cream, although I assume the sensitive skin formula would forgo a scent, but this doesn't bother me in the least.

My first impression was that the actual product container was much smaller than the box made it appear. I have no idea why such a large box was necessary, it was one of the tallest compared to other Nivea face creams but that's between the designers and the marketers, I suppose. In all other ways, I quite like the packaging; the jar is made of glass and so it has more weight to it and gives a more high end feel. The blue of the lid is somehow refreshing, something I enjoy in the mornings. Minor box size complaint aside, I actually think the 50ml is a perfect amount and will last me a long time.

I turned it upside down so you could see the consistency. Unlike some other primers, this one has a gel consistency and is not runny at all. I think the gel-ness also helps it to absorb as quickly as it does (as for how quickly...I would say it's about as long as it takes me to make a good cup of tea!). On its own, it gives my skin a fresh look, but the real benefit is how smoothly my foundation applies on top of it. I guess because it has moisturizer in it as well as primer-y ingredients, it covers my pores and fine lines and allows my make up to sit happily on top rather than sink in. I've heard some people complain that it doesn't have SPF but I tend to wear it more in the evenings and nights out to keep my makeup on so I prefer not to have the typical sunscreen ghost face in photos. If I do wear it during the day, I'll pair it with a foundation that already has SPF...problem solved!

As far as the product goes, I am a huge fan! And for 4£? I mean really, why not?

Have any of you used this primer and loved it? Hated it? Or is there another primer that has stolen your heart? Let me know!

xo Dani