Nivea Daily Essentials | Express Hydration Primer

One thing that's very important in my daily regime is moisturising and priming my face ready for the day ahead.  I look far from bright eyed and bushy tailed when I first wake up in the morning so a good refreshing moisturiser is what I need in order to prep my skin.  I rarely apply my makeup without priming my skin first - I find it's such an important step and I can really tell if I've missed it out.  When I first heard of Nivea's Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer - I trawled the shelves of town in order to find a pot.  I've been trying it now for the past couple of weeks - and I must admit I do like it - but I do have mixed opinions on it. Let me explain why...

First off - I love the fact there are two versions of the primer depending on your skin type. I have normal/combination skin and don't have a great deal of dry or oily patches - so to have a version tailored for my skin type impressed me.. I often find moisturisers too heavy or too light for me so it was nice to have the choice between this one and the 'dry sensitive' version.  The consistency itself is really lovely - I find it very refreshing and the gel-like texture sinks in very quickly. It feels very fresh, light and cooling.  It provides a smooth, even base ready to apply your makeup and I find it does it's job with making your foundation base easier and smoother to apply to the skin.

As for the 'primer' qualities - I do agree it helps to keep makeup in place however, I still get on better with my trusty Loreal Studio Professional primer as I find it holds my makeup a great deal more.  If you have a long working day and need your makeup to stay put through a bit of hard graft then you might be better opting for a more heavy duty primer.  This said, I do find it makes a difference compared with when I haven't applied it at all- it certainly does help to smooth out your skin and gives it that lovely flawless finish.  I can imagine this will work better for me on holiday or in the height of summertime when I really don't fancy smoothing a layer of my usual primer onto my skin - it is very much a light, fuss-free base. It's a product I will most probably be packing in my suitcase when I jet away this year, that's for sure!   If you've tried primers in the past and hate the feeling of them then I really recommend giving this a try - it's just like a regular moisturiser just with that extra added benefit of providing a smooth base for your makeup. It does help it to stay a good couple of hours or so longer than if you hadn't applied it - its just there are better primers out there if you want a longer lasting finish.  If you're an 'on the go' kind of girl and just want to whack on a moisturiser and go - then I urge you to try this.  It's a really lovely product and I enjoy using it purely as a refreshing moisturiser when I need a bit of a boost of a morning.

Have you tried Nivea Express Hydration Primer? What were your thoughts?