lisaffire's Full Review: Nivea Visage Gentle Cleansing Cream for Dry Skin, ...
I was lucky. I escaped my teen years without much of a facial acne problem. Now that I'm deep in my 30's however, there are times I wonder if this is what my friends of old had battled. Of course now that I'm older, it's not teenage acne but I suppose some kind of aging acne. My skin's not what it used to be and I can't say it's ever been normal to begin with so finding cleansers that work with all my skin's features is tricky, to say the least.
I've tried a variety of other cleansers that have either over dried my face like the Proactive line or leave my face feeling greasy which leads to more breakouts. Grabbing Nivea Visage - Gentle Cleansing Cream for dry skin was by pure luck. Although I have freaky combo skin, I chose dry skin since that tends to be where my skin ends up in areas that breakout the most. Like I said, freaky combo. I don't have 'zones' like I remember reading about. No, I have a chin and mouth area that are very dry (even with moisturizers) yet breakout constantly. I also have patches of psoriasis up in my brows and forehead so I tend to leave those areas alone and away from cleansers since most times the problem is only visible by me and well, aggravating those patches is NOT a good idea.
According to the tube, Nivea Visage - Gentle Cleansing Cream for dry skin "helps protect your skin's natural moisture with skinbalance technology" whatever that means. Also noted "with gentle micro-scrubs to moisturize and gently exfoliate". Well, that sounded good to me. I've tried other exfoliating creams like those with husks and nutshells in them (well, yeah, I'm a hippie at heart so like to try natural solutions first) so I understood this kind of verbiage and 'technology'. Which is not a word I generally use when describing a skin care product. On the back, I'm assured that this product "eliminates skin impurities... moisturizes... gently exfoliates to reveal younger, smoother, healthier skin"... yeah, I'll take some of that last one please. Not that I have old skin, mind you... in some ways, as I mentioned my skin is attempting a teenaged revolution. However, it's not teen skin so I need something effective yet gentle.
Use is quite straightforward. Apply on a moist face, gently massage and rinse. They recommend following up with other product like their Nivea Visage Moisturizing Toner and completing with one of their moisturizers but I'm cheap and don't like to spend oodles of time in the bathroom. I'm a reformed soap and water girl, for pity's sake. It's noted to be 'dermatologist tested' and 'alcohol-free' which is good since I've always been led to believe that alcohol can dry things out, which might be great for zits, but not for the skin itself.
Warnings include the normal keep out of children one and a reminder that this is for external use only. Not for use in eyes and if irritation develops, discontinue use. Ingredients include a cocktail of: Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Polyethylene, PEG 20 Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Decyl Oleate, Decyl Glucoside, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract (Matricaria), Bisabolol, Propylene Glycol, Lactose, Cellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Panthenyl Triacetate, Fragrance, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethoxydiglycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, D&C Red 30
So how has this all translated to my face? Well, I don't use it as recommended (twice, daily). I do use it as needed, however. What can I say, I'm lazy. What I see, I like. First, I wet my face then I squeeze a dollop in my hand and smear it on my face. I can feel the 'micro-scrubs' as I gently massage the product into my skin. I only scrub areas of need, usually my chin, around my mouth and my cheeks. I scrub until I can feel that the area is 'clean', at least in my mind. It seems though that, unlike other scrubbing types of cleansers, this one doesn't overwork my skin and make it feel raw, which is good. I give a good rinse and pat my face dry.
My skin feels clean, rid of excess oils, sweat, makeup (when I wear it which isn't often and when it is is only mineral powder type stuff) and that general feeling of ick. My skin doesn't feel overly dry or stretched out as it did with other products. On days when I feel my skin needs it, I follow up very lightly with a general moisturizer that I know works with my face. When I'm chin deep in a zit-overtake, this product really helps clear things up and helps me get my skin balanced out. On hot and humid days when my face just feels dirty, a quick wash with Nivea Visage - Gentle Cleansing Cream for dry skin can help refresh my whole day. I only wish that it was in a recyclable container and could be made 'bunny-friendly'. Hopefully as time goes on, Nivea will work on appealing to their eco and animal minded customers.
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