(Firstly I'd just like to point out that the picture Dooyoo have above for this product is either in old packaging or is the wrong picture and this review matches the product name given: Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Refreshing Facial Wash Gel).

I tend to use a regular face wash most days but use a more "abrasive" exfoliating one once or twice a week (or every day in the summer). Because I like the smell of the Johnsons face wash I've tended to stick to that one in the past and not really considered many others. However, regular readers of my reviews will know by now that I love Nivea products from their suncream to their lipbalm to their moisturiser...all, admittedly because of their fragrance. They all remind me of long sunny childhood summers - probably because my mum used to slather me in their suncream at the first hint of sun poking out from behind the northern clouds! - and, as they all seem to work for my skin it's a trusted, delicious smelling brand as far as I'm concerned. Why, then, it never occurred to me that they might make a face wash too I don't know! But the other day, whilst prowling my local Bodycare shop after my regular Johnsons tube was well and truly empty, I spotted this on the shelf and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that I should give it a try.

As I said, I picked this up from Bodycare where I got it for £2.69 (for the standard 150ml bottle). It is also available from Boots for £3.59, although is currently on a 3 for 2 promotion. The reason I'd never spotted it before, I think, is because it's kept with the Nivea range rather than the other face washes and when I shop I tend to be looking for a specific item rather than general browsing.

This face wash comes in a translucent plastic 'upside down'bottle so you can see the thick blue gel inside and know how much you've got left and the product is easily dispensed as it stands on it's fliptop lid so is easily squeezed out. The branding is much the same as the other Nivea Visage products (which I like as then all my face wash, cleanser, toner and moisturiser match each other and look much nicer in the bathroom!) and the front label tells us that it is for normal and combination skin and that it "purifies and invigorates for a fresh skin feeling". The back of the bottle provides further standard information including directions for use (gently massage onto a wet face and neck then rinse off with warm water - although personally I only ever wash my face with cold water), ingredients and the contact details for the manufacturer.

The first time I used this face wash I was rather over enthusiastic, I fear, and squeezed out what ended up being way too much gel. When I use the Johnsons face wash I usually use a blob about the size of a ten pence piece and so did the same with this one. However it ended up coating my face in a very thick layer of gel, was incredibly difficult to work into any kind of lather at all and took a lifetime to wash off again. I realised my mistake as soon as I'd applied it to my face but by then it was too late and I had to continue. The next day when using it I got wise and only squeezed out a very small amount, around the size of a five pence piece, but again, this was still too much and, whilst it wasn't as difficult to work with as the previous day it was still difficult to wash my face properly. After two weeks of using this face wash I now have the amount to use down to a fine art and you literally only need a tiny pea-sized blob of it and it's actually quite difficult to squeeze out a small enough amount!

I was quite disappointed with the fragrance of this product the first time I used it as I was using it in the shower and could detect no hint of my much loved Nivea fragrance, which was 90% of the reason I bought it! When I use it separately to the shower, however, the fragrance is definitely there. It's not as strong as with their suncream or moisturiser but it is there. So I can only conclude that the shower gel I'm using at the moment is so strongly fragranced that it hides the smell of the face wash altogether!

So how does it work as a face wash? Well, ignoring the fact that I'm aNivea fan generally anyway, I've been very pleased with this gel. When you use it (the right amount!) it is easy to work it up into a foamy lather and massage it over your face and it is also easy to rinse off without too much work. When I dry my face I'm always pleasantly surprised as my face isn't left with any tight feeling whatsoever like some face washes can leave it feeling and it really does just feel clean and fresh, just like the bottle states! After two weeks of using this my skin definitely feels a lot more silky which I can only put down to this face wash as I haven't changed any of the rest of my skincare regime.

The claims on the front of the bottle that it purifies and invigorates your skin I have definitely found to be true (although I think a lot of the invigorated feeling I get is because of rinsing my face with cold water!) and every time I use this gel it has a cooling feeling on my face I come away feeling my skin has been well cleaned and is a lot softer.

In the summer I tend to use one of the St Ives face scrubs because I have very fair skin, red hair and blue eyes and so burn VERY easily and have to lather my skin in high factor suncream every time I step out of the door. For some reason, the higher the factor of suncream I use, the worse it affects my skin and in high summer, or on holidays, I can break out in hideous little white spots all over my face, so I always use a very intensive and abrasive exfoliating wash. For that reason I don't think this Nivea face wash gel will be hard core enough for me to use when it's really hot (although the cooling affect it has would be most welcome then!), although I will give it a try to see.

All in all I'm incredibly pleased with this face wash and now that I've found it I will be repurchasing it in future as long as it keeps having these positive affects on my skin. It feels nice to use, smells nice, although not particularly strong and leaves my skin feeling silky soft. The only bad thing I can find to say about it is the hole that it is squeezed through could do with being smaller so that it is easier to control how much comes out as your really do only need a tiny amount of this, but that is not enough of an issue for me to knock a star off, so it gets a mighty 5 from me!