Even though the initial hype around the Alex Steinherr X Primark collection is starting to quieten down a little, it was only until recently that I managed to grab a few products from the budget skincare collection. My nearest Primark is really poorly stocked, however, I managed to grab a handful of products during a quick dash into the Edinburgh branch before I went to see Matilda at the Playhouse in April. How badly do we all wish you could shop online at Primark?
Alex Steinherr is an award-winning beauty journalist and former beauty editor at GLAMOUR magazine. She currently has over 190K followers on Instagram where she shares her industry know-how as well as discussing her favourite beauty products, recent launches and pro tips in the #TheAlexEdit. For the past two years, she has been working with Primark to develop a vegan, fragrance-free, budget-friendly range of over 20 products with prices starting at just £3. Currently, the products seem to fall into five categories targeting a range of skin concerns: Pore Balance, Maximum Moisture, Pollution Solution, Plump & Glow and Sleep Spa. There are so many products it’s hard to keep up, however, a full list can be found on getthegloss.com. I most wanted to try her Micellar Cleansing Gel, Super Detox Clay Mousse Mask, Overnight Lip Mask and Oil-to-Milk Cleanser but, alas, these were either all out of stock or the packaging was tampered with in some way. As I mentioned, time was not on my side when I was raiding the stand so I managed to grab just three products: the City Mask, £3 (which from my understanding is a new addition to the collection), the Moisture-Locking Everyday Moisturiser, £5 and the Blemish Rescue Stickers, £3.
Moisture-Locking Everyday Moisturiser | Unfortunately, this product was not a great introduction to the collection. It’s a very basic daily moisturiser that contains squalane, peptides, amaranth oil and black cumin oil. It’s quite thick and massages into the skin quickly, leaving it feeling instantly softer. I’ve used it a few times now and every time my skin has a slight reaction to it. It doesn’t exactly burn but it definitely gives my face an uncomfortable tingly, warm sensation. My skin goes slightly red too so I always end up washing it off and applying another moisturiser to calm everything down.
Blemish Rescue Stickers | I know spot stickers have been around for years but I’d never tried them and was always curious about whether or not they actually work. The resealable sachet contains 22 stickers infused with salicylic acid and tea tree oil; two absolute star ingredients that my spots absolutely hate and I therefore love. Simply pop the patch directly onto an angry-looking blemish and leave for approximately 8-12 hours. I’ve been using mine overnight. They adhere well to the skin and are easy to peel off in the morning. They definitely help with any redness caused by inflammation which makes applying my concealer in the morning slightly easier as it doesn’t have to work as hard.
City Mask | This mask is part of the Pollution Solution range and contains hyaluronic acid, amino acids and allantoin. All though it says it’s a two-part modelling mask on the side of the box, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Inside the box, you’ll find a plastic spatula, a small sachet of powder and a large sachet of essence. You mix these together in a clean bowl, apply with the spatula and ‘peel-off’ in 20 minutes. I’ll go on the record to say this is one of the strangest masks I’ve EVER tried. First of all, I love the mix-your-own element to it. I’m a bit of a skincare freak and love to experiment and enjoy the whole application process so this completely suckered me in. The mask looks seriously bothersome. Let’s just say it looks like white, gloopy, cloudy glue. You get a lot in the pack, slightly too much. This doesn’t appear to be a product you can re-use and if you apply too much because it turns into a cold, gel-like consistency, it doesn’t ‘peel off’ rather than just fall off your face. It reminded me of a hydrogel sheet mask. It was cooling, hydrating and I could imagine it would be heavenly after a day out in the sun. I’m not sure why it’s part of the Pollution Solution range as I say it’s more moisturising and soothing. It’s a strange product but one I enjoyed and would be up for using again, despite its gross appearance.
Sorry, I don’t have any links to share, as I said, these products are only available instore. This was definitely a mixed bag but I’m still very curious and eager to try more from the collection – especially at these prices! Do you have any recommendations?
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