Review of Alex Steinherr X Primark, the new celebrity collaboration skincare range for under £5

Recently a trip to Primark just got a whole lot more exciting for me. It was already pretty exciting in fairness, there is a nice cosmetics section as well as all the bargainous clothes. I’ve bulk bought the Primark hydrating spray in the past, and grabbed myself some hydrocolloid blemish patches from the skincare aisles. Primark isn’t necessarily where you would expect to find serious skincare, but that impression is changing.

I don’t know if you were aware of Alex Steinherr prior to this launch, I recognised her face but I didn’t know who she was. She was Glamour magazine’s Beauty Director for 10 years and had a similar role at Cosmopolitan for 6 years. She’s probably had her hands on a fair bit of skincare.

The Alex Steinherr X Primark collection has 6 sections, here’s the breakdown-

Plump and Glow–

• The Power Mask– A intensely hydrating sheet mask. Ingredients include an Amino Acid, Hyaluronic Acid and Japanese Camellia. £3 per 2 masks.
• Facial in a Stick– a multi tasking stick balm. Ingredients include- Hyaluronic Acid, Dragon Fruit, Cactus Flower Extract. £5 for 6.4g.
• Plump and Glow Moisturiser– a one second skin transformer. Ingredients include Hyaluronic Acid, Centella Asiatica and Pink Pomelo. £5 for 50mls.
•  Lip Gloss– Slightly peach tinted volumising lip gloss. Ingredients include Hyaluronic Acid, Cactus Flower and Dragon Fruit Extract. £5 for 4.3g.

Maximum moisture

• Micellar Cleansing Gel– Multitasking everyday cleanser. Ingredients include Fig Extract. £5 for 400mls.
• Supreme Sheet Mask– Hydrating sheet mask with moisture barrier support. Ingredients Include Glycerin, an Amino Acid and Lotus Flower Extract. £3 per 2 masks.
• Hydration on the Go– Concentrated dose of hydration for fast absorbing moisture when you need it. Ingredients include Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin B5 (aka Panthenol). £4 for 15mls.
• Moisture Locking Everyday Moisturiser– A deeply nourishing emulsion. Ingredients include Squalane, Peptides, Amaranth Oil and Black Cumin Oil. £5 for 75mls.

Pore Balance–

• Low pH Sulphate Free Cleanser– A non drying pH balancing cleanser to help refine pores and gently cleanse. Ingredients include Salicylic Acid and Raspberry Leaf Extract. £4 for 200mls.
• Super Detox Clay Mousse Face Mask– A deep cleansing clay mask. Contains Kaolin, Niacinamide, Charcoal and Raspberry Leaf Extract. £5 for 100mls.
• Anti blackhead Stick– A handy blackhead eliminator for on-the-go use. Contains Charcol, Salicylic Acid and Purple Ginseng (Also contains Coconut oil which is very pore blocking, hence why I didn’t buy it). £5 for 6.4g.
• Blemish Rescue Plasters– Hydrocolloid plasters for treating spots. Contain Salicylic Acid and Tea Tree Oil. £3 for 20 plasters.

Sleep Spa

• One Step Night Cleanse– An oil to milk cleanser for removing dirt and makeup. Contains Hyaluronic Acid, Baobab Oil, Chamomile. £5 for 200mls.
• Sleeping Face Mask– A soothing, replenishing night treatment. Contains Willowherb and Chamomile. £5 for 50mls.
• Every Night Eye Mask– An energising smoothing eye treatment. Contains Hyaluronic Acid, Chamomile and Willowherb. £4 for 16mls.
• Overnight Lip Mask– A deeply moisturising lip treatment. Contains Hyaluronic Acid, Chamomile and Willowherb. £4 for 15mls.

Pollution Solution

• Daily Skin Starter– A smoothing perfecting skin primer. Contains Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Lychee Extract and Peach Flower Extract. £5 for 34 mls.
• City Mask– Soothing anti pollution sheet mask. Contains Peptides and Ginseng. £3 for 2 masks.
• Dual Texture Exfoliating Pads– Gentle acidic exfoliating pads to improve skin texture. Contains Lactic Acid, Polyhydroxy Acid and Blueberry. £5 per tub.
• Oil Free Gel Hydrator– Anti oxidant, pollution protective moisturiser. Contains Acai Berry and Peach Extract. £5 for 50mls.

It’s nice that the range is split into different sections so you can take your eyes straight to the skincare that suits your issues. I still found it tricky to decide what to get. I have acne but sometimes my skin gets dry and of course I want to protect from pollution. Plus I go to sleep, so the sleep spa range also applies. In the end I went for the Pore Balance Blemish Rescue Plasters, the Facial in a Stick, the Every Night Eye Mask and the Pollution Solution daily Skin Starter. So a little bit of everything.

The other products I was  tempted by were Dual Texture Exfoliating Pads, the Low pH Sulphate Free Cleanser and the Moisture Locking Everyday Moisturiser. I’m probably going pick them up at some point and I’ll update.  Their ingredients sound good.

None of the products are available online. In fact you’ll have to actually physically attend a Primark store to get hold of them, how prehistoric! Safe to say that this post is not sponsored, the products were paid for by myself and the links are not affiliate.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Review- Facial In A Stick

Facial in a Stick is in the Plump and Glow section of the Alex Steinherr range. It’s designed as a multi tasking product, the tasks it can perform include makeup removal, “plumping” and hydrating. The packaging says that it’s a magic worker for an anywhere facial. Facial in a Stick is an unusual product, It sort of looks like a chunky lip balm but it doesn’t taste nice (I tried to use it as a lip balm, it wasn’t good).

Here are the ingredients to give you a better idea of the sort of product we’re looking at-

Sunflower Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Candelilla Wax, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocotte, Carnauba Wax, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Water, Cactus Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dragon Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Pentane Glycol, Fructose, Urea, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Maltose, Sodium PCA, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lactate, Trehalose, Allantoin, Glucose, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin.

There are some occlusives in there in the form of waxes and moisturising plant oils. Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of Hyaluronic Acid, which is great for hydration. Dragon Fruit is a type of cactus that contains polysaccharides that could give a protective effect and could even tighten the skin. There are some sugars that help with the hydration of the skin. Moisture barrier boosters come in the form of Urea, Sodium PCA and Sodium Lactate. Allantoin is for skin soothing.

Alex Steinherr’s Facial in a Stick is an unusual product. It’s quite a firm balm, it doesn’t apply easily if it’s cold. It helps if you use it with  something moist to liquefy it. I’ve mainly been using it to moisturise my dry under eye area, straight after a hydrating face mist. You can also use Facial in a Stick as an eye makeup remover and it works fine for this too, if a little messily.

All in all I really like this product. It’s a useful and functional balm. I like that it’s in stick form, so it’s easy to use and portable. The ingredients are good and there are no nasties like alcohol or fragrance. Facial in a Stick is definitely suitable for those with dry skin or dry patches. Some of the oils and waxes could be problematic for acne sufferers.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Skincare Review-Sleep Spa Every Night Eye Mask

A “Reviving, soothing and energising eye infusion” for night use.

Ingredients- Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Propandiol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Alizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem, Sodium Benzoate, Chamomile Extract, Darutoside, Sodium Metabisulfite.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Skincare Review

Sleep Spa Every Night Eye Mask is silicone based and very cooling on application. The first few times I used it it did sting a bit, but that seems to have settled down. The active ingredients in the list include Silk Tree Extract, this has anti inflammatory properties and can prevent collagen damage caused by ageing. Next there’s Sodium Hyaluronate for hydration. Then Willowherb extract- this is potentially a very exciting ingredient. Willowherb is a plant extract with antioxidant properties that could also reverse ageing of skin cells, pretty cool! Chamomile is very soothing for the skin and Darutoside is an anti inflammatory and helps with healing.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Skincare Review

I’ve only been using Alex Steinherr’s Every Night Eye Mask for a short time, so I can’t say much about the long term effects of the Willowherb’s magic. From what I know, all I can say is that it’s a nice cooling eye gel  that absorbs easily. There are no unwanted ingredients and for £4 it’s a good buy.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Pollution Solution Daily Skin Starter

A “smoothing, perfecting Skin primer”, meant to be used over moisturiser and before makeup.

Ingredients list- Water, Glycerin, Propandiol, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Horehound Extract, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propylene Glycol, Peach Flower Extract, Lychee Extract, , Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbet, Citric Acid 

Alex Steinherr X Primark Skincare Review

Horehound Extract has anti irritant properties. Lactic Acid is smoothing and hydrating, Peach flower extract reduces sun damage and inflammation. Lychee extract is rich in minerals and vitamins and can reduce inflammation.

Daily Skin Starter is an unusual primer. It has a really watery gel texture. There’s no smell to it at all, which is good. It’s meant to be worn over moisturiser and before makeup, which feels a bit wrong because it’s so watery. But it does absorb and leaves a nice glow hydrated surface for foundation. I’m enjoying using Pollution Solution Daily Skin Starter, it is refreshing and my skin seems to like it. I like the ingredients, It’s good to have a silicone free primer, silicone can feel a bit cloying. I’m not sure whether it helps my makeup to stay on, I haven’t noticed an major difference in that regard.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Daily Skin Starter is £5 for 34mls and is suitable for all skin types, great if you’re looking for a light silicone free primer with skincare benefits.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Skincare Review- Pore Control Blemish Rescue Patches

Alex Steinherr X Primark Skincare Review

Ingredients- Aqua, Acrylates copolymer, Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Extract, Purslane Extract, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol.

Blemish patches are a fab just in case item if you get spots.. They’re common in in Asian skincare, indeed these patches are made in Korea. The Alex Steinherr X Primark patches are imbued with Salicylic Acid (for exfoliating and unblocking pores), Tea Tree Oil (for killing bacteria) and Purslane (which is an antioxidant and has regenerative properties).

I’ve tried blemish patches from CosRx and these are pretty similar. Alex Steinherr gives us 22 patches for £3, compared with £2.92 for 24 from Cosrx. The Primark ones have beneficial ingredients that the Cosrx doesn’t and you won’t have to wait weeks for them to arrive.

The patches are all the same size, about 1cm across. They certainly do speed up the healing time. I love blemish patches, they stop me from pestering a zit, they make them look less monstrous as well as protecting from infection. It’s nice to have a place to buy them over the counter.

Alex Steinherr X Primark Skincare Review

The Alex Steinherr X Primark skincare range has some really nice products with good ingredients at very low prices. The packaging is nice and functional.

On the negative, I like to know the percentages of the active ingredients of my skincare, that way you know they’re not just chucking in a token amount for the sake of putting it on the label. Also it might be inconvenient not being able to get the products online. It’s annoying to have to traipse to the shops only to find the Alex Steinherr stand in Primark is poorly stocked.

Check out the blurb at Primark.com