Primark Active Wear Review – #notanad

September 1, 2021by Fiona O'Donnell

My favourite thing about the current “#blogger #primark #ad” trend* is that I can completely bypass anything resembling a shopping trip. I can simply see an outfit on someone, walk into a shop and buy it. This, to me, is a far favourable process than spending 2 hours searching, browsing, sweating due to overzealous air con controllers and ultimately leaving shops in frustration. I’m a fashion disaster and always fail to see the potential of something hanging on the wrack. I need real life examples or a personal shopper.

When I saw that suddenly a handful of bloggers were promoting new active wear from Primark, I was delighted on two different levels. Firstly, I could see what looked good (we all want that, right?).  Secondly, there might be an alternative to my €45 pair of Nike running tights. Nobody needs 4 pairs of those, but I still manage to buy them! My 2XU compression  will always have a special place in my recovery plan. But for my continuing training efforts, I want something that won’t break the bank. Unsure as to whether I should go ahead and invest in a few pieces, I looked for reviews from non sponsored individuals in Ireland and couldn’t find any! So, I bought some and decided to review them myself.

Sports Bra – Medium Support

Sports Bra from Primark

 First thing I should mention is that I am a 36 year old woman with 3 kids, all of whom I have breastfed for more than 3 months. This has implications for a gal and her choice of bra! I am currently a B cup and I definitely need the support for running, cycling and generally jumping around (as one is inclined to do). This bra states “medium support” and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Positives: It has good support (with the padding in). There are no wires or rub spots. It is comfortable to wear and doesn’t chafe whilst running (I only did 6km though).

Negatives: If you undue the zip once, you have to be careful to do it up properly otherwise it will keep opening.

Mesh Active Wear Bra – Medium Support

Mesh Sports Bra

Positives: Pretty looking bra – can be worn zipped or not and still be supportive. I ran for 30 minutes and it was supportive without chaffing.

Negatives: This felt like it was designed for a shorter person than me (I’m 5’10”). It was tucked up a little too tightly under the arm and under the boob. If I went up a size, I felt it would have been too big.

Verdict: I think the more I wear it, the better it will fit! I would go for it!

Active Leggings

Yoga in Primark Active Wear

I wore these cool looking leggings for running and for yoga. I also did a few squats, tuck jumps, knees to chest and general messing around.

Trialling Primark Active Wear

Positives: They were supportive, they look good and the didn’t end up sliding down to show the world the waist band of my underwear.

Trialling Primark Active Wear

Negatives: Wearing them for the day, they get a little loose around the backs of the knees. I know this isn’t the end of the world, but its where they fall down a little for me. When I say they fall down…I mean in points, not actually around my ankles ‘fall down’. This lack of elasticity also results in them being pulled down a little over time by my rather substantial calves (thank you genetics) and thighs . I would say quads….but right now, its just more of a thigh thing…like a drumstick!

Verdict: I like the look of these. They are comfortable to wear for running short distances but I wouldn’t wear them for longer distances as the material is a little too thick. They were great for working outdoors as they were nice and warm despite the 4 degree temperature outdoors.

Running Tights With Green Fleck

Star jump in green fleck leggings from Primark Active wear range

These leggings were so great they warranted two large pictures! I loved the feel of these. They were super soft and despite being a little loose, I don’t think I would have bought a size down. The were not see through (always a bonus) in squat position and whilst running, they remained comfortable and didn’t rub or irritate anywhere. I did a run and a gym session in these and they were great.

Squatting in the green fleck leggings from Primark
Squatting in the green fleck leggings from Primark

Verdict: My favourites so far! These were comfortable with no falling down in a squat and no slipping down whilst running. Overall they were a good fit and kept me warm on a crisp morning.

Grey Wind Sheeter

Grey Primark Wind sheeter

This grey wind sheeter was actually comfortable to wear whilst running – the only negative was that the white elastic from the hood kept jumping up and hitting me in the face. However, the jacket did keep me protected on a windy day so all is forgiven!

I also bought a peach coloured jacket with a thicker lining. It was cosy, but the material was stiff and it was too heavy to run in. From a fashion perspective, it was cute. My only negative comment is that the bottom splayed a little too much – It felt like it was designed more for an hourglass figure and unfortunately, that is not my body shape.

Cropped Legging

Unfortunately, I have little good to say about these. Firstly, the sizing was not consistent with the other items. I bought the others in a size 12 as I usually wear 10-12. These felt suffocating and the seams were tight everywhere. I felt like I was trying to keep pizza dough inside a net bag I took off the oranges. When I ran with them, they gathered behind the knees and the crotch area felt like I was running with 2 pairs of knickers on.

Primark Active Wear Cropped Legging

As you can see from the pictures above, I spent a lot of my time fixing them – I hate having to fuss with my clothes and I will always choose clothes with comfort in mind first. They look cute, so if that is your priority, then go for it! Just prepare to be irritated from the waist down – and not in a fun way!

Primark Active Wear Cropped Legging

An Honest End

There were many other items available to purchase, but I choose to review the ones that I bought myself. Add to that I have about 3x50L tubs in the attic full of active wear so I really had to limit my haul. There were other black leggings with markings on the legs. However,I felt the material looked a little too shiny and more like the leotard material in an episode of “Dance Moms”. I also had a strict criteria to only buy items that might benefit my upcoming training season for triathlon so this excluded some of the more fashion pieces. This blogging business has brought out a newfound frugality I never knew existed.

Please also remember that the criteria by which I judge workout gear may be different to how you would judge it. If there is something you like, go get it! I hope you found my review useful. I would love to hear how you got on with any items you have chosen from the Active Wear range.

Enjoy. x

Fiona

* I’m thrilled to see this new trend benefitting bloggers who work hard and who are excellent entertainers in their writing. But when an ad is paid, how do we really know how good the product is?

Fiona O'Donnell