Lululemon Information Archives - Page 9 of 10

How to get the BEST Deals on Lululemon

Hello everyone! I thought it would be fun for me to write an article, to help my loyal readers, and random Internet people who search for “how to find good deals on Lululemon.” In this article, I will cover all of my favorite methods for acquiring Lululemon for less than retail. Some of them require luck, others require time. All of them produce results.

I hope you find it useful!

eBay

There are a few ways to get cheap Lululemon clothes on eBay. While it is true that many of the items will sell for lower than retail, (as they are used, although, as I discuss in many other posts, there are exceptions), other items will sell for lower than average. For someone who is looking for a good deal, such as yourself, not only do you want to pay less than retail, you want to pay less than average. The average price an item sells for on eBay is what I call the market value of the item. However, once in a while, an item will sell for a great deal less than that price on eBay. It’s these outliers that I hope to help you obtain.

There are two ways to do this. One requires time. This method has you input your most general search term: whatever you are looking for, let’s say you’re looking for anything in a size 6, so you search eBay listings for “Lululemon 6.” After that, change the settings to “Ending Soonest,” and “Auction Only.” Then, you can browse the listings that are ending soonest for great deals. This can take a long time, I usually look through for the next 24 hours. I also recommend doing this on mid-week days, and other days when eBay is not going to be as busy, but those are very general terms on how to get good deals on eBay. I’ll try to stay Lululemon specific.

The second way requires a bit of luck! You can get good deals on Lululemon if you subscribe to mobile alerts from eBay that tell you when specific search terms you input come on the market. This is when you want to input your very specific search terms. Let’s say, for example, that your unicorn is a pair of Quiet Stripe Wunder Unders in a size 6. I would save & ask for eBay alerts for “Quiet Stripe Wunder Under 6.” Then, when someone lists some, you’ll be notified. The main way you can benefit from this is when someone posts a listing with a “Buy It Now” option. If you see it first, and you like the price, you can buy it then and get a great deal!

Groups

There are numerous groups dedicated to the buying, selling and trading of Lululemon items. Sometimes the best deals are located in long threads on pages like The Lululemon Market, other times the best deals are found in “Buy It Now” prices on the auction pages. Many of the auction pages also have $DOLLAR DOLLAR$ days, where all starting bids must be $1. Most decent items go for about market value, but once in a while an unpopular item in an unpopular size will go for much less.

Lulu Bones: subscribe to updates.

Other than trolling eBay and the groups for great deals, my favorite “low-priced” value page for Lululemon items is Lulu Bones. If you subscribe to updates from the page and have them sent to your mobile phone, you’re sure to spot the good deals as they arrive “in stock” on the page. People list their heavily used or slightly damaged Lululemon items here for CHEAP! The admins have set price limits, so no gouging occurs. You just have to decide whether the bleach stain or tiny hole is a problem for you.

Local Scores!

While this option is not necessarily available to everyone, I find that some of the very best deals I hear about are through local pages, thrift shops and, to a lesser extent, consignment stores. By local pages, I am referring primarily to Craigslist and Kijiji. Basically, local pages that foster transactions on an individual basis. I have a search saved on the Home Screen of my cell phone and I click it once in a while to see if there are any new items for sale. It makes it easier for me because I don’t have to go to the website and enter my search terms.

I think the term “thrift shop” is universally understood, but it’s important to know when to go in order to find the best deals. Obviously, if you have any way of knowing when they restock, that’s a good day to go, but if you’re unsure, I’d at least plan to go early in the morning, so that if they had restocked, at least you would be the first to get the deal.

The third place I’ve heard of people getting decent deals is in consignment shops. If you want to, you might be able to talk to the shop owner to see if any Lululemon items have come in recently. I find that consignment shop owners are often interested in helping me find specific items.

WMTM Upload TIME

Although it can be sporadic, especially around the holidays, I’ve found that We Made Too Much, Lululemon’s ‘sale’ section, gets uploaded very early on Thursday mornings.

Sales at your local shops.

The best days to go shopping at your local store, in my opinion are on the weekends. I’ve found that when I go in on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the markdown racks are full of great deals, and when I go during the week, sometimes there’s not even a markdown rack on the sales floor. I’ve definitely gone in on a Tuesday only to walk out with nothing because I was looking for a deal, but found nothing on sale.

The Outlets

Again, this is a method that is location dependant, but if you find occasion to frequent an Outlet, I’d highly recommend it. Even if you are a popular size, like a 6, you might still be able to find some heavily marked down socks, underwear, bags, accessories, etc… In case you’re interested, here is a list of the locations of Lululemon outlets:

Fort Worth University Park Village – Fort Worth, TX (817) 882-8075 Lululemon Outlet Fort Worth

Minneapolis Albertville Premium Outlets – Albertville, MN (763) 497-0240 Lululemon Outlet Albertville

New York City Woodbury Common Premium Outlets – Central Valley, NY (845) 928-5470 Lululemon Outlet Central Valley

Portland, ME The Kittery Outlets – Kittery, ME (207) 438-9347 Lululemon Outlet Kittery

San Antonio San Marcos Premium Outlets – San Marcos, TX (512) 353-0281 Lululemon Outlet San Marcos

San Jose Gilroy Premium Outlets – Gilroy, CA (408) 846-4281 Lululemon Outlet Gilroy

Seattle The Outlet Shoppes at Burlington – Burlington, WA (360) 707-2982 Lululemon Outlet Burlington

Toronto Vaughan Mills – Vaughan, ON (905) 669-2039 Lululemon Outlet Vaughan

Walt Disney World Orlando Premium Outlets – Vineland Ave – Orlando, FL (407) 238-1076

Warehouse Sales

Much like the outlet locations, your attendance at the Warehouse sales will also likely be location dependant. The only exception I can think of is when Lululemon hosted a “Canadian Warehouse Sale,” online in mid-January of this year (2014). I have known women who have travelled up to 5 hours by car to attend a warehouse sale. I’ve never known a Lululemon addict to say that it wasn’t worth it and many return with quite sizeable hauls.

They often host warehouse sales in many different locations across North America, but the best way to stay informed about when and where they’ll be happening is to follow Lululemon’s blog or follow Lulumum or Lululemon Addict, as they typically cover warehouse sale information in their blogs. You can also follow me for news about Lululemon, and because you enjoyed this post. Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end! Now go forth and get a deal! Thanks for reading!

UPDATE!
I recently found this fabulous group that shares deals with each other that they find on eBay! It’s called Lululemon Deal Alerts and I love the concept! I signed up or alerts for this group too!

UPDATE Jan 2017

I recently discovered a group called Lululand. I love it! They share in-store markdowns and angel products to you! (Angel: someone who will purchase and ship and item to you)

Time Out for the 105 F Singlet

Hello! I know that every new product seems to be my fave lately, but I absolutely love my new 105 F Singlet! I think they’re going to be perfect for summer. I got a few for myself recently & I hope they come out with even more colors! I love that they’re made of Seriously Light Luon, that they have Silverescent in them & the scalloped edge is a really nice detail. I think all hot yoga tops should be made with Silverescent, it gets stinky in hot yoga. The only thing I don’t love is the price, they’re $52 when they should be $40-ish. But they’re selling out online in the more popular sizes, so the only ones making it to markdown are size 10s. I do suggest sizing down, in terms of fit- they’re very loose. I like them that way, so I stayed TTS. I also love how they cover my bum, so that I can feel comfortable wearing them with Wunder Unders over a CRB. They’re really soft and feminine. I can’t wait to buy more!

These ones are mine, so far. Zing Pink Light, Baroque BLue, Lavender & Black. — These ones are mine, so far. Zing Pink Light, Baroque Blue, Lavender & Black.

This is one in Paris Perfection, Lululemon is sold out in my size, but I already have Zing Pink, so I guess that's ok. ;) — This is one in Paris Perfection, Lululemon is sold out in my size, but I already have Zing Pink, so I guess that’s ok. 😉

Which 105 Singlets are in your collection? Do you like them as much as I do? Why or why not?

My Last Post of the Year

This has been a very transitional year for me, but I hope I get to say that every year. I started this blog this year and am grateful for all of my readers. I began writing this blog with the intention to inform people about the marketability & investment value of Lululemon clothing. I have since posted about beauty hauls, nail polish and fitness, among other topics. I plan to continue to write about the things I love, with a continuing focus on Lululemon. I also want to share my New Years Resolutions with all of you and plan to write about how I’m doing with those.

In order to add a little flavor to this otherwise bland post I will share with you my Top 5 Favorite Pieces of Lululemon Acquired This Year:

Parallel Stripe Wunder Under crops.

Plum Dance Studio Jacket

Gratitude Wrap in Deep Zinfandel

Fluff Off Pullover in Surge

Fast Track Shorts in Twin Stripe Spry Blue/ Black

I can’t really put them in order, and I know my list mostly consists of pieces from the last quarter of this year, but I was bored until Plum came along. I really like the Fast Track Shorts because they hold my butt up and the large pocket on the side is big enough for an iPhone. Plus, the waistband is super comfortable and doesn’t dig in.

Parallel Wunder Under Crops were a must. The hype was a little unwarranted, but they really do make your butt look nice. I always notice how every time I see a cheap brand of pants, the stripes or pattern never lines up, but Lululemon takes the time to make sure the stripes line up. I appreciate that.

I absolutely love my Fluff Off Pullover in Surge, I even wrote a post about the gorgeous Fluff Off line and splurged a little. I loved seeing it on Fox Sideline Reporter, Laura Okmin at the Steelers/ Lions game on November 17th. Here’s a photo:

Laura Okmin wearing a Surge Fluff Off Pullover

I wear my Plum Dance Studio Jacket all the time. I love plum, it has been my favorite color Lululemon released this year and it’s a darker one, so I find it more flattering than the other colours I loved like Surge & Paris Perfection. Of course, I like the overall design with the hood & the thumbholes, the reversibility etc… But I also love the deep pockets and the length.

Finally, I have really been enjoying my Gratitude Wrap in Deep Zinfandel. I wear it around the house a lot. I think the color is gorgeous and again dark & flattering. I also bought a Vinyasa Scarf & Bang Buster in this color. I also really liked the Rose Herringbone printed Deep Zinfandel Scuba Hoodie & ordered it as well. The Gratitude wrap’s tight sleeves don’t bother me, except a little at the wrists, especially if I’m wearing a bracelet. But other than that the fit is very flattering. The versatility of this very casual piece is sure to find it’s way with me to class on many chilly days. The length is perfect for the more modest ladies, but it is fitted through the waistline, so it maintains a feminine shape.

I am so happy to write and watch my blog grow. I hope you all enjoy my posts & share your love of Lulu & experiences with me in the coming year. Thanks for reading!

My Holiday Haul and Bhakti Fit Review too!

Hello again! I’m happy to report that my friends and family know me well enough to know that I love Lululemon & that they can’t go wrong with a pair of Wunder Unders or a No Limits tank. So, I wanted to share my holiday haul with y’all!

Santa was very generous this year- although the bottom three items were purchased by me, yesterday. In my haul: Angel Blue & Paris Perfection LS Swiftlies, Ziggy Wee Plum September & Pretty Pink Slalom Stripe Flow Y Bras, Pretty Pink Slalom Stripe Pacesetter skirt, Plum Speed Tights, Scuba Hoodie *Vest, Scuba Hoodie in Pop Petal print, Scuba Hoodie in Parallel Stripe, Wunder Under Crops in Parallel Stripe, 105 F singlet in heathered Lavender Dusk, Bhakti Short in Baroque Blue, No Limits tank in Plum & Surge/ Inkwell

What did you get for Christmas?

I also wanted to include a fit review for the shorts.

Fun Fact: A very basic definition of Bhakti is that Bhakti is a Sanskrit term that signifies an attitude of devotion to a personal God.

I bought these for summer and for vacations to hot places. I don’t practice hot yoga often enough to justify buying these shorts, but I do get hot easily. These shorts are made of *Seriously Light Luon and they certainly are light. I love that they have a liner to make me feel secure (I won’t ‘fall out’ of them, so to speak), but the main body of the short is light enough that I could wear it in the hottest summer weather and I would have a higher level of comfort than can be obtained even by the ever-popular Speed shorts. The inseam on these is 2’3/8, while the speed short is 2’1/2, so these are actually one eighth of an inch shorter than the Speeds. I found them to be true to size and I can’t wait to wear them this summer.

I did not buy, but did try on the new Bhakti jacket and loved it, but I can’t justify another jacket right now. I found it to be fitted and think some people may want to size up, for comfort.

Did you like the Bhakti shorts & jacket? Let me know in the comments below!

Don’t Be a Unicorn Thief

About buying & selling New With Tags Lululemon items on eBay

Hello Lulu Lovers everywhere. I am writing to make a public service announcement regarding selling New With Tags Lululemon items on eBay. I’m not writing about those of you who bought something a long time ago, and just forgot about it in your closet, then realizing it was still there decided to make some extra cash on it- that’s fine. This post is for people who buy very popular items on Lululemon.com when they are first released, with the explicit intention of reselling them. I’m also not talking about people who live no where near a store & don’t want to pay return shipping if they think they can make a few bucks on the one extra size they bought. I’m talking about people who do it for a living. A good example is Top Car Broker on eBay. She always has tons of NWTs items on eBay. Always highly sought after, future unicorns, for above retail. Don’t know what a unicorn is? Check out my post on Lululemon Slang.

These often sell out on Lululemon.com in a matter of hours. For example, she currently has listings for 22 Gratitude Wraps, which just came out on Monday and sold out completely in two days. She currently has them listed for $170.94, each. They retailed for $118. They definitely would have sold for that, and I think it’s wrong to use information acquired in the community (she belongs to many of the chat groups) against the community itself. However, Lululemon does have the right to refuse to sell to her, if they want to. I’ve heard of them refusing to sell to others for various reasons (they return too much, they sell on eBay- like she does, they buy too much in different sizes), or so the buyers (customers) say. Lululemon never issues anything in writing, the customers just are no longer able to process orders online, then they call GEC and they just say something vague. They are still able to buy in-store, but you can’t buy the quantities in-store like you can online, particularly with regards to markdowns. I think TopCarBroker has a friend with a yoga studio, or a strategic partner store (I believe they receive their merchandise at a discount) and then she resells it and they split the profit OR she does just order online and for some reason Lululemon does nothing to stop it. I have no doubt that they know who she is and what she does. I know that my account would be flagged if I spend 2500 on Gratitude Wraps. Which is why I wonder how it is that year over year, she gets away with it. I regard it as taking advantage of the community, others may see it as a business opportunity. Those of you who do: Please start, this will create competition & perhaps it will run her out of business. Thank you.

I know there may be people who disagree with me, but I hope you can see it from the perspective of a true Lulu Addict & if you can’t that’s OK too. Just leave your opinion in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

UPDATE

I wrote an update to this post. You can find it here.

Friends And Family Events at Lululemon Locations Everywhere!

First things first, I’m probably exaggerating when I say everywhere. BUT at my local Lululemon and at many others across North America & abroad, once a year, around the holidays, they host a Friends & Family Event. I was really excited at first because I heard that it was 30% off all items. Unfortunately, it was only 30% off sale items AND it was only select sale items. There were a few racks in the front that were 30% off sale items and then a couple of racks in the back that were newer markdowns and not subject to further discount. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed. But, Lululemon very rarely has sales, so I guess I should have been less surprised.

If you’re interested, these sales occur after hours and invite is issued either via word of mouth or via the product notification emails that you can subscribe to. Here’s how: visit Lululemon’s Website, click “find a store.” Find your store, wherever you are. Let’s say, for example, you live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Search for Edmonton and the “Kingsway” store appears, with a few others on a map. The Kingsway page, linked there, has a bunch of links, one of which is “email sign-up.” Simply enter your email address & ‘submit.’ Congratulations! You are now subscribed to Lululemon’s product notifications & local events emails!

On top of being invited to local events like Friends and Family, free yoga, running clubs, barre method etc… You’ll also receive local store Product Notifications. Local Store Product notifications let you know when and what new products are arriving at your local store!

Happy Shopping!

The Scoop Neck Tank, Expect More

Over time, I really hope I get a chance to talk about all of my favorite Lululemon pieces. I don’t know if I’ll get there, but today I thought I’d share my collection of Scoop Neck tanks.

Scoop Neck tanks are, in my opinion, one of the best tanks for everyone to try out if you’re thinking about trying a Lulu tank with a built-in bra. The new ones are made out of Luon *light,* which, in my opinion is not as good as the original Luon Scoop Neck tanks, so if you can find one in your size on eBay, you might want to buy that one instead of paying $58 for a new one. Be sure to ask the seller about pilling/ wash wear as these are made of Luon, and it doesn’t change its behaviour when it’s a shirt versus when it’s a pair of pants.

In case you’re curios; Top left- clockwise: Black micro stripe, Ikat/Concord, Plum, Elevation Space Dye/Smokey Rose, Dewberry, Lilac/Lilac Space Dye, April WAFS, Pink Mist Space Dye, Magnum Space Dye

Since this blog is primarily about selling, I’ll let you know that these don’t hold their value very well except if they’re a highly sought after colour like Teal Zeal Space Dye or April We Are From Space (pictured above). They usually sell for about $30, or half their retail value. It depends on condition, but I’m reluctant to buy second-hand ones due to pilling and wash wear in the Luon. I take chances though, sometimes it works out (Plum) and sometimes it doesn’t (Ikat). The Ikat one is fairly wash-worn. I kind of still love it though. And all things Ikat.

FIT: I’ll also mention that these are true to size, but fitted throughout. Some people with larger chests find that the straps tug at their neck.

Do you love Scoop Neck tanks too? Or do you love a different Lulu tank? Let me know in the comments below!

The Difference Between Paying As Gift & As Goods On PayPal

At the request of a reader, I’ve decided to elaborate on what I mean when I refer to paying as gift, or as goods when buying and selling Lululemon.

With regards to buying and selling in venues OTHER THAN eBay, so Facebook or elsewhere online, you can ask the buyer to pay you the money as a “Gift.”

When you sell something, the buyer opens up PayPal and the payment options are “Goods” or “Friends and Family.” When you’re asking a buyer to pay as “Gift,” you’re really asking them to click “Friends and Family” when they payment options come up. This means that the buyer is sending you the money and if something is wrong or they want a refund, they really don’t have the right to get one. Although they may be able to if they contact PayPal, as I have heard of some cases where PayPal grants the refund regardless of the fact that it was paid as “Friends and Family,” but it’s rare. (As an aside, you may also be able to contact your credit card company, if you paid PayPal with a credit card, but you never know if they’ll help either.) In any case, typically, when a buyer pays for your goods as “Friends and Family” they are trusting that you’ll deliver their item and it will arrive as described. Hence, the safest way to buy something is to pay AS GOODS.

On eBay, the buyer has no choice but to pay “As Goods.” That’s how eBay honors it’s guarantee. “We guarantee that you will get the item you ordered or you will get your money back. eBay Buyer Protection covers the original purchase price plus original shipping on virtually all items on ebay.com.” You can find more information on eBay’s guarantee here. Unfortunately, eBay passes on the PayPal fees to the seller, which are 3-4% of the sale price. What really sucks is that eBay owns PayPal***, so it charges you when 3-4% when you make a sale, then eBay charges you another “final value” fee, which varies depending on the listing type. You can find out more about final value fees here.

The reason that buyers pay as goods is to protect themselves, and the reason that eBay charges that back to the seller is because eBay is very “buyer-centric.” The PayPal fees pay to protect the buyer against a poor quality item, or an ignorant or dishonest seller so the seller has to pay them. Of course, most sellers factor this into their price, so in the end, the buyer ends up paying them anyways. So, if a buyer can choose whether or not to pay the extra 3 or 4%, why not give them that choice. This is where selling in Facebook groups or in other online venues can be useful. For more information on selling in Lululemon Facebook groups, like where they are, check out this post.

If you’re on Facebook, as a seller, you can ask people to pay “as gift or as goods.” And if they opt to pay as goods you can say “If paying as goods, please add fees.” Which, to most buyers means add the PayPal fees to the total dollar amount that they send you. For example, if you’re selling a hundred dollar item, they’d have to send you $104 in order to cover the PayPal fees. Then the buyer gets to decide whether they trust you enough to send the payment as a gift, or pay extra money if they’re concerned about whether or not they’re receive what they ordered in good condition.

If you’re an honest seller, with excellent feedback, who constantly delivers excellent-condition items on-time, as a buyer, I’m pretty likely to trust you enough to send money “as gift.” Plus, I don’t want to pay the extra money if it’s unnecessary. This is only one reason why it’s important to develop and maintain a good reputation in the Facebook groups.

On eBay there’s no way to get the buyer to pay the PayPal fees, except for rolling it into your final price. On Facebook, you can ask them to pay them, if they choose to. There’s no “button” they can push to pay the fees, they can only add them to the final total and send you that amount, then PayPal will deduct the fees automatically.

I hope that helps you understand the difference between paying as “gift” vs. paying as “goods.” Thanks to “addictedtoink,” for inspiring this post!

UPDATE- October 11,2015

The fact that this post continues to be a main source of traffic for my blog makes me happy. The reason it remains popular is because unfortunately, I don’t feel that PayPal does the best job of explaining exactly how this works, and I feel that my post gives a thorough explanation of exactly how you are protected by PayPal and when.

The reason I feel that PayPal doesn’t have the best explanation is because, if you search “difference between gift and goods on PayPal,” PayPal’s website comes up with explanations of the different types of payments, but the website doesn’t explain how or when you’re protected. For example, under gift, PayPal writes “Select this payment type when you’re sending money as a gift for a birthday or other special occasion.” What it fails to mention is that people are not protected when they use this payment.

The other available posts are community boards, which some people may find tedious to scroll through, so I think that my post, while it is “Lululemon-centric” is better at explaining how and when you’re protected and when you’re not. Why don’t you let me know what you think about this post, and if there is any way I can improve it to reflect what you’re searching for?

Thanks for reading!

***eBay and PayPal are now separate companies.

How to Prevent Pilling on Your Lululemon Pants

Recently, Chip Wilson participated in an interview here, where he said that Lululemon pants don’t work for all women. I am not going to comment on that directly here. This post is about how to prevent pilling in your Lululemon pants.

If your thighs rub together, like mine do, and have since I was twelve, then you might experience greater than average pilling in Lululemon pants. The main way I avoid this is by reducing my activity during wear of the more sensitive types of fabrics Lululemon uses to make its various types of pants. I know, I know, you’ve spent $90 on pants, and you want to wear them all the time & get use out of them. And you CAN! Honestly, Lululemon does stand behind their product and if after a year, your pants are pilled beyond belief, they will replace them. But if you’re like me, you’d rather invest in an ounce of prevention than have to make a return. Personally, I hate returning things.

This post is about the different kinds of fabric Lululemon uses to make their yoga pants and which ones, in my experience, hold up best with regards to pilling.

Basic Luon: This includes the classic Groove Pant, a lot of Wunder Unders, and many other Luon based Lululemon bottoms. These will pill, over time. I won’t buy older Luon bottoms on eBay, because they’re typically very pilled, unless the seller says otherwise, or there’s a very well-lit picture of the un-pilled gusset. But preferably, there would be both a verbal and photographed confirmation of the un-pilled gusset. Overall, these are actually not too bad, and I still think that even girls like me, whose thighs rub together can get a lot of good use out of these without them pilling too much. But after about 2 or 3 years, you might want to consider getting new ones or maybe trying a Fabric Depiller (Canadian friends, click here).* These remove pilling quite well, in my opinion. I actually have a before & after pic in this post.

Luxtreme: By far the best material Lululemon uses that is both compressive and resistant to pilling. I have some Luxtreme pants that I’ve had for years that have held up very well and are only now beginning to show wear between the thighs. My assessment also includes “Power” Luxtreme. Excellent choice for those of us who do care about whether or not our pants pill and by how much, over what period of time & usage, etc. These are my A+ recommendation in terms of usages per dollar.

Herringbone: Although Lululemon pants in Herringbone are quoted as still being made out of Luon, These pill like crazy, in my opinion, and within only one or two uses both this year’s and last year’s Herringbone Wunder Unders have pilled in the gusset. I only wear these on short walks, around my house and to the movies, or other short periods of activity. If you’re concerned about pilling, these are not for you.

Pique: Another winter-time offering made by Lululemon, also purported to be made of Luon, these don’t pill as badly as Herringbone, but definitely pill worse than my regular Luon Wunder Unders.

I’ll continue to add more examples & fabrics as I remember them or come across them. In the mean time, if there are any you think of, please let me know in the comments below! 🙂

UPDATE:

Swift: This material is used to make the ever popular Dance Studio Pants. They’re really popular! I can’t believe I forgot about them. I’m not going to say that Swift never pills, but it really kind of doesn’t. If you’re really concerned about pilling, or don’t want to spend a ton of money only to find that your pricey Lululemon pants are pilling, I would highly recommend these. They are basically impervious to pills. I’m sure it’s possible that the Swift pants that I’m wearing could pill one day, but I’ve owned these for years, and aside from slight fading, they look fantastic.

UPDATE: Jan 2017

Hey Everyone, I just wanted to go back and update this post, because I know that some people do still land here from Google and tell all of you about newer fabrics that Lululemon has released like Nulux and Nulu.

Nulu: As I spoke about above, Luon does pill over time, especially in areas where there is a lot of rubbing, which, if you’re like me and don’t have a thigh gap, is between the thighs. Nulu, which is, in my opinion, a member of the Luon family, has been widely reviewed as pilling extensively. This is unfortunate, as the pants themselves do feel buttery soft, but I have not, as of yet, been able to justify a pair- even though they are gorgeous!- due to the reviews about extreme pilling.

Nulux, on the other hand, is a softer version of Luxtreme, and has the same silky qualities and will be less likely to pill over time and there are not extensive reviews about excessive pilling about these. These will probably behave much like the luxtreme and not pill a lot over time.

I hope this has helped! Let me know if there is anything else I can tell you about the differences between the fabrics in the comments!

Lululemon Bang Buster Family

I’m a head band addict. I wear one every single day. They’re great for hiding extension micro-rings or other connection spots (like clips or where it glues on), or if you have “baby hairs” in the front from straightening or otherwise damaging your hair, they’re great at hiding those flaws too! But they’re not just great for hiding flaws, I appreciate how well they keep my bangs back during exercise, and they have a stretchy part in the back, so they fit my head well. They never slip. I own quite a few “Slipless” head bands, and even they slip sometimes. I like the the little metal logo in the back too. It’s discrete, yet the quality is there, since it is metal.

Essentially, these are the perfect headband. They are currently made “reversible” and cost $18. They used to be $14 and have circle mesh on the reverse side. I like the circle mesh, but I think I prefer the reversible ones. The only time I don’t like the reversible ones is when they are “reversible” to the same color. My Spry Blue one (6th from the left) is “reversible” to Spry Blue.

From Left to Right: Plum, Raspberry Glo Hyperstripe/ Plum; Inkwell Paisley/ Inkwell; Raspberry Glo/ Black; Ziggy Wee Angel Wing/ White; Raspberry Glo Groovy Stripe/ White; Spry Blue/ Spry Blue, Beaming Blue Laceoflage; Spring Has Sprung; Pink Shell; Beach Blanket Blue/ Aquamarine; Hyperstripe Blue Moon; Blue Moon. Finally, at the bottom is Pinkelcious/ Pinkelicious Fangipani

Another pic, just because.

Since this blog is primarily about buying & selling Lulu, I will mention that most of the headbands retain their value well. You can usually get back what you paid, particularly with Bang Busters & other popular models of headbands, like the Slipless. I see Bang Busters mostly selling for around retail, maybe a little less, on eBay. I don’t know if it’s a perceived value thing, or if it’s just such a small item that people don’t think twice about spending $20. I’ve only ever seen Blurred Blossom Bang Busters sell for well above retail in the after market.

I suggest buying these in-store or online at full price. I’ve never seen them on Mark Down, or heard about them making it to the outlets. If you’ve seen them at the outlets, please correct me. They usually sell out online after a few days, once they’ve been uploaded (depending on the colorway), from what I can tell. They are pretty amazing, if you get a chance, you should try them out!

UPDATE: 29th of June, 2014

So, it’s been about 9 months and I STILL LOVE this headband. They’re still the only ones I buy and I wear them constantly. I just wanted to give an update, since it has been a while. I have only seen these on markdown once since writing this post. So, I still think it’s a good idea to buy them full price if you want them. However, since I last wrote, I think Lululemon has recognized their popularity, so most of the time if you don’t buy them on upload night, you can wait a few days (or even weeks!) if you want to or need to before getting them. Whereas before they would sell out in one night, I often see them available for two weeks or more. So, I’m glad Lululemon has increased production based on demand.

I also thought it would be fun to do a collection update photo!

These are the ones I've added over the past 9 months. — These are the ones I’ve added over the past 9 months.

From Left to Right: Not So Petit Fleur/ Antidote, Deep Zinfandel/ Bleached Coral, Pretty Pink Salom Stripe/ Pretty Pink, Brisk Bloom Black White/ Black, Paris Perfection, Pop Petal Multi, Assorted Stripe Surge/Surge, Heathered Lavender Dusk/ White, Wamo Camo Barely Pink / Slate,

And here they are all together!

Here's my collection right now. — Here’s my collection right now.

I really love this photo for two reasons. First of all: Look at all those awesome Bang Busters! Nearly a 5-Star rating on Lululemon.com and over 150 reviews! And Second: I think this is a great way to compare some of these colors! See how similar Raspberry Glo is to Paris Perfection!?

What do you think!? Love ’em or hate ’em I’d be happy to know your opinion!