Things I Love Right Now Archives - Page 2 of 3

IVY PARK – Fit Review

Has anyone done this yet? Just kidding. There are Ivy Park fit reviews on the Interwebs. I like this one on Jezebel. Agent Athletica did a fit review for an item similar to something I tried, but the crops I tried had a higher rise and a different waistband.

First off, I want to say that I have found a whole new respect for real “fashion bloggers” who actually take good pictures of themselves that are able to showcase the clothes in a meaningful and helpful way. I don’t know that I’ve necessarily been able to achieve that, but I did want to try! I’m spending a few days in Nashville, which has a Nordstrom, which sells TopShop which is carrying Beyonce’s fitness brand, “Ivy Park.”

I’m a super amazing blogger, so I totally even remembered to take pics of fully half of the items I tried on.

This is the first outfit I tried on.

This is the V-Back Mesh Insert Vest, $40, and the Ivy Park Logo Running Shorts, $26

Here you can see the mesh back of this tank. For some reason it reminds me of the Push Your Limits tank- I think it’s the thickness of the straps and the way it fits on me- but it’s not actually all that similar.

Overall, I like, but do not love, this tank. This fits well and is comfortable, but, it’s mostly Polyester, as you can see on the website: 92% Poly, 8% Elastane. The shorts, I actually did like. They are 50% cotton, and quite comfortable. I also liked the longer length. These are the stats, from the website, about a size medium: 10 1/2″ front rise; 16″ back rise. This is great for “hippy” girls like myself. I need a little extra room at the back. These are actually high rise, as well. However, I’m not a very big fan of high rise items, so I sized up, and will wear these looser, but on my hips, rather than at my natural waistline. This is the only item in the collection I purchased. PS: These are the “Logo” shorts, but my hand is covering the logo.

NEXT!

Next, I tried on these pants. Comparing them to Lulu, as I do, they’re basically as compressive as Luxtreme, but they did not feel right on. The waistline was good, but the hips were tight. (I followed the size chart for these, and I sized up below for a different pair.) These are the “Y” High Rise Three-Quarter Leggings, $58

NEXT:

The next thing I tried on were these blue pants. I really do like this color! The hips fit fine, but the waistband was loose on these- probably my own fault for sizing up, but the size down’s hips were too tight. Indeed I am a curvy lady. The main thing that I actually didn’t like about these was the shorts underneath. I know they’re going to provide extra coverage, which is fabulous, but I could see the lines from the shorts showing through the main fabric of the pants. You could see it in the pictures, if you knew what you were looking for- but it is rather faint. The lines may or may not bother you, given that they are indeed hard to spot. They did bother me though, since my one mantra in clothing is “smooth lines.”

These ones were really loose on my waistline, but fit better in the hips. I even had the dreaded “gap” between my back and the back of the pants, which I photographed, but decided it would be in poor taste to share. This issue was likely caused by my sizing up, but the smaller size just felt too tight on my hips, so I thought this would be a good solution.

These are the High Rise leggings in Cobalt. As I recall, they were $62 USD.

Finally:

The last thing I tried on were these called “Seamless Capri Leggings, $52″ They reminded me very much of the Lululemon “Flow & Go” tights, due to the type of seamless fabric. However, these are 72% Polyester, and a pair of Flow & Go tights, as shown in a pic of a Lulu tag below, are 90% Nylon.

Fabric composition of Lululemon Flow & Go tights.

Opinion:

My overall impression of the designs are that they’ve been done. The tank is pretty nicely designed, having a slightly unique mesh placement and the straps are not entirely predictable, but everything else is very typical athleisure wear. They’re nice designs, but there’s nothing inherently unique about them. The blue color is quite striking in person though, and the details on the Seamless capris are dandy.

The prices on these, in my opinion, especially for the A-list celebrity they’re attached to, are very reasonable. The prices vary widely, so it’s possible for anyone to buy a piece of the brand if they’re just huge Beyonce fans, (how about a $14 headband?) and there are also high-Nylon content leggings available for $165 for anyone willing to pay the price for a high-quality, celebrity-endorsed item.

Quality wise, there’s a lot of hit & miss. I always pay attention to fabric content. When I buy Lululemon items, I always check. A lot of items by the same name vary in what type of fabric is in them. For example, I recently made a post about the Real Quick Crops, and how much I like them. However, some of them have a high percentage of Nylon in them (like the Deep Zinfandel) and some of them have a high amount of Polyester in them (the printed ones). Guess which ones I bought? I’m happy with the shorts I bought from this Ivy Park collection. They’re comfy, soft and 50% cotton, which is good enough for me- especially since they were only $26, which is half what Lulu shorts cost.

The fit was not the greatest for me. To be honest, this is an issue I have with a lot of items “off the rack.” Too much space (a gap) in the back, and not enough give around the hips and thighs. It’s because I have a rather low waist to hip ratio- which just means that my hips are a lot bigger than my waist, making it hard to find clothes that fit. This is why I love Lululemon leggings: They (almost) always fit in both the hips and the waist. I’m sure a lot of other people will find that Ivy Park fits them just fine.

This is just my opinion though, what do you think of Beyonce’s new line? Let me know in the comments! And hey, while you’re here, don’t forget to enter the draw I’m having for a $100 Lululemon gift card!

Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide 2015

Hello everyone!

So, today I’m going to share with you some of my ideas for unique, or at least awesome, last minute holiday gifts! (For ladies)

1. Henri Bendel bags

These are literally gorgeous bags that are not too pricey (read: Louis V), but definitely in the “mini luxury” range ($200-$300). A great gift for a woman who wants to stand out from the crowd, Henri Bendel bags are able to retain a stylish, yet timeless look, all the while, the lesser-known brand lends them cache. In 5 years, everyone will be carrying these bags, but for now, I regard carrying them as starting the trend instead of following it.

Of note: I’ve written a couple of posts about Victoria’s Secret, and La Senza and the parent company (L Brands) that owns them also owns Henri Bendel. I’m not affiliated with any of these companies, but I do find it interesting that I would organically (it was through a social media post) discover Henri Bendel without knowing that their parent company was L Brands until a while later.

2 Starbucks Cups

This year they’ve released a most adorable series of cups! Here is a picture I took of a display at my local Starbucks.

I absolutely love this one! It says “Best Day Ever” on it! And it’s so cute! I picked one up for myself! Look, it matches my nails!

This Kate Spade Bangle

Made in Rwanda, these bangles are a (marginally) affordable ($98) way to grab a socially responsible piece of that Kate Spade cache. I love her handbags, but they’re a little out of my price range. It would be nice to pick up something like this.

TooFaced StarDust Palette by Vegas Nay

A good part of me wants to recommend to you that you buy the new “Bon Bons” palette. It’s got a lot of hype going on around it right now, the packaging is adorable- and there’s a shade called “Totally Fetch.” However, the jury is not out on that palette as of yet- and I’ve heard a (YouTube) review that the shadows can get a little muddy over the course of the day. There are, however, several great reviews of the palette too- so, I’m not saying don’t get it-I’m just saying that I’m going to wait 😉

That said: I’m going to recommend a still somewhat newly released- and personal favorite of mine: The StarDust. It also received high accolades from famous YouTuber: Makeup Geek! It didn’t win in her 2015 Holiday Palette “Smackdown!” (Kat Von D did), but Vegas Nay’s palette gets great accolades from her. Fast forward to 11:45 for the review.

Anyways, these are just a couple of ideas I wanted to throw out there for people and I actually really like writing gift guides.

Thanks for reading!

And to those who follow my blog: Yes(!) I have been writing a ton lately! It’s because I’m off school! I actually do love writing, and I intend to write a lot more before next semester begins! I’m planning to spend this afternoon writing too 🙂

Victoria’s Secret Outlet Store

Hello Everyone,

Today I’m writing a sort of “update” post on a post I wrote about a year ago about how I figured that La Senza will be closed down in the future in favour of its acquirer, Victoria’s Secret. I imagine a future where all La Senza locations are either closed completely or transitioned into Victoria’s Secret locations. Since the beginning of this year, 15 La Senza locations have closed down in Canada and 6 Victoria’s Secret locations have taken their place.

However, it was suggested to me by an expert in the field that given the enthusiasm on the part of many other high-end retailers to open “Factory Outlets,” perhaps La Senza is a sort of “de facto factory outlet.” This way Victoria’s Secret can sell less expensive merchandise to the people who want high quality lingerie, but are unenthusiastic about paying Victoria’s Secret prices. It also enables them to run this sort of “de facto” factor outlet store, without having the Victoria’s Secret brand attached to a less expensive product.

It was also brought to my attention that Martin Waters, President of International Operations at L Brands, Inc, addressed this in response to an investor’s question during their Q3 results conference call. Laura Champine with Cantor Fitzgerald asked, “on the La Senza business, … what is your timeframe on turning that at least to break-even and why strategically hold on to the business at this point, it somewhat obscures the health of your bigger businesses?”

In response, Mr. Waters replied “La Senza continues to be a work in progress, no doubt about that. But we’re pretty pleased with the progress we’ve made. We continue to see positive sales momentum in the business. We’re getting closer to the target customers, better assortments, more fashion on significantly tighter inventory. So that’s all really good and really positive. We also see sales momentum in the business where we’re colocated with Victoria’s and PINK is really strong. So there’s a real relevance for that brand in the market place alongside the other two businesses that we own.”

And with regards to keeping the business, he continued, “The logic for keeping it I think is obvious and compelling. We own the number one, number two and number three lingerie brands in the world, having a value play underneath of Victoria’s makes a ton of strategic sense. And so we’re very committed to its future. But the one bogey we have on La Senza, of course, and we’ve referenced it a number of times in this call is the FX rate between the Canadian dollar and the US dollar that gives us a really, really significant headwind. But it is what it is. FX is outside of our control and we continue to get better to stay focused on the customer and really lean into this peak time of the year.”

So, basically, he says they’re planning to keep the business because they like the idea of owning the top three lingerie brands in the world. He also references the fact that they appreciate having a less expensive brand to target those consumers who will not shop at Victoria’s Secret, given the higher price. He even states that they are “very committed” to the future of La Senza, despite the “really, really significant” disincentive surrounding currency exchange rates. This is the point of disagreement for me. I very much doubt that L Brands will continue to support the La Senza brand indefinitely. They may sell, if the currency exchange rate continues to fall, but mostly, I continue to believe their intention is to close many La Senza locations, while replacing others with Victoria’s Secret retail space. I hope I’m wrong.

In the mean time, you can take advantage of those low exchange rates and great prices on high quality lingerie, which is the crux of the remainder of this post.

As I mentioned, and sourced in my last post, both La Senza and Victoria’s Secret are owned by L Brands and their lingerie is made in the same factories. So, I suggest that if you want to own Victoria’s Secret quality lingerie at a fraction of the price, order from LaSenza.com.

I think that this advice is especially useful to my American friends. The Canadian dollar is falling in value, making Canadian goods cheaper for Americans. And La Senza does ship to the States.

So, I guess this post could alternatively be entitled, “How to get the cheapest Victoria’s Secret quality lingerie from its sister company, La Senza”

Step 1: Sign Up for the Emails. Visit LaSenza.com, scroll to the bottom. You’ll see this:

Enter your email and you’ll be notified when they have their sales.

My favorite sales that they have are the 40% off a $100 purchase. They also often offer free shipping for orders over $100.What’s great about the 40% off a $100 order is that it can be comprised of special offers and be reduced further with free shipping and your La Senza Prestige membership discount of 10%.

Step 2: Get the Prestige Discount card.

The Prestige discount card is available for sale on their website, and costs $10. It gives you 10% off all orders for a year, and you get a free birthday gift. You can even use it on the order in which you purchase it.

Step 3: Combine Discounts to get the Best Deals

So for example, let’s say I want to make an order. I pick out two bras, they’re both $45 each, but there is a BOGO 50% off offer, making one $45, and reducing the other to $22.50. Then, I also want some panties, and they’re normally $9.50 each, but if I buy 7, they’re 28.95 altogether. So, I buy 14. The subtotal for my order is now about $125, which meets the criteria for both 40% off and free shipping. Once I take off 40%, it brings my order down to $75. After removing another 10% for the Prestige member discount, my order totals about $68. So, $68 for 14 pairs of panties and 2 bras.

Step 4: Take Advantage of the Exchange Rate

But there’s more! Because La Senza is a Canadian company, those prices are in Canadian dollars. So, since the Canadian dollar is only worth 72 cents on the dollar, as I write this, my order would only come out to about 50 US dollars.

Evaluating the Order’s Economic Efficiency

So, basically, bras that were originally $45 a piece, and panties that were $9.50 individually, have been reduced through sales and the virtue of the sinking Canadian dollar to make this purchase very affordable. Let’s say, for example, that we assigned a value of $10 each to the bras, that would mean that each pair of panties cost only $2.14 ($30-remaining balance divided by 14- number of panties). That’s a far cry from the original $9,50 a pair.

I wonder how much 14 pairs of panties and 2 bras from Victoria’s Secret would cost… A lot more than 50 bucks is the answer!

Anyways, I hope this has helped some people make their choice about from which retailer they’d like to purchase their lingerie. Same factories, same quality, different price. Easy decision for me.

What do you think? Will you try this Canadian subsidiary of VS?

Let me know in the comments below!

Edited to add:

I am not affiliated with La Senza, Victoria’s Secret or L Brands- just in case you were wondering… I just really enjoy the products!

Pleat To Street Skirt Review

Hello everyone!

Today, I want to switch gears a little bit and move from working on my content heavy posts to doing something a little more fun.

I LOVE the Pleat To Street skirts. They recently went to mark down, and there are still some there, so I thought that this post will help those who are still on the fence about whether or not they should get one. They’ve also been popping up on eBay and if you’re reading this, maybe you’re looking to buy one on the secondary market. Either way, I’m here to help!

First: Here’s a collection photo of the P2S II’s

This post will cover the pros and cons of this skirt as well as comparisons between all three editions of the Pleat To Street Skirt.

Pleat To Street Skirt I

I bought two Pleat To Street Skirts in the original version, and if I could, I’d buy them again. I have the Bumble Berry Stripe one, and the Bordeaux Drama one. They’re gorgeous. Here’s an OOTD with the “Blossom” Bumble Berry Stripe one. The shorts underneath match the colors of the skirts and they have the silicone bands to prevent riding up. I like the way the pleats fall and have received many compliments on these skirts. They’re also longer than my Pace Setters, which I like.

I, personally, can’t tell the difference between my Pleat To Street Skirt 1’s and 2’s, BUT upon close inspection of the hang tags, I can see that the 2’s have “added Lycra fabric for shape retention,” while the 1’s make no such claim. That said, I feel that my 1’s have held up well and have not lost their pleats with washing.

With regard to washing, I wash on delicate (like the rest of my Lulu) and hang to dry.

Pleat To Street Skirt II

The second edition of the skirt was manufactured, I imagine, in response to the positive reception of the first. The only negative feedback I recall was that some of the pleats were falling out- which is likely why the Lycra was included in this ‘next generation’ for shape retention. However, the general design of the skirts remained the same. Here’s an OOTD with my second generation Pleat To Street skirt in Pigment Blue.

As I’m writing this these Pleat To Street Skirt 2’s (and 3’s!) are still available in limited sizes on the “We Made Too Much” (sale) section of Lululemon’s website.

I really love my Pleat To Street Skirts, however, people are still having problems with the pleats coming out. I did read that one reviewer was able to pay her dry-cleaner $5 to put the pleats back in. I might do this if mine ever fall out. Although, the reviewer was not very pleased that she had to resort to hiring a dry-cleaner to help her with her item. As I stated, I have yet to experience this issue, however, in the interest of transparency, I feel that it must be mentioned. Also: Even though the Tranquil Blue/ Ace Spot colored Pleat to Street skirt is no longer available on Lululemon.com, I should mention that people have been complaining about the quality of this particular color of skirt to some extent with regard to seams and fraying, so maybe be cautious if you’re considering purchasing this particular color combination on eBay or elsewhere on the secondary market.

Pleat To Street Skirt III

I have mixed feelings about the Pleat To Street Skirt 3’s. While I still love the general design and fit of the skirt, the designers made the pleats (much!) closer together, which squishes together the pretty butterfly pattern (officially named: exploded so fly butterfly) of the one I purchased. A lot of reviewers (including myself) also don’t like that the shorts underneath of this butterfly one are white- unlike most of the other Pleat To Street skirts whose liners match the skirts to which they’re attached. So, while I am happy to have gotten it- I do prefer the Pleat To Street Skirt 1’s and 2’s.

Pleat to Street skirts in Exploded So Fly Butterfly and Pipe Dream Blue

Overall Pleat To Street Pros & Cons

Pros

Cute, flouncy, fun
Comfortable fit
Silicone grips prevent shorts from riding up
Continuous drawcord waistband, pockets- including one zippered

Cons

Pleats seem to fall out- at least for some users
Tranquil Blue one seems to suffer quality issues
Pleat to Street Skirt 3’s pleats are too close together (IMO)
Some reviewers state that this skirt does not work well for running

Honestly, I absolutely love these skirts. Even though I agree with the reviewers on some of the cons, I think these skirts are so pretty and they fit me quite well. I’m happy to report that these will be staying in my collection and I’ll continue to post OOTDs with them.

What do you think of the Pleat To Street skirts? Let me know in the comments below!

Update: I thought it would be fun to do an outfit of the day series of me wearing all my Pleat to Street skirts, so in the following days, I’m going to be posting outfits of the day wearing various Pleat To Street Skirts and posting the links below!

Day 1: Exploded So Fly Butterfly

Day 2: Pipe Dream Blue

Day 3: Poseidon/Sea Mist

Day 4: Watermark/ Slate Black

The Retreat Dress

I am absolutely LOVING the Retreat Dress. As a curvy girl living in a warm, humid climate I appreciate the light, airy fabric that is Seriously Light Luon. It is also anti-stink with Silverescent technology built-in. (Thank goodness!) I really love how good it looks on all shapes and sizes. So far I’ve seen a ton of really flattering photos and I’m a HUGE fan!

New Things!!!

What I’m Loving Right Now!

I am really into this Retreat Dress. It looks so comfy and airy. Perfect for hot, muggy Southern summers.

Yowza! All these Free To Be Wild bras. I am not a huge fan of these but I know that they’re popular. And these are some gorgeous colors! The Wunder Under crops are Breezy Regal Plum and they look beautiful on everyone I’ve seen them on so far.

I am loving this Star Crushed print. I was at Barre class today and saw the instructor wearing a Cool Racerback in this print- it was beautiful!

Apart from loving this print- I really like this saying… Except… I think it should say: This is the beginning of EVERYTHING you want. Because I am literally loving a ton of stuff this week.

The Trail Bound line has been getting a lot of attention but I don’t see it selling out online. I felt it in-store and I have to admit that they did feel a tad thin. Honestly, I would wait this one out and see if they go to markdown if you’re interested at all. (They’re on Markdown now for $59!)

MORE Free to Be Wild bras! So pretty of colors!!! That Electric Coral looks super pretty.

This “Best Vest” jacket looks interesting, and I like it, but I feel like I would have to see it in person in order to determine whether I really like it or not. (UPDATE!: I did end up seeing this in-store and it did not impress me. I think that it sold out anyways. I wonder who bought this and what they liked best about it.)

Things I’m Loving Right Now

I decided to re-start my old series, “Things I Love Right Now.” A lot of different bloggers cover uploads, and they actually do a really great job at it. I think I’ll stick to talking about things I love, it’s more fun this way. I hope you enjoy!

ZOMG! I regret missing out on the Blue Tropics items when they came out around Christmas (with all the other good stuff, am I right?) These are totally cute! I hope they release more Blue Tropics items! I should note, that these are 100% Full-Lux, and do not have the usual mesh behind the knees that other Inspire Crops have.

I know a lot of people aren't crazy about the "If You're Lucky" line of items, but I actually like this tank. It's selling fairly well online too! The lightweight material will be great during the summer. — I know a lot of people aren’t crazy about the “If You’re Lucky” line of items, but I actually like this tank. It’s selling fairly well online too! The lightweight material will be great during the summer.

Pace Rival Skirt looks great on this girl!

I'm absolutely LOVING this skirt! It's so pretty! — I’m absolutely LOVING this skirt! It’s so pretty!

Holiday Gift Guide

I have a few suggestions for gifts for y’all! If you read my blog, you’re probably a GREAT gift-giver, but I thought it might be fun to make some suggestions anyways.

Kiva Gift Cards

These are amazing gifts for people who you don’t know what to get for them. Kiva gifts are actually loanable funds that enable the user to make loans to entrepreneurs in other countries. It’s a really thoughtful and special gift because the user gets to choose to whom they loan the funds and they get to follow their story. Not only that, they also get to re-loan the funds once the loan is repaid. Kiva’s repayment rate is currently over 98%. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. It’s a step forward from “a charitable donation has been made in your honor,” and allows the user to interact and experience the effects of the loan. It’s my current favorite charity.

La Senza Booties

I love these! I think they’re ADORABLE, and very affordable. I have loved this Canadian company for years. It was acquired by Victoria’s Secret, and plans were made to open stores in the US, but they were never carried out. I think it’s because the quality of the products are very similar (in my opinion, exactly the same), yet La Senza is about 30% cheaper, on average. I think they would have had difficulty with product differentiation. IE: It would be hard for Victoria’s Secret to continue selling their products at the same price and La Senza would likely cannibalize, rather than enhance Victoria’s Secret’s business. So, the bad news is- no stores in the US, the good news is: They ship to the US!

Muk Luks

Don’t like slipper booties? Why not try these more traditionally designed slippers? I recently received these as a gift and I absolutely LOVE them. I have basically been living in them the past 5 days. They’re good quality, comfortable and warm. They’re super cozy. This is an option for a guy too, since they come in more masculine colors than… you know, snowflakes, like the La Senza ones above.

One of the men’s options I like are these:

They have a TPR sole, so they can go outside (to get the paper or mail), and will be more durable in general. I think I like slippers. I hope you do too!

Revealed Palette by Coastal Scents

I am a HUGE fan of Coastal Scents. As far as affordability and quality go, this company does a lot of things right. I think I might do a full review of some of their products in the future, and I have to admit that some of their products are not amazing (cough*88 Original Palette*cough), but a lot of their stuff is on point and especially the Revealed Palettes. I got the first one a year ago and I bought the second one as soon as it came out. If you’re buying it as a gift, it’s totally worth the $20. It’s very pretty in person and the colors are highly pigmented. I think that both of these are really high quality. If you’re buying it for yourself, 3 or 4 times a year Coastal Scents does have a half-off sale making them only $10! The original was meant to be a dupe for Naked’s palette, and the newest one is supposed to mimic Naked 3. I can’t comment on the Naked 1, since I don’t own it- but I DO own Naked 3, and I do not find that there are enough dupes (I counted only 3 very accurate color matches) to call this a “Dupe for the Naked 3.” But it is really awesome on its own merits. The colors are long-lasting and gorgeous. I really love these and often find myself reaching for them.

Lululemon Fluff Off Pullover

This would not be complete without something from Lululemon. I am sometimes loathe to put in links to Lululemon items, as oftentimes, the best stuff, the stuff I would recommend, is sold out in a flash and my readers are greeted with a “sorry, this item is sold out!” page. However, I will include a link to Lulu’s “What’s New” page, where the item may be found.

This highly sought after item last year, has made a comeback! Here’s my post about it from last year! These things are gorgeous! I STILL wear mine all the time and my most recent photos prove it! I attended a gender reveal party, and I was wearing it at school when the visiting (Chinese) professor asked for an impromptu group photo. They have 800 down fill, have a feminine fit and are totally worth it. Quality-wise, these are one of Lulu’s best items. I’m sure you’ll agree.

Stained Glass Love Nightfall Fluff Off Pullover

Pandora Christmas Bear Charm

This charm is so festive and cute, but there are also a bunch of other affordable pieces of luxury in the Pandora collection. And they have so many festive holiday pieces! I have a couple of Pandora bracelets on the go right now, and I wear them on date nights and during the day. They can be casual and chic! I highly recommend them to someone who wants something that’s luxurious and versatile. I also recommend them as affordable (yet not cheap) gifts for friends. From time to time, Pandora will run a “free bracelet” promotion, where you get a free bracelet with a $100 (or so) purchase, but I don’t think they do it during the holiday season- just a head’s up for when you get addicted too! LOL!

Argan Oil Body Shop Gift Set

I have to give a special shout out to The Body Shop. If you read my blog you’ll know that they do send me something to try out about once a month and this year my favorite products they’ve sent me were the first ones. The Argan Oil products smell amazing. I love the Body Scrub that’s in my shower and I completely used up the Body Butter they sent me. Right now on their site they have this adorable gift set and I think it would make a great gift. The Body Shop also has some really decent men’s products, so you can cross more people off your list. The Tea Tree products are some that I personally use and love (although, I wouldn’t necessarily call them men’s, more like “coed” 🙂 ). I find the Blemish Fade Night Lotion to be particularly effective at combating excess oil, but I’ve tried nearly every product in that line and enjoyed all of them except the face scrubs,- they aren’t bad, there are just better things on the market.

I could go on and on… I just have so many “loves!” Tokidoki Diaper Bags, Toms Shoes, J Crew Marino Sweaters…

What are some gifts you’ll be getting for friends and family this year? Let me know in the comments below!

Race Your Pace 1/2 Zip Review

I stopped in my local store the other day and picked this top up. I really like the fit and would call it true to size. First I’ll address what I’ve heard on the Lulu boards which is that the Rulu is thinner than past versions. I have to agree, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this top. It is just as soft as past versions, which I love, so, even though it’s thinner that is not as important to me as the fact that it is so soft and feels nice against the skin. I’ve also read in the reviews online that the seams are itchy. I guess they could be, based on the way that they’re finished, but they honestly have not been bothering me.

The things I like about this top are things I typically enjoy about all Lulu tops, and if you read my review on the Race With Grace Half Zips, then you’ll know that for me, it’s all about the details. So, first, I liked the fact that it was a half-zip. I tried on the Race Your Pace top, (the basic pullover, not the half zip), and I did not like the fit, and the neck hole was too big (the straps of my Flow Y Bra showed). Of course, Lulu always includes a zipper garage, which I like, however, these new 2-way zippers on the half-zips to quote let you “catch a breeze mid-stride” seriously make no sense. No one will ever use this. I went easier on this 2-way zipper feature in my “Race With Grace” review, but having experience with it now, I can be more definitive about the fact that I definitely won’t ever use this feature.

I like the little reflective details on the forearms, and the cuffins with the “cold hands,” “warm heart” inscription written in reflective material. And of course, there’s a small pocket near the left-hand side towards the back that is well concealed through a teeny tiny zipper. It’s strange that I will rarely; if ever, use this pocket, yet I hold no contempt towards it as I do towards the ridiculous two-way zipper.

So, I guess to summarize, this is a great light-weight fall top with a few cute details and one ridiculous one. It is true to size and the Rulu is soft as ever, though slightly thinner.

I hope this review helps if you’re thinking about buying this.

What do you think about this top? True to size? Will you use the two-way zipper? Let me know in the comments below!

UPDATE:

In response to a reader comment below (Thanks, Anne!) I decided to post this photo:

Inside-out picture featuring the zipper.

So, it does seen to be a little “unfinished.” It is not attached (sewn flat) on the sides to the shirt itself. Like I said above, I DO see how it could be itchy, but I love it anyways 🙂

The Return of Bhakti Yoga Shorts

I am so excited to see the return of the Bhakti Yoga Shorts this year. I really would love to know why Lululemon released these last year in the fall/winter season and again this year in the same, without a summer release, but I am still very excited to see their return to the shelves. I was worried that perhaps they were not popular enough to warrant another release when they were not released this summer, but alas, Lululemon has decided to keep them a fall/winter item (for some reason). I mentioned these in my fit review about the Bhakti line here, and I said that I would be wearing them on vacation and on hot summer days. Indeed I wore them for almost the entirety of my Caribbean cruise, as well as on hot summer nights. It was a mild summer compared to last year, but I found myself wearing them in July and August nonetheless.

Pictured above are two pairs from last year. They’re back this year in Heathered Black & Inky Floral Soot Black/ Heathered Black. I hope we get some colours! We only got 4 last year, Petal Pop (waistband, black otherwise), Baroque Blue, Fresh Teal (also waistband only) and Black. I hope we get some more colours- I got the black ones and the blue ones, and I don’t need more black. I would die for some purple ones! What do you think of the Bhakti Yoga Shorts? Have you tried them? What do you think of the new run? Let me know in the comments below!