lululemon expert

ENDED: Giveaway! $200 Amazon Gift Card

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED- THANK YOU SO SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO ENTERED!

CONGRATULATIONS to Laura Cartledge on winning the giveaway!

Hello readers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I am finally ready. Ready to pursue something I’ve been contemplating for a long time and ready to reach out and introduce myself. Hi, my name is Shannon and I am the resident blogger here. A lot of y’all already know me, but I want you to get to know me better. That is why I am starting a YouTube channel. I want to create even more, even better content and some of the things I want to show you require video. I want to share my product favorites and fails, story times, Lululemon-related reviews all peppered with my own quirks and personality.

I am so excited to announce the launch of my YouTube channel!!! In celebration of this occasion, I am hosting a new subscriber giveaway! All you have to do is subscribe to my YouTube channel, like my video and leave me a comment about what types of videos you’d like to see! My channel is going to be focussed on Fashion, Beauty and lifestyle, with a few storytimes thrown in. I am so excited because this platform will give me a chance to communicate with y’all on a more personal level and it also gives me a chance to let my personality shine through! Thank you so so much for reading and, please come check me out on YouTube and subscribe to win a $200 Amazon Gift Card!!!

*The rules are that you have to like, subscribe and comment with a video idea. You can’t know me personally, and you have to reside in Canada or the US. Giveaway winner will be announced on all my social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube- as well as here, on my blog.

Thanks again for everything, y’all. See you over on my channel!

Update: Jan 3, 2018

*I will be announcing the winner on January 15th and I only have about 50 qualifying entries so far! Those are great odds of winning a $200 Amazon gift card!

New: Scuba Hoodie Glyde

Hello everyone!

Stopped in-store today to try this one on. I found that the dickie was loose, but the shoulders/ arms fit TTS. I did notice some bunching at the waist- there seems to be a lot of extra fabric there. If you look online, in all front-facing photos, the models have their hands in their pockets. I couldn’t get this to look right on me without my hands in the pockets either. I only found one photo where her hands are at her sides, and it is taken from behind, and it still appears that there is bunching at the waist. But that wasn’t what kept me from taking it home. It reminds me exactly of the Uba Hoodies from 2013, which I have since sold. The only one I didn’t sell was designed without the dickie, but still called an Uba Hoodie, and that was the reflective White/ Creamsicle Pop one. So, since I have sold my original Ubas, I see no reason to pick this up. One thing I did like was the thumbholes, pictured below. They are differently constructed compared to traditional thumbholes: the holes are horizontal rather than vertical, creating a more comfortable/ natural hole for the thumb. A small feature, but one I did notice!

TL;DR: Cute thumbholes, fit was off, basically a re-vamped Uba.

What do you think of this Scuba Hoodie Glyde? Let me know in the comments below!

BOXING DAY, 2017

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to take a minute to chat with y’all about boxing day!

I showed up early… and… … crickets.

The markdown racks had the same products and were priced in the same way as the online selection. I wouldn’t take the time to go to your local store unless you know there is something special going on. I have gone in years past, and there are usually better deals in-store and/ or the in-store discounts are deeper than online. Not so this year.

As we saw, there are some online deals as well. The first one I’d like to point out is something I mentioned in my last post where I said that it was pretty, but over-priced. The “All That Shimmers” scarf is now on sale on Lululemon’s website:

Another WMTM prediction I had in my last post, was the Floral Flock pullover, which is also on sale:

I think that this Everywhere Duffel is a good deal, if you need a new Duffel. The print is pretty, and it has all the typical details that make Lululemon bags perfect for yogi on the go.

Did y’all find any good deals today?

Let me know in the comments!

Yes, they’re pretty.

Hello everyone!

I wanted to take some time to talk about some new favorites and some items I am simply not digging. Enjoy!

So happy that Lululemon has some surprises in store for the holiday season. Here’s a pretty:

Scuba Hoodie Rip Wave Purple Thunder Black — Scuba Hoodie in Rip Wave Purple Thunder Black

Here’s another:

Scuba Hoodie in Frozen Flourish Multi: Black — Scuba Hoodie in Frozen Flourish Multi Black

I was so happy to see the return of the Runderful Long Sleeve. This sold well last year, and the fitted design is both flattering and feminine.

Heathered Stony Grape Runderful Long Sleeve

I mentioned that I was interested in these in a previous post and wanted to show you them. These Wool Swiftlies are great. I bought one in Black Cherry and it was exactly what I was looking for: a slightly warmer Swiftly with the same look and a slightly more luxurious (soft) feel.

Swiftly Wool 1:2 Zip — Swiftly Wool 1/2 Zip

Here they are in all their glory: The Luminosity Line. Specifically, this color is called: Luminosity Foil Print Black Silver/Black. And, like the title of this post says: Yes, they’re pretty. Sometimes, I prefer to not buy into any hype- but I legitimately like these and it is likely that I will at LEAST own the Speed Up Shorts. Also shown: Speed Up Tights, Energy Bra, Run Times Shorts. I really love these!

Luminosity Foil Print Black Silver Speed Up Tight

Another thing I am completely enamored with:

These are gorgeous. I hope to find them in my closet next to my other party pants, I mean Tech Mesh Wunder Unders.

Enjoying this pattern of Speed Up Tights:

I also wanted to pick a couple of things I did not like. These pants have a 29″ inseam. They’re designed to hit a little above the shoe-line area and, since these are Rulu, and probably decently warm, I don’t desire a warm pant that doesn’t cover my ankles completely. If these go on sale, I may consider them as an early Autumn pant, since Rulu is one of my favorite fabrics. UPDATE: I DID get these ON SALE marked down from $108 to $69! I tried them on and, I guess I am short enough that these DO cover my ankles!

Run Rulu Run Pant 29 — Run Rulu Run Pant

The next thing is just over priced, in my opinion:

It IS made out of Merino Wool, so maybe it isn’t technically over-priced, given the quality and Lululemon brand-name, but I can’t justify $98 for a scarf that doesn’t absolutely “wow” me. This is cute, but… not $98 worth of “cute.” UPDATE: This did show up in WMTM on boxing day.

Finally, I don’t love this one. The cut would not flatter me, and I dislike the floral pattern on the arm, although, I do recognize that that is the primary feature and namesake of this top. It is simply not made for me, and along with the Run Rulu Run pants, this top is on my WMTM prediction list. I do think that the scarf still has a chance to sell without a discount, we’ll see!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Holidays!

Lulu & Life Updates

Hello everyone!

Thanks for stopping by, and for continuing to do so- regardless of the fact that I haven’t been consistent with my writing. I love to write, and have started another few projects, so I’ve been focussing on those. I might even get the chance to share them here, so keep an eye out for that!

I have been working a lot lately, and putting in quite a few hours of overtime while I’m at it. However, the slow season is coming up and I am going on vacation soon!

I have not been following the uploads as much, but there have yet to be any bright colors, with the exception of the Fluorolace Multi print, which I do not care for. Hydrangea Blue is also nice, but it is a muted blue, not a bright or neon color, which is what I would like to see. I do recommend picking up a pair of the Tech Mesh tights if you do not already have them. They remain popular and they transition well from yoga to #YOLO. My local store calls them “Party Pants.” They certainly are. I have them in Submarine and Hero Blue.

I am interested in trying the Swiftly Wool Pullovers. I love Swiftlies, and would appreciate something a little warmer for winter jogs. The Stand Out Sherpa 1/2 Zip will go on sale later. If you don’t have any of the “Stress Less 1/2 zips,” I love the design, but the fabric of this year’s models is less soft than the previous year’s version. I would still say go ahead and get one if you are on the fence and don’t have one already. I also love those Extra Mile LS’s I spoke about in my last post.

Anyways, I did want to give a little “life update,” and say hello, since it has been a while. I hope that Lulu surprises us with a bright pink, like Paris or Raspberry Glo, but I am not optimistic. Thank you to the extra 1,000 people who came and visited my blog today to read my piece on LuLaRoe– that was unexpected! I appreciate all of my readers, thank you all for stopping by!

What I am LOVING Right Now

I am so happy that I finally get to do another one of these articles! It is no secret that I’ve been somewhat disappointed with most of Lululemon’s offerings this past little while. But TODAY, I am proud to report that I have found love again! Their last couple of uploads have added a few items that I absolutely love and I can’t wait to share my favorites with you today.

The first item that has “piqued” my interest is the Kitsilano Long Sleeve in Coco Pique:

Coco Pique is back, my friends. I am definitely excited. This version is slightly thinner, in my opinion, but perhaps that is item-dependent. So, maybe if we see some Wunder Unders they’ll be thicker. As a layering piece, I think it’s perfectly acceptable for the fabric to be a little lighter than the Coco Pique I am used to, especially since it felt equally luxuriously soft.

The next item I am excited about is the Rest Less 1/2 Zip. I have a couple of the Rest Less pullovers in my closet from last year, and I am happy to see that they’ve come up with a new iteration of an item I’ve enjoyed. Plus, the Black/White and Black/ Dark Cast colors are so cute! There is also a Black/ Armory, which is shown in the close up photo below, as you can see there is a green tone to it. Not for me, but I love the other two! Note: They did not yet have this in my local store, so I haven’t tried it on- yet, looking forward to seeing it next time I stop in!

Next up! Shape Up Pullover. I think we were all waiting for the day we’d see Nulu in tops. I was so excited to try this on because the Nulu fabric is really the softest thing that Lulu offers these days- even more soft than Rulu, IMO. Although, I could be imagining that. Rulu IS really soft too. Bottom line: This item does not disappoint. The lines are fantastic. They give real shape to your figure. One thing that is difficult to see on the website is that there is a seam under the bust line. I think it adds to the shape of the garment, but it is difficult to see, given all the crossed arms in the photos online. There are thumbholes, and the hood is great too! This one’s a keeper!

The next item that I would like to share is The Extra Mile Long Sleeve. For me, for a long time, Lululemon always meant “going the extra mile” in terms of details. The thing that attracted me to the clothing was the innovation and the details. This item has details.

Thumbholes and Cuffins, Shoulder and Wrist rouche-style details, Reflective piping on the arms, small zip-up pocket. Perfect.

I also noticed that outerwear has popped up on the website. Last time I was in the store- two days ago- they had not yet received it. I will be trying whatever we get on in-store if/when it arrives. I have high hopes this season given what I’ve seen the last couple of uploads.

What do you think of the Fall rollout?

Let me know in the comments!

The Most Hunted Unicorn to date

Speed Shorts, $623. Speed Crops: $712. Speed Tights: $800 Speed Shorts: $910 Speed Shorts: $980 Hats for $300 and bras for $200.

It is evident that Lululemon’s Rainbow Reflective Splatter Print is popular. The Speed shorts, which retailed at Sea Wheeze this year for $128 CAD, have been selling online for hundreds of dollars.

They, in my opinion, are the most gorgeous item that Lululemon has put out in… years? They have really outdone themselves.

I am literally in LOVE with all of the things. Especially the Speed Shorts and Speed Tights. I had a conversation with a my mother-in-law that went along the lines of “What would you do with $800- other than buy these pants?” Responses included: Pay the mortgage, pay my car note for 3 months, – buy 12 pairs of REGULAR Speed Shorts? The dollar amount acknowledged- These are totally gorgeous and I am stoked for anyone who can get their hands on them. I hope they get plenty of love & wear. 🙂

What do y’all think of these?

Trying on the Culture Clash Wunder Unders

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday Funday! I haven’t been in a Lululemon for a while- because, frankly, things were not grabbing my attention. But I did see the new pattern and wanted to try on something to see if I liked it. It somewhat reminds me of the last confetti pattern that came out (capoeira-multi), although it isn’t even remotely similar in person at all.

Initial thoughts on these are that, much like the capoeira pattern: they are not for me. But the fabric on these is gorgeously soft, and I didn’t find that the pattern sheered out on the [ahem] larger parts of me. They are 69% Nylon and 31% Lycra, lined in white. The length is perfect for me, hitting just below the knee. Overall, I love this style, the “Wunder Under HR 1/2 Tight *F” is awesome! However, the pattern is not. I walked out with the Tech Mesh Wunder Unders in Submarine instead.

What do you think of the Culture Clash pattern? Let me know in the comments.

The Re-released Define Jacket

Hello everyone,

Today, I want to write about one of my all-time favorite pieces: The Define Jacket. I was recently browsing the Lulu website, looking for my next Define jacket purchase and I decided to first browse through the recent reviews. That’s when I noticed two things: This jacket has a 4-Star overall rating, and many of the newest reviews are 1-2 stars. I decided to dig a little and I went through the first 5 pages of the most recent reviews and put the number into a spreadsheet. After about 160 entries, the average rating was 3.1 stars. This makes more sense than the 4-star overall shown, given what I had been reading in the reviews. Because the design of the Define jacket was not adjusted during the relaunch that occurred a couple of years back, Lululemon has included reviews as old as 2009, which, as we all know represents a sort of gilded age of Luon.

Unfortunately, many of the new reviews cite pilling as the reason for a low-rating. Some reviewers even have older Define jackets that they’ve had for many years that have not pilled, yet their new Define jackets have pilling issues. Fortunately, pilling can be addressed using a fabric depiller. (Canadians, click here) However, it is not right that a $118 jacket pills so easily. So, for now, I’m sort of on the fence about buying a new one. Although, if I had to choose: I LOVE the “Submarine” color 🙂

What do you think about the reviews? Do you think it’s disingenuous for Lulu to include the oldest reviews in the online rating? Or do you think it’s fair given that they didn’t change the design of the product? Are you surprised that so many people are having issues with pilling? Why do you think this is happening? It is due to the change in the fabric or is it perhaps an issue with fabric washing or care? I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below!

Dipping for Lululemon

Hello everyone,

This post is about something I heard about through Facebook.

We all know there are pieces, very collectible pieces, of Lulu that we know we’re never going to buy because we can’t afford or can’t justify paying $400 for Quiet Striped Tribal Sea Wheeze Davies. Enter DIPS.

Facebook Dips are magical, wondrous places where unicorns are won and lost at the random.org-ing of a number.

Here are the basics:

DIP POSTER

First someone has a special item, that they think other people want as well, but it’s pricey and possibly difficult to find an individual buyer for such an expensive item.

The person who has the item Posts a DIP after interest is established through a process called “fishing.” Fishing is in place to reduce/ prevent crowding of the Facebook page. If enough people like a photo in the “fishing” album, the poster of the photo is notified by an admin that their item has been approved and they may post their DIP to the page.

A basic idea of what the poster would write in their post is:

Status of the DIP: OPEN (It will be edited to “closed” once all spots are sold)
Description of Item: Name/ Color/ Size of item
Condition: For information on how to describe the condition of your item, please see my post about that.
Spots: List the number of spots, or “entries” that you want to sell in your DIP
Price per spot: List the amount of money you would like to earn per entry. The currency of pricing should also be listed. Many DIPs charge $5, $10, or $15 per spot. Pricing caps also exist, depending on the group. For example, if the cap is set at $900, you can’t sell fifty $20 spots ($1,000 worth of spots).
Location: The location from where you will be shipping the item.

Payment Instructions such as “send all money via PayPal as Friends and Family”
List Shipping charges, most DIPs include shipping, depending on the rules of the Facebook group.

PARTICIPATING IN DIPs

Below all the information about the listing and instructions to potential entrants will be a list of numbers equaling the total number of spots available, with space left beside to write the name of the person who purchased that spot. In the example shown below, if there are 5 spots available, the numbers 1 through 5 will be written, and the names of the people who purchased a spot will be written. In most DIPs, you can choose which number you want. In other DIPs, random number assignment is required.

1. Mandy Miller

2. Sandy Sadler

3. Erica Erickson

4. Erica Erickson

5. Taylor Tomlinson

Let’s say that they each paid $20 for their spot and they’re Dipping for a pair of Star Runner Pullover. That means that the seller believes that their pullover, plus the cost of shipping (if shipping is included), is worth $100. The seller gets $100, and 5 people get a chance to purchase or “win” a Star Runner Pullover for only $20, rather than paying the $100 the seller believes it is worth. Even if it’s not exactly worth $100, $20 is still a great deal!

But wait a minute! Erica Erickson’s name is written in spots 3 and 4! Yes, that’s because, in my imaginary game, she chose to purchase two spots, paying the Dipper $40 in total, rather than $20, like the others. Depending on the rules of the Dip, potential winners can purchase as many spots as they like.

PAYMENT

Once all spots are sold, the DIP is marked by the poster as “closed” and people are now required to pay for their spots. Most DIP posters require that the money be sent via PayPal as “Friends and Family.”

THE DRAW

Once all spots are sold, and everyone pays for their spot, it is time for everyone’s favorite part: The Draw!!!

The person who posted the DIP will tag an admin and inform them that everyone has paid for their spot and it is time for the draw. The admin will go to a random number generator and videotape the live drawing of the number. The winner is announced when the video is posted on the Facebook thread.

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There you have it! DIPs explained. These rules, by the way, are by no means exhaustive. Due to the lottery-style, another thing that is mentioned in the rules of the Facebook Dipping groups, is that Dipping is against Facebook and PayPal terms of service. Here is a post regarding DIPs that I found useful. If there are other important rules not mentioned above, or you notice something incorrect, please feel free to inform me in the comments below, so I have a chance to add it to this post.