Lululemon Blog Archives - Page 2 of 9

The Quick Gift Guide for a Lululemon Fangirl

Hello everyone!

With Christmas- and Black Friday, and it’s cousin Cyber Monday coming up so very soon, I decided to finally make this gift guide!

I have always wanted to make a “gift guide” of some sort, and I usually make an attempt at one, but I haven’t made one specifically for ladies who adore Lululemon- that doesn’t recommend a single Lululemon product.

Without further adieu, here are some things I think make great gifts for Lulu-lovers.

Defuzzer

This defuzzer is great. I first wrote about this in my post about how to repair Lululemon, I included some photos of how I used it to fix an especially fuzz-ridden Cool RacerBack tank top, which I had purchased on a Facebook group. Sometimes, it’s easier to repair something than to go through the process of getting a refund. It’s perfect now, and I love it.

Fitness belt

I only use a fitness belt from time to time while jogging or going on a long walk, I usually use a mini backpack- but I like this one because it doesn’t seem to ride up the way other belts do. It’s pretty affordable and adjustable- which is what I like best compared to other belts. I would definitely recommend something a little more durable if you’re a daily jogger- for example, I’d consider this one: FlipBelt I used to use this one, and it is very durable, but I found that it would ride up on me when I ran. Solid choice for a daily runner though.

Shoes

Unconventional shoe recommendation: Vibram toe shoes

OK, OK, I know, they look silly, and I’m pretty sure that no one even wears these anymore. But I love them- I have like 8 pairs and they’re perfect for me. I wrote a post about them a while back, and while I recommend them for everyone- that does exclude anyone with existing foot issues. The point of these shoes is to mimic natural running, strengthening the tiny muscles in the foot. However, if you have existing issues, it might be a good idea to wear supportive shoes prior to switching to anything minimalistic like these.

If you happen to be interested, you can find them really cheap on 6pm.com, which is Zappos clearance site- or for better size availability you can check at Zappos. You can find them pretty cheap on Amazon too, but I would check 6pm first, because that’s where I’ve gotten them cheaply in the past- but it’s probably a good idea to check both sites.

OK, now that I’m done talking about my favorite shoes, my second favorite shoes are these Nike’s I own. I wear these when it’s too cold for my Vibrams OR if I think the Vibram’s wouldn’t look good with my outfit. I love these Nike Free RN Flyknits, which you can find on the Nike website or other models for less on Amazon.

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a pair of UGGs or Hunters either! I love my Hunters for muddy festival season, and UGGs are perfect for casual wear during chilly winters.

Fitness band

I love my fitbit! I had a Surge for at least 2 years, and prior to that I had a Flex for two years. I now own a FitBit Versa that I adore. Any fitness enthusiast will love the step-counting, heart rate, and fitness-related functions, but I also like that I can see texts and phone calls without looking at my phone. It comes in handy in social and work situations.

Honorable Mention: Bath & Body Works Candles

Ok, so not a fitness-related item, but I did want to mention these for a couple of reasons: They’re personal favorites of mine, & they’re having the best sale of the year on December 1st. They kind of smell amazing and their holiday scents really get me in the spirit. Right now, I’m burning a Gingerbread scented one I got a while back.

I will definitely stop in to buy some on the 1st. Right now they’re buy 3, get 3 free- pretty decent deal already if you ask me. One of my favorite couponing channels on YouTube, Running Kimono made a video about these that convinced me to head in on the first of December to fetch some.

I hope you liked this quick gift guide for people like me, who love Lululemon. I would also like to add that classes at local yoga studios or entry fees paid for local races would also likely be appreciated!

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you have a very merry holiday season!

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!

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.

What I’m loving Right Now

Hello everyone,

This is a series I used to do, and sometimes still do sporadically, and since I’ve noticed a few items I’d like to feature, I figured I’ll make mention of my faves right now. As of writing this, all items I discuss are available online.

1. Define Jacket in Diamond Jacquard Berry Rumble Jeweled Magenta

As I mentioned in a previous post, I would love to see a true red Define jacket, but this is close enough. Gorgeous, thick fabric for comfortable Fall or Winter wear.

2. Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve Crew in Heathered Ultra Violet

Heathered Ultra Violet is probably my third favorite color. Side note: I can’t believe I have a favorite color list in my head that goes past one. For the curious, my fourth favorite color is Pigment Blue. (First: Bordeaux Drama, Second: Paris Pink, but I’ve mentioned these two before)

Anyways, there’s not much I can say about Switflys that hasn’t been said before. They’re great for working out in. They’re just comfortable, and this happens to be a great color. All Swiftlys rarely make it to WMTM, and if they do, they’re often marked down by only $9, so, if you’re liking one, I would just buy it at regular price.

3. Align Pants in Raspberry

Ah, Align pants. These are just so comfy you never want to take them off! I first talked about these when they came out, and I remember saying that I would wait for them to come out in colors and prints, since I already have enough pairs of black leggings with colored waistbands. Well, here they are!

4. Pace Rival Crop in Space Dye Twist Naval Blue Peacock Blue/Peacock Blue

I have to admit, that I don’t think that Pace Rival crops look the best on me. I tried them on in-store one time and didn’t love them. However, I might be willing to give them another try for this color combo.

5. Vent It Out Crop in Ultra Violet Multi/ Naval Blue

I know I’ve mentioned these before somewhere on my blog, but since they’re still available in sizes 4 – 10, I figured that they deserved a second shout out. These are great. Comfortable and don’t move around. The venting is well-placed. They’re more of a Spring crop, but I would give them 5 stars and can’t more highly recommend them.

What is standing out to you right now? Let me know in the comments below!

Lululemon OOTD #82

Hello everyone! Here’s another of my Pleat To Street skirts! I’m doing this OOTD series featuring them “en hommage” to my review post of them that I wrote just in case you saw them on mark down or on eBay and needed to see if they’re something you’d be interested in.

Race Your Pace 1/2 Zip in Coco Pique/ Black, Pleat to Street Skirt in Watermark Slate/ Black

A Fall Outfit Idea

Here’s a cute outfit idea from a Lululemon store in Montclair. She’s wearing a Pack-It Vest, the Kanto Catch Me long sleeve in Herringbone, and the All The Right Places pants in Cranberry. Such a cute Fall outfit!

Here are some photos of the details of the vest:

Lulu Wants To Know How You FEEL

Good day internet people! It has been quite some time since I last wrote, and part of the reason is that I was out of town, another reason is that I have not felt inspired to write and still another part is that I have been writing more often for academic purposes rather than simple pleasure. In any case, I’m back in town and looking forward to adding my voice to the recent changes in a key part of Lululemon’s marketing strategy.

The Pant Wall

The pant wall is one of Lululemon’s key selling features. During on-boarding (training) educators are thoroughly acquainted with The Wall. Hours are spent training, learning how to educate guests about the different features of the different types of pants, all the while folding and re-folding pair upon pair of Lululemon pants. Sometimes it can get lonely at The Wall…

The_Wall_from_the_south — http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/The_Wall

No, not THAT wall!

That’s better.

So, they’ve updated the infamous pant wall to reflect how their guests want to FEEL. Personally, I think this is a fabulous marketing strategy. Naomi Klein talks about brand dissemination in her book No Logo and in an interview in the 2003 documentary “The Corporation,” she said that

“Branding is not advertising it’s production. And very successful corporations, the corporations of the future do not product products, they produce brand meaning. The dissemination of the idea of themselves is their act of production, and the dissemination of the idea of themselves is an enormously invasive project. So how do you make a brand idea real? Well, a good place to start is by building a 3D manifestation of your brand.”

These ideas remind me of photos I took in China. These photos depict a globe, engraved with several well-known brand logos.

This exists between a subway station and a highly developed financial area. — This work of art exists between an under developed residential area and a highly developed financial area.

This is a picture of the same globe, from a different angle. Whereas in one photo you see a rather old residential building, in this one you can see the brand new tall structures.

While these are 3D depictions of brands, this is not what Naomi was talking about, but this globe represents how strongly people associate with brands. I imagine myself as the artist, considering what progress means, and maybe it means the growth of large companies all over the world, but particularly those that come to developing nations to start operations such as the brands featured on this globe. I originally took both of these photos for the juxtaposition of old China vs. new, but I’m glad they could make it into my blog.

So, Lululemon is attempting to increase its brand penetration by helping its consumer base associate it with positive feelings like ‘feeling hugged.’ While I applaud the effort, (however transparent it seems to me) I remarked a slight discrepancy between the positive feelings I was experiencing after being hugged in their *Special Edition* Laser Dot Wunder Under Crop, and the negative feelings I associated with the not so minor price increases that accompanied this new marketing campaign. Many pants were re-priced and new pants are now more expensive that they would have been had they been released a week prior.

Wunder Under Crop *SE Laser Dot “Hugged” Sensation

In this case, Lululemon is attempting to change the way you choose pants shifting from function (because who cares if you can actually work out in them?), to how they make you feel. Regardless of my skepticism, this marketing campaign probably tested well with the focus groups and was likely designed by a professional marketing firm. It’s a great idea that I hope they’re able to transition across all product lines. This idea is founded in current research on marketing psychology and I think it’s a winner despite my ability to see through it.

So, now that I’ve explained my opinion on the marketing strategy, let’s discuss those pesky price increases. Lululemon is a luxury brand. In order to maintain the illusion of exclusivity they must tread delicately between being so expensive as to evoke hostility and being so cheap as to be replaced by another brand in its competitive ‘luxury athleisure wear’ category. While I am not completely stoked about the price increases, I understand pricing strategy and respect the brand for making an unpopular decision. Those who don’t like the price increase will move on to other products (such as Athleta, whose quality is comparable, yet prices are lower), and those who are brand loyal will stay the course and continue to make their purchases regardless of such increases in price. It’s the boring answer, but I am confident that it represents the reactions of the vast majority of the Lululemon-buying public.

What do you think about the new marketing campaign? What do you think about the prices? How about my analysis? I’d love to hear from you!

In case anyone is interested: I did not buy the *SE Laser Dot Wunder Under crops, they’re pretty, but I already have a pair of Bordeaux Drama WUCs, and did not see what was so *special* about these. 🙂

This Blog Lately

Hello Everyone!

I’m just writing a sort of update post about my blog. This blog has evolved and sometimes made great changes a sways with regards to content at times, always with two goals in mind. One, my insatiable, and at times selfish desire to write. I love writing, it brings me great joy and I’m unlikely to ever quit my oeuvre of choice. My second goal has always been to provide my readers with tangible, accurate and honest opinions and facts about Lululemon, or more recently, beauty, products I’ve tried. Whether I’ve loved or loathed them, I’ve always been honest and thorough. As this blog continues to evolve, I hope you’ll join me by following this blog.

I do want to take the time here to express my sincere appreciation for those of you who are subscribed via email or Bloglovin or WordPress or what have you and read my blog or like and share it. I can hardly believe how many people from so many countries have read my blog and I am humbled by this fact. I so appreciate knowing that someone is enjoying and perhaps learning from what I do.

As this blog continues to take the shape, I hope that you will continue to follow the evolution and that the transitional product is something you can continue to support and enjoy.

PS: I’ve become enamored with the idea of starting another challenge! I will keep you updated!! And I would love to hear some suggestions!

No Limits Tank, you WILL be missed

I wanted to take a few minutes to write about one of my all-time favorite Lulu tanks that was discontinued earlier this year. It was definitely one of my staples and you could pretty much guarantee I would grab them on markdown. I still wear the ones I have all the time and on any given day you can expect to see me in either an NLT (No Limits Tank) or a 105 F Singlet. The NLT is basically a very flowy top with a Flow Y bra sewn in. And they are also good at hiding bellies, pregnant ones, or ones with no excuse like mine.

As per usual, this blog is about resale, and I want to mention that NLTs, on average don’t hold their value as well as, let’s say, Cool Racerbacks. The reason, I think, is because the condition of these can be difficult to maintain. The mesh part can pill or easily get snagged and I’m always worried that it will show up looking very worn, so I almost never purchase NLTs second hand. The only times I have they were NWT, OR a rare color (I love my Blurred Blossom one!). NLTs have been selling on eBay for between $35 and $55, on average. As I mention in my post How to Determine the Value of Your Item, you can always search the sold listings in eBay for ideas and to see what your item has been selling for recently.

I talked about the Define jacket in my post comparing it to the Forme jacket, and I talk about how much I do prefer the Define and how disappointed I was that it had been discontinued. I hope that the No Limits Tank is re-launched in a year or two as well, and that I get to write another post like this one, only about the NLT.

Thanks for reading!

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 🙂