Lululemon Archives - Page 16 of 19

Some Goodies From Australia

Here are a few things I noticed in Australia. I’m sure we won’t get everything I saw, but I’m hoping for a few things to reach North America.

Since this is the Summer line in Australia, I’m not 100% sure the In A Flash Singlet will make it here, but there are a ton of items in the Clear Mint color. Quite a few have already been uploaded. Speed Shorts in Clear Mint are in Australia, so hopefully those make it here.

These Core Kicker Crops have already been uploaded in solid black. I really like these in the Assorted Stripe Bleached Coral/Inkwell.

I love this Track Tee in Clear Mint/ Surge. I really want to try it on.

Again, this stuff is on the Australia side, so I really HOPE we get it, but you never know. The 105 Singlet is coming in Clear Mint too, so we might not get the In A Flash Singlet. I am looking forward to try on the Track Tee. I hope it comes here!

The Gorgeous New Fluff Off Line + Pullover Fit Review

This upload was kind of amazing.

The Fluff Off line was uploaded tonight.

Fluff Off Pullovers $158

Fluff Off Pullover in surge/mini check pique surge heathered surge

Fluff Off Pullover in deep zinfandel/mini check pique deep zinfadel

Fluff Off Pullover in black/heathered herringbone heathered black black

I absolutely loved the black one, especially with the Herringbone fabric (SO NICE!) But I caved for the Surge one, for two reasons: 1) Coloured Pique. I’ve never seen a Lululemon Coloured Pique item. 2) Pique, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts doesn’t pill as easily as Herringbone fabric. I want my pretty pretty (future unicorn- LOL) pullover to last. As. Long. As. Possible. If possible: Forever.

The Fluff Off vests, which don’t excite me that much look like this:

These are pretty nice for $128. I’ll pass for now, I’ll let you know if they go to mark down 🙂

And finally the Fluff Off Jacket $198

Fluff Off Jacket in deep zinfandel/mini check pique deep zinfadel

Very pretty.

These are the product features from Lululemon’s website for the jacket.

fabric + features

stretchy Rulu™ side panels let us move in this slim-fitting jacket
Matte Glyde fabric in the body and hood repels light rain
unzip the vents in the core and arms when you need to let off steam
secure zipper pockets hide a cord management system
thumbholes and Cuffin™ sleeves help keep your hands toasty when you forget your gloves at home
reflective details help keep you visible when you’re up before the sun
imported

fit + function

designed for: run, to-and-from
fabric(s):
Rulu™

,

Matte Glyde

, 800-fill-power premium goose down
fit: slim
length: hip

UPDATE: I got a chance to try on the Fluff Off Pullover & I found them to be true to size, but of slim fit. I found my size up to be sloppy looking, but I wanted to try it so, I did. My TTS was difficult to pull on & off, but it looked fabulous & was so soft. If you open the side zippers, its easier, to pull on & off. I can’t wait until mine comes in the mail! I’m glad I got the right size because my store is completely sold out of the Surge Fluff Off Pullovers, except for one: a size 12.

UPDATE: Tues Dec 2, 2014

I just wanted to post an update to let y’all know that the Fluff Off Pullovers are back this year! Online only! They look amazing! I’ll be posting a size review when I get mine in the mail.

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!

Things I LOVE Right Nowt

Hello! I wanted to share with y’all some current favorites of mine, and I think that most, if not all are still available in-store, if not also online. I think that this will be a running segment. I am currently loving the Deep Zinfandel Rose Herringbone Print Scuba hoodie. It is the same print as last year’s rose herringbone, but it’s not Alberta Lake (a green-black color). I didn’t love the Alberta Lake color and I only bought the Herringbone Wunder Unders in Alberta because, well, they’re Wunder Unders and I love them. So I am much more excited about this year’s Rose Herringbone print in Deep Zinfandel.

Lululemon Deep Zinfandel Rose Herringbone print Scuba Hoodie *Stretch (Lined Hood)

I ordered this on Monday, and as of this writing it is still available online in all sizes here. I also love the Raspberry Wunder Unders *RVRS, but I can’t do bright bottoms.

Raspberry Wunder Under Pants Reversible to Black

These are also still available, as of this writing here.

Inspire Crops in Deep Zinfandel/ Micro/ Macro Stripe Deep Zinfandel

These can be found here. Thanks for window shopping with me again! What are your favorites right now? What have you bought lately? UPDATE! Got my new Deep Zinfandel

Scuba (pictured above) in the mail & it is the softest Scuba hoodie I’ve ever owned. I wore it today!

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!

Midnight Iris Marked Down in-store & online

Just a quickie post on the latest items to hit the in-store/ online markdown rack at Lululemon. When the color ‘Midnight Iris’ first came out, I was pretty much disinterested because I already had some items in the color ‘Spring Has Sprung,’ but, since everything in the color ‘Midnight Iris’ has gone to Mark Down/ Loot/ We Made Too Much, I find myself unable to resist having at least a few items in this colorway for myself. I can never turn down a good deal!

For reference, here’s a photo of Midnight Iris next to Spring has Sprung!

Left: Midnight Iris Right: Spring Has Sprung — Left: Midnight Iris
Right: Spring Has Sprung

So, I bought a Flow Y bra for $29, a CRB for $29 and an NLT for $39. I got both the Flow Y & CRB at a 30.95% discount and the NLT at a 39.06% discount. [(X-Y)/X]

(Not sure what a CRB or NLT is? Check out my previous post about Lululemon Slang here.)

Caution: I think the main reason the colorway went on sale is because it’s mostly Polyester. (The CRB itself is 94% Polyester, but it’s pretty, so… I figure, why not?)

Note: I wouldn’t try my first Forme Jacket in this color if I were you. Even considering the discount, the inside is gray, and it’s just not very attractive. You can also see in the photos online that when you flip the cuffs over it’s gray as well. Not to mention that the discount is only 17%.

UPDATE!

This morning Lululemon put more things in Midnight Iris on “We Made Too Much.” I ordered a Pace Setter Skirt in that pattern. Did you buy anything on markdown?

UPDATE: Wore the CRB, super poly-feeling, but still pretty snazzy lookin’! I LOVE the NLT in this print & can’t wait to wear it again!

Lululemon Define Jacket VS. Forme Jacket

I have been getting hits on my blog based on search criteria like “Forme Jacket Review,” and this leaves me with two impressions. First, I feel badly, because I know that the person who entered that search criteria did not find what they were looking for. Second, this informs me that there is an audience out there looking for reviews. Many Lululemon addicts know that you can find pretty honest reviews on each individual products’ page. For example, I am about to review (contrast & compare) two Lululemon jackets, one being the Forme, the other being the Define Jacket. Lululemon does not currently produce the Define jacket, but the Forme Jacket can be found by clicking the link & that’s where you’ll find reviews as well!

I will admit: I don’t love the Forme jacket. I don’t own one, and I’ve only ever tried one on once. The shoulders didn’t fit me right, too high & loose. But, I’m going to try to best to compare the two using reviews for the website for the Forme & my personal experiences with the Define jacket. I love Define jackets. I own (Black/ Ikat and Beachy Floral Porcelain Blue). I used to own a few others, but I have since traded or sold them in exchange for other unicorns.

They’re certainly very similar. They bother have zipper garages & thumbholes; they’re both fitted and somewhat stretchy.

According to the reviews I read on the Lululemon website, the Forme Jacket has thinner fabric than the Define. Some people who like the Forme jacket said that they used the Forme when it was warmer out, and that they found the Define was better suited for cooler mornings. Others said the thinner fabric made the Forme feel cheap. The main complaint was about the sleeves being too long and the shoulders being boxy. However, recently, Lululemon has created the Forme Jacket *Cuffins, where the reviews confirm that these problems have been taken care of. Apparently, the shoulders are no longer boxy & the sleeves have been shortened by 1.5 inches. The Forme Jacket *Cuffins, has had the cuffins added as well as a hair tie zipper pull, like the Define jackets have. There were mixed reviews regarding the underarm mesh, and it has been removed in the new version of the Forme jacket. People who prefer the Forme over the Define say that the reason they like it is because it doesn’t have the vent in the back. I liked the vent at the back of the Define, I thought it was a cute detail, but others think the extra fabric distorts the shape of the back.

I hope you have found this helpful. You can still find used and NWT Define jackets on eBay, and of course, the Forme jacket and the Forme Jacket *Cuffins are currently still available on Lululemon’s website.

UPDATE:

Considering the popularity of the new Pique, BLDO Forme Jacket, I figured I’ll give it a try. It was sold out online very quickly, although they did do a re-stock of the website in the morning. I received it in the mail and while the fabric is gorgeous, and it fit well in the torso area through the hips, it was too big in the shoulders and I feel that the reviews of the Forme were correct overall. It is certainly not as well fitting as the Define, in my opinion. So, it did go back to the store. The Pique fabric however, is amazing, I just wish I could live in that! I hope this is helpful.

UPDATE Nov 20/ 2014:

Lululemon, much to my great surprise, re-released the Define Jackets! I talk about the fit and fabric content in my new post!

The New Shopping Tote being offered by Lululemon

I’ve seen a couple of blogs address the new shopping tote offered by Lululemon. In my opinion, it’s just another example of Lululemon pushing the envelope, like they always do. I don’t think it goes too far, even though the bag features text created using images of, among other things: tobacco, alcohol, sugary treats, drugs needles, condoms, playing cards, and marijuana cigarettes. Below are two pictures of the bag.

Allow me to transcribe here what is written on the side, because I’m unsure if it is clear from the photo. The front of the bag, obviously says “Brahmacharya.” The side of the bag says the same & offers the following definition: (moderation, non-excess) This yama, or yogic philosophy, teaches us to recognize that moment of “just enough” so we don’t move past it into uncomfortable excess. Maybe it’s pushing away the plate of french fries or using our pent-up energy for a run. By focusing inward, we keep our bodies healthy & energetic. (And hey, there are some things we’re better off avoiding altogether.) Where in your life could you practice moderation?

There is a message here to take into consideration about moderation, however, the only thing I think I may need to moderate is my Lululemon consumption. Do you think they’re trying to tell me something?