Hello, athletic/workout leggings lovers!! Over about a two-week period, I worked out in, lounged and lived in 11 different pairs of popular athletic/workout leggings to figure out which, in my humble opinion, are the best! Below is a list of the leggings I am reviewing and today I will make the final determination.

• Adidas
• Nike
• Under Armour
• Old Navy
• Lululemon
• Fabletics
• Tek Gear
• Athleta
• Gymshark
• Calia
• Victoria Sport

I realize there are different leggings that you can choose from in all of these brands listed, for example, running, yoga, lifting, etc., and they all perform differently, but for the ones I chose and wore, these are my opinions, and that goes for all of the brands covered in this review.

In the bottom, for me, are Athleta, Victoria Sport, and Calia. I think they are really cute styles and they look cute on, but as far as performance while working, they were not comfortable and functional for me, simply because they don’t stay put on my body, so I’m constantly have to tug at them to pull them up into place. Also, the Victoria Sport legging and the purple Calia legging both show sweat, which can be a bit embarrassing.

Next up, Tek Gear. Although I did find these workout leggings extremely comfortable, and I would still recommend them, I didn’t feel as supported in them. Most other workout leggings hold you in a bit and these didn’t have that going on at all.

At the next level would be Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, Fabletics, and Old Navy, although Old Navy might have the slight upper hand based on the price point. All these leggings are great options. They all feel good and look good. They all stay put relatively well, with only some slight adjustments throughout the day and workouts. Like I mentioned, Old Navy does have a more attractive cost, but at the same time, perhaps because of the color I chose, some sweat spots did show through.

My number two choice from the top atheletic/workout legging would be Gymshark. The legging with the grip in the waistband was a real nice touch for me since one of my big complaints on most of these leggings is that they ride down a bit in the crotch area and therefore feel uncomfortable and also become an annoyance to continually pull up. These ones, literally, stick in place! They also hold your body in a bit and breath well. I had never heard of the brand prior to this experiment and they are now my #2 choice. I guess one drawback I would mention would be the delivery time. It was a little longer than I care to wait for packages, but that’s probably from being spoiled by Amazon Prime.

I didn’t want my #1 choice to necessarily BE my #1 simply based on the price point. I would love to be able to make the kind of money that would make this price point irrelevant, but that just isn’t the case! However, wow! What an amazing athletic legging! High quality, comfortable, stylish. I like the way they look on; they hold me in, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. They breath well and hold my cell phone without weighing down the legging and causing them to sag! Sometimes the saying is true, you get what you pay for! I’m glad that I have a pair now, but even on the clearance rack I probably won’t be buying another pair anytime soon! I do plan on training for my first half marathon, so for that I would probably shell out the dough for another pair, but until then the others will do!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I would LOVE it if you would share and follow if you love it too!!

Love,

BrightPinkBoss aka Karen D.

I am FINALLY doing my final legging review! For those of you that were on pins and needles just waiting for this review to post…I’m very sorry!! So, Gymshark. I had never heard of it, but I wanted some brands in my review that were popular that maybe I didn’t know about, so I googled it and these came up in my search. I ordered two pairs and they took what seemed like forever to get here. That’s PARTIALLY why this last review got put on the back burner for a while. Gymshark is a company based out of The United Kingdom (hence, why it took a while) and it was originally created by a group of teenagers and grew into what it is now. Cool, right?! These leggings I got are different than anything I currently have. I have the Core Leggings and the Fit Cropped Leggings. I’m reviewing the latter. Specifics are as follows:

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Description: Fit for performance. Unrestricted fit. Seamless knit. Elasticated Gymshark waistband. Internal silicone grip.

Color: Winter Berry/Pink Salt

Cost: $30

Features: The Fit Cropped Leggings have been engineered with a seamless kinit to provide a liberated range of movement and an assured support.

I’m not sure how to explain these. They are kind of like extra thick pantyhose, so they are very form fitting and seamless, as stated in the description. What was kind of weird, but also cool is the waistband. That elasticated Gymshark waistband (see below) felt good while I was on the bike in cycle class. It helped keep the waist right where it should be. I was a little intimidated by the fact that there is nothing left to the imagination as far as the shape of your lower half, but they felt good and stayed put, so that’s a win in my book.

Next up…the overall rating of all eleven workout leggings according to me. J

BrightPinkBoss aka Karen D.

P.S. Pictures of the second pair of leggings I ordered from Gymshark are below.

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As you may or may not know, Fabletics is a monthly subscription company that offers women’s workout clothing and accessories. I used to be a member but canceled over a year ago because I felt like I had enough workout clothes (can you ever really have enough?), but it was also getting expensive. The options that are offered at the $49.95-member price are usually the plain tops and bottoms, and there are so many other cute options that I always ended up spending more. Anyway, today I want to share my thoughts on this cute pair of leggings that I wore all day.

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Here are the facts:

Description: Mid-Rise Printed PowerHold Legging

Cost: $79.95

Pattern: Pink/Olive/Gray Camo

These are full length leggings with a small pocket that could hold your lip balm or gym locker key. I love the pattern, the style, and the fit!! I like how it holds you in, but in a comfortable way without squeezing your not so fit areas out.

Today I spent the morning teaching preschool to my youngest boys. This includes a lot of standing up and sitting down on the floor repeatedly, and of course dancing around to preschool songs. I did have to pull the leggings up from time to time when they started to ride down, but that could be because of my body type. After preschool I drank a protein shake and we headed out to Lifetime Fitness.

At Lifetime I sat in the sauna for a good 15-20 minutes and sweat profusely, but you couldn’t see it through the leggings like you could through my shirt. I did about a 30-45-minute workout, and they were very moveable and comfortable. I then ran for 25 minutes on the treadmill. Although I spent a lot of time sweating, the leggings never felt damp.

Next we headed out and to the grocery store.

When we got home and I changed I specifically smelled the leggings, something I don’t normally do, but they didn’t smell bad!

I can’t compare these Fabletics leggings to anything yet, but overall…I’m a fan. A little on the pricey side, but there are DEFINITELY more expensive brands out there.

Next up, CALIA by Carrie Underwood.

BrightPinkBoss aka Karen D.

She lives in workout clothes.  That’s what my neighbor said to her mom when she was fitting me for a fancy bra. It’s so true. Yesterday as I was running down Barr Trail after hiking up the incline, I thought to myself…” Self, you should review popular brand leggings because, heck, you live in workout clothes!”  So, for the next two weeks I’m going to wear and review a different brand of legging each day, post about the legging of the day, and at the end I will choose the best. I’ve tried to choose popular brands in all different price brackets. If there is a brand that you don’t see below that you would like to see, comment below and I’ll include the majority suggestion as my final legging brand to review.

The brands I’m going to wear are:

• Fabletics
• CALIA by Carrie Underwood
• Tek Gear
• Nike
• Athleta
• Lululemon
• Victoria’s Secret Sport
• Adidas
• Under Armor
• Old Navy
• Gymshark

Just so y’all know, I will be doing regular things each day to test the comfort of each legging brand like, making meals, preschool and taking care of my littlest boys, grocery shopping, running errands, and working out. I’m training for the fire department’s CPAT test, so my workouts are legit. I’m only bringing this up so that you all know I’m not going to just be wearing these leggings while sitting on the couch. I’ll be judging the price point, comfort, style choices, and durability of each legging. I’m excited to find out for myself which is best! I have, or course, worn some of these, but not all, so it’ll be fun and beneficial!

Talk soon,

BrightPinkBoss aka Karen D.

Update: How could I write a post like this and not mention the importance of drinking water!! Not only for the youthfulness of your skin – keeping it plump and hydrated, but also for the health of your internal organs!! Flushing your body with half your body weight in ounces each day is mandatory for healthy living, inside and out! (If you weigh 140 pounds you would drink 70 ounces of water a day, minimum.)

I’m no expert here, however, I always have people thinking I’m at least 10 years younger than I am! I’m in the Army Reserves and I joined later in life than most, so I’m around a lot of younger people in that environment all the time. I’m also old school, so I don’t share my age with anyone unless it’s required on paper. So, people are always guessing…wrong!! Oh, did I mention my husband is ten years younger than me and no one knows any better? What I’m going to share with y’all is what I do and what has worked for me. I look back at my younger years and even I think I look better now than I did back then, although I have gone through my share of “phases”!!! (We all know we’re hardest on ourselves about our looks and body image!)

I’m going to *hope* that everyone uses sunscreen on their face already, so I don’t need to include that in the list? I use a BB cream with SPF in it. I read that an SPF of 30 is all you really need. It blocks 97 percent of UVB rays. Sunblocks that advertise a higher SPF don’t offer much more protection than a 30 does.

Some of these are simple and you might roll your eyes that it’s on my list, but in the long run, it matters.

Here we go!!

1. Pat Dry. When you get out of the bath, shower, pool, etc. pat your skin dry with the towel rather than rubbing/wiping the water off. It’s much gentler on your skin. Especially when you wash your face. If you use a washcloth, pat dry.
2. Wash your face at night and just rinse with water in the morning. I can’t say this is what will work for all skin types, but it’s worth a try even for problem skin – whatever the problem may be. The “science” behind it? Wash the day off your face, dirt, sweat, makeup at night. Your skin works all night to balance the PH (more on products to assist later), why wash that away in the morning? Rinse in the shower or in the sink and begin your daily routine from there. (I read that this is what Salma Hayek does and look at her!)

Here’s what I use:

3. Nighttime Skincare. To go along with the above tip of washing your face at night, I wash my face with Arbonne’s Dissolve the Day facial cleaning cloths because it’s so quick and easy…and thorough. Then I spray with toner, use a serum with either vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, or retinol, and finish with Arbonne’s RE9 Advanced Lifting & Contouring gel. Let me tell you…THIS. STUFF. WORKS. I use the RE9 Advanced Lifting & Contouring cream with SPF 15 as part of my morning skincare routine.

4. Use a tool to boost your skincare products effectiveness. I use an Arbonne tool, of course, but it’s since been discontinued. Even before I had the Genius Ultra, I used a few different tools that boost collagen production and/or product performance through ultrasound or red/blue LED.
5. Do unto your hands as you do unto your face. What I’m saying is whatever skincare regimen you do on your face, also make sure to use the same routine on your hands. It may seem silly now, but when we get older our hands show our age even if our faces have been made to hide age in one way or another.
6. Moisturize your entire body every day. Whether you are a night or morning bather, use lotion or oil on your entire body daily. Multiple times if you have the time or if your skin/climate is especially dry. I live in Colorado where it is extremely dry. I have always used lotion on my body and consequently I often get comments on how soft my skin is.
7. Drink your collagen. I know this is a hot topic. Some say it does nothing to help and some say it does. I think you can find the answer you want on the internet no matter what the truth may be. I think it certainly doesn’t hurt to drink it and a lot of highly regarded skincare companies are doing it so why not. This is what I use:

8. Don’t wash your hair every day. In the beginning it may be hard, but your hair will adjust. If you have oily hair maybe you can only go every other day without washing, but any break your hair can get helps. I only wash my hair once a week. You may be thinking “eww”, but my hair is not gross and doesn’t smell weird or anything. Ask my husband! I do condition every day, but only from the base of my scalp to the ends of my hair. I wash once a week and on that same day I use a hair mask for extra conditioning. I also use a leave in conditioner – on the ends, and a hair serum. I love this one below!!

9. Adjust your eye makeup. I used to use eyeliner every day. It was one of those things I couldn’t walk out of the house without wearing. I might occasionally put a little on the outer corners of my eyes, but otherwise I skip it. Also, using light or white colors at the inner corners of your eyes makes you appear more youthful.
10. Detox at least quarterly. I think this is important just for general health. Get rid of all the toxins in your body, whether it’s processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, or common allergens, get it out of there!! I have done the Lifetime Fitness and the Arbonne 30-Day. Both are similar with only a few differences in non-negotiables. The main difference is the duration and the inclusion of exercise. Lifetime is 14 days and Arbonne is 30 days. Along with these detox programs, I use the sauna very regularly to rid my largest organ, my skin, of toxins. I also drink Arbonne’s detox tea during the day, and no, it doesn’t make you poo.

15. Workout at LEAST three days per week. I try to do at least five days. Since I’m home preschooling my littlest boys, going to the Kids Club at the gym offers them some social interaction and playtime with other kids of all ages, too, so that’s an added benefit. I can eat right and take care of myself with nutrition all day, but if I’m not working out, I don’t feel confident and in my own crazy head I swear I can see the difference in my body immediately. Working out is good for your body and your mental health. We all know it creates endorphins which promote a positive mood. It might be something you (or I) dread daily or on occasion, but in the end I find I feel worse when I don’t go. Including yoga and/or some kind of meditation in your life is recommended, as well. We all need calm in our heads.

I always think it’s so crazy when people/women say they don’t need or use skincare for aging because, I guess, they think they’re “too young”. Well, guess what…if you don’t take care of it now while it’s young and beautiful…it will get old and age-y. It is NEVER too soon to take care of your skin, hair, and body, inside and out!! If absolutely nothing else, use sunscreen on your face and hands. When we were in Laguna Beach two weeks ago, my husband and the front desk girl had a conversation about not using sunscreen and how it’s for old people. *eye roll* If not for anti-aging, maybe for protection from skin cancers? Take it all for what you will, but this is what I do, and it is working for me! Happy youthfulness to all!!

Love,

BrightPinkBoss aka Karen D.