**I attempted to post this last night, but the Word Press site was acting up. **
I’m posting this late. It was a long day with my 2 and 3-year-old today, so I didn’t get to the gym until after they went to bed. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my cardio days, but I still try to always do my 20 minutes in the sauna to sweat out those toxins. This is significant and you’ll see why in the embarrassing pictures below. That brings me to the details of the Victoria Sport workout leggings I’m reviewing today…
Description: Anytime Cotton Lace-up Capri
Color: Neon Nectar
Cost $39.50 on Clearance for $24.99
Features: Softer than ever in a cotton-modal blend, with
sexy lace-ups on sheer mesh
There are a few things I feel I need to comment on. These ARE Victoria Sport leggings, but I don’t feel like they are intended for sport. The description says “anytime” which, NOW, makes me think perhaps they are intended more for lounging…??? They are cotton. They do not draw moisture out in the same way that ANY of the previous leggings did. I purchased these a week or so ago, so I was not in the mindset yet that cute is not a priority when purchasing workout leggings. These are more cute than functional. My husband was fond of the way they fit, however.
Personally, I think they were cuter in the online picture,
too. The way the “sexy lace-ups” are attached is a little weird. So, not as
cute as I thought AND not functional for a sweaty workout as the pictures show.
We’ll see how they place at the end of the eleven days of reviewing.
Tomorrow I’ll be wearing Athleta, a brand I’ve never tried
before, so I’m excited.
I realized today that I’ve been doing it all wrong. I was
basing my workout clothing purchases on what looked cute on a model on a
website of a beautiful actress/singer instead of the reputation of a
longstanding workout clothing boss. Not that the other workout clothing brands
are horrible, but I, personally, bought the workout gear because it was cute.
Today I wore the CUTEST Under Armour leggings and, yet again, I wasn’t constantly
tugging at them all day because they would ride down as I would move or walk.
That’s when it hit me. I think that it’s very important to women, at least, to
look good in order to help us feel good, but we don’t have to compromise brand experience
to do so.
Here are the facts of today’s outfit:
Description: Women’s Under Armour HeatGear Print Midrise
Capri Leggings
Color/Pattern: Dust
Cost: $45
Features: Moisture-wicking technology, HeatGear keeps you
cool, Mesh panels provide strategic ventilation, Compression
I loved these leggings! The print is cute, the cut/style is cute
and flattering, and I was comfortable all day. They really do keep you dry and
cool (as much as possible). There are no pockets at all, but when I wear
leggings that don’t have the pocket I just wear my little Nike pouch to hold my
gym key, lip balm, and whatever other small items I might think I need when I leave
the locker room for my workout.
I’m sure that if I went to a store that sold only the workout
product that I chose for the review day i.e. Nike, adidas, I would have a lot
more options for patterns and styles, so I appreciate that Under Armour had some
fun patterns at Kohls, too. Very happy with today’s brand.
Hello, All!! I was going to do a Day 6 review of Under Armor
leggings this weekend, however, plans changed, and I will continue reviewing
leggings starting on Monday.
Today, I would like you all to DISCOVER ARBONNE with me. I
have a lot of information that Arbonne provides to consultants, which I will
include links to, but I want to give my own explanation as to why I love the
company so much. For the record, I’m not anywhere near to being successful at
this point, but I know I will be because of all that Arbonne gives me as tools,
the support from other Arbonne consultants, and the product…once you try them,
they sell themselves.
My introduction to Arbonne isn’t a very inspiring story, but
my why might be. I have worked my whole life at regular 9 to 5 jobs with some
success. I started at the bottom and worked my way to middle. I’ve never been
on top. I’ve never really made a lot of money. My high point was right when I had my FOURTH
son. I finally made it to $40k, and then I resigned to stay home with him. I
was extremely lucky that I was able to do so! My husband, Ryan, is a General Contractor
and we were at a point where I could (and still do) stay home with our youngest
two sons. Fast forward a couple years and I really would like to be able to
contribute financially to our household income. We have a new house and running
a business has been hard work and ups and downs for my husband, so I’d like to not
only help by earning, but have additional income to save for our future. I
discovered Arbonne at the end of 2018, used and loved the products, so in April
of 2019 when sign up to be an Independent Consultant was waived, I signed up.
The more I used the products and learned about the products
and the company, the more I loved it all. In May I left for 21 days for my Army
Reserve unit’s annual training and I tried to sell, sell, sell! I had a good
month, but after that I couldn’t get anything going. Initially, I felt like I
was on an island alone. All I had was what felt like begging on Facebook. Then
I signed up to do a weekly farmers market in my neighborhood. Still nothing. I
had a few friends and family signups at this point, but still haven’t really got
anything going.
What I really want to focus on is the company support that I have found now. I attended my first (and only, so far) Pure Impact event in Long Beach, CA at the beginning of this month and I brought Ryan as my guest, in hopes that maybe he would see the vision and inspiration that I see. He did. It was such a great experience! Everyone is so positive and supportive. Ashley Strong was the key speaker and she knocked our socks off!! My skeptic of a husband was moved by her! She is a no B.S. lady and super successful in Arbonne, and she’s also active duty Air Force, so for all those people out there that think they are too busy, go listen to a day in her life!! I’m busy too, but I will make this work. I’m not making money right now, but I’m trying new things and putting myself out there more and more every day. I listen to motivational, entrepreneurial podcasts, read books about success, listen to SoundCloud Learn and Burns from Arbonne leaders, and a lot more. Arbonne has given me the tools to be a stronger, better, more positive,organized, time managed, woman!
What I need now is a team of business partners who want to
experience an amazing journey with me!! Here’s the BOTTOM LINE that I want
everyone to understand…I’m not making money YET, but I am growing. I’m growing
as a mom, wife, entrepreneur, friend, woman and more because of Arbonne. I am
motivated to be the best person I can be and it’s all teaching me how to grow a
business at the same time.
Arbonne offers an opportunity like no other and anyone can do it with the drive, motivation and TOOLS!!
Wow, what a reality check regarding the big brands! Yesterday
I wore and reviewed the Tek Gear legging and I thought it was decent, but after
wearing Nike today I realize there really IS a difference when it comes to
getting what you pay for. Let me get to the specifics of the Nike leggings I wore
today:
Description: Women’s Nike One Training Crop Leggings
Color: Black White
Cost: $50 on sale for $44.99
Features: Flattering look in an all-purpose design. Multiple
pockets keep your essentials close at hand. Iconic V-shape seam at the back
yoke gives a flattering look.
These leggings are so luxurious feeling. As soon as I put
them on, I told my husband, Ryan, how flattering I thought the cut was in the
back. I mean they make the booty look good and at the end of the day he told me
that of all the leggings I’ve work this week, these make my butt look the best.
There is the standard small pocket in the front of the waistband, but also a
pocket at the small of the back, which I think would be cool for your cell
phone during a run…too bad I forgot to put mine in there! In my defense, I ran
on the treadmill so it’s common to have your phone on the little tray next to
your water. Before I do my final ratings for all these leggings, I will run
with my phone in that back pocket and see how it feels to let y’all know.
I did the usual 20-minute sauna stint and I could see some
moisture at the (for lack of a better word) crotch, but it was gone by the time
I headed up to workout. I did also realize that my skin wasn’t sweaty UNDER the
leggings though and that wasn’t the case yesterday with the Tek Gear. #nikeiskillingit
Kohls didn’t really have many “cute” patterns, except for
some with Nike written in glitter (which I did like but couldn’t find in my
size). It didn’t even matter though. The cut and feel of this legging made it a
win.
Tomorrow I’m doing the Manitou Incline in a cute pair of
Under Armor leggings. I have high expectations! TTYL
I was thinking today what a frivolous series of posts these
may seem to some, but working out and being active is extremely important to
maintain good health and we, as women, often like the cute workout clothing
options out there, but does cute always equate to comfort? Or practical and
comfortable? Not always. So, today I’m continuing my useful legging review
series with the Tek Gear brand which is made for and exclusively sold at Kohl’s
department store.
Here’s the lowdown on the style I wore today:
Description: Women’s Tek Gear Rib Panel Capri Leggings
Color: Medium Blue
Cost: $30 on sale for $19.99
Features: DryTek draws moisture away from the body. Flat
seams to minimize irritation.
This legging has the hidden pocket at the waistline, which
is nice if you need it. I thought these leggings were a comfortable fit and
cute style. If you’ve been reading these legging reviews this week, then you probably
know that something I don’t like, are leggings that I’m pulling up at the legs all
throughout the day. I started to wonder if maybe those leggings are better
suited for yoga or another non-cardio, not-so-active workout, but then I thought,
how frustrating would it be to be doing yoga and have to be pulling up at your
leggings all the time? Pretty bothersome. Well, you’re in luck if you buy Tek
Gear because that doesn’t happen. They fit well and stay put. I felt like the
quality of the material was noticeably cheaper than some of the previous brands,
but perhaps that only comes into play when thinking about the longevity of the
legging. Maybe Tek Gear won’t last as long, but I can’t say that for sure
because I got these recently. Overall, I like this legging. I can certainly
update y’all in the future about how they hold up in comparison with some of the
more well-known and possibly more expensive brands.
Well this is an easy one to write…I love these leggings!! Yes, they are a little boring as far as fun colors or patterns, but they have a flattering cut to them and I wasn’t constantly pulling the legs up all day!! That’s a win in my book. I think it’s all in the style of the waistband. There is no pocket in this legging, so I was missing a spot for my lip balm a few times today, but that’s small price to pay for the other win I mentioned.
I’m sure there are a zillion different kinds of adidas leggings out there, so here are the deets on the ones I’m wearing today:
Features: ClimaLite Soft Lightweight for superior moisture
management
Today was a regular day of preschool, then the post office,
Lifetime Fitness, Target and home.
My workout today was a full body workout and then a 22
minute, pretty intense, stair step body buster sesh. Oh and prior to my
workouts I always sweat out the toxins in my skin in the sauna for 20 minutes.
Even with plain black workout leggings you couldn’t see the sweat…and I was
sweaty!
Came home to clean up and they didn’t have a stinky odor. I
guess that ClimaLite works!! I really enjoyed wearing these “old school” brand workout
leggings today and a great price for a name brand you can trust for athletic
wear!
Tomorrow I’m going with a B brand label…Tek Gear from Kohls.
Every time I would see the ads on Instagram for CALIA by
Carrie Underwood it always caught my eye! They are just such cute styles and
patterns. I never ordered any though because women’s workout clothing is so expensive,
and these were no exception so I just couldn’t justify it! Well, lucky for me
and this BrightPinkBoss blog post, that CALIA is also sold in Dick’s Sporting
Goods stores with plenty of sales! Here are the details of today’s legging:
Description: Women’s Essential Tight Fit Printed Capris
Pattern: Landscape
Cost: $65 (on sale for $32.97)
I love the color pattern and style of these leggings. The
hold is not as “firm”, for lack of a better word, than the Fabletics PowerHold
legging I wore yesterday, despite the “Tight Fit” in the description. Surprisingly,
I didn’t find myself feeling the need to be pulling the CALIA legging up as
much either. I like the small pocket with zipper. It would probably hold your
lip balm and gym key a little more secure than yesterday’s legging. I also like
the fact that I can go into Dick’s to buy this brand, although I think
Fabletics has a brick and mortar store in Denver now that they didn’t when I had
a subscription.
Today after preschool, I walked my little ones in the double
stroller to two different neighborhood parks. Total walking distance was about
a mile. The leggings were comfortable and great for climbing on the park
equipment with my babies. Once we got home, my leggings were noticeably dirty,
so I decided to change into another pair of CALIA leggings for my evening run.
Description: Women’s Energize Capris
Pattern/Color: Cadet
Cost: $65 (on sale for $28.97)
The hold on these are about the same as the other CALIA
leggings, but the material is a little thinner and softer. I did have to pull the
fabric up more on my legs throughout the afternoon than I was doing this
morning with the first pair. The pocket on these leggings is made for a cell
phone. Love the idea of it, hate that it pulls my pants and makes them sag. It’s
fine if I’m walking, but I ran for only a mile today BECAUSE even after I moved
my phone to my jacket pocket, my leggings were annoyingly riding down. Then I had
to pull them up constantly which, in turn, kept giving me wedgies!! Maybe these
leggings would have been ok with a body workout, but definitely not for cardio.
L
Between yesterday and today I do have a favorite, but it’s still
close, and there are a lot more legging brands to come! Come back all week for
a new one each day!
Tomorrow will be old school with an Adidas legging.
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.
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.
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!
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!!
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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!!
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.
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.
Nighttime tea…that makes you poo. I drink Smooth Move tea every night. It just helps clear things out gently in the morning. This probably doesn’t do anything for youthfulness, but it makes you feel great once it umm produces results. J
This next one I just started a little over a year ago and I would only recommend to the older of you young ladies. SeroVital. I believe it works. I started taking it once I was done breastfeeding my youngest son and, for me, I believe it’s what allowed me to have a flatter stomach again. I don’t want to stop taking it to find out if it really works or not because I believe in my mind that it does. I’m not recommending anyone take this without researching for yourself, but it is in my morning routine and I love it.
CBD. I don’t use it for anything specific, but it has a lot of positive benefits to work in the background for a healthy body. It’s an anti-inflammatory and I read that it helps stop the spread of disease and specifically cancer, so I take. Doesn’t hurt a thing. No THC or psychotic effects from CBD.
Supplements. I don’t take a daily multivitamin because my mother-in-law told me that her doctor told her that we just urinate those out with little benefit of absorption in our bodies. I was taking all these vitamins until I discovered Arbonne (of course!) has a powder that I can add to my protein shake or smoothie that offers 21 vitamins and minerals and more efficient absorption. Perfect.
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!!
BrightPinkBoss 