High vs Low: Workout Leggings Edition

Confession: I have a leggings habit. It’s pretty severe. I KonMaried out a whole pile back in January, and then have slowly been rebuilding my collection, because that’s just how life works. Between my job and being a fitness (and comfort) enthusiast, I pretty much live in them, and so I have opinions! What makes a good legging? Is it worth dropping a bunch of cash? Can I get away with cheapos? In the name of science, I took it upon myself to test a few popular options and gave them all a good test drive. I tried to pit them against each other in ways that made sense to me, but I’ll also rank them overall at the end of this post. My criteria is pretty simple: Are they squat-proof? Do I have to worry about my underwear? How aware of them am I? Ready? Let’s go!

ROUND 1: GAPFIT($69.95) vs LULULEMON HIGH RISE WONDERUNDER ($98)

Gap on the left, Lululemon on the right

Ok ok- right off the bat, I have to admit that these are really only similar to each other in that they are black with white stripes. What happened was: I was in Lululemon poking around, and the design caught my eye. I was just waiting for my husband to buy some pants, so I wasn’t really shopping for myself and passed them on by. Then a few days later, I was thinking about them. So I went back and paid a stupid amount of money for leggings, only to then have an Instagram ad start showing up in my feed for the Gap ones, which are, visually at least, pretty much the same, but way cheaper. Gap was having a big sale so I snapped them up for like $30, because why not? Maybe they’d be my new favorites? And comparing things is fun!

Straight away, I wore the Lulus to a yoga class, since that’s the whole point of these pants. Immediately, I regretted them! The waist band, as described perfectly by my friend Ann, is FLOPPY. There is no structure to it, so if you’re just standing around, it’s fine, but once you start moving, it rolls down. Especially with bending, which is like 75% of yoga. I have since worn them to work and for my normal workouts (strength training mostly), and they’re fine overall, but I do find myself having to adjust them frequently. I don’t really get the hype or why they are worth almost $100.

The Gap ones are…. fine? I guess? They look cute enough on, but at the same time they’re not mind-blowingly great. They aren’t see-through and the fabric is nice- smooth, but sturdy. I don’t love that there is an interior drawstring, but it’s necessary because these start to get baggy in the crotch after moving around in them for a while, which is annoying. I am very aware of these pants while I wear them. Also the print (are stripes a print?) is a little less refined than the Lulus.

WINNER: LULULEMON, officially because of the non-drawstring, but probably just because I’m trying to justify the price. Also my husband complimented my butt.

ROUND 2: AERIE PLAY HIGH WAISTED POCKET LEGGING ($39.95) vs
FLEO EL TORO ($73.95)

Aerie vs Fleo

Again, these leggings are pretty much only similar in color. So not really dupes for each other, but…. I like this color??

I’m sure many of you are thinking “what the hell is a FLEO??”, and that’s fair! Fleo is a small, female-founded company that really specializes in making workout clothing (mostly shortie shorts) for women in strength sports. They design and manufacture in the US, and they tend to do short runs of items, which is kind of fun in a “gotta catch ‘em all” way, but also kind of annoying because they are often sold out of things. That being said, I now own 3 pairs of Fleo leggings. I looooove them. The fabric is unique- it’s almost soft, like a jersey, but sturdy and stretchy like a more robust legging, with a gentle compression. They move and breathe and I don’t even think about them, and I reach for them almost immediately after doing my laundry. Whenever I wear these leggings, they make me feel like an athlete! I super feel myself in these. The high waist does tend to scrunch down a bit while working out, but it doesn’t roll- does that make sense? My only complaint is that I have to choose my underwear purposefully, because while the fabric is beautiful and opaque, you can clearly see lines.

Aerie has some good stuff- I am a huge devotee of these bras! They can keep these leggings though. Ok- they’re not horrible. They’re actually pretty cute, and they have pockets! The fabric is pretty lazy though- no compression going on here. I’ll wear them when I don’t want to really exert myself, like if I just need to run to the grocery store on a lazy Sunday, or maybe an easy walk on a cool day, but don’t even think about getting sweaty in them- I did a few goblet squats and it was like I was wearing plastic bags on my legs!! So not breathable!!! Very gross.

WINNER: FLEO by miles and miles. They are heaven and I like giving them my money.

BATTLE OF THE CHEAPIES: OLD NAVY HIGH RISE COMPRESSION ($26.99) vs CRZ YOGA HIGH RISE YOGA PANTS ($24)

Black from Old Navy, Navy from Amazon

Once upon a time, Nike released a new line of perfect black leggings called Legends, and they were the best! But sadly, as so many fashion stories go, they changed the formula and, over the seasons, the quality declined and the cut changed. Boooo!! These Old Navy leggings though?? Pretty ace dupes! These are actually great workout leggings- they are on the thicker side, and they do have a bit more compression than the others on the list, but it makes you feel secure and non-jiggly, not sausage-y. The rise is high, they are opaque, and they stay put!! They are super reliable during a workout, and I have even worn these comfortably on airplanes and around theme parks. $26 is already plenty cheap, but they are on sale ALL THE TIME. Get some! I have several flavors, but the black ones rotate in pretty regularly.

I got tipped off to these Amazon leggings (CRZ Yoga) as “the Amazon dupe for Lululemons”. Now, I wouldn’t go quite that far, but they are pretty good! The fabric is nice (not as smooth as lulus but not bad either), they have a similar rise and ample inside pocket, I feel like they are pretty opaque, and they fit nice and secure. I find myself reaching for these pretty often- maybe because they’re navy and that seems interesting? They do shimmy/roll down a bit during workouts (especially if there is jumping around/twisting), but I like them ok. I’m not gearing up to buy another pair right away, but they seem like a good option if you want something basic and easy.

WINNER: OLD NAVY. Obviously.

AND NOW I WILL RANK THEM ALL!!! (favorite to least favorite):

  1. Fleo
  2. Old Navy
  3. Lululemon
  4. CRZ Yoga
  5. Gap
  6. Literally any other kind of pants
  7. Aeire

Now, word on the street is that Athleta should also be a contender on this list, so if they have a baller sale soon, I’ll check them out and report back. Because I bought all of these with my own money, preferably on sale.

What are your favorite workout leggings? Are there any I’m totally missing out on? (I also have a few pairs of Teekis and Onzies that I like, but I really only like those in the summer since they’re meant for hot yoga/being in the water) Let me know in the comments!

xo, Jess.

Flower Beauty vs. Glossier: battle of the blushes

I really like cream products. I like the easy application–you just dab a bit and go. No brushes or blenders or other tools necessary. It also feels like playing–and really–isn’t the joy of makeup getting to play with color and textures?

We’ve been big fans of the Glossier Cloud Paint since Pamela introduced them to us in spring of 2017. I know she’s still a Cloud Paint stan and I’ve been converted, too. They have been a go-to blush option since they launched and part of my basic makeup routine.

So I was super intrigued when Flower Beauty launched a VERY similar product in the fall of 2018. Flower Beauty Blush Bomb Color Drops are based on the same premise as the Cloud Paints–cream blushes in a tube.

my four from each line: Glossier Cloud Paint and Flower Beauty Blush Bomb Color Drop

Over the past few months–and a few Ulta sales here and there–I’ve grabbed a range of Flower Beauty blushes to compare with my Cloud Paints. I tried to get different colors because I actually want to use them and definitely don’t need anymore redundancy in my makeup collection. I mostly wanted to see how they compare in application, color and wear time.

My basic takeaway: they are both amazing!

Each line has six shades in the range. While it seems like there is overlap–Bubbly and Puff, for example, are both a light cotton candy pink–of the four I have from each line, I find the colors quite different. A lot of my recommendation is based on the colors you want instead of the products themselves. (ftr–i have puff and never use it. too pink for me.)

There are really only two drawbacks to the Glossier Cloud Paints: 1) you can only order them online (unless you wade through the CRAZY that is the NYC flagship store) which means you have to meet minimums for shipping, etc. 2) they are SO pigmented a little really goes a long way so you do have to be a little careful when using them. Their tube has a wider opening where the Color Drop releases less product per squeeze–which is nice.

the glossier store in nyc was probably the busiest store i’ve ever been in

But the benefits of Cloud Paint are mighty: amazing color payoff, super long lasting–both on your cheeks and in the tube–it will take me forever to work through one of them–and the color selection has everything you need.

With Flower Beauty, you can get them at Ulta or anywhere Flower Beauty is sold including Walmart, which makes it very convenient to give them a try. (and remember–you can always return it if you don’t like something, including through glossier!) And they are $10 instead of $18 with Glossier, and you can often get them on a discount.

Color Drops are also less pigmented so I find them a little easier to use. I’m not as concerned about the possibility of clown cheeks with their formula. Their wear time is slightly less than the Cloud Paint, but comparable.

There really aren’t downsides to the Color Drops aside from a few missing colors. My favorite Glossier Cloud Paints is Storm. It looks really intimidating because it seems like its dark red, but it leaves a gorgeous rosy finish. I love it. I don’t see there is a similar option through Flower Beauty.

I also have Haze from Glossier and Bitten from Flower Beauty–a purple berry color–and between the two, I prefer Haze. It has a softer hue and doesn’t read as harsh considering how pale I am. They aren’t exactly the same, but I’m likely to return Bitten because I don’t see myself using both.

And while the Cloud Paint Beam seems to be the same as Color Drop’s Nectar, Beam is a lot peachier. Nectar is more coral and has more brown to it. I like them both. I don’t have the Cloud Paint coral option, Dawn so I wonder if it’s closer to Nectar. But I would just stick to Nectar for a coral cheek. I have used Beam a lot though–especially in the summer–and love it.

Of the Cloud Paints, as I mentioned, I don’t have Dawn and I also don’t have Dusk. But my favorite of the Color Drops is Pinched, which I think is the perfect everyday blush color. I’m not sure how to describe it exactly. It’s not a bronzer but it does warm up your cheeks. It’s also not very pink or peach or berry–it just reads like a perfect nude lipstick–but for your cheeks. I’m obsessed. Dusk might be closest to it for Cloud Paints, but I don’t have it to confirm. I find it’s an especially great compliment on red lip kinda days.

Speaking of bronzers, I also have Color Drop in Cinnamon which I use as a bronzer, not a blush, and really like it. I think it pairs perfectly with Pinched and I can see myself putting these two together often.

me wearing pinched and cinnamon today–although not super easy to see

Overall, I think they are both great! I love the concept, application and finish. I would decide based on the colors you want and if you want to just pick it up or have other Glossier orders to make. I’ve liked a lot of Flower Beauty products including these and they are often discounted at Ulta. Glossier has a discount on buying two Cloud Paints at once which also gives you free shipping, if you were thinking of trying them out.

You really can’t go wrong with either option if cream blush is your jam.

Have you tried these products? What do you think? Please comment below!

And yes–paid for by me.