Tracy’s Top Picks – Leggings

Leggings are awesome! I think we can all agree, come fall and winter, leggings are our go-to. The beauty of them…you can dress them up, or dress them down. Literally the same black leggings you may wear to work or a night out are the same pair that you could wear lounging around on a Saturday afternoon watching collage football and eating one of my comfort food dishes.

Not all leggings are created equal, however. I know for myself, if I am going to invest in a pair of black leggings, those leggings need to meet some ‘hefty’ requirements:

1. When I say ‘hefty’, that is number one – hefty. The leggings can NOT make me look hefty (heavy)!!! Who’s with me, ladies? In fact, my requirement goes even a little beyond that. The leggings must ‘cinch’ me in leaner than what I really am. Slim and trim is the goal. Again, who’s with me, ladies?
2. They have to be comfy and non-constricting. This is a hard one to meet, considering requirement #1. Finding a legging that accomplishes the ‘cinched’ factor, but yet feels comfortable enough to where I would lounge around in them, narrowed down my options quite a bit.
3. The leggings must be a blackest-black color, and be thick enough that no skin color is detected underneath. I’m sure you have witnessed a sighting of butt cheeks under a girl’s black leggings before. I have saw it more times than my eyes can handle. A big fashion faux pas! Also, I believe that your shirt should be covering your behind when wearing black leggings in the first place. I don’t care how nice and tight that ‘behind’ is. We’re not at the gym, girls! Cover that tush! If your shirt is shorter, black skinnies or pants are the better choice. Save your leggings for tunic tops and sweaters, or a long cardigan.
4. The leggings must wash up nice and not be a lint collector. I don’t generally dry my leggings. I like my clothing to last. I also do not want the leggings to fade. Therefore, I cannot speak too much on the drying part. I look for leggings that look like new, even after several washes.
5. They must be nice and long, but not too long to where there is any bunched up material, anywhere. There must be a smooth appearance from top-to-bottom. This requirement also narrowed down my search.

Just a little disclaimer: for my legging choices, I was looking for a material that was more of a ‘cotton’ to ‘cotton-blend’, not the ‘athletic’ legging-type of material. Bear that in mind, as for some people … they prefer, the more ‘athletic-type’ even for dressy. I DO NOT!

Now that you have an understanding of what I am looking for in a legging, lets take a look at the ones that made the cut. These leggings are in no particular order. And bear in mind, to make the ‘Top 5’, they had to nail it, in every category!

My Top Five Favorite Leggings 

Vince Camuto (size xs)

Splendid (size small) I am wearing these, in today’s blog post. These ones did run quite long. But if you wear tall boots (like I show), nobody will ever notice. This are also my #1 pick, if I could only choose one.

Spanx (size small)

 Spanx in faux leather (size small) see in this blog post here and here.

Aerie (size small), also in High-Rise /Low-Rise (these are your budget-friendly) option

There you have it, my top five leggings. These leggings nailed it, in every category. The Aerie would be my last pick and are the ‘only’ ones that I sent back .. out of the top 5. I certainly do NOT need five pair of leggings. But, I couldn’t part with the other ones. It was important for me to have at least one ‘budget-friendly’ pair to choose from. And the ‘Aerie’ brand did that. Target’s $10 leggings aren’t bad, either. My girls ALL have them. If you are young and rough on your clothing … head to Target! Now, onto the ‘newbie’ on the block …..

LuLaRoe Leggings 

Are they ALL that they are cracked up to be? I will let you decide! I was sent a pair of LuLaRoe Leggings for review. I don’t know more than the basics on this company or their merchandise. What I do know is that the company is well respected, produces quality products, and desires to make woman and girls feel beautiful. I also know that they have hundreds of fun patterns to choose from (including Halloween and other holiday prints). Their sizes range from 0-26. WOW, what’s not to love about all of that? I don’t have any idea what the price of their leggings are, but I believe that they fall in your budget-friendly category. They may be a good option for someone not willing to splurge on a higher-end pair of leggings, such as the ones that I mentioned above. I certainly would not encourage my daughters to spend as much on their leggings, as I do. In my opinion, my girls are too rough and careless with their clothing.

These leggings are not part of MY top 5. But that doesn’t mean that you may not love them. The reason that they didn’t make it in ‘Tracy’s Top Picks’, is they don’t meet all the criteria required for what ‘I’ am looking for in a legging. However, what I do love about these leggings is that they are amazingly butter-soft. They are your PERFECT lounge around on a lazy Saturday afternoon, legging. For myself, if I were wearing a pair of leggings to work or a social gathering, I would stick to my top 5 picks. But I can easily see myself wearing these leggings around the house: cooking, watching football or online shopping. I also can see where younger girls would definitely love them. Just think of all the outfits that you can create with those ‘limited-quantity’ prints!

To put them to the test, I had three of my five daughters try them on, each at separate times. I wanted to get their ‘honest’ opinion, without hearing what each of the other sisters had to say. This may help you decide if these are leggings that you may be interested in purchasing for yourself. Here is what my girls had to say (positive & negative). I also included the size that my daughter’s wear in everyday clothing. Sometimes this is good for reference. The three girls are about 5’3-5’5 in height. Bear in mind that these leggings come in two sizes (o-12 , which is ‘one-size’ & 12-26, which is ‘tall & curvy’). I also really believe that what makes these leggings unique (compared to their ‘all-black’ counterpart) is all the pattern choices. You can’t touch that, with other leggings on the market.

Daughter #2 – Haley (size 0)

• Positives: “The leggings are super soft, like a cozy blanket. They are super long and bunch up at the bottom, which is what I like.”
• Negatives: “Too baggy in the crotch, and too high-waisted.”

Daughter #3 – McKenna (size 2)

• Positives: “I like that they are high-waisted, love the material, and how soft they are. I do like them, but I wouldn’t spend a lot of money to buy them.”
• Negatives: “They are very thin, and feel kind of cheap feeling.”

Daughter #4 – Carly (size 0)

• Positives: “They are super soft, like I could sleep in them. I like the band and how I can wear them high-waisted.”
• Negatives: “They are really thin and would definitely show underwear or thong lines. I don’t like how they are so long that they bunch up at the bottom.”

It’s pretty obvious that when it comes to leggings, everyone is looking for different qualities. Take this into consideration when purchasing leggings for yourself. I hope that the content provided helps you decipher which you may want to try.

If you are interested in purchasing a pair of LuLaRoe Leggings or anything else from LuLaRoe, please contact Fashion Consultant, Joey McLaughlin. You can find her Facebook Group, here, and her Instagram page, here. You can also email Joey: lularoejoeymclaughlin@gmail.com

Leggings that I tried that did NOT make the cut

Before I share with you which ones did not make the cut, let me just say that many of you recommended leggings to me. And I am thankful for that. But some of the leggings that were recommended to me were more of an athletic legging. Although I love a good pair of Zella’s, that is not what I am reviewing for this blog post. Some of the leggings that I mention below would definitely make the cut for an athletic pair. I will do a ‘Top 5’ of those type in January. After all, what perfect timing … as many of us will be starting or amping up our fitness routine about that time, anyway.

Lysse’ | Lysse’ | Trouve’ (faux leather) | Hue | Zella

Disclaimer: There were a few pair of leggings recommended to me that I did not test. I only stuck with brands and companies that affiliate with bloggers.

 We are all looking for different things when it comes to our legging choice. My tip would be that you take into consideration what your goals are, and compare them alongside to what my goals are. Narrow down your selection to two or three legging choices, and order each .. maybe even two sizes of each. You will see that I had some in xs, and some in small. Remember, if any of the leggings that you select are from Nordstrom, they do free shipping + returns. Once you get your shipment, try them ALL on with a couple different style tops and boots/booties. Take a good look at not only yourself (all angles, ladies). But take a look at your goals, as well. Did they meet all the criteria? They should! Return the ones that don’t suit you, and enjoy the ones that you decided to add to your wardrobe. Take good care of your leggings, and they will last you several years. ‘Cost Per Wear, shouldn’t be an issue. We will get more into my ‘Cost Per Wear’ Policy another time.

Outfit Details

Sweater: Forever 21 (size s) other ones that I recommend with leggings: Forever 21 / Nordstrom / Nordstrom / Nordstrom (This runs big. I ordered a small and had to return and exchange for an xs. It is still not here) Look for a post coming soon.

Leggings: Splendid (size s) see other leggings that I love, above.

Boots: Nordstrom other over-the-knee boots: Amazon / Forever 21 / H & M / Amazon / Amazon If you prefer flat boots, I suggest these from Forever 21. If you prefer booties, I recommend these Vince Camuto. I have these and love them. See them in these blog posts: here, here and here. More affordable options: H&M / H&M / H&M and love this pair off Amazon

Handbag: Nordstrom, love how this matches the boots, perfectly. Handbag Insert: Amazon Handbag Hanger: Amazon Makeup Bag: Nordstrom

Earrings: Target

By request from many of you, here is my favorite Black Lounge Pants. They are PERFCT! I will repurchase these pants for as long as Nordstrom continues to make them. They are long too. I am 5’6, and find lounge pants never seem to be long enough for my average height. I wear x-small (I am a size 2 or 26). I also do not dry mine. I am sure that you can. I just prefer to hang dry a lot of my clothes. This includes my leggings, as well.

Makeup Details

You can get to all the basics of this makeup look, here. For colors that I used:

Eyes: I used the color Taupe from my Lorac Pro Palette, in the crease. Then I patted the color Lt. Bronze on the lid. I used bare minerals gracious, in my outer V -this shadow is discontinued, but you can still purchase it by using the link .. it’s a beautiful ‘sparkly deep green’ color .. PERFECT for holidays. The highlight color I used on my brow bone is the color cream from the Lorac Pro Palette.

Lips: Pencil (lined + filled in) Spice | Lipstick (applied with this Brush ) Spanish Pink | Gloss MAC Prrr

Nails: Ciate’ London in ‘Napa Valley’