Clothes | hellyontherun

A member of my Moms Run This Town so graciously informed us last month that a lululemon outlet was opening at an outlet in the Phoenix valley.

Now I’m not a die hard lulu girl; I only own one shorts from there. In fact, I’m not particular to any brand. If it fits the way I like and the fabric seems legit, then I’m good.

But I love shopping and getting a deal, so when the news came out a lot of us got excited about what we might find.

The catch? It’s a 30 minute drive.

You see, Phoenix is huge. And there’s a whole bunch of other huge cities surrounding it. It’s basically divided in halves. You live in the West Valley or the East Valley. The outlet is on the westside and guess where I live? Yup, the east side.

We thought it would be fun to take a MRTT field trip out there but unfortunately, when the day came, everyone got caught up with life and couldn’t make. So yesterday I decided to go solo–I mean, my curiosity had been piqued; I had to go see what the hype was all about.

Traffic was flowing and I made it there pretty quickly considering the hike.
I was on a mission and didn’t go to any other stores (I actually live close to an outlet mall on the east side) and went straight to lulu. Except I didn’t know where it was at lol! I finally asked a girl carrying a lulu bag and sure enough, I had walked pretty much the whole mall and had to go back lol! Luckily, I didn’t mind since I needed to meet my 10k steps goal anyway 🙂

Then, I saw it.

Thankfully, I missed the grand opening craziness

I was a little underwhelmed as it was a small store. At first, I thought it was bigger than what it was because there was a huuuuge mirror at the back wall reflecting the shop so I totally thought there was more store in the back. I ALMOST WALKED INTO THE MIRROR. I’m not even kidding. Luckily, I saw my reflection and was like, “Wait a minute? I know her!”

The store was organized by size so they had a 4 section, a 6 section, etc. Most of the stuff was winter gear–long sleeves, jackets, capri pants–and because of the 112 degree heat outside, I couldn’t even fathom purchasing any of those things. Tanks and shorts selections were slim….

… and then I saw it.

My bag.

It was the only one hanging and it looked so lonely. I decided right then and there to give it a home.

Summer Lovin’ Tote=Gorg.

It’s such a great bag. It’s got a yoga mat/towel holder, a plastic zip case inside for wet gear, an extra inside pocket, an outside water bottle holder, and an outside pocket for your phone/keys. The bag itself is deep and roomy enough for running shoes and clothes. Oh, and it comes with a shoe bag!

I love it.

Towel/mat holder

Left: Inside clear plastic zip case; Right: Inside pocket

Left: Shoe bag; Right: Water bottle holder and phone/keys pocket

So even though the store was on the small side with limited selections in my opinion– there were only two bag styles and mine was the last one of one of the styles; there were head band accessories but not as many options, and really there were no better deals than what the clearance sections in regular stores have. Yet, despite all of that I still considered the lulu excursion a success — I mean c’mon, didya look at my bag 😀

I hope everyone is having a Terrific Tuesday!! ❤ , helly

–Do you have a favorite gym bag?

–How far will you drive to go shopping? lol!!

–Are you a lululemon lover?

I recently became a Swirlgear Ambassador (you might have noticed my pretty swirly badge there on the right). One of the appeals to me with this brand is that as you already know, I love clothes. And I love running. So when I came upon Swirlgear, a women’s clothing brand made specifically for running, I immediately wanted to check it out.

I ordered my first shipment to arrive by Christmas—my little gift to myself : )

The first piece is this short sleeve number. What caught my eye initially were the black seams along the front. This detail allows for slimming and flattering look. I also liked the uniqueness of the print on the sleeves and sides and I liked the length. When it arrived and I was finally able to put it on, the length was a super plus. I like my shirts a little on the longer side and this fit was absolutely perfect.

I’m very big on fabric and this moisture-wicking poly blend is super soft to the touch. When I’m running, the last thing I want is an itchy shirt and this top is far from itchy. In fact, it’s my softest running shirt to date.

The shirt is tagless which is a running shirt necessity but this also tricked me at first. The top is so good looking inside out that that’s how I put it on the first time! It didn’t come in the box that way, but as I was inspecting it, I turned it inside out and forgot to fix it. My first run in it was worn that way! Needless to say, I had no issues in my 10 mile run that day : ) (You can see in the first pic the black seam across the collarbone area. It’s not there in the second pic when I wore it correctly lol!)

inside out

worn correctly

I’m 5’7 and on the curvy side so a size Medium fit perfectly.

My next purchase were these shorts. It’s cold out (for Arizona) but I knew I’d get a lot of use of them come spring and summer. The black color is a nice deep black—this is important to me because some “blacks” are lighter than others and that drives me nuts. I also like the white piping along the bottom.

The shorts are also moisture wicking and have built in briefs for support. The logo is reflective which I thought was a nice detail. The shorts do not have pockets. I’m a size 6 and purchased a Medium. Perfect fit.

boy, that mirror is dusty

Both of these together, I must say, make a great running outfit. I have my days when I don’t care about looking good while I run but every now and then I like to have a good looking combo to feel pretty in : )

I’ve washed both of these in a gentle cycle and both washed well. I didn’t completely dry them (I don’t with any of my running clothes) but took them out about ¾ of the dry cycle and then lay them to completely dry.

I chose to purchase warmer weather items but Salt bought some winter wear and you can read her review of her pieces here.

If you think these clothes are as awesome as I do and are interested in gifting yourself or someone some Swirlgear, you’re in luck! Enter the code swirlon at check-out to get FREE GROUND SHIPPING. Yay!!

I’m pretty positive you’re going to love this brand. I may not be the best runner out there, but I do feel like I know my clothes : )

Hope you have a fun Friday!!!

NOTE: I did receive these pieces for 50% off as part of the Swirlgear Brand Ambassador program but I purchased them myself and these opinions come solely from me.

–Do you love shopping for running clothes?

–Do you make running “outfits”?

hellyontherun

Category Archives: Clothes

Field Trip! Lululemon Outlet and Summer Lovin’ Tote Review

Get Your Swirl On! (Swirlgear Review)