I’m back with another activewear review video as I continue on my mission to find the best activewear that is affordable, functional, and suited to us midlife and midsize women. Today we are looking at the viral Lululemon dupes on Shien.
As I am working my way through the many different brands as fast as my bank balance will allow, which I’ll be honest is not that fast at all. So thanks to those of you that like and comment on my posts, it really helps support me to keep on doing these reviews and hopefully helping you find your ideal activewear that is going to help you as a midlife woman feel awesome and empowered when you are working out.
CLICK HERE to see the full directory as I am listing what I have worked through so far.
Click the video to watch or read on below
After my Amazon Lululemon dupes were actually surprisingly better than I anticipated, I was intrigued. When this whole trade war came about, where America started putting tariffs onto Chinese products, a lot of Chinese manufacturers took to TikTok with videos like this:
Having dug a little bit further into this, I think that although a lot of these brands are produced in China, they are under very strict contracts. They’re not allowed to sell the same designs; they’re not even allowed to use the same material. However, I would imagine that these factories can produce very similar quality. And a lot of these manufacturers are saying just because they’re from China does not mean that it is cheap and nasty—they also produce good quality items too.
This is the problem that I come up against. I’m always challenging my mindset of: is it better to just save up and buy the real thing?
Because when I’ve done the Lululemon dupes, I’ve since gone on to have some actual genuine Lululemon stuff, and you really can’t compare the quality. I would guarantee that the Lululemon stuff that I’ve got—not only do I feel really good when I’m wearing it, I know that that’s probably going to last me a really long time. So I am leaning on the side of: I’d save up and go for that better quality stuff.
But for the name of research and for your benefit, I spend my money so that you don’t have to, to see whether some of these dupes are actually worth it. This is a fairly small haul, mainly because I can only go as fast on these as my bank balance will allow. If you do like these types of videos, do like and consider subscribing because it really does support me, as I do these reviews out of my own money.
Shein Glow Mode: The Lululemon Dupe?
One of the other brands that I’ve heard a lot of people saying is a dupe for Lululemon is actually from Shein. And there is a specific brand on Shein called Glow Mode, and this is very similar to the style of Lululemon. So I made a few purchases. Let’s try them on and see what we think.
Sticky Socks €8.07
First off was a very small one. I did get some of these sticky socks because I teach a mobility class and I need better grip on my socks so I don’t slip.
Actually, I really like these. I wore them for teaching class this morning, and sometimes when you get these grippy socks, the grip will grip on the floor, but then the rest of the sock tends to slide about. These really didn’t do that and my foot felt really secure inside the sock.
They are that kind of nylony material that can tend to bobble a little bit, so it’ll be interesting to see how they go as I wear them, but I’m definitely keeping hold of those.
Leggings Mix-Up
Okay, first up was a little bit of a fail. I actually ordered a pair of leggings, and I ended up getting a sports bra.
This is not something that I would have ordered. I know that this is not going to be supportive enough for me with a C to D chest. There was definitely no support in there. The material was really quite thin. It was digging in, it was rolling up, it was feeling as though these straps would probably not last very long. Like I say, I never would have purchased this in the first place.
I really wanted to test out the leggings because the leggings in this design are very similar to what Lululemon have. Sweaty Betty also have a set in this design.
I do think that if this was in the same material—as the material is fairly thin. The structor of the leggings is something that is important and often needs a little more structure, especially around the waistband. As a midsize woman, I always struggle with leggings rolling down. My favorites have always, always been Fabletics; they’ve been some of the best leggings, but even they still roll down a little bit.
When I did the Amazon Lululemon dupe, I loved how thin and stretchy those leggings were, but they do continually roll down. I don’t wear them that often because of how much they roll down. So that is something that I feel potentially would happen with these leggings. However, I can’t say that because they sent me the wrong freaking thing. So that is a definite return for me.
Pink Tank Top €20.99
Next up is this pink tank top. This is very similar to the Lululemon version. It has the mesh netting at the back. It’s a very lightweight tank. Now, I did actually quite like this. I feel that the only reason that I’m going to return this is because at the moment, I’ve just been on holiday, have some definite PCOS bloating going on at the moment and it just didn’t look great on me.
I did get this in an extra large. For reference, I’m usually around a UK size 14. I think if I hadn’t just been on holiday and maybe wasn’t feeling so bloated, I might have kept this. It had a really nice stretch to it. I love how lightweight it felt. I just didn’t like how much it clung around my midsection.
Black Tank Top €14.02
Then got another tank, this time a black one. This one had quite a nice split design around the back. Again, this was super lightweight and stretchy. I know black doesn’t always make for the most interesting blog post, but I am someone who really likes wearing black on the top half. For me finding the right activewear is about feeling good wearing it. And as a midsize woman there is no deniying that black is often the most slimming colour.
This was super stretchy and again I was really tempted to keep this. However, I’ve decided I’m only keeping the things that I feel freaking amazing in and absolutely love and it was also still a little clingy because of the material. But that is a me problem rather than me not liking the top, the quality actually feels really good for the price.
I did like that detail on the back. However, I wasn’t entirely sure about the material. It was kind of like shiny, almost like swimsuit material. I just don’t know that I loved it, so I am returning this one.
Taupe Jacket €28.02
Next up was this jacket in a kind of taupe color. Now, I had really high hopes for this. I’d seen some jackets on Pinterest. It’s got that little “G” on the back, and this is a very similar kind of design I’d expect for the Lululemon. It’s quite a thick material that does have a fair bit of stretch.
I do like this jacket and the quality feels really nice, I just think the color isn’t great on me as I feel it washes me out a little.
I didn’t realise when I was buying it, this one is actually non-returnable, I would have prefered this in a different colour but I do like the jacket.
I’m quite happy with this, the material is a little thicker but still has a nice amount of stretch and this is great for spring time or using to wear for warm up’s or when I am coaching and need an extra layer. So although I’m not a fan of this colour on me, I do actually think that I will get a lot of wear out of this.
Black Zip-Up Top
And then finally, I got a black zip-up top. Now, this is quite similar in the scuba dupe in design. This is really kind of the design that I like. But this is a really thin and very, very stretchy material. It is a little bit shiny. It’s perfect at this time of year for spring wearing. I’ve just taught a mobility class. I actually kept it on for the entire class, and it wasn’t uncomfortable because of how thin it is.
I will actually wear this a lot. It’s got thumb holes. It does have that slight design at the side, which is similar to the scuba, and it has tons and tons of stretch in it. I actually really, really love this top. I think I will get a lot of wear out of it.
The one thing that I am a little bit concerned about is I tried one on like this when I did the next activewear review, and what I found was that my rings pulled the material. That one was great. I think in the black, you could probably get away with it a little bit more. But I’m actually really happy with this purchase, and it was a definite keep for me from the get-go.
Final Thoughts
So that was my very, very tiny haul and review of the Lululemon dupe that’s on Shein in Glow Mode. I actually quite like a lot of the pieces. I think I would have loved to have tried the leggings to be able to give a full review on that. Some of the pieces are certainly affordable. If you can’t afford that higher end, then yes, it’s nice to be able to have a collection of things in your wardrobe. I love staple basics.
Whilst I am not a fan of fast fashion, I always want my clothes to last. But if I can find items that will last and that don’t cost the earth then I am always up for that.
The pieces that I have kept do feel of decent quality and will let you know how the wear and wash, the longer I have them.
If you have any brands that you would like me to try next, then do let me know down in the comments and I will add them to my list.
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