My Honest Review of Activewear from Girlfriend Collective, Adanola, Alo and more

Beyond Yoga Shorts | Beyond Yoga Tank | Nike Socks | New Balance 9060 | Nike Free Metcon 5

I always want to be up on what's new. I want to be sure I'm recommending things that are fresh, but also the best. And there's definitely different brands for different people. The algorithms must be up to something, because there's just been a surge of activewear brands on my "For You" page on Instagram lately (Have they heard I'm doing a walking challenge this month, or what?!). A few years ago we reviewed some of my favorites, but there have been so many new ones that have popped up. So that said, I have tried out some new ones to see if I'll have any new favorites to add to my list!

The brands I checked out were Girlfriend Collective, Adanola, Alo Yoga (again — I hadn't tried their tops, only bottoms). I also tried more from Athleta, since I really like the Athleta leggings. And even Aerie!

My Review of Girlfriend Collective

Ok, here we go. I have seen so many people say these are their favorite leggings. Their favorite sports bras. So I ordered a few things. Their communication on the delivery process was extensive — I got a notification every time my order moved through the system!

A couple of things I liked, a couple I didn't like. The leggings did not stay up on me (sigh). I also got their Coyote Reset Cropped Tank, and the material is like SO soft. The fabric is amazing, and I liked the soft gray color. And then I got the matching swing short. My legs are just so long — it was way too short on me. That was a miss. I did keep the tank top.

I also tried their black bike unitard. I really wanted to get one. Verdict? Wellllll, it's just a hard look to pull off. I just did not like it at all on me. I'm trying to think of how I could style it better (maybe something tied around my waist?), but it just looked like I was wearing a very modest black bathing suit that had shorts.

I got two of their Paloma Racer Back Bras which are longer so a lot of people wear them as tank tops. I'm not someone who usually wears a sports bra as my only top to work out in, but I have a short torso so I do need something kind of cropped as a top, or it's going to be too long. These racerback bras were great. They landed just barely above my belly button. I got them in sizes small and medium. Note that I'm small-chested and the small was too tight. So I kept the medium.

In the end, it just feels like I'm not necessarily going to be looking for the next Girlfriend Collection drop--but tell me if I missed something!

My Review of Adanola

On to Adanola. I've probably been served their ads more than any other brand. It was almost like I was forced to buy from them, ha! So I got their ultimate leggings in dark grey size small tall. I was so happy that they had tall sizes! When the leggings arrived, I thought they fit really nice. They are a little bit slippy, and in my experience they did kind of ride down a little bit faster than my everyday leggings.

I also got the matching Ultimate Tank Bra in dark grey in size medium. It had a built-in shelf bra, which was fine. But ugh — I felt like the medium was too tight. I'm usually a size 4, and I follow the sizes, so I was disappointed by the tank.

There are a lot cool leisurewear outfits that they have, so maybe I would go that route over their workout stuff next time.

My Review of Alo Yoga

For my Alo Yoga order, I got two of the Ribbed Wellness Tanks in their limited edition colors of Golden Olive Branch and Toasted Almond. I got one in a size small and one in a medium. Both fit me almost identically! I actually couldn't even really tell the difference between the sizes. I ended up keeping both of them and I've worked out in them. And they're very soft, very comfortable. However, I have never seen sweat show up so quickly on a tank top. It was crazy! I'm someone who doesn't mind sweating when I'm working out. That's something that I'm there to do. I don't even care if my tanks are a little sweaty, but these — they were almost drenched. The material was really thin, and so I didn't feel comfortable wearing them to sweat in again. Not a hit for me.

I also got the Goddess Ribbed Bandeau Top in a small, and it actually fit just fine but I just couldn't see myself working out in it. So I returned it.

My Review of Athleta

I had a good experience with Athleta. They make such good leggings. The Athleta leggings stay up and I don't have to pull them up a lot. I will say, they have a built-in pocket and the seam of the pocket was visibly indenting into my thigh. It made like a pucker on my leg. Not my fav! But it wasn't uncomfortable, and it didn't leave a mark. I just didn't love that.

Meanwhile, the top I ordered had adjustable straps which was very nice and I kept both!

My Review of Amazon Active

I ordered these to see what all the fuss was about. And guess what? The "Lululemon dupe" leggings on Amazon are really not as good as Lululemon. So everyone who says that they're the same? Well, I respectfully disagree. However!! I can't say enough about these running shorts I recently ordered! I got the red in a medium and I love the zipper pockets and liner. Definitely going back for more colors! Not to mention, my blue long sleeve workout top has been a go-to for a while now!

My Review of Aerie

Recently I've gotten a couple things from Aerie, both in store and online. And I HAVE to say--I have loved EVERYTHING I got. Very comfortable. The standard s, m, l sizes are easy to navigate and I took most of my normal sizes. I got the On My Way! High Waisted Short in medium, which is a classic sweat short that's so comfy! I also got the The Hugger 5" Pocket Bike Short in medium and, this is bold, I might like the way they fit more than my align shorts! They feel so snug but nothing is cutting in or riding up! I also got this high low tank and I LOVE the high neck, but the cropped back lets me breathe a bit. The last thing I got were two of the SMOOTHEZ Tank Camis that I've heard so much about. I just...they are so thin! I feel like my cheeks turned red when I put one on. They feel more like sleepwear than an in-public shirt. But maybe a darker color would feel different. Bottom line: Don't sleep on Aerie!

My Review of Beyond Yoga

I ordered a matchings set (5" biker short + Slim Racerback Cropped Tank--both in medium) in Candy Apple Red (shorts are sold out in this color, unfortunately). The fabric could not be softer. Cozier. I could SLEEP in these. If you are going for comfort and softness, look no further. The flip side is, in my opinion, there's zero compression. Nothing is held in here. There are some days at the gym, where I don't want to feel so tight all over, and there are some days, where that's the WHOLE GOAL. So on those days, I skip this set.

In Conclusion

My tried-and-true Align 28" High Rise Leggings from Lululemon and a workout tank top from Free People isn't going anywhere, but it has been really fun to add some new favorites to the mix!

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Find out what works for you, and just enjoy it!