I was so excited about the new matching Beyond Yoga set I found on Revolve. Static pink is new this season, and I always love a hot pink. I was hopeful the strokes of genius bra would be a strappy yet supportive alternative to lulu’s free to be wild bra (which doesn’t accommodate my cup size) since Beyond Yoga’s listed their bra as medium support. I decided to throw in the new heat wave mesh capris, too, since they paired perfectly with the bra and were a cute style on their own, too.
Revolve’s shipping was ultra fast as usual. I ordered the set on Wednesday morning and the package was in my mailbox on Friday.
Let’s start with the crops. I ordered them in an XS. I normally opt for XXS when available; I’d tried Beyond Yoga’s XXS before, which had fit pretty well. However, this style is only available in XS-L. Since XS often fits me in other brands, I was hoping the size up would work out.
Although the style is indeed pretty cute on, they were completely sheer. These left nothing to the imagination even while standing up straight. My underwear were very clearly visible both in the front and the back without even bending over. As you can imagine, a squat test did not go well either. The fabric is supplex, which is usually thicker and cushier, but these were very thin both to the touch and to the eye.
I don’t really like to post full-on sheerness pics because I don’t want to attract creepy people, but this shot should give you a pretty good idea of the sheerness level. Beyond that, you’ll just have to trust me. I wore full-coverage nude underwear for the other pics above so that you could see the fit without the indecency.
You might be wondering if switching sizes might help, but as I mentioned above, I sized up on these. These actually felt a bit too big for me and they were still see-through.
The only positive things I have to say is that the style looks nice and the fabric was soft to the touch in spite of its thinness. Although I’m occasionally willing to work around imperfect coverage, like a slight bit of sheerness in a deep squat, I draw the line at bottoms that are sheer standing up. That plus the fact that these didn’t fit well made these an easy choice to return.
Unfortunately, things didn’t get any better when I moved on to the bra. On the plus side, it’s cute from the back. Although Beyond Yoga classifies it as medium support, I would say it’s light. The black straps are a flimsier elastic than I expected. They are flat, thin elastic, not like the round, covered straps you’ll find on lululemon’s strappy bras. It’s also much lower coverage than I expected. If anything, it might actually be less coverage than lulu’s free to be wild. It really didn’t seem like more coverage. The band wasn’t a great fit on me, either. It didn’t gape, but it didn’t fit very securely either. This size (XS) would probably be better suited to a 32 band. If your rib cage is small for your size (mine is), I wouldn’t recommend this bra.
This picture is another awkward one since I’m again trying to keep it PG around here. There was a lot of spillage on the top and it felt very insecure. Another odd thing is that it seemed to pull everything outward in a weird way, as you can see in the photo. I think the scoop was cut too wide, which threw off the look. Besides not being practical, it was also very unflattering on me. If you are quite small-busted, you might have better luck with this bra. That said, I think even a B cup would be pushing your luck.
Overall, this order was definitely disappointing. As you’ve probably figured out, I wouldn’t recommend either style, especially considering the prices are definitely not cheap. I’ve heard lots of positive feedback for Beyond Yoga, so I’m disappointed and a little baffled that I’ve yet to have any success. I thought these styles were so cute and was really hoping they’d be winners, so I’m definitely bummed to write such an unfortunate review. Money saved, anyway!
Yikesie! I appreciate your review to save us all the trouble, but man, I can tell this was a tough one for you. So an extra big thank you! :-/
Fun new Alala things on Bandier this morning!
Yeah, I really don’t relish writing negative reviews at all. I probably would’ve skipped this review altogether, but since I’d already talked up the styles in a previous post, I felt obligated. I also saw that Carbon38 uploaded a white version of these crops. I can only imagine they’d basically be no better than mesh.
I’m wondering about the new neon yellow. It looks like it might be close to lulu’s split pea?
Excellent and super helpful review! I can totally see what you mean about the bra making things spread apart. Yuck, both practically and aesthetically. But, totally had to LOL about the sheer bum pics and the lack-of-coverage bra pics. Plus, the bra is also so sheer that the bra cup inserts showing through look awful. But can’t imagine wearing that without bra inserts…
It was more just the thin fabric being clingy more than sheerness, per se, but either way, not a good look. Glad I could make you laugh with my spandex disaster though. :)
Such a bummer- I really liked that bra and I wanted to hear good things! I know lots of people who wear Beyond Yoga, but I’ve never had anything that I’ve tried from them work for me.
Yeah, same on both counts!! :(
Hi there! I never comment but I’ve always wanted to. I love your blog and check it on the daily. I love hearing athletic wear reviews from people who actually work out (I need my workout wear to work out as hard as I do) and your reviews have been so helpful. I really enjoyed the one on what kind of panties to wear under your leggings.I just wanted to say thank you for all you do. I’m sure these blogs are time consuming and your reviews are ALWAYS on point and detailed. Everything you’ve recommended is always just as you say that I had zero hesitation when I purchased the catstronaut (werkshop) capri’s based on your review. Wonkiest and wildest print of capri’s I own but I just love them.
Also as the lone dissenter because I know a lot of people love Beyond Yoga I find that they’re quality is EXACTLY as you described. Sheer, soft, stylish but way overpriced. I own quite a few of their leggings and bras that I buy on Amazon for dirt cheap when they’re on sale for $30 because I like lounging around in them but they’re sizes are wonky, they pill, and they’re sheer.
I wonder if you could do a post on how you care for your workout clothing. Washing, drying and such. Maybe I missed it if you have already?(sorry if you have) Maybe a post breaking down the fabrics and types and best uses for different fabrics?
I second this. I also bought the Catstronaut capris because of you. So good!
Aww thanks, I’m so glad you decided to chime in! I try really hard to be factual and detailed in reviews, but even after two years of writing them, it’s still a little scary to hit publish. It’s so great to hear that I’m on the right track! Thank you for taking the time to say something so nice. :) (And the catstronauts are seriously so amazing. Wonkiest and wildest for sure!)
Also: funny you should mention it, I actually have a laundry-related post going up tomorrow! It’s not exactly what you mentioned, but it might still be useful. :) I’ve been thinking of doing a more general laundry post, too.
Thank you for posting such honest reviews AA, you’re really one of the best bloggers! I had no luck with BY either. I’m in Canada so before doing any orders, I was lucky to be able to try on in a Nordstrom’s store. I also sized up and tried on a pink, black and blue pair. All were the same, completely sheer. I think the good reviews are paid or some girls don’t think to check for sheerness. By the way, I don’t know if you’ve ever reviewed Alo, but it’s the same thing. Totally sheer, every colour, size up, whatever you try, totally sheer. Oh yes, hate to say anything negative about a Canadian brand but Karma is also totally sheer.
Thanks so much Maya!!! :) I’ve only tried on a handful of things from Alo (mostly at Nordstrom) but haven’t had good luck with coverage either. Good to know about Karma. I’ve thought many times about trying them out, but sounds like I should proceed with caution. :
That is too bad because that bra looks super cute. It also looks like it may be too low cut even for me… I’m an A cup but insecure because of my lack of boob haha!
Yeah, definitely very low cut! D:
Too bad! I’d been looking at those crops. Thanks for letting us know about the issues. I have 2 pair of BY crops I got on sale, and while they aren’t sheer on me, they’re a little tighter on the waist than all my other crops so aren’t as comfortable. I do love the soft fabric though, and I have one if their tanks on my wish list.
Yes, I agree that the waist is cut pretty small compared to the rest. The first time I ordered BY crops, the crops were like 1-2″ smaller than my lulu 2’s! Crazy tiny.
What a bummer! I wear BY crops or leggings to yoga everyday, I have about a dozen pair, and they are fabulous and perfect. Mine are at least two years old though. I feel like BY tries to be trendy and cooooool when they should just stick to basics. It sounds like the quality has really gone down. I’m so glad I have an excellent batch.
Huh. I’m glad you’ve had better luck! I have no idea why reviews seem to be one extreme or the other, even in this comment thread. Go figure.
Well that is disappointing :( I, too, was really hoping for a positive review on these two — especially the bra. That said, I am really glad you did review these and honestly. I know I have always been able to rely on your reviews and have never been steered astray. :)
I agree with Alin–too bad these didn’t work for you! I have three pairs of their leggings and love them. They were some of the first high end activewear I’ve bought and I wear them a lot. My pairs are all fully opaque but they are all darker colors (black, navy, dark green) and 1-2 years old. I haven’t tried anything from them recently so maybe it is a quality deterioration issue. That would be a shame though!
The last pair I tried was about 1.5 years ago for Black Friday. They were also thin and sheer. Either I’ve had very bad luck or they just don’t agree with me. Beats me.
Yeah, definitely a sad day. So glad to hear that my reviews have been on the nose for you. I’m always a little nervous I’ll miss something or just be way off-base, so it’s always nice to know I’m not completely blowing it. :)
I have these and haven’t had trouble with sheerness. I wear a Lulu 4 and Athleta XS; I need an XS in these but found a deal on a small. They’re a little big, which might explain why they aren’t sheer on me. They’re super cute!
That’s weird–maybe you got lucky with a better batch than I did. Mine were also a bit big for me, but it didn’t help me unfortunately. :( I agree that they’re so cute, so I’m glad they worked for you. :)