Besides my dottie tribe purchases, I also ordered some blue goodies from lululemon. I really love hero blue, since it’s dark enough to be basically a neutral, but light enough that you could still safely wear it with black. I bought two pairs of pants in this shade: the inspire tights and, yes, the om pants.
Hero blue inspire tights
I’ve bought a lot of printed tights lately, but there’s something about solid tights that always look so sharp, especially in a nice deep color like hero blue.
For a petite lady like me, the inspire tights are a great option. Since they’re designed to be 7/8 length, that means that they’re almost perfectly full length on my 5’3″ frame with no ankle scrunching. The hem at the ankle is just a hair loose, but it’s hardly noticeable.
The rise on these is a little bit below my belly button, a tad higher than lululemon’s regular rise wunder unders. For higher-intensity workouts, a slightly higher rise can be helpful for keeping these in place. In my normal lululemon size, these tights are pleasantly snug. The luxtreme fabric offers good compression and support for intense workouts. I also like that luxtreme feels cool to the touch instead of stifling or sweaty. When it comes to tights, luxtreme (and equivalents from other brands) is my favorite fabric to work out in.
The biggest downside to the inspire tights is the contrast paneling. On the solid color tights like this one, lululemon incorporated a full-on luxtreme panel on the bum, versus just regular luxtreme everywhere else. (On printed versions of the inspires, it’s usually full-on luxtreme all over.) The end result is a slight contrast between the butt panel and the other panels. They reflect light differently and end up looking like two slightly different colors. You can see what I mean in the photos–it’s not an illusion, they actually look like that in real life.
By the way, what’s the difference between full-on and regular luxtreme? Full-on is basically two layers of luxtreme bonded together, making it thicker and sturdier than plain luxtreme.
On the plus side, though, the full-on luxtreme does its job and keeps these tights totally opaque even in a full squat.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of reviews reporting quality issues on lululemon’s sites. Quality seems to vary pretty sharply from color to color, and even from one individual pair to the next, so there’s no telling how these will hold up. On the front end, at least, there aren’t any loose seams and they are not sheer at all. So, that’s a good start!
I’m pretty sure I’m going to be keeping this pair. They’re a versatile and attractive pair of tights, and I could use a dark blue pair. But, I haven’t taken the tags off yet so there’s still a chance I might change my mind.
As of this writing, the hero blue inspire tights are still available online in most sizes.
Hero blue om pants
I know, I know. These are genie pajama pants, no question about it. But they’re incredibly comfortable genie pants! I’d been secretly pining for a pair of om pants since I first tried them on last summer. When hero blue came along this year and went to markdown, I lost my resolve and bought a pair. I have a feeling I could probably eventually find them for less than $69, the markdown price I paid, but I wasn’t feeling patient.
The om pants are made of swift ultra light, a fabric that definitely lives up to its name. The pants are light enough that you can comfortably wear them even in warm weather. The breezy feel is one of the biggest selling points of these pants.
On a petite lady (I’m 5’3″), the length is around full length, just grazing the tops of my ankles. If you’re taller, these definitely will not reach your ankles and will be more of a cropped length on you. I prefer the way they look when they fit longer. I bought these in my normal lululemon size.
I can pull up the hem of the pants to wear them as more of a cropped length (they will stay up due to the elastic at the hem), but this look doesn’t do anything for me.
The waistband can be folded over to whatever level of coverage you like.
On that note, the one thing that could be improved on the om pants is the waistband. The foldover bit, made of light luxtreme, is very soft and comfortable. But, there’s a seam where the waistband connects with the rest of the pants. It sits lower than your pants waistband usually sits, and you can’t wear it higher because there’s not enough clearance at the crotch. You might have to fuss a bit to get the seam to sit in the right spot. For this reason, I don’t really recommend sizing down, since it might make the waist fit uncomfortably tight.
I bought these mostly for casual wear, and they will serve that purpose perfectly. Pet hair doesn’t stick to the fabric, which makes these great for wearing around my house. They would also work well for yoga. I wouldn’t wear them for things like weightlifting, training at the gym, or CrossFitting.
If you’re thinking about getting the om pants, I recommend trying on a pair in stores if you can. This style definitely doesn’t suit everyone’s taste, so it’s a very risky bet to get these on final sale.
As of this writing, the om pants are still available online in numerous colors and sizes.
Harbor blue run: stuff your bra
Review bonus round! I also bought the harbor blue run: stuff your bra. I wear my harbor blue energy bra all the time because it goes with virtually everything I own. Since I love the RSYB style too (this is my 3rd), I couldn’t pass this one up. I’m sure I’ll wear this one until it completely wears out.
The run: stuff your bra is a super-comfortable, supportive, medium coverage option. Plus, the pockets are surprisingly useful for when your bottoms don’t have enough storage space. I’m a 28-30D and I have just enough coverage on this bra, even though lulu recommends it for a B/C cup. If you take the cups out, you get a little extra space. The cups are less important on this style since the double-layered fabric helps mitigate show-through.
If you like lululemon’s energy bra, chances are you’ll be a fan of the RSYB as well. The harbor blue RSYB is still available online in all sizes.
Yet another post about something I totally did not notice until your review, which I now want. Those tights are awesome. I actually really like the slightly different colored panel. They are interesting looking but still monochrome. Love them!
They were easy to miss! I’m not sure why they jumped out at me. I’m slowly warming up to the contrast panel, too–it seems to be the popular vote.
Going to pick up the bra! Energy is my favorite one, so I’ll give this one a go. Love the color!
Good plan! :) I hope you love them too.
I bought a pair of Om pants last year when I was pregnant… Best decision ever! They were crazy comfortable and the waist band stretched very nicely over the bump right up until my due date! I’ve been eying up a second pair on WMTM!
Yes, they seem like they’d be perfect maternity pants! :) I wouldn’t mind having a second pair either.
I love the Om pants! I bought a pair of black ones last year and I couldn’t pass up the hero blue ones once they hit WMTM this year!
With navy and black, you can’t really go wrong, especially on MD. :)
Timely post! I was late to be hero blue party but recently realized how gorgeous it is. I ordered these tights this weekend, along with shorts and the crb! I have been holding out on the inspires praying for aligns but caved considering I already had to send sale the shorts and tank.
Rsyb is my favorite! I also bought the harbor blue and am hoping a few colors hit md in my size later this year.
I was too slow and missed the CRB. Still kicking myself!!! Ugh.
I yet have to purchase anything in Hero blue. I’ve moved away from Lulu in the past 2 years (still buy stuff occasionally). But this shade of blue is gorgeous!
I keep hearing ppl like the RSYB even bustier ppl. But I’m scared to take the leap. I’m larger than most busty ppl though (I’m a 32F) so I feel it won’t cut it for me. The only Lulu bra I can wear to anything with a cardio element is Strap it Like it’s Hot.
I’m a new follower of yours btw, great blog :)
If you’ve been able to find an energy bra that works for your bra size, you can probably make the RSYB work in the same size. It probably comes down to your particular shape. I imagine 32F would be tough to fit no matter what! Good luck!
And glad to have you on board! :) Thanks for following.
I purchased the hero blue inspire tights when they uploaded, took the tags off immediately, and wore them for a workout the next day. I loooove them and the color. The back panel is very subtle in person. I also got the crb in hero blue, but I wish a solid pair of speeds would come in the this color! I’d be all over that.
Totally agree, speeds in hero blue would be *amazing*. Looks like that’s not going to happen though. :( I thought about ordering the hotty hots and the CRB but was too slow on both! Sigh.
I miss your lulu posts! I can’t stand LLM and LLA, and Katy is not very consistent with her posts and rambles a lot. I appreciate your thoughtful reviews and quality pictures.
I still prefer inkwell and cadet over hero blue, but I have the Beat the Heat tights, pace rivals and om pants in hero blue and it’s a gorgeous color.
It’s too bad you haven’t been able to find a lulu blog that rings your bell. :\ I would say that someone else could step into the lulu blogging game, but it seems like so many people have been cooling off on lulu lately (esp with the latest drama re: new Canadian price increases), that I’m not sure it’s going to happen. The times they are a-changin’, as they say.
I actually like hero better than inkwell and cadet so this season has been great for me! :)
I love hero blue so much, but I’m a pace rival girl (those thigh pockets are the best!) so I bought a pair of those. I also bought a Sunaway Runaway shirt and pace rival skirt in the color too. It’s so gorgeous!
Can’t go wrong with the side pockets!! :) I wanted something full length for fall, so these were perfect.
I thought I wouldn’t want the inspires in the hero blue since I bought the crop and full length minimalist but I love the way these look on you. Even with the color difference in the paneling. I just love anything in that blue color family. I really want that stuff bra but when I see how it fits in the back I don’t think it would work for me. I have the dreaded back fat problem and it looks like it kinda digs in the scapula region which would accentuate my back fat issue. Happy to see you reviewing some lulu stuff again.
Yeah, I could see the straps on the RSYB being a problem since you’re right, the band does come up right underneath my scapula. It hits at a similar spot as the energy bra for me, so if that one is unflattering, this one probably will be too.
So excited to see some Lulu reviews from you! It’s what attracted me first to your blog??.
Hooray, glad you enjoy them! :) I hadn’t bought anything from lulu in *ages* so I was glad to mix it up a bit. A showroom is actually opening up in my town in the next couple months so I might be able to post some more try-ons if they get anything good. :)
Sounds great! Looking forward to those try on reviews!??
Thank you for the review!! Gorgeous hero blue inspire tights!! I didn’t even know I wanted them until now. I even consider myself a pretty avid Lululemon follower and I missed these beauties.
On a side note: how are you liking your persu bag? Do you find yourself loving it more than your lulu bags? I am contemplating buying one but the resale is not big on these like Lululemon. I would love your opinion on what you use the most. I truly have too many lululemon bags that I think I am going to offload soon, I am very gentle on my gym bags. Just looking for a great all around classic bag for gym and light travel. Thanks for you help and thoughts!!
Also, I have read your selling active wear post. Where do you find that you make the most $$ for selling Lululemon items? I have tons(1000’s-$$) of NWT, rare and gently used lululemon items that I need to start selling. They have been collecting dust for a while, it is time to let go. I do not use Facebook for socailization with family/friends just never got into it. I do have a FB account that has nothing on it that I could use if I that is best place. I also have an eBay account, poshmark and tradesy. Sorry for all the questions and I appreciate your time!!!
I’ve been using my Persu bag basically every day since I got it, so definitely still loving it! Replying to your email for the rest because it’s easier to write it out there. :)
Are you a 2 or a 4 in these inspires?
if i may, AA says they are her normal lululemon size. that is a size 2 :)
Shavarama is right–these are a 2, my normal lulu size.
Thank you. I have some inspires that are not very compressive in 4, but wear a size 2. I think if I can ever find in 2 I’ll get it.
I’m not a fan of saturated blues, but you’re really selling me on the Inspire tights! And I don’t mind the color contrast on the back panel – I know plenty of people find that annoying, but to me it almost looks like it could pass as intentional, and it’s certainly not unattractive.
Kind of amazed that I’ve not tried any Inspires yet, as they’re such a Lulu favorite…
These are actually my first pair of inspires! I didn’t care for the inspire crops as much, but the 7/8 length are great.
thanks so much for clarifying the difference between full-on and regular luxtreme!! the lululemon website does not have such a simplified explanation and i always wondered exactly what was the difference…
It used to be called “interlock power luxtreme” (although they may have tweaked it since it was called that, I’m not sure), which was a somewhat more helpful name. I’m not sure *exactly* how the interlocking works but I think “two layers mushed together” is reasonably close, haha.
I loved the inspire crops and am sad that they discontinued them. I finally caved and got a pair of the inspire tights on WMTM (the cyberstripe jungle/hero blue ones) and am looking forward to some cooler weather to try them ?
Nice! That’s a really pretty color. I hope you love them once you get a chance to try them for real!
Hola! I finally got to run in my Inspire 2 tights this week as the mornings are cooling off in Switzerland. LOVE them ? considering a second pair!
That’s awesome!!! So glad they ended up working for you. I agree, the length is just perfect for fall!