P'tula Review

This post is going to be for anyone looking for gorgeous, functional, and comfortable workout clothing or leisure attire. P'tula is a company that I have personally supported for a year and a half and truly felt the need to share just how wonderful this little business is.

P'tula stands for Passion To Unite Live Active, founded and owned by Sami B. ( @leanmachine21 on instagram - give her a follow as she is always uploading incredibly workouts, answering questions, and showing current/new clothing coming to P'tula) has only been around for just over two years. This company prides itself on being inclusive to all body types, promoting healthy lifestyles while being real and vulnerable, and has the sweetest customer service.

Each clothing piece is named after an inspirational person in the fitness community - the back story on a pieces name can be found in the product description of each item on their website (https://www.ptula.com). Sami is a registered nurse and personal trainer that designed and expanded this business of hers from the ground up. She has grown her team tremendously by having some extremely down to earth and genuinely lovely women working with her in the office and online. I personally follow each all of the women that are spokeswomen for her company on instagram, it helps to see other women with differently heights, body shapes, fitness levels when considering which pieces to purchase and what sizes. However, these women all have their own careers, online businesses, fitness programs, etc. that makes following them so much more rewarding than just "hmm I think I'll get a medium in this legging."

Now lets get into some product descriptions. I have multiple pairs of leggings, lounge pants, and different sports bras from them (my first hoodie from them is being delivered sometime today or tomorrow, so will update this review to include that. SO EXCITED). Each legging/shirt/sports bra/etc. has a completely different feel, support level, and comfort (I'll revisit this later, all are comfortable but in different ways!). Each pair is 100% squat proof and moisture wicking. The Alainah's are some of their most popular leggings and have been redesigned 3 times to make some adjustments - for example raising the butt seam, adding pockets, etc. These adjustments may seem trivial but when you want these leggings to feel like a second skin while lifting weights or just lounging around the house every detail matters. Speaking of details, each piece has their P'tula logo seamlessly hidden, their shirts and new hoodies have their name and phrase embellished throughout in such a beautifully tasteful way. Now let's get. little deeper here:

Alainah Allure: I have the hot toddy (red) leggings in a size medium and the dusty mauve in large. These leggings are such a comfortable material. They have a nice elastic stretch with still feeling on the thick side (not sure how to word this, but I live in Pennsylvania where it can get incredibly cold... these leggings can uphold the cold weather and won't make you freeze to death while walking to your car or running outdoors. However they aren't too thick in a sense that they won't make you sweat more than your body natural would. Hope this is making sense... I'm not a clothing expert, or workout expert. Just a normal persons opinion here! So I'm on the taller side at 5'8 and currently weigh around 140lbs. I've always had a more fit body type with growing up dancing and running track but my thighs and hips are definitely wider than my waist. The medium and large both fit perfectly, just in different ways. The medium fits like a second skin, tight but not in a way that makes me want to rip them off or cause restraint in my movements - more of a sucking in my food baby bloat and making me look like I have a six pack when I am no where near that. The large is still just as skin like, just gives me a little more room in my waist. This is where I go back and forth with medium and large. the large will sometimes need to be pulled back up while working out but I personally like them because I can wear them WHENEVER. I can where these to the grocery store, to nap on the couch, or while cleaning my house and not feel like I'm ready to run a marathon or something.

The Desa'ree II Swift Legging - Caribbean Current: These I ordered in a large and sadly wish I hadn't. Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore these leggings and wear them often! I just wish I would have ordered them in a medium or maybe even a size small as they are a bit baggy in the crotch region and fall down quite often. But I still wear these to the gym or to lay around the house in. The design is absolutely gorgeous and I have been complimented on these leggings multiple times. Now remember where I said that the ones above were thicker, these are not. Now they aren't thin or see through by any means, but I wouldn't wear these to run outside when it's cold as the material is very breathable and will allow the frigid air in.

The Alainah II Allure Legging - Smooth Black: These are by far one of my favorite leggings! You can never go wrong with black leggings ever. I have worn these to the gym, around the house, dressed up for a night out, even to work! Everyone at work asked where I got them because they looked so comfortable yet so beautiful. I purchased these in a size large and have had no issues with them rolling or needing to pull them up.

The Raenell Sleek Legging - Nautical Blue: These leggings are interesting to me. They are awesome, but these were my first pair of sleek leggings or anything like it. These are a mixture of nylon and elastane and are super soft and silky. I've never had a legging feel silky before, and I'm digging it. These also have pockets! POCKETS! I can't tell you how nice it is to not worry about where my phone is while lifting or even just walking through the grocery store. (clearly I have a very fun life where my only experience examples are working out and long strolls through the grocery store). Now all of these leggings can be worn to the gym don't get me wrong, but these are the leggings that I like to grab if I'm just lounging around the house all day rather than wear to the gym because they are just so comfortable(also because I just have so many leggings to choose from now). PS. these I purchased in a large as well.

The Alainah III Sleek Legging: 23" - Smooth Black: These I purchased in a large and now that I have worn them more than 10 times I think the next pair of Alainah III's I order will be a medium. Again, it's just a preference and comfort level thing. I love these leggings and how high waisted they are, just wish they were a little tighter now that I've been religiously back in the gym and losing some of my bloat. These are a mix of the Alainah II and the Raenell Sleek leggings in my opinion. They are still thick and great to wear in the cold but have a little bit of the silky smooth feeling.

The Crystal "Driven For More" Legging: 25" - Port Wine Red: These I purchased in a large and unfortunately I haven't decided how I feel about them yet. These might be the only pair of leggings that I haven't jumped up and down screaming about. For me they just seem to fall a bit awkwardly on my butt. I can't tell if it's the seam across the butt or the height of the waist band, or what it could be. But they almost feel like they are barely covering my butt (they are definitely covering it, but they just have the feeling like if I bend down a certain way I'll have a plumbers crack...). However the detailing on them is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! They have pockets, POCKETS! and a gorgeous mesh design on the calf muscles. Again, I need to wear these a few times to feel them out some more as I only received these less than a month ago. So stay posted, maybe I will fall more in love with them over time.

The Chandre Legging - 27" Inseam - THESE ARE MY FAVORITE PAIR. I received these as a Christmas gift from my parents in a size large and I am obsessed. These are extremely high waisted, so shorter torso people might not like these. But these fall right on my floating ribs and I just love how long they are. Again, tall person problems, but I can actually roll the pant legs a little bit or I can have them wrap around my ankles. The print is gorgeous and you will never see sweat on them because of the pattern design. This really feel like a second skin and are my absolute favorite leggings to wear to the gym for leg day. They have pockets, POCKETS that are super deep. I love being able to put my phone in them while squatting or running. I've never had the waist slip or roll on these throughout my entire workout. I wouldn't recommend lounging in these as they are more of a high impact workout legging. You can definitely lounge in them but might not be as comfortable as you would in Raenell Sleek or Brandi.

The Brandi Carefree Loungepant - Sand Dunes: These I purchased in a size medium and tall length. Another thing that I love about this company is that their long pants give you the option for short and tall. These fit PERFECTLY. Super comfortable and love to wear these around the house - not sure if I would wear these to the gym as these are a more white/beige color and are not as squat proof as their leggings, more sheer than anything. I'm really hoping to get these in more colors eventually so that I can wear them to the gym, just the white/beige color has me nervous about bending over.

The Veronica Embrace Sports Bra: I have these in both grey and black in a size large. I purchased The Sariya "Live It Up" Sports Bra in a medium and loved it the first time I wore it and then every time after that it just felt a little too snug. Hoping that over time with working out I'll tighten up the girls a bit and will be able to wear that one more comfortably. So with the Veronica I choose to purchase a large and I am so happy that I did. I'm a 34-36C depending on the day lol. And these sports bras are so flattering! I never thought that I would say that a sports bra is flattering but these really hold in and lift the girls in such a beautiful way. The detailing on the back is also so much fun and super cute. I wear these to the gym, out with friends under a cute tank top or just as a normal sports bra under t-shirts. It's just nice that this a cute and functional piece that adds a little push up. This is medium-high impact sports bra for me. I can't speak to much on that topic just because I'm not a fashion expert, what works for me might not work for you. But these I can run, jump, lift in and never worry about falling out or feeling them move around.

The Araceli Fierce Crop Top - Port Wine Red: I ordered this in a large and again am so happy that I did, I think a medium would have been too tight around my rib cage area. This is super cute!!! I wish I was more comfortable with myself and could just wear a crop top and leggings to the gym because I definitely would with this top. These have a clasp in the back which I wasn't sure how I would feel about, but now I'm obsessed with because I can change the size and easily slide out of the sports bra rather than wrestling my way out of it after a sweaty workout. This is a lower impact sports bra for me. I felt myself bouncing a little bit while doing some cardio, but more than likely if I would have purchased the medium wouldn't have been an issue but I wanted the band to be comfortable around my chest after over the medium in a another sports bra.

There are so many more pieces and colors that I've purchased but this would be a book and not a blog then. However, I did want to jump into a few other products. I purchased both resistant bands from P'tula and adore them! I use both of them every leg day. They are super durable and have never once fallen down while using or have caused any kind of damage to my leggings.

I also purchased the seamless long sleeve shirts from them and unfortunately returned them. I was stupid when I purchased these. These shirts were amazing, don't get me wrong, the material, the fit, everything was perfection. However, I am not a fan of my arm pits. Weird, I know, but I have always been super sensitive in how tight my shirts are, what material they are, etc. And these just made me a little uncomfortable in that region. These are a more athletic compression top and they really made me look good in the chest and abs, however I couldn't get over the tightness in the arm pits. Anyone else would have absolutely adored these because I know 99% of the rest of the world is not nearly as sensitive as I am when it comes to arm pits lol. However, I wanted to highlight this because I wanted to say that the return process was very easy. Just went online submitted my return and took my package to the post office - as soon as they received my package my money was refunded to me. Now I did have to pay for return shipping, but I understand as they are a relatively small and new company still.

I highly highly recommend this company and trying a pair of their leggings. Follow them on instagram (@ptulaactive) if you are thinking of ordering from them or follow them on facebook. They are always going live on instagram and talking about new releases, product designs, and answering questions. The past few launches they have gone live on instagram the night before to answer questions and give super in-depth product descriptions, modeling them, etc. This is your best way to see sizing information or get some insider information prior to purchasing. If you're purchasing on a launch date my biggest recommendation would be to set up your account ahead of time. This company is still new so their stock is usually pretty limited. They have gotten so much better about getting more stock before launched, but it's still better to be safe than sorry! I would recommend setting up an account ahead of time (my account always remembers my address and payment information so it takes me seconds to check out now, literally for the hoodie launch I went to the bathroom at work and within 1 minute I had put the item in my cart, checked out completely, and received a confirmation email) and knowing what you want and what size you want it in. Following people online is very helpful for sizing information. It's nice to visualize how they look on someone else that might have a similar body type as you rather than trying to figure out the numbers online. Again, I fall anywhere between a medium and a large depending on how I want them to fit. And if something doesn't fit or your not a fan you have 30 days to return your product for either an exchange in size, credit towards another P'tula purchase, or to receive your money back.

I really can't say enough amazing things about this company. I have recommended them to all of my family and friends, even co-workers. The designs, the level of thought and detail that goes into each piece, and the personalties of everyone that works with them and supports them. I have never once had a negative experience with this company and now I will never buy work-out clothing anywhere else.

Thanks for listening to my long winded rant on why I love this brand! Check them out at https://www.ptula.com and follow them on instagram @ptulaactive - they also will do some discount codes every now and then. I have to say too, they are perfectly price. Yes, it would be nice for consumers if they were a little less, however once you receive your first pair you will understand. The fact that this little company has built its way up to what they are now and the commitment to its followers and customers just blows any other company completely out of the water and constantly proves why they are priced the way that they are. These leggings are not cheap to make, so would they be cheap to purchase. Ok, time to end this rant.

Check them out and if you do let me know what you think! Would love to hear other people opinions and experiences with P'tula! Also if you want to see more pictures or videos of my P'tula try ons and wearing them to the gym follow my instagram account @emilyannkarcher.

#ptula #ptulaactive #activewear #fitness