- Hey guys, and welcome
back to my channel.
And today we're doing a
super requested review
of the Balance Athletica
Quartz collection.
Is there an issue here?
This is my kitty Peach, I'm adopting her.
She has an Instagram,
she's very photogenic,
and she's very cute and I
just wanted to show you her
because she's my little sweet Peach.
Okay, goodbye.
So if you haven't heard
of Balance Athletica
They've really been making a
name for themselves lately.
I believe the brand only started last year
and they're already literally huge,
they're making so many new collections,
and they're definitely an
upscale, high end brand.
By the way, this review is un-sponsored,
unaffiliated in any way, so if you like
my brutally honest reviews,
please make sure to give
this video a thumbs up.
And if you're not subscribed already,
you might as well just do it.
So this launch, they actually
didn't sell out of everything
and I believe, even a week later or more
they still had some sizes
in most of their items.
Which is just kinda nice to know
that you don't always
have to be at a launch
like the minute it happens
to get their items.
So this is their first launch
of a seamless collection
which is definitely different then
what they've been doing in the past.
In the past, they had them more
like Lululemon dupe-style situation.
I have to say, I really
appreciate that Balance
is coming out with a lot
of unique collections.
There's no many new active
wear brands these days
and a lot of them just do
the same kind of thing,
I think that this is one of
their less unique launches
because it is just a seamless collection,
but I think it's nice to
have some good basics too.
My personal favorite launch from them
was their Kingdom collection,
it was just so unique
and no one had done crazy,
high-quality animal prints
like that so far.
So I'm starting off this review
by taking this set to the gym.
Okay, so I just got to the
gym, I'm wearing a little shirt
over the bra top sports bra thing.
So I got this version of the sports bra
instead of the lighter color version
because I thought it
would have more support
and there is like so little
support in this sports bra.
I tightened the straps all the way
and I feel like I'm
jiggling walking around.
I was going to do a little cardio
to maybe test the sweat-proof-ness.
I still think I'm gonna try to do that,
but I just feel like I'm gonna
be jiggling a little bit.
Definitely super, super
light sport sports bra,
not for any high-impact days,
not even really like too much
intense walking, honestly.
But, first impression of the leggings
is that they're really soft.
I feel like they have a
good amount of compression
but they're not squishing me down.
Everyone was saying to size up
because they have so much compression,
but I think the sizing is just off
because I feel like the
medium is my right size
and they don't actually
have that much compression,
they're actually very stretchy leggings,
they just really didn't fit me in a small,
so I would definitely
go with a full size up.
I'm doing a little back and bis today,
little pole day, so nothing too crazy
but we'll see how it works.
I almost never include
a little workout portion
in my reviews, so thumbs up
if you're enjoying it so far.
Okay, let's test these
bad boys out in the gym.
(upbeat workout music)
Okay, just finished my
workout and actually,
everything moves very well,
I feel like this collection
is really good for performance
and I could definitely see doing
a leg day in these leggings
because they're really
stretchy and everything.
I just had no support the whole time
and I was pulling this
up every two seconds.
These straps are completely tightened,
I couldn't even tighten them
any more if I wanted to,
so that's a little frustrating.
Also I feel like these leggings
pick up fuzz very easily,
I wasn't even around any fuzz
and somehow I have some fuzz on them.
So I didn't sweat a ton,
but I really don't see
any sweat marks on the leggings
so I feel like they're sweat proof-ish.
I wouldn't say completely sweat proof
because I'm not sweating buckets,
but, yeah, that's the update.
Now that we're done with first impressions
let's go over all the
details about these leggings.
Price of the leggings is $85,
which definitely hurts me
because we know how I like
my affordable active wear.
And shipping isn't even free.
Also, I ordered these leggings
the minute they launched,
literally within the
first 60 seconds, I think,
and mine didn't come for
like a week and a half
because the FedEx shipping got messed up
so they actually refunded
my shipping which was nice
but also this review should've been up
like, a week and a half
ago if it arrived on time.
So, I was a little sad.
So, yeah, Balance is
definitely a high price point
more than Gym Shark, more than Alphalete,
more than Buff Bunny.
I think this is the second
most expensive brand
I've ever tried besides Lululemon,
which, I don't know how I feel about it.
The fabric of the leggings is
90% polyamide, 10% elastane.
It feels really soft and plush,
kinda like a cotton-y knit material.
It's not quite brush, but
it does have the tendency
to pick up some fuzz and give
off a little bit of fuzz too.
As for pilling, I'm not so sure,
I feel like these could potentially pill.
These leggings could be
prone to pilling and snagging
so I would be careful.
I usually like to compare
my leggings to something
but it's kinda hard to
tell what these compare to.
They also have a very
unique diamond knit texture,
which just adds some
texture to the leggings
and a little bit of a unique feel.
I'd give these leggings
a medium compression,
they really don't squish
my butt down at all,
but they do kinda hold my legs
in and make me feel secure.
Now for some details.
As I mentioned before,
they have a really nice
diamond knit texture and
this diamond knit texture
is great for concealing imperfections
like cellulite and all that
and this adds some cute little details.
Most seamless leggings are just plain
so I definitely think
this is a little unique.
The waistband is a four inch, ribbed,
double thickness, waistband.
The waistband is not diamond
knit, it's just ribbed.
It feels a little more performance,
a little less fuzzy than the
actually legging material.
There's pretty good
compression in the waistband
but mine had a little bit of extra room
because I sized up to the medium.
And, the leggings are high waisted
and they hit me above my belly button,
which I think it the perfect
height for a pair of leggings.
The leggings are totally
a full length on me
and I'm about 5'9", so they actually hit
right at my ankle if not
cover my ankle a little bit.
As for logos, they have
their little triangle,
Balance logo embroidered into
the waistband of the leggings.
I like when the logos
are actually embroidered
into the fabric, I just think it seems
a little more luxurious
and it's less likely
to peel off with washes, obviously.
There was a little
stitching issue in the back,
and I know they had to
sew in a label somehow,
but I really didn't like
how you could see it
on the actual back of the leggings
because these leggings are $85,
so I don't really want any little threads
or anything to be showing.
I think they should try
and find a different way
to add the label into the leggings
that doesn't disrupt the
appearance of the outside
of the legging.
As for the seams, I had no
restriction at all in the seams.
It was very easy to move
around, to squat, to stretch.
I didn't feel any tightness
or that it was going to rip or anything.
The seams are also very
thick and look like
they're not going to have any
issues ripping or anything.
Now for sizing, these
are not true to size.
I was warned before to size up,
so I got the small and the
medium when I made my order.
And I tried to put on the smalls
for like a solid two minutes
and I really just couldn't do it,
I was getting frustrated
and was like whatever,
I'm just going to give up, I could barely
get them over my knees.
They were just really really tight,
it was not accommodating for bulkier legs.
I was also worried that
all of my pulling up
was going to damage the fabric
so I just kinda gave up and
then went with the medium.
The medium had much more stretch to it,
it was much easier to get on.
I had to extra material in the medium,
everything fit really
well, I could probably have
a little bit less room in the waistband,
but it wasn't gaping, I
just like my waistbands
really tight and snug.
I didn't get a ton of
waistband compression
just because I did do that size up.
I just wish their sizing
was a little more consistent
with their last collection
because I felt like their last collection,
sizing was very true to
size and you would think
that since they're the same brand
they would have very similar sizing,
so that could've thrown a lot
of people off with the order.
I have my measurements down below,
I'm pretty much universally a small,
I'm almost never a medium but I do prefer
the medium in these leggings.
A little sizing comparison,
so I have the waistbands
kinda lined up over here.
The small is on top,
and actually the waistbands
aren't that different.
I guess, if I sized down to the small,
I honestly wouldn't get
that much more compression
in the waistband.
As for their size range, they have
a pretty incredible size range.
I've also noticed that a
lot of their larger sizes
sell out very quickly,
so that's really telling me
that this brand isn't just
appealing to smaller people.
I think it's great to have a brand
that really accommodates a lot of sizes
and is flattering on all body types
because I do think these
leggings would be very flattering
any size you are.
Like I said, the diamond
knit texture hides cellulite
very well, so if you want
to cover up cellulite,
these leggings would be great.
As for sweat proofness, I did
sweat a little bit in the gym,
and I couldn't really see any sweat.
I probably wouldn't say
they're entirely sweat proof
because they do have a
kinda cotton-y type feel
but I think for moderate
workouts you're totally fine.
As for camel toe, I had
no camel toe at all,
there are no front seams,
I didn't have any fabric
collecting as like,
Barbie crotch area either.
That can tend to be an
issue in seamless leggings
and I didn't have that problem with these.
As for the booty scale, I
give these a medium to high.
The waistband snatches in the waist nicely
and it doesn't compress
your butt down too much
and also, it didn't give
me a lot of uni-butt,
which sometimes seamless leggings
can give you a lot of uni-butt,
if you know what I mean.
And, they're actually so stretchy
in conforming to your body
that I feel like I had a
little bit of booty separation,
so that you could definitely
see that there were
two butts, not just one.
In general, all of Balance's collections
have been very flattering on the booty,
so if you're into making
that booty look fire,
Balance, it's got you.
As for squat tests, I
give these a 9 out of 10.
I could start to see
a little bit of shadowing
at the bottom of my squat,
and this is a darker color so I suspect
in some of the lighter colors,
like maybe the amber or the topaz shade,
you might get a little
less squat proofness.
But, considering that these
were still pretty squat proof,
I bet that they would still all be okay
for squatting at the gym, just
if you're bring very picky,
they're not going to be %100
can't-see-anything opaque.
So, yeah, that's it on the leggings,
overall for the leggings
I really liked them,
I thought they felt really nice,
I just have a lot of seamless leggings
and I'm not sure that these impressed me
so much more than my
other seamless leggings.
I did like that they
felt very form fitting
and they also allow for a lot of stretch,
which I tend to like wearing
seamless leggings on leg days
so I don't like to feel
restricted in squats,
so I think it's great for that.
I think the diamond knit
texture is really unique.
I just personally don't
think they're so unique
that I would spend $85 on these.
I think you can get a lot
of great seamless leggings
for like, $40 dollar range or less.
But, if you want to indulge,
I still think this
collection is really great
and they have a lot of cute stuff.
As for the sports bra,
the sports bra is $50,
which is a lot for a sports bra.
The material is slightly different,
it's 93% polyamide and 7% elastane.
Some details of the sports bra,
it has a racerback,
spaghetti strap style shape.
It has the general bra shape
and then the little rib cage
band extends down a few inches
to kinda cover a little more space,
so it's more of a crop
top than a sports bra.
I think this is perfect if you don't like
having to double up with
sports bra crop top,
this is just kinda a longer sports bra.
The little below boob part is thinner,
it feels very similar
to the actual waistband,
except it's not ribbed and
it's a little less compressive
which I think a little more
compression and squeezing-ness
would be nice for under this band
because it would provide a
little more support to the bra.
The straps are adjustable
which I always like when
a strap is adjustable.
I tightened mine all the way
and it still didn't quite
offer me a lot of support.
So, I wish they were even a
little bit more adjustable.
This bra also has removable cup pads,
which you could see a little
bit when you're wearing it,
which I don't love, but it wasn't too bad
because of the texture and
the color, but, just saying,
it's not a totally
invisible pad structure.
And, like I said before,
they have the Balance logo
embroidered into the back of the bra
which feels very high
quality and luxurious.
I also have an issue with the
sizing on the sports bras.
On their little sizing
highlight on their Instagram,
they said that anything in a
32 range, from 32A to 32DDD,
should be a size small sports bra,
and I am on the high end, I am a 32DDD,
and this sports bra was too big on me.
I really should've gone down with the XS
because honestly, this sports
bra gave me zero support.
And step I took, we were jiggling,
so I would say if you wanted
more support compression
to size down, but honestly
I think size down anyway
because I also have a friend
who has a smaller chest,
she's a 32 band size too,
and it was also too big on her.
I don't love how you have
to size up in the leggings
and size down in the sports bra,
it's just a little weird to me,
but that's just how it is, I guess.
Like I said, it's very very low support.
I basically was pulling this
bra up every two seconds
and it wasn't doing my boobs any favors
in terms of looking nice.
I'm not really sure if it's
a sizing issue, like I said,
maybe I should be an extra small,
or it's just the nature of this sports bra
because no one said to size
down in the sports bra,
but I just really wasn't
getting any support from it.
So maybe the fabric is
just a little softer
on the sports bra and it's
just not as supportive.
For a brand that caters
to all size ranges,
I really think they should
try to make some more supportive bras,
maybe with a tank style strap
because the spaghetti straps
just really don't offer
a lot of support for larger chests
and if your going to make 3XL sizing,
you need to make a bra for people
who have larger chests as well.
Because this spaghetti strap,
just really wasn't cutting it for me.
I haven't purchased any
of their bras in the past,
but I did purchase it this
time and it just wasn't my fav.
All right, that's it for the
Balance Athletic Quartz review.
I hope you enjoyed this video.
I really think that Balance
is a really cool brand,
I like that they're
making their own designs,
they're really putting a lot
of thought into everything.
I think this collection
fell just a little bit short
to my expectations, I still
really liked everything,
but it just didn't wow me
like I was with the Kingdom collection.
Thank you guys so much for watching,
if you didn't already, please make sure
to give this video a
thumbs up and subscribe
and I'll see you next time.
Bye!
