Protecting Your Investment: Caring for your LuLaRoe Leggings, correctly.

In today's world of controversy and argument, there is one simple fact that I am fairly certain we can all agree on; LuLaRoe is not cheap. Whether its that $75 Mimi, the $65 Amelia, or the $25 leggings, the prices add up. So it seems rather straightforward that you would want to protect your investment by following the care instructions on the label.  Unfortunately, it works out that not all of the labels say the same thing, so its easy to mix-up how to properly care for some items.  

This post is going to focus very specifically on the famous 'Buttery Soft Leggings' that drew us all into the company to begin with. 

I'm sure most of us are familiar with this label:

(After all, it haunts us in our dreams, right? Just me? Oh, ok...)

But lets get real for a moment.  These labels are like the twitter of care instructions.  There is only so much space to put the information that you need most urgently to prevent irreversible damage.  It says it very clearly.  "Hang Dry, Or you'll be sad."

I don't know about you guys, but I have been on the receiving end of the phone call from the husband that said "Um... I accidentally put your leggings in the dryer..."

HORROR!!!!!!!!!!

But when 'BASIC' instructions aren't enough, how DO you protect your investment?

1. Commit to taking care of them. Within a few weeks of first falling in love with LuLaRoe, the odds are heavily in favor of the fact that you will own enough LuLaRoe to consistitute them being in their own load. Accept this, embrace it, and you will greatly enhance the life of your leggings. 

2. Understand that water temperature is not the only variable on your washing machine. Modern technology has given way to the point of 'Smart' technology even in washing machines. So while the care tag DOES say wash cold, it does not specifically indicate to use a gentle or delicate cycle.  Why a delicate cycle?

A delicate cycle usually lasts between 4 and 7 minutes during its actual wash cycle, utilizing a 'slow agitation and slow water removal cycle'. This reduces agitation and abrasion on the clothes, and protects the more delicate fabrics. The drawback, is though it is less abusive, and more protective of the leggings, it also offers a slightly diminished level of clean overall.  SOMETIMES this cycle alone will not be adequate enough to get your clothes entirely clean.  Use your best judgment.

Example? My darling little choked on his bed-time bottle and threw up ALL OVER ME last night.... 

That outfit is absolutely being washed on 'Normal'.

3. Detergent choice is as important as each of the other choices. LuLaRoe didn't get their 'Buttery' leggings nick-name by accident. They truly are silky smooth and soft as butter (who among us hasn't smeared butter on our legs in comparison?! Just kidding. Right?) The problem is KEEPING THEM that way, wash after wash.   I have found detergent makes a big difference in that regard. 

My go to detergent is Woolite Dark.  Why Dark? For me its because I typically wear bright, vibrant, colorful patterns - most of which are jewel toned. The dark helps to prevent fading.  Alternately, there is an 'extra delicate' version of Woolite which is even better, but harder to find. 

Either one is more than adequate, and makes a significant difference in the feel of the fabric after it is washed.  If you are going to pay $25 for a pair of leggings, spend the few extra dollars it takes to PROTECT them and make them last.  This ties into #1.  Commit. If they're in their own load, then a bottle of detergent is going to last for a while.

4. Fabric softener.  I never really bought into the hype of fabric softener before because I had dryer sheets and wool balls I would use,  which seemed adequate, but as the cold, dry winter months began, I was noting a lot of static cling building up my leggings, and I couldn't dry them to be able to get rid of it! So I bought and used Fabric Softener.   That's when I learned something really important. Its not just fabric softener, its fabric CONDITIONER.  Why is that important? For pretty much the same reason we condition our hair.  The silky-smoothness that follows a good condition. 

Straw you say?

Not all Fabric Softeners are created equal.  They're designed to 'burn off' from the heat of the dryer, but since you are not drying the leggings, it is important to use less than you would for a typical load, by about half, and make sure you find one that is not scented.  The detergent is already scented, and you will be very potently scented if you use both.  I am partial to Downy Free and Gentle. 

5. Drying Matters. A lot. When it came to drying, my problem was SPACE. I *wanted* to hang dry them... I did, really. But I couldn't hang them up in my closet with all of my dry clothes, and my bathroom was crowded enough as it was. Or, I would run out of time, and realize at 10 o'clock at night that the leggings I really wanted to wear the next day were in the wash.  So I would break down and cheat at times, using the 'gentle cycle' to dry.  It was low enough heat and agitation that I can honestly say I did not notice any immediately detrimental effects, however I do feel that over the long-term it started to break down the fabric a bit and they were not as soft as they should have been.

But then I discovered this, and it changed everything:

This is a drying rack from Amazon.  I can hang all of my leggings on it to dry, and when they're done, typically by the next morning because they're spaciously laid out, and I use low water cycles, it folds up flat and tucks right in between my washer and dryer. Game Changer. 

It might seem like a lot of information just to take care of a pair of leggings, but the culture of LuLaRoe is such that we invest ourselves into the clothing. We spend hours hunting down that perfect 'Unicorn' print, and by wearing them, put ourselves on display (I never would have know how much my friend was obsessed with giraffes until she relentlessly hunted down giraffe leggings!) But your best self forward, and protect that investment, prolong their life, and prevent pilling and fading.

Like my Post? Love LuLaRoe? Join my group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/LulaRoeChristinaLindsay/

To Hostess....... or not to hostess.

If you are like me, you're in about 50 LulaRoe groups. After all, that's how you see the freshest of the fresh inventory, right? In order to have the best chance at finding your Unicorn?

But, if you're also like me, you have that "ONE" Consultant who is your go-to person, the one who answers your questions, matches things into outfits for you, problem solves if there's a problem elsewhere, and so on.  Maybe its a friend, or a friend's friend, or possibly even a family member, but there's a high likelihood that whomever that "One" is for you, they have asked you to be a party hostess.

We aren't talking Twinkies here people!

Why is it important for Consultants to have hostesses?  That part is fairly obvious. You host a party, you invite friends and family members to join their group, and that increases the audience for the consultant. It brings them business, not only for the current sale, but future sales as well. Its how we get our name out there. 

What's LESS obvious, however, is how incredibly fun and beneficial it can be for YOU, the hostess.

I have been a long-time Lula-lover, and have been approached by MANY consultants asking if I wanted to host a party.  Now, LulaRoe Hostessing isn't quite like party-hosting of yester-years. While the opportunity is present to have 'in-home' LulaRoe parties, when you are approached by a LulaRoe consultant online, it is typically for an online party within their group.

As I said, I was invited many times to be a hostess, and declined, many times.  I didn't think I had enough friends or family that would be interested to  make it 'worth it' to hostess a party. I didn't want to disappoint my favorite consultants! Then one day I got a friendly little pop-up message from my personal favorite Consultant, LulaRoe Vanessa Shields. She was super "No Pressure". 
I think her actual message was something along the lines of "Hey, I have one more spot open for a Hostess next weekend that I really wanted to fill. Want to give it a shot?"  Um..............Sure why not. What's the worst that could happen?

Turns out, I had NO idea what went into being a hostess, but Vanessa made it super FUN for us.  She has a fabulous little group called Hot-Shot Hostesses, which she added me to. The group was fantastic. It  provided frequent, but not overwhelming or overbearing reminders and timely notifications of great little tips on how to have a 'successful' party.  It kept me focused without fear of failure. 

I created interest by sharing pictures of myself wearing my beloved LulaRoe on my wall., then  put a shout-out up for friends that loved Lula to come shop my party. I added the people who responded into the group. Simple enough! 

For real though... no pressure!

The night of the party was when it got really super fun.  Vanessa told me that what I put into it, is what I would get out of it, and she wasn't kidding.  Once the albums loaded, I started going through and seeing what spoke to me, not for ME, but for the people that I had invited.  Pregnant friend?  Nicole dresses are SO cute and comfortable! New to LulaRoe? You cannot possibly go wrong with their super soft leggings. Know what color palates they like? Even better!  The tip was ENGAGEMENT with your friends.  I had such a fun time making "outfits" and tagging different styles that I thought my friends would enjoy, and even being surprised by some of their choices.  

All in all, I spent a few hours cumulatively promoting, inviting, and participating in the sale.  But the pay off? So worth it! 

I had been super worried that I would be a disappointing hostess, but the amazing thing about LulaRoe is that it really sells itself. The quality and comfort of the clothes is known. People that love it, already LOVE it. You don't have to SELL it.  My party was crazy successful, with just the handful of people I had invited.  So when it wrapped up?  Bring on the hostess rewards!!

For every 10 items purchased with my name as hostess, I got a FREE ITEM.. Not just leggings. 

Literally ANY free item in her inventory.  

And we all know some items can get super expensive!  But even better than that, once I sold ten, then I got to split the rest of the nights sales that were not attributed to a specific hostess, with the other hostesses for reward credits.

All in all, my few hours of "working", aka having a blast, ended up getting me SIX free items.  This was huge! Especially since I was trying to curb my Lula-Spending.

Can you imagine my excitement when all of this showed up?!

You know what I discovered?  Its a lot easier to try out that style that has been tempting you aren't actually paying for it. I got to experiment, at no cost to me, and as a result, found out that a Mimi is just as soft, versatile, and amazing as everyone says.  And Nicole dresses are SUPER flattering on fluffy bodies! It would have taken me a while to work up the courage to try one out at retail price.  And my daughters had been begging me to let them get some leggings.  I'll just tell you its a lot easier to trust your kids with leggings that require care when they were free to begin with!

So next time you wonder whether or not being a hostess is fun? Yes, it is.  

Should you do it? Yes, you should.  

Will your consultant blame you if no one buys anything? NO!  

Will your family hate you for pushing clothes on them? NO! Because you aren't pushing, you're inviting them to see what it is you love so much, and maybe try it out for themselves.  

You never know when you might inadvertently change someones life, just by inviting them to a party. 

Love LulaRoe? Join my group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/LulaRoeChristinaLindsay/

Lula-Bound!

So as most of you know, my pregnancy with Jackson was incredibly difficult on my body. Which was followed by a more difficult hospitalization and NICU stay.  During the course of all of the trauma and stress, I gained a lot of weight. So much in fact, that I was no longer comfortable in my body. While I've been working on losing it, I became more focused on being OK in my own skin.

Since I had next to no clothes that *actually* fit, I was having a really hard time accomplishing this. It was so bad, that I alternated essentially the exact same four outfits to work every single week. And some of those were starting to become so threadbare that they were no longer functional. 

My darling husband insisted that the time had come where I had to find new clothes for myself, so I started shopping. Stores were overwhelming. Things I like didn't fit. Things that fit made me feel frumpy and old.  Nothing I wore made me feel like "ME". 

Until, one fateful day last year where a good friend invited me to join a group for a clothing company called LulaRoe.  I had never heard of it, but I joined, and they had some REALLY cute stuff! I bought my very first two articles of clothing; an Azure skirt, and a pair of leggings.  I wasn't sure about the leggings. I mean, I'm a pretty curvy girl, and I've seen the memes.  Fluffy people don't wear leggings.

But, then I received the cutest little package in the mail, with the sweetest card written out, and I tried them on. I couldn't believe how comfortable they were!!

Even my son seemed to love the buttery-soft feel of the leggings. 

From then on, I was hooked. Over the following months, I proceeded to completely replace my wardrobe. I found beautiful, colorful, COMFORTABLE clothes, that really let me express myself.  I was no longer hiding behind 'slimming' panels, and all black, hoping to blend in.  

I started trying different styles, and watching videos to learn how to accessorize what I was wearing, or re-purpose an article of clothing.  I figured out pretty quickly that I was having fun with clothing now.  I was, finally as comfortable in my skin as I was in my leggings!

From there, I started noticing that some of my friends around me were in pretty much the exact same position I had been in previously, and I began introducing them to the wonderful world of LulaRoe. In that process, I realized that this was something not only that I LOVED, but that I BELIEVED in.

It wasn't that big of a step to decide that this was something I not only wanted, but needed, to be a part of. So.......

I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have officially joined the queue to become a LulaRoe Consultant. I am beyond excited to take this journey, and know that the first step is one of many.