Product Review: Denim Leggings

By Sabrina (Guest Blogger)

Hello, my name is Sabrina and, like Your Shopping Kaki herself, I’m also a self-professed shopping addict who experiences withdrawal symptoms when forced to survive for 3 days without making an online purchase. :P Withdrawal symptoms experienced by omniomaniacs like myself include:

• anxiety,
  
• mood swings,
  
• repeated refreshing of blogshops for updates,
  
• trembling fingers that impulsively type “free clothes for the financially drained” on Google search, and
  
• hibernation.

The peak season for the compulsions would be during the holidays, mainly because I get to wear all the pretty things that I’m unable to during classes, like dresses! (Each semester break I would accumulate so many dresses that I’d end up wearing once, if at all) One of my must-have staples is a good pair of leggings because I hate my legs my dresses are too short for my comfort. :D

Truth be told, I only have two kinds: plain black ones because they go with everything, and denim-printed leggings – all 3 pairs of which remain untouched because I couldn’t be bothered to experiment with them. When I got the denim-printed leggings from BlackMilkProject for this product review, I went through a labour-intensive process of having them tried on by different sized ladies, trying to figure out what best to wear it with, and stalking being on the lookout at malls for random wearers and seeing what works and what doesn’t.

Jeggings from BlackMilkProject - RM35 for one, RM60 for two!

So here’s my list of Do’s and Don’ts for this jegging-like item :D

Do’s

1. Repeat after me: these are not jeans, these are not jeans, these are not jeans...
2. Keep in mind that these aren’t for everyone. If they don’t flatter you, you could try some other trend that would fit your body type better :) If an outfit looks gorgeous in the glossy magazines but make you feel self-conscious and anything less than gorgeous, there’s no point!
3. Pair them with the right shoes. I’d say no to flip-flops (or bulky Crocs, haha!) because it might look a tad bit tacky. Try boots or a cute pair of ballerina flats.
4. Choose a darker wash if you’d like to give the appearance of slimmer legs (like the one I chose :P)
5. Have them in the right length. If you’re petite and it’s too long for you, consider getting the hem tailored because otherwise they’ll bunch together on your ankles.
6. Wear them with looser-fitting tops, like tunics or boyfriend shirts. This would balance the outfit better than wearing skin-tight tops with skin-tight bottoms – you’d risk looking like you’re wearing a two-piece leotard :P
7. Accessorize with a waist belt to cinch in your flowy top and accentuate your figure ;)
8. Wear them with confidence!
   

Worn with a long top

Worn with a tunic top

Don’ts

1. Do not forget this – repeat after me: these are not jeans! I’m being repetitive because it’s the basic fact to remember, and the basis of most of the don’ts. Check out the tights are not pants movement for some laughs!
2. Do not use them as jeans. Don’t wear them with anything short enough to reveal your booty! If you’d like to wear a top short enough to show off your amazing bum, go for your usual pair of jeans instead. Trust me, jeans are way more flattering for the rear end anyway (when I modelled them with a short top for my niece, she said “It’s nice! But cover your bumbum!”) No matter how gorgeous your figure is, you do not want to look like you left the house half naked.
3. Do not tuck in your top!
4. Do not wear them with dresses or tops that fall below the knees – it beats the purpose :P
5. Do not wear them if they keep slipping off you – I have a pair of black leggings with this problem and it was an absolute disaster having to run across the street looking like I was trying to keep ahold of my bladder! :D
6. Do not lend them to your significant others or brothers. Seeing Conan O’Brien in it was traumatic enough.
7. Do not fold them if they’re too long, or wear them with socks, or wear them with pantyhose (as my sister suggested to overcome a problem with this item) or wear them under denim skirts or shorts.
8. Do not be shy to flaunt them ;)
   

If your top is too short, even the gorgeous Kim Kardashian can't pull it off!

The Leggings

The many designs available on BlackMilkProject!

Size
It’s stated that it’ll fit a size UK6-UK12. I’m a UK8, and it fit me nicely. I knew it was stretchable but I didn’t want to confirm that it would fit other sizes without finding out for myself. Guess what ladies? A UK14 could wear this :) And she reckons that a UK16 could fit, too! Rejoice!

Material

I love how sleek the material is from the outside! A plus point is that it’s really light, so I can imagine it would be good for traveling. I brought it around in my tiny handbag with room to spare, in fact. On the downside, I must admit it itches from the knee down. The others agreed on this, too. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind it if you’re surrounded with things to distract you – like shopping or classes, but I don’t think it’s such a good idea for that awkward first date :P Level of itchiness: tolerable. Anyway, we’re girls. We can endure tweezing and threading and waxing and every other painful beauty rituals if they’re worth the outcome. If anyone knows how to work mind over matter, it’s us ;)

Length when worn (I'm 159cm)

Design

I chose one of the simplest designs - plain dark wash faux denim print – but there were still details like the zippers and heart patch on the back pockets, and even the belt loops and front closure and button! I’d say the designs at the top are more for personal satisfaction knowing you’re sporting a cute star studs (since they’ll be covered by your top) so if you want to show off more details and designs, you should try the ones with details from the thighs downwards, like the ripped rockstar ones. Whichever design you choose though, you can be certain that the attention to the fine points are immaculate. Someone even commented about finally seeing me in skinny jeans!

TTL prints & details :) - notice that it's seamless

Others

• I’m sure you ladies would love to know that this has been certified as VPL-free! Tried and tested on all body sizes. The material seems to smoothen out any unevenness, which is always a plus.
• The leggings are seamless, which is an advantage over the thicker jeggings if you’d still like to wear body-hugging tops. Jeggings have a much thicker band which sticks out like a sore thumb if worn with figure-huggers.
• I think getting the dark wash gives a huge advantage for versatility in the closet, but don’t limit yourself on account of my un-adventurousness in mix-and-matching! :P
• The waist comes up pretty high, which you can actually use for a wee bit of tummy control. Hey, don’t judge me, I’m just being resourceful :P
• It stays put throughout the day. Yay! No riding down in an awful attempt to unwillingly moon innocent bystanders. No trying so hard to be subtle about desperately doing pull-up diaper stunts in the middle of the mall when you hope no one’s looking.

Check out jeggings and leggings at BlackMilkProject. ;)
Leave your comments below to share your jeggified experiences & thoughts!

Happy Shopping!
Sabrina a.k.a. Guest Blogger for YSK
Edited by YourShoppingKaki :)