Skirt Sports Review & Giveaway: The Lioness Skirt

In celebration of Labor Day and the impending fall weather, I'm so excited to announce that I get to review and giveaway to one lucky winner their very own Skirt Sports Lioness Skirt!

Now, if you've read my blog or followed me on Instagram, you've probably heard me rant and rave about their Gym Girl Ultra skirt - my favorite piece of running apparel EVER (I mean, it literally changed my running life!). So needless to say, I have a TON of them. But when I found out I got to do a giveaway, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to branch out a little and try something new.

And what better to try, than the adorably cute Lioness Skirt:

(For more details, check it out on the Skirt Sports Website.

Seriously - I don't even usually like animal prints, but I LOVE how this one looks - so I decided to go for it (I think I just love how, because of the colors, it's not your typical animal print!). In order to review this, I went for an 8 mile road run, a 16 mile trail run/hike, and another 5 mile trail run - so I think it's safe to say I got a nice variety in before reviewing it. Here's how it panned out:

STYLE:

I kind of went over this already, but I think this is adorable. I'll be honest in that it's a little bit shorter than I typically like, but (and I'll get into this more when I go over the "fit" of it) I ordered a size up than I normally do and I do feel like it's a little bit longer (even though I don't know if it actually is - it's probably all in my head). The actual stats are as follows:

• Skirt length (medium): 12 inches on front; 13 inches on back
• Built-in shorties inseam (medium): 4 inches

The pleats are super fun and girly (and I'm really not even a "girly-girl" - but I love them - maybe I'm becoming one as my Skirt Sports wardrobe increases?!) and I love the color of the Safari print - but they also have various solid colors too if zebra stripes aren't you're thing:

 

FIT:

I'll let you in on a little secret: I actually tried this on in my usual Skirt Sports size (which is actually one size smaller than I typically get from other apparel brands - an Extra Small) about 6 months ago and wasn't super comfortable in it. Because it's shorter than the Gym Girl, they put the silicone grippers in the legs, which I didn't like - not because of feel, but purely for aesthetic reasons - I know I'll get crap for this, since I'm not that big, but...I felt like my leg fat stuck out from the shorts, making it "unflattering" (and because this is a shorter skirt - you see the shorts more than you do on the Gym Girl). However, after I returned it, I kept re-looking at it online and just couldn't get over how cute it was. So when I decided to give it another try, I went for one size up (or my "normal" size in other companies - a Small). And it's perfect. The waist is a little looser than my other skirts, but it comes with a drawstring, so I can always tighten it if I feel it necessary (although I haven't yet!).

So, my recommendation, if you're a little self conscious like me, is to order a size up. If not, go for your standard size - it did still fit that way - it was just for pure aesthetic reasons that I prefer the larger size.

 

FUNCTION:

Overall this skirt functioned great on the run! As I mentioned, I took this on both a road run (in VERY hot, 95 degree weather, mind you), and 2 trail runs (including a long one with lots of elevation gain and loss) and it worked out great. I didn't have any chafing issues or sizing issues. I'll be happy and confident to wear this to any race I do in the future!

I was also happy to say, I didn't have any issue with the plastic leg grippers - I had a skirt in the past with those and didn't really find them comfortable - but these were fine and didn't bother me one bit!

Here's some other miscellaneous stats on the skirt regarding function:

• Features Skirt Sports GoSoft (Skirt) and Endure (Shorties) Jersey fabrics with wicking properties
• Elastic Waistband and continuous drawcord puts you in control and keeps your skirt where you want it
• Built-in Shorties have UPF 50+ Sun Protection Properties
• Light-weight, thin 5/8" silicone dot grippers hold the shorties in place (what I was mentioning earlier)
• 3M Scotchlight Reflective Material elements for low light visibility; be safe, be seen!

The Lioness got me to the top of Imogene Pass (13,114')!

 

POCKETS:

With me and my obsession with pockets, I couldn't do a review without mentioning them (so they get an ENTIRE category!). And drum roll please... they didn't disappoint! Especially because this skirt has 3 pockets! My typical Gym Girl Ultra's only have the 2 total pockets (one on each leg), but this one has those same leg pockets AND a back zippered pocket - how awesome is that?! I love my pockets, so the more the merrier. And really, the back zippered pocket is perfect for a key or something you don't want to worry about losing! Here's what Skirt Sports has to say about the pockets:

• Zipper pocket on middle back of skirt secures your running essentials
• Built-in shorties have two pockets, one on each thigh to carry music system, nutrition (or in my case, my phone!)

The only thing I will say, is that since I have an iPhone 6 in the biggest Otterbox case offered - I do have to take a little bit of time getting it snug into the pockets - but it's not too bad, and once it's there, it stays put:

So there you have it - my review of the Lioness Skirt! It is probably going to be a new favorite! Enter below for your chance to win your own Lioness Skirt.

Please note: this giveaway is made possible by Skirt Sports; when you enter the giveaway through the widget below, you agree to the rules of the giveaway. Skirt Sports will collect the emails of all giveaway entrants (but you can later unsubscribe from future email communications). The value of the giveaway is $65 and sales tax, if applicable; the winner will not be required to make any payment. Should the winner choose a print that is currently on sale, they will not recieve the difference between the above amount and the actual cost of their product in any form (store credit, coupons, or otherwise). This giveaway ends at 12 a.m. (midnight) Mountain time on September 10, 2015. Open to residents of the United States only. Winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter and agrees to have their first name and last initial published on social media.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't want to wait to see if you won? You can buy one today at this link! Don't forget to use my Ambassador Code SSMAA20 for 20% off your order, and be sure to check out the patterns from last season which are on sale now!