Are $40 Target Active Leggings Worth It?

I tested out 3 pairs of Target active leggings, and I have the answer to the question, are $40 Target active leggings worth it?

I have been trying to make exercising more of a priority this year, so in March, I bought myself some rollerblades, and have been having a great time with them! Even though the weather here in Florida has been in the 80’s and 90’s, I’ve still been able to squeeze in 3 – 4 rides a week.

I only had 2 pairs of long active pants (long to cover my leg inside the rollerblade), so I needed to get a few more pairs.

A couple years back, I remember watching Good Morning America, and a segment about which store had the best quality leggings with the best elasticity, and it was Target, so I’ve been wanting to get my hands on some to try out.

Personally, I never purchase a clothing item that is $40 or near it! I am definitely a Ross and clearance type of shopper, but I was curious as to how good they really were, and was hopeful. I ended up purchasing…

These All in Motion Premium High Waisted 7/8 Leggings in Black, and paid $40 in store.

I also got this Knox Rose brand sweater on clearance during this visit. This is size Small. I have a 42″ bust, and while it seemed to fit wonderfully, you can see from some of my photos that it puckers at the underarms indicating it’s a little too small.

I also got these All in Motion Contour Flex Ultra High Waisted 7/8 Leggings in Black/Floral, and paid $35 in store.

And these All in Motion Seamless High-Rise Leggings in Charcoal, and paid $18 on clearance. I did not find them on the website.

I also purchased this All in Motion Essential Crewneck Short Sleeve Teal T-shirt you see during the same visit for $12 – it’s great!

Premier High-Waisted Leggings

These leggings are my favorite!

They fit fantastically, and really make me feel confident. They feel like cotton, and the compression is amazing. They fit the waist great, and compress the hip area as well.

I am usually in between a Ladies Medium and Large for bottoms. I bought the size Medium for the leggings. For reference, my waist is 36″, and my hips are 46″. Putting them on, the waist part seemed a little tight, which made me wonder if I should have tried Large, but after on, they fit perfectly.

They say high-waisted, but I find they fit more like mid-rise, and if you pull them up too high to where you think they should sit, it is not flattering. I always just check the mirror before leaving the house or bathroom just in case, but where they naturally sit is great.

They have side pockets, which is one of the things I was looking for. Phone fits on one side, and wall on the other.

I kept these leggings and wore them out rollerblading, but sadly, they only lasted four washes before they lost their elasticity. Nothing bugs me more than my pants falling, and having the tops of my thighs touch. I was so sad with these pants because they were the ones that I was the most confident with from this purchase, and the ones that fit the best of any that I’ve worn before. I was even tempted to go back, and get a couple more pairs of these, even though they were the most expensive, but I wanted to wait a bit longer to test them, and I’m glad I did.

Contour Flex Ultra High-Waisted Leggings

These leggings are soft and smooth, and I liked that they had pockets. If you’ve ever felt the active leggings from Academy Sports, they feel just like those. Phone fits on my side, and wallet on the other, though the fabric is not as tight to the body, so the pockets feel like they’re sagging a little.

I am usually in between a Ladies Medium and Large for bottoms. I bought the size Large for the leggings. For reference, my waist is 36″, and my hips are 46″. They fit well. Being in a more stretchy material, they had a tad bit more room in them than I would have preferred, and while they were comfortable, I definitely could have done with size Medium.

They say ultra high-waisted, and that they are! But lacking the compression I wanted so they don’t hide anything, but they aren’t revealing, which was more important to me.

I kept these leggings and wore them out rollerblading, but sadly, they only lasted four washes before they lost their elasticity. It’s weird because the waist seemed to still be great and kept in place, but the fabric from under the waistband is what kept falling, and I found myself pulling up the material around my thighs, rather than at the waist.

If you’re curious, the leggings I bought from Academy Sports that were similar to these, behaved in the same exact way and only lasted a few washes.

Seamless High-Rise Leggings

I found these leggings on the clearance shelf in this dark gray, and a black. They seemed to have really great compression, which is what I was looking for. Because of how tight they were, I got size Extra Large even though I normally wear a size Large in Ladies sizes. For reference, my waist is 36″, and my hips are 46″.

I’m a bit embarrassed to share photos of these leggings because I don’t know if you can tell or not, but they are not flattering and are a bit revealing. The only way I could have worn them would have been under a dress or tunic, and this is the reason why I returned them, which is a shame because…

… they fit so wonderfully, and hugged everything nicely. These say mid-rise, but they fit more like high waisted.

In conclusion, $40 active leggings from Target are NOT worth purchasing for only four washes and five wears. In fact, I wouldn’t purchase anymore active leggings from Target again with this experience, but I do really like the active t-shirt shown in this post, and plan to go back and get some more of those.

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