After weeks of being bombared with TikTok ads for Halara clothing,I finally broke down and decided it was time to do a formal review on them for you guys.
As with all my brand reviews, this is 100% not sponsored. I used my own monies (almost $100 to be exact) to test out these TikTok-famous dresses and activewear. Keep reading for my honest The Halara reviews!
I Tried Halara So You Don’t Have To (Honest Halara Review) 2021
This is part of my Saw It On Social series where I review Insta-famous brands and give you the real tea. Find more past reviews here.
What I Ordered From The Halara Clothing
I got free shipping with my order since it was almost $100 for the 3 pieces.
First Impressions From The Online Site
As with most fast fashion companies, my first impression was “wow, what a bunch of skinny women.” I will give Halara credit for featuring black and brown models front and center, but all of their ads on TikTok and their models are size Small, thin women.
There’s a lot of fatphobia and racism with fast fashion stores these days. As always, I’ll never stop advocating for truly diverse representation. Halara, let’s see some plus size babes on the front page ok?
I also knew from poking around the price points is that my main goal from this would be to determine if Halara makes the same quality materials as a company like Outdoor Voices, since their price point is kinda high and closer to OV prices. Or, are they more like an Old Navy? If that’s the case, they are overpriced. Over $40 for a pair of leggings is too much unless it’s top-shelf made with recycled material like my favorite place to shop activewear, Girlfriend Collective.
I picked out a top, leggings and the famous Halara dress and checked out. It was a secure checkout process, which was great. I still didn’t give them a real phone number, though.
First Impressions From Physically Trying The Clothes
My estimated delivery time was 11-14 days. I placed my order on September 3rd and it arrived on September 13th, so the shipping was pretty fast.
The products arrived and I immediately put them on. And, it wasn’t what I expected….
Halara Activewear Reviews In My Feels Tank Top
So, first I tried on the In My Feels Tank Top. This is a mix between tank tops and sports bras. I love to wear tops like this with high-waisted pants and skirts and I don’t have one that’s white so I thought this would be great.
First impression was the fabric was really soft and stretchy, which I love. But the top is a bit tight. I can fit into it but it’s just tight enough around my rib cage it was a bit hard to breathe. As a reminder, I ordered their XL, their largest size, but this fit more like an L. It is a really nice tank top, though, and if it were a size bigger I would keep it.
Halara Leggings Reviews Everyday Leggings
A true test is if you can make good black leggings. They aren’t that hard. But Halara F*d their leggings up. I ordered an XL which they consider to be a US 16 on the leggings. I can’t even pull the leggings up past my tighs.
Normally I wear a US 12 or 14, so these are 100% not a 16. These have to be a size 8 or smaller leggings. I have no tolerance for companies who refuse to size their pieces honestly and it’s frustrating these leggings run so incredibly small.
Halara In My Feels Dress Review
The everyday dresses are the ones taking over the internet! They are basically dressed with tennis skirts / skorts ( shorts underneath). It’s the perfect dress for summer since you don’t have to worry about flashing anyone.
Just like with the top and leggings, this dress runs really small. It hugged me too tightly and isn’t at all flattering. The material is really stretchy, which I liked and I knew it would be a comfy tennis dress if it actually fit correctly.
It is a thicker material (more like what a swimsuit feels like but with a few layers) so you can’t see underwear through it. But it also may be a little too thick on hot hot days. No loose threads or anything, so that was a good sign. Plus, I liked the pocket on the shorts.
Some people say the Halara dress dupe is spot-on for Outdoor Voices’ activewear dress. My official Halara dress review? It’s cute. But not like Outdoor Voices because the size chart is all out of whack. Also, the cups built into the dress are a little wonky and lumpy. They may smooth out during the next wash though.
I can’t provide a Halara shorts review s I did not buy those.
A Closer Look At The Halara Clothing
A deep dive into the company!
Halara Sizing Review
Halara’s size chart is awful. On the Halara Dress, an XL is considered a US Size 12 ( wrong size, should be a 14) but on their leggings, an XL is a US 16. That experience makes it really hard for the customer to shop and shouldn’t be a problem that customers have to deal with.
And, when I got the clothes, what I thought would happen did happen: most things were too small and didn’t fit. Because they actually only go up to a US 10.
Halara Customer Service Review
Halara uses a Zendesk chat feature but nobody is actually there to chat with you. I have emailed the team to ask for a return but haven’t heard back from anyone yet. I’ll up date this post if I do hear back from them to let you know how that interaction is, but so far it’s not great.
Halara Return Policy Is Sketch
As with many of these overseas fast fashion companies, their return policy is sketch. You are required to email the customer service team first and they get to decide if your reasoning for returning items is valid. And they get to say no even if there are loose threads, the item looks different than it did online, or if the fabric isn’t what you expected.
I emailed them to return my whole order since everything was too small and haven’t yet heard back from them but I’ll let you know how it goes.
Halara Is A Dropshipping Company?
Free shipping on orders $49
Free express shipping on orders $159+
This messaging looks very similar to Shien... do my radar went off. Is this company owned by Shein? I did some digging and they aren’t owned by Shein. But I did discover through Halara clothing reviews Reddit forums have wrote stating that Halara is just a dropshipping company that sources all of its clothing from Aliexpress but marks up the prices.
I wasn’t able to quickly find the same dress on Alibaba but I also didn’t shift through the 65 pages of “white tennis dress” options on it. But, I would give a strong guess that they are a dropshipping company that puts all of its marketing dollars into original photos and TikTok ads.
Honest Halara Review – Are They A Scam Or Legit?
So, Halara is legit in the sense they skip pretty fast and seem to sell what they are actually selling online. Like, all the stuff I order from Shein doesn’t look like the photos online, but Halara clothing looks the same. So no, they are not a scam.
But, they aren’t for everyone. They aren’t for anyone over the size of 10 and I personally think you can find similar quality clothing at Target or Old Navy for cheaper. But, if you want a cute tennis dress and are small enough to fit into it, I think you’ll like the Halara Dress.
Tips For Buying Halara Clothing
That being said, Halara still is a Chinese company and you always have to protect yourself a bit when shopping those guys. (Actually maybe based in Hong Kong? A little hard to tell). Here’s my helpful tips:
- Do not use your real phone number
- Use a credit card that can protect you from fraud or return issues (not a gift card or debit card!)
- Pay close attention to the size charts for each individual item
- Look at past Halara clothing reviews from customers to verify fit
- Size up!
- Use your “spam” email address (not your main one) since they WILL send you a crazy amount of email marketing updates
Share this with anyone who is thinking about buying from Halara!
32 comments
I live in Costa Rica. I desperately need clothes. Shopping online is terrifying to me because I’m a plus-size woman. Can you recommend an online clothing company 4 plus size women that’s a good value good sizing
Thank you so much for this! I’ve been back and forth on the Halara site of should I bite the bullet or shouldn’t I. Until today I hadn’t seen anyone around my size (about a size 12 in US) review the items and the size chart made me so nervous with my measurements between the large and xlarge sizes on the chart. I’m so glad you mentioned returns!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!
Hi Kara! Any updates on the returns process? I’m considering placing a big order with them (ordering different sizes and keeping what fits and returning what doesn’t). I was curious if the return shipping goes to China? I probably won’t place the order if so, because I don’t want to spend a fortune on international shipping.
Never got the option to return my order lol! I tried and they kept skirting around my request and then I eventually gave up
I am having the same issues with returns 20 emails later with them trying to talk me into keeping my WAY to small items if finally have a address. I googled it and it is a residence so now I do not know if I should send the items back. Guessing I will never see my money returned.
Wow that is super sketch! I never was given an address, but yeah, I have a feeling if you send it there you still wouldn’t get a return. YIKES
For future reference just put in a dispute with your credit card company and they will refund you. This is why I always use my credit card for online orders, your protected from these types of issues.
I am a petite woman and I also have difficulty with size irregularities in xs/s. Customer service is frustrating and I am getting nowhere with them. I am about to deny the charge on my credit card. Infuriating waste of time.
I ordered from Halara after the same wear-you-down exposure. I needed some new leggings. I noticed right away the lack of size diversity on their website and did not approve. I usually wear around a 10 and ordered L. All 3 items were too small. After an exhausting few rounds of trying to return things, I got an email saying I could keep the items and they would issue me a credit of the same amount to get new things. At first I thought ok, that’s not bad (thinking I’d give my items to a smaller friend). But. . . now I’ve been scouring the not user friendly website and having trouble finding anything I would wear! And worried that their largest size (XL) is still too small. So I don’t know if this “credit” is actually going to work.
Thank you so much! I was looking at these same items, wondering if it would be worth it. Its so hard to tell just through their online pics.
Thank you, thank you for your honesty and transparency here! I was looking at this brand and had 4 items in my cart but I stopped and made the choice to do a quick google search on any reviews.. so glad I came across your page.
I am a curvy 24 year old who constantly struggles with online shopping because measurements across different brands is never consistent (as you mentioned as well).
I wish i had seen your post before i ordered about thing running small. I’m normally a 2 and
I ordered some of their sweatpants in a size small. They are so tight !! Ugh, i just emailed them
and requested a return so we’ll see what they say.
I ordered $104 worth of clothing. Orders over $100 were to receive a $30 credit, which I never received. Not the material I was hoping for. Kept tags on and placed back in bags after feeling the material and knowing it wasn’t what I was looking for. Emailed to return. They waited to respond til the day after my 14 days was up to tell me I was past the 14 day return period. I told them I wasn’t when I contacted them and that had they answered I would have returned them that day. They responded saying they would make an exception, for me to send description/info of items, pics, and reason. After doing so, they told me if I would just keep them and not return, they would give me $100 credit to order more from them. Since their product is not the material I was hoping for, this does not solve the issue. Very disappointing!
Hi. Thank you for the review. I have not received mine yet. They advertised on FB. I am of course, going to refuse them when they come. How did they charge on your card? What name did they use? I would appreciate this help as I want to know what to look for when the bill comes. I will notify my CC company and take the charge off myself. I hate these useless companies. When am I going to learn.
Hi Y’all, Tracy from Eastern Canada here. I am SO glad I happened to find this Halara review (thanks Kara for the pix & honesty of your experience PS: I absolutely LUV that pink locker furn item behind you, too cool 🙂 ) anyway, thanks for saving me a shopping/$ nightmare (that I so cannot afford to be out/ripped off), much appreciated. What is your recommendation for OVERALL BEST PLACE to shop online? I just have to express this: WOMEN ARE WOMEN WHEREEVER THEY’RE LIVING IN THE WORLD, WHY O WHY IS THERE NOT UNIVERSAL SIZING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!?? Frick, it would be amazing if this was the case, but COMMON SENSE AIN’T SO COMMON!! As is perfectly well proven in the world of shopping from one store to another! I just had to get that outta me…
Sadly I’m unsure even universal sizing would fix this issue, because women’s body types vary on a greater scale than men’s (some carry more weight in their thighs, booty, stomach, and/or boobs, bone structure varies wildly, etc.). But I do agree with your sentiment; there should be SOME kind of roughly standardized chart SOMEWHERE.
Hey Catharine! There is a more standardized chart out there – it’s what is typically used for men’s sizes and is based on actual measurements vs made up numbers or letters. While I agree it’s impossible to have ONE chart that fits all human bodies, a size chart that is based on measurements for women would solve a lot of the problems we are facing while shopping.
I just wanted to say that while I appreciate your overall message, BLM didn’t start when George Floyd was murdered, and will not end until there is racial/social equity for Black people built in to all of our society’s systems and structures. I think it would be better to say, perhaps, “after corporations jumped on the Black Lives Matter movement (whether it’s performative or not),” and I would recommend spelling it all the way out.
I should’ve honestly looked deeper into Halara before I bought from them, NOT just the reviews on the website.
I’m extremely suspicious they use some sort of AI to auto-generate reviews for their products. Take a look: a lot of their reviews were all posted on the same day, they’re all 5-star, and they’re so generic they don’t really tell you about the product at all. All point to auto-generation.
I will say, I bought two of their tennis dresses in a size S (I can be anywhere from an XS to a M in US sizing) and while it was snug, it did fit, and I liked the material enough I went and bought a pair of their crosswaist leggings in a S thinking they would be decent as well.
I should’ve read the size charts… And even if I had, I’m not sure the leggings would’ve fit me right. I can get them on and wear them, but compared to LITERALLY EVERY OTHER LEGGING PAIR I OWN (which are ALL Smalls, and all of them fit me), they were atrocious. A bit TMI, but if you have any sort of a**, they absolutely will not stay up. Sitting down is just asking for crack to show, and they slide down while walking. I don’t know what kind of model they used for their leggings, but they are absolutely not for a female who lifts in the gym and has quads/thighs/booty, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend the leggings (or this company) to anyone. Definitely go with the small business (I like Pursue Fitness, WodBottom and Buffbunny) if you’re looking to spend these prices on leggings and want good quality.
I ordered and had terrible trouble. I read the size thing so asked about changing. They replied they can but they don’t have 1 of my orders and can redeem me that money. The money NEVER DID show up .So this company has LIED . They sure can rip the money from account but never can give you it back can they. I want the products I paid for or want my money back . This is not right. Not a happy. Customer at all. Never ever going to order from this company again. Crooked and greedy as can be. Give me my 25 dollars you OWE ME….And send me the rest of the orders..
Thanks a ton for your review. I was LITERALLY in awe of all the leggings I saw on their website. I’m a plus-sized petite girl (5’0, typically wear a size 14/16). I think my height lets me get away with a lot of smaller-sized clothes, so I can be anything from a 12 – 16. But don’t let that fool you because I literally have to scour the internet for my wardrobe due to being plus-sized and short. And what’s worse is I really enjoy fashion.
I was initially disappointed that there weren’t petite sizes, but I get disappointed like that all the time. But then seeing their size charts, like a lot of other ladies above, I got confused. Now I don’t really know what my size is. I kept wondering, should I go XL or go into the plus-size section? I usually can wear both straight-sized AND plus-size clothing. The problem is plus size is even worse about offering petite sizing. They make longer inseams usually because they assume all plus-sized women are taller. However, you learn a trick or two being short and if I buy 7/8 leggings, they fit like full-length ones, and sometimes even still fit like 7/8’s! But again, seeing the changing size chart when it’s only one brand and the reviews here, I’m a little sketched out. I might try one piece and see how I like it before buying a haul, if I decide to do anything at all.
I’m in the process of returning a pair of pants I bought from them. I’m a medium (size 6) and ordered an M size pair of pants that are too long and more like an XS. They require you to email customer service to request a return and send a picture of the item with it, along with your reason for wanting to return it. I did this and received a response about a day later with a link to start the return process. There, you send the same picture, plus one of it in its original packaging (??), and again list the reason for the return along with your contact information. They call this an “application” to return an item. I submitted this yesterday. This morning, I had an email from them offering me a store credit but saying that if I didn’t want to take the store credit, they’d assist me with a return. I told them I don’t want store credit, I want to return the item and get reimbursed. Have not heard back yet. Very, very annoyed here.
Update: the following morning, I had a reimbursement from them from paypal. Didn’t have to return the item. Think I would’ve had to send it to China. Still don’t plan on ordering from them again.
I just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading how thorough and objective you are in you reviews. I love the body positivity<3
Just got 3 pair of extra large leggings-I wish I would have seen this first! I’m normally a size 10-12, and although I could pull the leggings up, I like to breathe more than I like the leggings! I’m not even going to try to return or get a refund, I’m just going to chalk it up to experience!
I find this soo interesting! I ordered from Halara last year…maybe in Sept 2021 ish, and I LOVE both of the pieces that I got. I got one of the dresses with the shorts underneath and a pair of shorts and I found both good quality and were fairly true to size. I’m about a size 6 and ordered small in both and they both fit perfectly. I was just thinking I’d order a few more things from there. Clearly not everyone has had that experience!
Thank you for posting an honest review. So glad I found this BEFORE I ordered….and I’ll be honest, they were wearing down my resolve and better judgement, and I was about to place an order. LOL. Thank you for saving me a lot of money and a lot of frustration trying to return items (not to mention, thank you for saving me from clothes that would have made me feel bad about myself for not fitting in.)
Have a super day!
Thank you for this honest review. I find so many of these clothing companies size everything too small so they don’t fit at all like the ad. And thank you for saving me the trouble!!!!!
Thank you so much for posting this review, it was so helpful!
Thank you. You saved me issues
So glad I found your site! Your reviews are great! <3
Thank you for your honest review, I stumbled upon this while looking for the Halra Canada Site So glad I did I will not be wasting my time. I am a plus size gal I need that XL and do not want to waste my time or have to send stuff back not knowing if I am going to get my money back bc of their bad sizing chart