Welp, it happened. It took until flying through Minnesota on Saturday evening: I saw snow for the first time this season. I knew I couldn’t avoid it for much longer. So, I suppose it’s no longer “too early”, and it is time for me to stop being in denial, and start talking about winter snowy fun time + base layers.

One of my favorite full-priced purchases from last winter was the Drift Ski Base Layer set by Sweaty Betty. SB comes out with a few fun and mod matching sets each season, and I’m predictably indecisive on which set I’ll get. I consider it a treat yo self seeing that I’ve find myself working in the mountains for a few weeks each January. Beanies & snow pants galore, but something’s got to go underneath!

2018’s lineup from L-R: Festive Star, Ski Betty and Union Jack.

I found two of the three (Stars & Ski Betty) in the SB shop on 5th in NYC last week, and was able to give them a try. As you can tell by the absolutely cheesy grin on my face, I fell in love with both.

Want to save a few $$$? Early bird gets a discount… for now.

Sweaty Betty is temporarily offering a $35 discount if you go all in on a matching set. I don’t know how much longer the offer will last, and don’t recall there being such a discount when I purchased my Drift set in January. I reached out to Sweaty Betty to ask, and their reply:

Hi Katy, Sorry I’m not able to share exact dates but it is a limited offer that isn’t on forever 🙂

If you want to save 1 Jackson + 3 Lincolns, best to pull the trigger on yours soon.

Sweaty Betty Festive Star Base Layer Set ($105/piece, $175/set)

This set reminds me of a shirt I had back in college from Armani Exchange that was one of my go-to ‘going out’ tops. It was a black short sleeve with a bold asymmetrical star design in white and gray, just like this top. It was my absolute f*cking favorite. RIP, Going Out Top. It saw far too many frat parties in its life, but I digress. (Un)fortunately, I cannot readily find any photos from college in which I am partying in this top.

While ‘seamless’, there is definitely some action under the hood with the SB base layers that add a little bit of bulk. In order for the pattern to remain crisp, colorful and clean, there are a lot of interchanging fibers in the weave that increase how thick these layers feel.

The pattern is all over the front and back of the long sleeve, so it didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary. However, I did notice it a bit in the tights. The star pattern extends much further up one leg, so the other quad feels a bit sparse in comparison to the left.

Sweaty Betty Ski Betty Base Layer Set ($105/piece, $175/set)

I forgot to snag a photo of what the Star set looked like inside out, but I did take one of what the back of the houndstooth pattern looked like in the Ski Betty set:

It’s pretty busy under there. In this set, I did feel like I had to avoid catching my face/jewelry/feet on loops when taking both pieces on and off. Also, it’s worth the useful note to let you know that the tights on Sweaty Betty’s base layers are a very high rise.

IMHO, excellent for keeping the warmth in and the snow out, whether you’re zipping down a double black or face planting into a snow bank along the side of a green circle.

I went into the fitting room hoping for some clarity on which set I loved more, but I still ended up Belgian about it (read: waffling). I didn’t make a purchase that day, and posed a side by side poll on my instagram. The stars won 75% of the vote, but I still can’t help but love on the slimming symmetry of the Ski Betty set, especially in the rear view.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS. Either way, These sets are a wonderful breath of fresh air and sporty style into what can be a boring technical component of a ski outfit.

While the models in the marketing materials are out in the snow and sitting on skis, don’t go thinking these are sassy new snow pants. You still need something to layer over this set, because while warm, these pieces are not water or wind proof.

But, you know what they are? REALLY SLICK AND FLATTERING AND THEY MAKE ME HAPPY.

Pardon me but I need to go figure out which set I want to snap up before that $35 off deal makes like that cute guy you went on 3 awesome dates with and goes POOF into the cold wintry night.