Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest

Lately I have been fighting with my face, for some reason it has decided to erupt in acne and blackheads! Even though I am no stranger to a good facial, times are tough and I have resorted to doing more at-home remedies.
Once a week:

1.Fill half of a large pot of water
2. Bring to boil on your stove top
3. Stand over the pot, place a towel over you head a shoulders to trap in steam
4.Steam face for 10min
5. Turn off stove and remove hot pot to the back burner when finished!

*CAUTION* Be careful not to knock over the pot of water, you’ll seriously burn yourself. Never leave pot of water unattended or in the reach of children. Keep towel a safe distance from the eye of the stove or flame of a gas powered stove (you do not want the towel to catch fire). Keep your face at least 10 inches away from the steam, the closer you stick your face towards the pot the hotter the steam and I don’t want anyway to burn their face.
After I steam my face I’ll exfoliate and put on a mask. However with the severity of my blackhead problems I wanted to make sure I bought the mask that would save my budget as well as my face. Here are some in price order which I feel work well.

Cheap: DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask $38
For 4oz $38 is a steep price tag for this mask, however if your skin is sensitive I say give it a try because I will not over dry your skin. This mask feels wonderful on your face and does help clear out your pores. However like I said times are tough and footing a $38 bill made me not repurchase this product,

Cheaper: Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque $22
I recently picked this up while browsing a Kiehl’s store in NY. I especially like this mask because there is little to no smell and it leaves my face feel soft and refreshed. The texture of this product is divine and for the price, I think you get a fair amount of quality product (5oz). I have combination skin and feel like this gives me a perfect balance of cleansing without over drying

Cheapest: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque $4
I discovered this in a drug store when I was 13, it was a god send! For the price you can’t beat it. If you have dry skin I would stay away from this product, however for oily girls this is just what the doctor ordered!

-Vic

Bronzed Goddess Part III - Too Faced Sun Bunny

Hi Y'all! It'a Lola checking in to give you the latest installment of Bronzed Goddess. Today the spotlight is on Too Faced.  I have mixed feelings about Too Faced. The line evokes a sense of glamorized glitterati Hollywood style that borders on (or possibly is) over the top and tacky. It's the makeup equivalent of big-haired, bleach blond woman who over did it with the self-tanner and wears gaudy costume jewelry and oversized Chanel sunglasses. Whatever. It doesn't mean that the products aren't good. To be honest though I have barely dabbled in Too Faced. I got a few items on sale a while back at TJ Maxx and I wasn't impressed. I ended up giving most of the products away. Anyway, I digress. Back to bronzers. Too Faced has a pretty decent selection of bronzers. There's Snow Bunny, Beach Bunny, Leopard Pink, the new Chocolate Soleil and Pure Bronze bronzers and of course, my newest aquistion, Sun Bunny.

I'd swatched this product in Sephora and always thought it was too light. Even when I thought the darker half might work, I was really turned off by the lighter half, figuring that it would definitely be too light and therefore a waste of my money. But I recently got a sample of Sun Bunny with a Sephora.com order and was very impressed, enough so that I went out and got it.

First let me say that is you look anything like me or Victoria, this product won't make you look bronze. It has golden/gold undertones. So if you aren't down with that, oh well I guess. But if you are interested in being a Golden Goddess, well look no further. Sun Bunny is gorgeous product with a beautiful sheen and light reflecting property.  You want to be light handed with this one otherwise you'll look indescribably odd.  I recommend using this product over a matte or semi-matte bronzing powder to get the best effect.  I've been using the darkest shade all over (excepting the forehead) and the lighter shade all over the cheeks and to highlight.  I have to say that the lighter half is my favorite part of the duo.  Also, please note that the product is a bit darker than it appears in this picture, just a bit, not substantially darker.  

Let me also add that I don't buy or review bronzers that I don't like, so if you see a post about it you can trust that it is certifiably Coco approved. 

And to all of my lighter lovelies, please do checkout TF Chocolate Soleil Bronzer.  It smells like real cocoa, and its pretty, it just didn't work for me. 

One last note (I swear I am done after this!):  Victoria and I just want to thank you all for visiting our blog.  Please feel free to leave comments.  We love to feel loved.  The End. 

- Coco 

 

Unnecessarily Rococo Bras !

Ok so I love items that are decadent but unnecessary, hence “unnecessarily Rococo”. We all have been graced with breast both large and small, so why not cover them in a nest of silk and satin?,Last summer I ran across a brand from the UK called Mimi Holliday (yes a double L). These bras are tame and tantalizing, and dare I say comfortable. They come in a variety of sizes from A to E (I myself am a 32dd and find them super supportive) so there is something for everyone. The only problem is that these bras are about $85 in the few US boutiques that carry them. However sometimes websites based in the UK have sales that are so delightful, that an overseas purchase including shipping (about $12) and the exchange rate still make the bras an excellent deal. Below are my favorite websites both US and UK. If you are feeling overly decadent give these bras a try. And for more luxury bra finds look at these blogs for updates on the latest sales and collections.

www.damaris.co.uk/ (this is the official site)
www.boudiche.com/
www.petite-coquette.co.uk/
www.thelittleflirt.com/
www.becheeky.com/
www.knickersblog.com
www.coco-de-mer.com
www.atropicalaffair.com
www.glamorousamorous.com

Contest Winner

So I know everyone thinks Coco probably forgot about the contest! But she didn't, just been a tab busy. However if Ms. christihippekip still wants the eyeshadow, just let Coco know! Because you are the winner!! Yay!

Bronzed Goddess Part II - Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzers

It's Lola back again for another installment of Bronzer Goddess.
As some of you may know, Bobbi Brown released six new bronzers in her Illuminating Bronze Collection. In addition to the six new shimmery bronzers is a new bronzer brush, a body bronzing brush and a new Limited Edition Shimmer Brick For Body. None of the latter interested me, especially because Bobbi Brown brushes are so expensive. But when I overheard a BB SA mention new, shimmering bronzers I ran to the mall the very next week to check them out.

I ended up with Aruba, Bali Brown, Bahama, and Barbados.

Here's a pick of all of my new lovelies with Bobbi Brown's Deep and Dark bronzers thrown in:

First Row From Left To Right:Dark, Deep, and Bahama (#7)
Second Row From Left To Right: Aruba (#4), Bali Brown (#5), and Barbados Tan (#6)
(My pictures are a little dark, but I did the best I could.)

I like these bronzers A LOT. They are soft and subtle with varying degrees of shimmer and sparkle. Aruba being the lightest [of the ones I purchased] gives a nice golden glow highlight to the cheeks and high planes of the face. The other bronzers I use all over with the #44 Sephora Bronzing Brush (avoiding the forehead). Bali Brown is deeper and redder than Aruba and has the most amount sparkle of any of the four. In fact the others don't have sparkle, they have shimmer. There has been some likening of this one to MAC's Refined Golden, but this shade has a deeper color, more color, and more sparkle. I like it better than Refined Golden, which I don't own, quite simply because I don't like it. Honestly the sparkle of Bali Brown could prove to be too much for some. Barbados Tan is very much like Bali Brown except that it is slightly redder and has doesn't have the sparkle that Bali Brown has. Instead it has fine shimmer. And Bahama is the darkest and brownest of them all with golden undertones and soft shimmer.

There are also two pink bronzers in the collection. If you are interested in one of those, I would suggest Maui for Women of Color. It would be nice for a pop of color on the cheeks. I passed on Maui because I felt it was too subtle in color for my skin tone. Instead I use NARS' Torrid Blush (Check out the NARS Blush Post for a picture) for a similar effect.

If you are interested in these bronzers (and you should be) the word on the street is that there'll be a Bobbi Brown 25% Off Sale going on June 9th-11th.

Stay Lovely!
-Mme. Lola

Bronzed Goddess Part I - Stila Sun Comparison Pictures

I love bronzer. No, I don't think you understand, I LOVE BRONZER. Now I think you get it. I'm already brown for sure, but brown people need bronzer too and goodness knows I have a lot. It is nearly that time of year, summer is around the corner, and bronzers are everywhere you look and we here at Everyday Rococo have got your back.

Recently a Specktralite asked me about Stila Sun Shade #3. It is a discontinued shade that I absolutely adore. I promised I would take a picture and as I am a chica of my word, here it is:

L to R: Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Deep, Stila Sun #3, Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Dark, and NARS Casino

I tried to get really accurate lighting, and this is bathroom lighting without flash, I believe. Either way, I feel it is pretty true to color. I didn't do arm swatches because in the past have never had much success with those. They always come out too golden and too light, but I have a new camera now, so I may give it another go.

So some words about the fabulous Stila Sun #3. It's semi-matte meaning that the base of the powder is matte, with very little shimmer so it's okay to use all over the face. It's a deep brown, so it's great for Coco Sisters like myself, and it has the perfect mix of golden undertones with a hint of red. On either side of the Stila Sun #3 are my two Bobbi Brown Bronzers, also wonderful in their own way. They'll have an entire post dedicated to them, so don't worry, just stay tuned. As I mentioned before, this shade is discontinued, but it is very easy to find. I have seen it a the Cosmetic Company Outlet and it can be found at Strawberrynet and fragrancex.com

I know if you are like me, you need some idea of what the reviewer of a product looks like to know if a product is going to remotely work for you, so here a photo of me (Mm. Lola):


In MAC foundations I am NW45 more often that not, Real Cocoa in Prescriptives formulas, Warm Walnut/Walnut in Bobbi Brown shades, Almond in Becca's Foundation Stick and 120 Watts/Shade M in Stila products.

Alright, I hope that was helpful.

NARS Blushes - Coming Right Up!

I recently received an personal message on Specktra asking for NARS blush advice. That sparked this post. I love love LOVE NARS blushes and Victoria will say the same; they are amazing in terms of quality and pigmentation. Most of the shades only need a light swipe of the brush. A few of the other shades you do have to work a bit harder with (namely Dolce Vita, Torrid, and Amour) but the results are well worth it. So here are a few pictures of my NARS blush collection:


Top Row from L to R: Taj Mahal, Taos, Mounia
Bottom Row from L to R: Amour, Dolce Vita, Outlaw


Top Row from L to R: Silvana, Exhibit A, Crazed, Lovejoy
Bottom Row from L to R: Albatross, Torrid, Constantinople (Cream Blush)

Now the one and only down side to NARS blushes is that they are relatively expensive; try $25 on for size, but you will probably never hit the pan on any one of these, so consider it an investment. It's an added bonus that I scored most of my collection BOGO last year when a New England based beauty chain stop carrying the brand. Holla!

My absolute favorite neutral shades are Amour and Dolce Vita. They work well for everyday and layered with other colors. Crazed is a great hot pink with shimmer, it's gorgeous. It and Dolce Vita are probably my #1 and #2.
Taj Mahal is definitely super unique and a must have. Exhibit A looks scary but is most definitely wearable; It's really similar to MAC's Devil blush (there is a comparison photo of them on this blog, just click the "CARGO" link in the sidebar to see it).

Both Outlaw and Torrid are fairly subtle, and if you have to pass on anything, I'd pass on those too. Silvana gives a nice sublte tawny sheen to the skin, while Albatross is the world's most universal highlighter.

I don't want to give a run down on every one of the blushes, but just ask if you want furter details or a skin swatch of any of them, although I don't have the best of luck photographing those. I do need to add that Taos is a little more tomato-y and less orange in real life.

- Mademosielle Lola.