Man, do we love it when we get mail from readers.

Dear BS:

This is a bit random, but I’m looking for a new facial cleanser. I have some questions:

A) Do you wash your face everyday?
B) Do you cleanse, tone, and moisturize?
C) Which products do you use?
D) Do you think it makes a difference?

We have answers for this.

Read rest of story…

We’re so desperate for Reader Mail that we had to steal one from the comments area, from last week’s celebration of all things Korres.

Do you like the Korres primer better than Smashbox photofinish primer? I’m trying to decide which one to buy.

Unbelievably, we have a wealth of information available regarding this question—because primer is our favorite beauty product, and we own both of these, one Smashbox and the Korres as well. We also have an answer: They are quite different. The Korres feels to us more like a moisturizer, while the Smashbox formulation—at least our bottle of it—is quite dry. (It’s so dry that we’ve actually wondered if our bottle would have failed quality control.) What this means is that the Korres feels really nice going on, but the Smashbox looks like it more successfully evens our skin tone and minimizes pore size.

That said, we still go with the Korres. All Korres products are free of parabens and a grocery list of other synthetic things—Smashbox isn’t, as far as the website reports. We’ll say this: Under make-up, maybe we’d go with Smashbox, since it makes things all nice and even. As a one-step moisturizer/foundation/everything, Korres is our choice.

Smashbox Photo-Finish Color Correcting Primer, $38

Korres Face Primer, $28

In today's Reader Mail:

Hi Bunnyshop,

My brother is coming to visit me in Brooklyn next week and wants to go engagement ring shopping for his lovely girlfriend of five year. He is looking to spend $500 – $1500 (max $2000) for a vintage ring (diamond or not). Do you have any store recommendations? Thanks so much!

L.

Of course we love the Brooklyn question. And: We do! We hope. First, we started with our favorite ring designer on the planet, Melissa Joy Manning. This is just one of the ones we like, and well within budget. MJM white diamond oval ring, $690

According to her website, she's sold at the Clay Pot in Park Slope (which we will forgive for passing us over for a copywriting job.) They definitely do stock this one:

which was just in Lucky. MJM opal ring, $350

Supposedly she's also stocked at Jumelle in Williamsburg (148 Bedford) but their website isn't giving up much info.

Bird has shops in Park Slope, Cobble Hill, and Williamsburg, and they have great jewelry lines. Speaking of, they actually did hire us to do their copywriting, a million years ago, and they traded us Diane von Furstenberg dresses, which was a more than perfect arrangement. Sarah McGuire sapphire ring, $595

Cog and Pearl (190 Fifth Ave) might be too casual but it's our neighborhood go-to for indie jewelry designers.

Hmm. We just re-read the question and see now that it specifies vintage. Mm. Hopefully this is not a complete fail. if it is, indeed, vintage-only, we would start with that weird (but awesome) vintage store in Park Slope that's just south of Flatbush on Sixth Avenue, on the west side of the street. (Sorry, those directions kind of suck—but it's there.) We also hear very good things about Dolly G's in Williamsburg. And the Hooti Couture people (conveniently, right around the corner from the mysterious Sixth Avenue shop above, at 321 Flatbush) could very likely offer valuable advice here. 

Does anyone else have suggestions? Or! More questions! We love them! Email them to: thumper-at-bunnyshop-dot-org.

In today's Reader Mail:

Dear Bunnyshop,
Simple question—I need a sunscreen that won't make me break out. Advise!
Thanks,
S.

We have one equally brief answer: Juice Beauty's SPF 30 moisturizer. In general, we have come to one conclusion, and it is that moisturizers with SPF end up irritating our skin much less than regular sunscreens. And we are constantly irritated. Why, for example, do I have to wait to be "seat[ed] with my party" if there's only one of me? Where are you going to put me if she doesn't show up? In the kitchen? No. At the same two-top I'd be at if you just sat me now. Er, anyway: sunscreen. Moisturizer. Juice Beauty also is: paraben-free, organic, and "rich in vitamins and antioxidants." More to the point, we are zit-free and presumably shielded from the sun's tan-giving—er, skin-destroying—rays. This is all we require. Juice Beauty SPF 30 Mineral Light Moisturizer, $29

Anyone else with a recommendation?

In today’s Reader Mail:

Hello,

I have a fancy wedding to go to in April in California. It will be taking place at a hotel akin to The Ritz, near the beach. Alas, I lack the funds to purchase a dress that belongs in such a situation, but did find this dress. How can I dress it up to make it look fancy/expensive/ok for a wedding? And, is a one shoulder dress appropriate?

Thanks!
G.

Well! As far as we can tell—and we can’t entirely wrap our heads around the dress, since H&M refuses to let us see it more clearly—there are two separate issues here: one, the one-shoulder part. Now, we and say with surety that we have seen plenty of one-shouldered dresses at weddings. (Though not, significantly, in churches, where without fail everyone seems to remember to cover the shoulders—we never had any idea there were so many pashminas in the world.) However, as we recently discussed, apparently all our friends are hussies, or we go to some rather fashion-forward weddings, because on other issues (like wearing black, etc.), we have been in the minority. We, personally, would add one of the following: a cardigan (not especially exciting, but easy); something with sequins; something with sequins from the 60s; a fancy-ish jacket with sequins. (We actually went to a wedding in April in LA last year, and we spent the whole night shivering in our North Face.) And we just really do not think sequins are worn nearly as often as they should be. One number-one observation from weddings is that the most festively dressed people are our favorites, and everyone spends the whole night being, “[X] looks so awesome; I wish I had worn sequins.” Etc.

Then we would, personally, add a big necklace—maybe like this one from Anthropologie, though we could be sold on just about everything. We like this one—but we like loads of them:

Super pretty and not super pricey: Endless Orbs necklace, $42

Who else has some feedback? We love feedback. We also love questions—email us, if you would, at thumper-at-bunnyshop-dot-org.

In today's Reader Mail:

Dear BS:
What I'm wondering: What is a serum? Do you use one? I think it's snake oil, but I'm open to being convinced.
Love,
M.

We will say this: We do use a serum—the one above, Phytomer's Souffle Marin "energizing oxygenating serum." We only do this because we got it as a gift. What we have read about it: Phytomer Souffle Marin Oxygenating Serum is a fresh, light serum that envelops the skin in pure oxygen and offers it all of beneficial properties of the sea." What those are, we have absolutely no idea. Salt? WTF? The beneficial properties of the sea? Argh.

We use it because it feels nice and more to the point because we're paranoid about our skin and would basically smear dung beetle on it if someone was like, "Dung beetle! It's the latest thing!" When our freebie runs out, though, we're not sure we'll be running to the store to renew it.

We'd love to know which, if any, serums everyone is using, and the observed benefits (perhaps those sealike ones as well!), if any.

Dear BS: 

I'm wondering: This is a little OT, but I was wondering if you could do a survey—I'd like to know if people have a certain book they like to give as a gift again and again. Mine would be Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, of course it's so sad but it's my favorite book. I'd love to know what other people like enough to give away!

Thanks, 
C. 

In today's Reader Mail: 

Dear BS: 

I haven't been to a wedding since I was a kid. Now that I'm going to one, can you tell me—is it okay to wear black? And can I wear something I've worn before? 

Thanks!

M. 

So in our very exciting reader mail!

Dear Bunnyshop:
It's almost spring, and I'm so psyched to get back to wearing my ballet flats, and then I started wondering what everyone else is looking forward to wearing. I'm not buying much this season, so I want to be sure that what I buy is right. What are you going to buy?
Thanks!
Love, J.

Well! We do indeed wish it were spring, and that there were somewhere less than 90 feet of snow outside our door. Because. We. Hate. Snow! Hate it. Yesterday, we ate our cereal out of a bowl that we had, the night before, for some reason decided to use to mince some garlic. We loved that, compared to how much we hate winter. But moving on: We are looking forward to light denim, like those above: Paige denim Laurel Canyon jeans, $225—maybe we will buy these after we sell all our old books at a stoop sale, and not before. These are our big-ticket wish-list items. We are betting we will see cheaper versions at Forever 21 soon enough.

Temperley tunic! This kind of looks like a fancy waitressing outfit to us, but we still totally want it. Temperley tunic, $895

and these Cutler & Gross sunglasses, $460. Realistically (and our final answer to this question), what we're most looking forward to is wearing:

this denim mini-skirt without tights, which is how we will likely be wearing it the rest of this ridiculous month. American Eagle mini-skirt, $39.50

Moving forward: This week we're offering what we personally think is a very exciting prize, and that is hand-letterpressed calling cards for one commenter. All we're saying is that we priced these out at Smythson and we couldn't afford them. (At all.) Name and title, name and phone number, name and—we can't even think of what else would on there, but basically anything. So—tell us what you're excited to wear this spring, and we'll choose a winner pronto.

In today's Reader Mail:

Dear Bunnyshop,

This is a bit off-topic, but I have a lot of free time at work (when I'm waiting to be laid off), and I'm wondering: Besides Bunnyshop (of course), which blogs, fashion or otherwise, do you read? And I'd love it if people gave other suggestions—maybe for their top four?

Love,
M.

Well! Now that we've figured out this thing called the "Google Reader," our blog reading has increased substantially. We are shocked and disturbed to read how to what degree on behavior will change based on whether we need to click a link or actually go through the hassle of typing in a web address. (We do not require further evidence of our tendency toward the laziness.)

Our top four are not all fashion related—in fact, because we know we are going to forget many we like, we are only going to include one, because we consider its author our friend, and of course her blog is brilliant. So we will say we do read:

The aforementioned Fashion Is Spinach;

Apartment Therapy, which we find a bit overwhelming but is the object of the entirety of our post-Domino (sob!) love;

Bizarrely, the South African Elle Deco blog, which is super good;

and Perez Hilton (we can't help it). 

That's our list. We'd love to know what other people are reading. 

Above: Chanel headpieces from the couture show. Those are made of paper. Bananas! We die! Etc.