What you see is pretty much what you get when it comes to Coco Austin.
The model turned actress, turned entrepreneur, has been an open book ever since she came into the spotlight nearly 20 years ago. Some credit Ice-T, her husband of 15 years, for her ability to stay relevant, but the reality is, Coco’s longevity in this business comes from her strong urge to succeed way before she even met Ice.
During my candid conversation with the new mom, Coco describes the moment she realized landing the cover of Playboy would be her ultimate dream come true. Little did she know scoring the coveted centerfold would only be the first of many accomplishments in her career. The most recent? Giving birth to her and Ice-T’s first child together, baby Chanel.
Coco also reveals how she dealt with haters who slammed her tiny baby bump, why her pregnancy was relatable to so many women, as well as her current skincare routine, and go-to makeup products.
How is baby Chanel doing?
She’s awesome! She’s actually running errands with me right now, she’s a down baby. She’s almost 3 months old now. I’m starting to see more of me in her face.
I can’t believe it’s been 3 months. Your snapback game has been unreal.
Yes, it was visible within the first week! I have to say, though, and I couldn’t really talk about it during my pregnancy, I tell all my friends who are trying to get pregnant to focus on strengthening their core. That was the trick to my whole pregnancy.
So that was the reason why your baby bump was so tiny?
Yes, and at first I was really nervous about why I didn’t have a normal pregnancy bump. I would always ask my doctor if this was normal and she would confirm yes, saying athletes experience the small bump all the time. I’ve done yoga and Pilates my entire life, I didn’t know it would come in handy this way. Even during birth, I only pushed three times and she was out!
As far as losing the baby weight, I’ve really been watching what I eat. I have a cup of fruit every day. That really keeps me clean and hydrated. But I haven’t been to the gym in 9 months, I just got the clearance from my doctor to start working out again. I don’t like it when I’m too skinny, I need to build that muscle back.
How did it make you feel when you went on social media and saw all these haters talking shit about how small your bump was?
The comments were awful, some were saying I must have a surrogate, or there has to be something wrong with the baby. I thought, really? This is how you treat a pregnant woman?
I just wanted to share my experience, you know, everyone has been waiting 15 years for Ice and I to have a baby. I was sad only for the first month, because I wanted that bump. They didn’t seem to get it until others who dealt with the same small bump as me began to comment and defend me. Overall, I really loved being pregnant.
I’m really curious about your skincare routine. How do you maintain healthy, clear skin?
I have a regimen, every single night, and Ice hates it because it keeps me in the bathroom for a half an hour before bed. I use Shiseido products, which is like an Asian skincare line, since I was a teenager, in the morning and night. As well as Skinceuticals, the vitamin E oil, and that goes underneath my lotion. It works great for rejuvenating your skin.
I used to be a huge tanner. My first job was working at a tanning salon when I was 16 and I would tan everyday. Obviously I’m more cautious now, so I spray tan, but since I have a long history with tanning beds, I pay closer attention to my skin.
I know you’re a total makeup girl. What would you consider yourself a pro in when it comes to applying products?
I would definitely say I’m a pro at doing my eyes and lips.
Go-to makeup routine?
I don’t use foundation, I always just use MAC’s pressed powder. Mostly because I still want to see my freckles; there has to be some imperfections showing for me. Next, I focus on getting my lashes right, I’m huge on lashes. First I go in with my eyelash curler, then I’ll apply a coat of mascara, go back in with the eyelash curler, and add more mascara. I do this combination three times. Whether I’m going to the gym or food shopping, it doesn’t matter, I gotta have my lashes right. I can’t live without mascara and lipgloss.
I can tell you’re a huge lip gloss lover.
Oh yes, I even wear it when I go to bed! I’m into pink lips, I probably have one hundred different shades of pink lip gloss. In pictures it may look the same, but I promise you, they are all different. You have to figure out what looks best with your skin tone, and the pink shades work for me. My go-to purple liner shade is Magenta from MAC, and for pink it’s Chic Trick, and Candy Yum Yum from MAC as well.
What do you think the trick is to taking the best selfie?
I’m actually not that into selfies, full body pictures are my thing. People take too many pictures of their faces and it gets played out. I rather see full body pictures of your outfit or in your closet. As far as editing, I use Photo Wonder and I usually saturate all my pics.
You’re right! All your selfie pictures are full body images. You’ve always been so comfortable with your body and sexuality. Where does all that confidence come from?
You know what, my family really boasted about me at a young age. They made me feel really confident. Sports also helped me feel super comfortable. Even in school, I was popular because I played sports and I was very athletic. When I was 10, I discovered a collection of old Playboys in my grandparents’ garage. The first time I saw those centerfolds, I knew that’s what I wanted to be when I grow up.
Speaking of Playboy centerfolds… How do you care and maintain your blonde locks?
I’ve been using L’Oreal Professionnel for years now, the shampoo and hair mask. I use the mask as a conditioner, leaving it in for a few minutes, and then washing it out. I use a leave-in conditioner, then add a little of Kerastase hair oil when I get out the shower.
More importantly, I take my biotin pills, because you really have to take care of your health if you ever want to truly see a difference. All the teasing, dying, and extensions over the years have really taken a toll on my hair, so I make sure to take extra care of it.
What’s next for Coco? Do you see yourself and Ice doing reality TV again?
We’re still waiting for our talk show to get placed, but for the last couple of months I’ve really been focusing on Chanel. I’m still working on my clothing line for curvy women, and my pleasure line as well. I’m in a really good place. As for reality TV, I still make guest appearances on different shows, but as far as our own, I would say we’re kind of over that. It’s hard to have cameras constantly around you at all times.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Instagram
