Favorite Cosplay Makeup & Tips

Hi everybody, long time no posts...anywhere. My Facebook and Youtube have been silent lately as well. The reason is I've been horrendously sick, I'm currently in a lot of pain and unable to get out of bed- I have not been having a good week, y'all.

While I'm stuck not being able to do much, I thought I'd make a little post on one of my favourite subjects- makeup!

I've been cosplaying for 6 years now, and while that's nowhere near as long as some more experienced cosplayers I know, I like to think I've picked up some skills along the way, partially due to the fact that I friggin' love makeup.

Before going on I want to add that you in no way have to follow this, and no one has to wear any makeup at all if they don't want to. These are just some things that I do for myself, because I like to.

I'm certainly not perfect and have a lot to learn, but here are my main pointers for drawin' on yer face.

~~~

1. You don't need the ultra-expensive stuff to look good.

How makeup looks very much depends on how you use it. I have a few pricier pieces in my makeup bag, but it's backed by an arsenal of drugstore-tier goop that I got for cheap. ELF and NYX are forever reliable favorites, more mid-range stuff like Revlon and Covergirl are good as well.

It's a pretty pervasive lie that the more expensive stuff will automatically make you look like a magazine cover- while it can do amazing things if you know how to use it, a MAC brush will not automatically give you the skills of a professional makeup artist.

That being said, if you do want to go for higher-end stuff, splurge on your skin stuff, particularly foundation and concealer. Most eyeshadow colors are available just about anywhere, but having nice, even skin makes a great base for whatever else you want to put all over it.

One of my personal favorites is the Lise Watier Concealer Wheel. I've only seen it available in drugstores in Canada, and it ran me about $36 CAD (now equivalent to around $butt in USD, Christ Canada get it together) but I believe it's also available on their website or on Amazon.

I could talk all day about how awesome this stuff is- one palette has lasted me about a year before even hitting the pan, and it's the only product I've ever found besides aggressive Photoshop that covers up my terrible undereye circles. When I bought it, it was the most expensive single piece of makeup I owned, but it definitely paid for itself in no time.

pictured: fairy dust and unicorn tears

Some other concealers which have done me well are the ELF undereye concealer and highlighter ($3) and the CoverGirl invisible cream concealer ($5.99)

I have naturally clear skin so I don't use any heavy foundation, the one I currently use is the CoverGirl Clean liquid foundation ($6.99) since it's pretty light, but if you have skin problems you may want to go for something thicker. 

As far as I can tell there's no ultimate way to find your perfect foundation/concealer the first time around, you just have to keep trying with different products. Most stuff will say what type of skin it's for, or you can look at recommendations online.

2. Honor thy falsies

I have a pretty serious false eyelash addiction, I won't lie. Especially for someone like me who has very small eyes, they're great for making your eyes pop like an anime character's.

Side note: if you search around and find a bunch of super expensive ones, go back and read #1 again. Most of the ones I have were from Ebay in a box of 10 for around $1-2, and they haven't failed me yet.
Some people harp on them for their cheap quality...

people who need to LET ME LIVE MY LIFE
photo // Hey Bad Cat

...but I've found for cosplay they actually work great, since they're so stiff and shaped. Cosplay is a place where you want your makeup to look unnatural.

One thing I've found is that the shape of them can completely change your face!

Lashes come in all sorts of styles and shapes, try experimenting with that works for you and gives you the look you want.

For instance when I cosplay older and/or more mischievous characters, I use a slanted pair to give me more of an elongated cat's-eye shape.

photo // Phantom Photos

For younger, more innocent characters I'll break out my spiky ones, which shaped in a curve that tapers evenly on both sides.

Photo // Alex Rose

Lashes really do make a huge difference, and they're not nearly as scary to wear as some people think they are. I consider them a necessity for cosplay makeup!

3. Watch tutorials and learn new skills

When I was younger I was under the impression that I could be ENTIRELY self-taught, with no help from anyone. This led to some pretty embarrassing looks, which I will not be posting pictures of.

Here's one of my terrible early Photoshops to makeup for it (get it? GET IT?)

We live in an age where you have endless resources at your disposal, take advantage of that! Flick around on YouTube and find what you like, there are lots of different makeup tutorials for all different face and eye shapes.

If you find yourself with some spare time and makeup, take a while to sit down and follow along with tutorials to learn new techniques. You'll never know what works for you until you try!

Don't be afraid to branch out into tutorials that weren't originally meant for cosplay, they can still be super helpful and often contain more info about certain products than you generally get in most cosplay ones. (I'm a huge fan of Stephanie Lange's channel, and Jessica Braun has a bunch of videos about cheaper makeup and dupes. I also love HeirofGlee and Nickeil Genesis for their creative looks!)
I'd take a look at drag makeup tutorials as well, they have great stuff for dramatic looks, especially contouring on a level you wouldn't see on a daily basis.

One thing that's very important to remember here is that YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES. It's inevitable if you're learning something new, don't be afraid to let it happen! No one is born with perfect makeup skills, you can only get better through practice.

4. Little details, big improvement

Go the extra mile and make the little stuff count too!

Particularly eyebrows and nails, which a lot of people don't think about too hard when it comes to cosplay.

I've been seeing this happen less often as time goes on, but I shudder at the days where even skilled cosplayers would skip doing their eyebrows for cosplay.

If you have a wig that's a different color from your natural hair, coloring your eyebrows to match it helps make your cosplay look a lot more finished.

There are a few different methods to do it, depending on how dramatic a look you're going for, and it does take some practice to get right. This is another place where drag tutorials come in handy!

For a less crazy look, you can go over your eyebrows with concealer or a white eye pencil, then pat in eyeshadow in the same color- or if the wig is a light color, you can go one shade darker since it'll blend better and the hair in your eyebrows is usually slightly darker than the hair on your head.

Don't forget to take lots of selfies to spam your blog with.

I personally don't like to do my nails too crazy since it gets distracting in pictures, but that's honestly up to you. I will usually file and/or buff them and put on a clear topcoat before going out to a con. I don't like looking down and seeing dirty nails, so it's just a little thing that makes me feel more "finished" and ready for the long day ahead.

The most important thing is that you feel confident and complete in your cosplay!

4. Get creative!

(source)

One problem I've had in the past (and still do to some extent) is getting stuck in a makeup rut- I'll do the same makeup for every cosplay, and while it's good to have a few tried-and-true methods to fall back on, it can start feeling boring after a while.

I stand by saying that makeup is an art form- it's a great medium to experiment and play around with, and cosplay gives you so many opportunities to do that! Try some differently-colored mascara, go crazy with eyeshadow colors, do whatever you want. 

Whenever I'm in a store I'll always keep an eye out for new and interesting products I haven't tried before, you can find some real gems that way!

Obviously you have the same face every time you put on a cosplay, but it's amazing how much it can change- the only limit is your imagination!

~~~

That's about all I have for now. Makeup is an awesome tool, use it and love it.

Happy cosplaying!

LatexCatfish.com Cosplay Review

This past Christmas I ordered something I've been wanting for a long time- a full latex Mari Makinami plugsuit! I ordered it from LatexCatfish.com, and I am SO SO HAPPY OH MY GOSH.

Crappy selfies cannot describe how gorgeous this thing is.

~~~

PRICE:

My plugsuit cost about $230, which for the quality and craftsmanship is very nice! I had a few extra charges for how I wanted it customized, which I'll get into down in QUALITY.

10/10

SHIPPING:

Shipping was DHL and cost me $28. There are more expensive options, but I doubt they're worth it since mine arrived in only 2 days! The manufacturing time was about 2 weeks, so all in all it arrived within the same month I ordered it. The site warned that it might take longer but WOW that was quick.

The suit came folded and sealed in a zippable bag, which I've kept to store it in when I'm not wearing it.

10/10

COMMUNICATION:

Since I've never worn or worked with latex before, I emailed the site with some questions. They responded within 24 hours with tips and advice and were super nice!

I also received emails when my order had gone through, when the suit had finished being made, and when it had shipped.

10/10

QUALITY:

HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS THIS IS SO NICE.

I went with 0.40mm gauge latex, which seems to be standard for most latex clothing. I have no previous experience with latex so I wasn't sure if it would be thick enough, but this feels very sturdy and I have no worries of it ripping. The site offers different gauge options for whatever piece you want, but 0.40mm should be fine for most any clothing piece.

I was advised to wear little to nothing underneath the suit. I tried it on with an adhesive bra and thin underwear, which works ok if you really need to do that- the adhesive bra is great, but I'd go for a thong or no-show underwear, since there were some lines visible around my hips.

Edit: after wearing it a little longer, the sweat from the latex caused the adhesive bra to start slipping off, so it's not recommended. I'll update if I find something that works.

I was impressed with how relatively easy it is to move around in the suit. Obviously with a 100% latex bodysuit you're not going to be able to do any crazy dance moves, but I tried sitting, walking, reaching, bending, even jumping and running and I was able to move just fine! This definitely made latex less scary for me, I could see myself wearing this suit around a con (probably not for a long period of time, but still) and maybe even ordering myself another one should I ever want to.

It also looks fantastic on me, which was my main concern. I have the usual amount of body image issues that comes with seeing overly-shopped people smiling at me from magazine covers. I'd figured once it arrived I'd put it on, hate myself, lock it in my closet and proceed to eat some ice cream and cry.

However, once I put this on I felt great about how I looked! Any lumps and bumps I had were smoothed over, and I feel comfortable enough to wear it in public. This is such a great confidence booster for me!

It depends on what you're getting, but LatexCatfish has SO MANY CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS. You can choose the color for every single part, whether or not the gloves are attached, and on and on. If you order one yourself be sure to look very carefully at the color options, since there are so many pieces and you don't want to order the wrong thing! Some colours will cost a bit extra, so choose what you think is worth it. I went for the Metallic Silver for the grey bits, and they arrived not quite as shiny as I'd hoped.

The site also charges 20% extra for the more expensive materials no matter the piece size, so if it's a larger part of the suit it'd be worth it, but if you just want small dots or buttons in that material it wouldn't be worth forking over an extra 40 bucks or so.

The options I'd seriously think about when ordering one yourself are zipper placement, custom sizing, and inside coating.

I got the zipper placed down my back, which looks great but does make the suit pretty difficult- there's absolutely no way I can get in and out of it by myself. If you got a more reachable zipper you might be able to, but I'd make sure you have a handler or a friend to assist you either way, especially since the latex suctions right to you. (I could almost hear it whispering "FEEEEED MEEEEE.") It takes some maneuvering and some pulling- I got mine off by peeling so it was inside out when it was all off, then turning it back the right way.
**Side note: when it comes off there's a smell I can only describe as "sweaty balloons." Wear lots of deodorant and maybe look online for tips on cleaning latex.

LatexCatfish has default sizing, the measurements of which are available on a chart on their site. However, if you want a really custom fit I'd go for the "Made to Measure" option. I think it's pretty mandatory if you're getting such a large piece, since it's going over your entire body you'd want it to fit well.

Get yourself some spare time and a tape measure, and go very slowly and carefully when measuring yourself. It'll ask for some pretty bizarre stuff I'd never even considered before- I now know the width of my mid-bicep and how many inches from my crotch to the back of my neck. It's absolutely worth the time and cost though, it fits like a (very tight) glove with no creases or ripples.

When ordering you can also choose options for inside coating- I went with the default powder, which worked alright. I'd recommend getting lube to get yourself in, since that would have made mine a lot easier. You can order the suit already lubed up, or go to the drugstore and see the look on the cashier's face when you buy KY jelly in bulk. There's also special latex lube (sometimes called "shine") available in different places online.

It might be more cost-effective to just order the default powder and get the lube yourself if you decide you need it, since ordering it pre-shined is 20% extra on top of you total cost, and will have to be reapplied yourself anyway.

10/10

~~~

OVERALL SCORE: 10/10

I could not be happier with what I received, and I will definitely order from them again. If you need a fancy latex plugsuit (which you KNOW you do,) this is the place to get it.

Before ordering I did some research online, here are some resources if you're a beginner like me.

Happy cosplaying!

Plans for 2016

Hot off the heels of my first post, I wanted to talk about my upcoming plans for this year, since I'm doing it a little differently this time.

I know we're more than two weeks in to 2016 so it seems a little late to be mentioning, but my New Year's resolution was to limit myself in how many cosplays I work on.

My fatal flaw has always been my teeny-tiny attention span. I get really excited to start a bunch of new things and jump from project to project, then lose interest and never look at any of them again, repeat ad infinitum. This tends to leave me with a shelf full of unfinished cosplays and a feeling of being overwhelmed and under-motivated.

So for this year, I'm going to force myself to work solely on the projects I already have started- if I end up finishing all of them before the year is over then I'll let myself start on some new ones, but not before that!

My confirmed plans are:

♡ Creamy Mami (Mahou Tenshi Creamy Mami)
♡ Doris Lang (Vampire Hunter D)
♡ Euphemia li Britannia (Code Geass)
♡ Re-l Mayer (Ergo Proxy)
♡ Robin Sena (Witch Hunter Robin)

These are listed in no particular order since I'm not working on a deadline for now. Timing myself would be a little too organized, gotta take baby steps.

This list does not include a couple of cosplays that I bought before the year started. I also figured Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell doesn't count since while I did technically finish her this year, it was within the first few days and I barely had anything left to do, so I lump her in with 2015.

The rest of my focus this year is going to be getting shoots done of the cosplays I already have finished. Now that I've settled in to my new job down here I feel like I can afford to do them more often, and work with some new people. I'll be visiting Toronto for MTAC in late March and have set up some shoots with photographer friends at the con as well as a couple private ones, so many photos will be coming your way in the future!

All in all I'm really looking forward to this year, most of my plans involve developing new skills (resin casting? In MY cosplay? It's more likely than you think) and hopefully getting better at some old ones (someday I'll be decent at armor. SOMEDAY.)

2016, ahoy!

Hello!

main ( ) {

          printf("hello world");

}

So hi, everybody. Here's the start to my blog.

Those of you who've been with me the longest might remember me having a Blogger a couple of years ago, but I wasn't very consistent and soon lost interest in favor of moving on to other sites.

I can't promise the same thing won't happen here eventually since I've branched out into even more mediums since then, but let's give it a try!

This blog will be mostly for tutorials, processes, and long-winded rambles that don't fit onto Facebook and especially not Twitter (but if you want to see me in shorter form you should check out those links and others on the LINKS page up above!)

This page is obviously still under construction, but I think it's turning out okay so far. That's one snazzy banner, if I do say so myself.

Hope y'all enjoy!