Cosplay makeup: The Essentials - Base

I am no Michelle Phan, and also not a person that wears makeup everyday (assuming that lip-gloss doesn't count.)  I do, however, wear makeup for "special" occasions such as cosplay.  I am a firm believer in wearing makeup for cosplay because 1) it makes you look better on photos, 2) it makes you look more "in character".

I know there are some naturalists who would completely disagree with me, but since everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I will respect your point-of-view.

Now, on to the main point.  I have tested various makeup products in the past, and the list below are the ones that I like the most and think are the most important items for my cosplay makeup.  These products usually go on my face in the order they are listed ^^

1. Toner - Thayers Witch Hazel Toner: Rose with Aloe Vera (Alcohol-free)
This product cleans my face very nicely by taking out all the excess grease.  It doesn't contain alcohol, so it does not dry out the skin.  The best thing about this toner is probably it's cheap price tag and the fact that it leaves a nice light rose scent on you after you use it.

2. Moisturizer - Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
I have a combination skin that is oily in some parts and very dry in other parts.  The toner above takes care of my oily parts, and this moisturizer takes care of my dry parts.  It is very smooth and non-greasy, so it just softens your facial skin.  Again, the best thing about it is that  it is much cheaper than most of the moisturizers out there.

3. Primer - Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
I like my cheap makeup products, but sometimes I also spend money on products that I truly fall in love with; and this is one of them.  I have never gotten a primer so smooth before.  It glides right on to your skin and makes it feel like silk.  I don't have too many large pores, so I cannot promise you that it will cover them up, but from the reviews I have read, they do a wonderful job at smoothing out the unevenness of your skin.  The product also doesn't leave your skin shiny like some other primers.

4. BB cream - Skin79 Super + Bb Triple Functions
Unlike Asian stereotypes, I don't own 10,000 BB creams.  I have only tried two and and settled with this one.  I have to say that this is definitely NOT the product for everyone.  For one thing, it is tinted and only comes in one shade.  It will make people with very fare skin look gray and people with dark skin look...gray.  However, it does work with my Asian yellow-tinted skin tone.  This product is thick and can be a little heavy compared to the other BB cream I have.   I usually apply it with a sponge by mixing it with my liquid foundation in 1:1 ratio.  I don't like the product by itself because of its thickness.  In case you are wondering, I do wear my BB cream/Foundation mixture on top of my primer.  I think it gives me a very even complexion.  To some, this practice might seem to be unnecessary since BB cream does claim to have similar effects as primer.  To me, I like the effect I get from layering my primer and BBcream + Foundation.

5. Foundation - MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15
I have tried a range of liquid foundations, and in the end, I settled with MAC.  It's smooth, it's light, it's not greasy, and it has pretty good coverage.  Since I do use my foundation in combination with my BB cream, the coverage becomes exceptional.  MAC has nice collection of shades for everyone, so I do recommend going into a store and get your skin evaluated by the sales person.

6. Powder - Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder
I would post a Shiseido powder I used to use here, but since they are not making it anymore (Q_Q) I'm posting this new powder I got and love.  First of all, it is expensive, so expensive that I wasn't sure if it was worth it, but it is...so I guess my wallet wept a little but I'm happy.  The powder is compressed underneath a layer of blade which you have to rotate to make loose powder.  I think the compressed powder is pretty big, so the product will be lasting me for a while.  The powder itself is very smooth and applies very evenly, it is also long lasting unlike many other powders that kind of just melt away.  It was hard for me to decide on a shade, but I went with the light/medium one which works pretty nicely with my slightly tan Asian complexion.

The brush was included :D

Now onto some pictures of me wearing all of these things XD

Taken from Darren OSG, Photographs

This picture was taken after I had my makeup on for about 5 to 6 hours.  I did not reapply anything, and I think the powder/foundation stayed very well.  My nose is a little shiny~ >.>

Surprisingly, this Eruka photo is actually not edited (I know...).  You can see that my skin appears to be pretty smooth here from the makeup.

Last but not least, a picture of me without makeup:

Hahahaha!  Comment if you have questions regarding anything!!!

Mimi

Insane Black Rock Shooter: Progress 2

So here is a quick update on my costume~ :D
You will see that I'm super ADD when it comes to making costumes and I like to work on everything at once...without finishing anything >.>

Anyhow, first up are the shoes!  Shape-wise, I have pretty much finished the very bottom part of the boots, the wings need to be reinforced and the entire thing needs to be either painted or covered with vinyl (have to decide what to do...)

I have also made one piece of the knee part, it needs a lot of calculations that I have no patience for right now.

Second, the bodice of my armor~  Since Stuey made that body form for me, I really wanted to test it out.  I dug out some old patterns and made a preliminary shape for the bodice armor.  It will become thicker eventually.

Front view

Side View

Back View

The taped areas are places that I want to insert a buckle-type thing for so that I could  easily put on/remove the armor.  Now that the body form has been sitting for a while...it has gained a ton of fat rolls O.O;

Last but not least, the claws!  I have a pair of gloves that have a small hole on it.  My dad bought me some replacements for them, but I'm still rather attached.  It is made of really soft leather...anyways, the point is that I don't want to glue anything onto my gloves.  I made "knuckle rings" as claws to put on my fingers.  I haven't made the very bottom part of the gloves, which will cover up the flower motifs.

The big piece is velcroed at the palm area to hold it.  Anyways, I might glue the claw parts onto the gloves eventually...or not...we will see.

That's all!  Let me know if you have any questions!!
Mimi

This doesn't make sense, Japanese people! (ここが変だよ日本人) Cosplay edition

The title of this post is taken from a pretty old Japanese variety show that I used to watch when I was little (I was in 新潟 "Niigata" for elementary school). The show basically takes a group of foreigners and fire them up for a discussion about what they think is weird about the things Japanese people do.  My dad used to call the show the うるさいshow (annoying show) because the people on it always yell at each other for no apparent reason other than cultural differences.

Anyhow, I'd like to take that idea and discuss something that I thought was weird about Japan in terms of cosplay.  Many of you have probably seen this phenomenon if not heard about it.  It's called Anigao (アニ顔) literally translate to Anime Face.  Yes, it's the face masks that I'm talking about, the ones where (mainly) girls wear to make themselves look more like anime characters.  If you have somehow fallen off the face of earth and have never seen a picture of this, here it is.

Picture taken from Ascii.jp

Yes, that's a regular female wearing a mask that makes her look like an anime character.  I don't really know how this is perceived by my readers, but I think it is freaking creepy.  I understand that cosplay is about wearing costumes that will make you look like a certain character, so this idea of wearing an anigao mask is very....feasible (?).  However, something inside me finds anigaos repulsive.  Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, so I will respect it if you say that you enjoy seeing/wearing anigao.  

Anigao is usually worn with a fleshed colored bodysuit (kigurumi) that imitates perfect skin and the lack of...joints? XD

You can see from this picture that she/he is wearing a layer of...skin

Now, this is not even the weirdest part of this whole thing.  What really put this whole phenomenon on top of the others in terms of weirdness has to be the price one pays to obtain one of these masks.  How much would you spend on a mask for cosplay?  $10? $50? maybe even $100? Well, ladies and gentleman, these masks cost more than the 80GB PS3s, around $800.

they are made out of...silicon?

Even the blank ones that you could paint for yourself are around $500.  If you think I'm lying, go to this website to check it out yourself.

Now, why are they so expensive?  The only reason I can think of is that since they are all customized to fit each person's face, each time a new mask needs to be made, a new mold also needs to be made.  But a price around $1000 is still high.

There are very few anigao cosplayers outside of Japan, but I did find this one tutorial that teaches you how to make the masks and some other details behind the whole phenomenon.  Here it is!

The final thing I have to say about anigao is that it does embody the idea of perfectionism within cosplay.  Even though I think it is creepy, I do respect people who spend that kind of time and effort for cosplay and have to endure way more judgement from than the rest of us.

What's your opinion of anigao cosplay?

Until next time,
Mimi

Cosplay wedding, people do that??

I'm a serious blog reader!  By that, I mean I lurk around various blogs on my Google Reader.  One of my recent favorite blog (out of many) is Rock N' Roll Bride, a British blog dedicated to alternative weddings.  The photography featured on this website is absolutely amazing.  Anyhow, you might ask, how on earth does that even relate to Cosplay?  Well, I came across this article on here that  briefly talks about Cosplay wedding.  No, I'm not talking about Steampunk or Lolita wedding, (Hipster) those are way too mainstream now (/Hipster).  This is LEGIT Cosplay wedding that I'm talking about, one where you dress up as your favorite anime/game characters!  Ha!

I love this Macross cosplay wedding outfit.  The lace is beautiful!

Okay, I'm not completely naive, I know that some of those pictures are just people COSPLAYING a wedding, not actually cosplaying for a wedding.  So I did some more research.  I mean, if a guy is allowed to marry his DS (please refer to THIS article), there must be some brave souls out there having a cosplay wedding.  As a result, I found this epic happening!  A GUNDAM wedding! How cool is that??

Here's a picture for those of you who are too lazy to go to the article.

Then of course, I found more instances of people getting married in cosplay.  This awesome super heroes couple for example, dresses up as...super heroes...duh!

(I'm sorry other blogs that I took pictures from you Q_Q, I know you took it from somewhere else too!)

So, which cosplay would you do if you had to marry in costumes?  Or rather, would you ever do a cosplay wedding?  I don't know about you, but I'm currently liking the FFXII wedding outfits for Ashe and her dead husband!

Now, can someone make this for me??? XD

Mimi

Insane Black Rock Shooter cosplay progress part 1

(Second part of the progress is out!  Read it HERE)

So I have decided to do the IB★RS for AZ this year along with Murumuru from Mirai Nikki.  Below are the pictures of both characters.

IB★RS with her awesome weapon!

Murumuru without pants Q_Q

I am a little anxious about how much detail I could put into IB★RS since I have never made armors before.  As for Murumuru, she doesn't wear pants!!!!!!!  And...wtf are those leg thingies that float around her legs????  I have some idea for how to make this weird magical pants, but we will see.  Otherwise, her outfit is pretty simple.  I have one white plastic bangle already, woot!

So I have started to shop for IB★RS's costume.  First up are the boots that are going to be the support pieces for the leg armors.  (pls ignore my messy room)

I fount them at Kohl's for about $40, they have the small heels I want for the cosplay and the tightness.  Also, the boots have no buckles, so I don't have to take anything off~ 
I'm planning on making the armors for the boots with craft foam.  


I ordered a BRS wig from Cosplay Wig USA.  You can get the same wig HERE.  It is a pretty standard black wig that needs to be restyled so that one side of the pigtail is longer than the other.  (I have gotten several wigs from this website before, I think their wig quality is definitely higher than the ones on ebay)

picture taken from Cosplaywigusa.com

I ordered my contact lenses from Pinky paradise, I guess there will be a review for it once it gets here.


Other than that, I also purchased the leather pants I need from HERE.  

Since I weigh soooooooo much more than this model (obviously), I just hope the shorts would look half as good on me as they are on her. Q_Q


Humm, I also got some glue from Michaels, one of which is specifically for craft foam.  We will see how nice these will work in holding my armors together.  

Craft foam glue, Krazy glue for attaching things to less porous material, and glue sticks!!!! 

That is all for now, my actual making of the costume will start....tomorrow! XD


Mimi

Cosplay Wishlist - Mimi edition

One of the things I would really like to do is to cosplay something extravagant that will take up a ton of my time (and money Q_Q.)  Not only it is AWESOME to wear cool costumes, but there are also many skills that one could acquire from the process of costume making.

Below is a list of skills I would love to work on:
1. Armor making (mainly from craft foam)
2. Use Wonderflex
3. Weapon making
4. Fabric Printing
5. Use expandable foam
6. Cast resin
7. Use LED lights in something

lol can you tell that I'm an avid fan of Kamui? Her amazing tutorials give me so many inspirations.

Well, here's my cosplay wishlist:

Easy Mode

1. A girl character from Mirai Nikki

2. Stocking Anarchy (Angel) from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

3. Niche from Tegami Bachi (with Steak)

Standard Mode


4. Victorique from Gosick

5. Rasiel from Dantalian no Shoka

6. Mikuni from Shangri La

Hard Mode


7. Ritualist imperial armor from Guild Wars

8. Necromancer Vabbian armor from Guild Wars

9. Xandra Deldrimor armor from Guild Wars

10. Insane Black Rock Shooter

11. Seth from Trinity Blood (Artbook version)

12. Queen Esther from Trinity Blood

Oni Mode


13. Shiva Sisters from FFXIII

Okay, that's it for now~  ideas are all very welcome!!! I would love to find more costumes that I like.
Now I have to decide whether to make Insane Black Rock Shooter for Animazement or not >.<

Mimi