Sunday, November 27, 2011

Tips & Tricks for Cosplay : Must Have Series #2

It's been a while since I've posted, but here are some of my favorite affordable things that I love using and it's part of my make up kit for Cosplay. Both women and men can benefit from things listed here. If you haven't used make up or if you are now planing on making a starter kit, this would be my suggestions to add to your collection.

- EOS Lip Balm $3 (Can be found at Target and Wal-Mart)
-N.Y.C Sunny Bronzer $2-3 /Completely matte and great for contouring. Only suitable for Fair to Medium skin tones. Sadly they don't have a darker shade for darker skins./ (Can be found at Target(s))
-NYX HD Concealer $5 /Liquid concealer that blends out to a powder finish./ (Can be found online at cherryculture.com or any store that sells NYX. If you live in Socal, Little Tokyo has a store that sells it in person.)
-NYX HD Primer $7 /Eye Primer which ensure lasting power of liner/shadows and prevent creasing. Also enhances vibrant of the colors./ (Can be found at Ulta and cheeryculture.com or any store that sells NYX. If you live in Socal, Little Tokyo has a store that sells it in person.)
-e.l.f. Complexion Brush $3 /Used for blush, bronzer or all over face powder./ (Can be found at selected Target(s) and also http://www.eyeslipsface.com/)
-e.l.f. Shine Eraser Sheets $1 /Used to blot face of oil and sweat./ (Can be found at selected Target(s) and also http://www.eyeslipsface.com/)
-e.l.f. Defining Eye Brush $1 /Used for blending out eye shadow or smoothing out contour lines./ (Can be found at selected Target(s) and also http://www.eyeslipsface.com/)
-e.l.f. Eye Shadow Brush $1 /Used for packing on eyeshadow, contouring nose, and can be used to place shadow on top of liner to ensure staying power./ (Can be found at selected Target(s) and also http://www.eyeslipsface.com/)


Optional items I would suggest if you feel you are more in depth with your make up.
Bulletproof Liquid Eyeliner : Milani Infinite Liquid Eye Liner $6 (Can be found at selected Target(s), Ulta, Walgreens and anywhere else that carries Milani products.)
Intense Black Eyeliner Pencil : Milani Liquif'eye $6 /This is good for the waterline and to use as a regular liner if you aren't a Liquid or Gel person. However when you use this, be sure to let it set in a few seconds before touching it.  (Can be found at selected Target(s), Ulta, Walgreens and anywhere else that carries Milani products.)
 Good White Eyeliner Pencil : NYX Slide on Liner /Safe on the waterline and one that stays longer than any other drugstore ones I have tried./ (Can be found at Ulta and other online stores.)
Gel Liner : Wet n' Wild Gel Liner $3 (Can be found at selected Target(s), Walgreens and anywhere else that carries Wet n' Wild) //Warning : This product is really good but do NOT use the brush it comes with, You will need to buy a gel liner brush. There is one sold by e.l.f. for $3 if you are looking for affordable or you can get whichever you work best with. Also this product is known to dry out if you aren't that careful with closing it when it's needed to be closed. This happens to all Gel Liners.//
 Finishing Powder : e.l.f. High Definition Powder $6 (Can only be found at e.l.f. website. http://www.eyeslipsface.com/) //Warning : I suggest using a fluffy brush to apply the powder to your face after you finish your face make up. I highly suggest NOT to use the puff it comes with, remember less is more.//
Affordable Good Eyeshadows : Wet n' Wild Palettes , especially the singles ($2) and 6 pan color icon palettes with 3 matte shadows ($3-5). Below is the new limited edition holiday palette only available at Walgreens stores. They claim it's all Matte Shadows, majority is, only the purple and blue has some sparkles in them but not that bad. You can see the swatches on my hand, this is without a primer and it's already that vibrant. The quality of Wet n' Wild shadows really top a lot of higher end brands big time in my opinion. Perfect for people who want to play with color and want to work with high quality shadows. (Important!! : The black is perfect for setting your liners. You can also get a rich matte black from the 8 pan palette "Blue Had Me At Hello.")


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tips & Tricks for Cosplay : Must Have Series #1

At any time and place, I have suggested people to take care of their lips. Both women and men at conventions will need a handy lip balm with them. The ones I absolutely love are these EOS lip balms. Not only they are good for you, they have many flavors that are very yummy! I really can't stress enough how much of a difference you will look in photos and cosplay when you take care of your lips. Your face and body needs sun protection, but so does your lips! Highly recommended and affordable around $2-4 depending where you live. It can be found at Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens etc. (They make great gifts too if you are planning to get something for friends for any special occasions!)



Thank you for reading! Hopefully this will give you suggestions for something natural and good for you. You can use daily or during conventions. We always forget that our lips is one of the important things we use everyday, so best is we take care of it. (Alternative if you cannot find EOS at anywhere local to you, is Burt's Bees, but not everyone is fond of the taste and smell they have. EOS taste is much more subtle.)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Tips & Tricks for Cosplay : Female vs. Male for Women

Everything written below is just quick 5 general tips per section. (Means also that it's thinking of a general sense because different characters are different.) It is all my opinion and I am not ordering people how to do their make up/what to do. It's just how I see things when I cosplay and what I do to myself haha. So take it with a grain of salt and see if you can pick up any good advice! Thanks for viewing everyone!


Male
  • Cheekbones/Contouring : Honestly I can't express how important cheekbones are, mostly contouring your face with a matte bronzer will accentuate your face. Some need more, some are less, just look at the character like an art piece when you do your own face. Don't go overboard because you just want it to look natural enough for photos and in person.
  •  Eyes : Lay off the eyelashes if you can, majority of the male characters don't need extra lashes. You should focus more on using neutral shadows to bring out your eyes. Eyeliner is fine too for sharpness, but don't go too overboard, just remember to study the characters carefully. You want to be convincing, not over made up.
  • Eyebrows : A major player to look achieve the male look. You sometimes have to thicken or slant your eyebrows more to get the attitude down. For me, it usually is the eyebrows that finishes my characters.
  • Body Language : This is important to do regardless who you do, you can't be a male character if you don't study how their body language is. Majority of the males are more relaxed, not as conservative as a female would be. Just pretend you are acting for the day, you'll be perfect it fine. Main thing is study study study! Every character is different, some are super manly where your body language is much more aggressive and open, some may just act like girls so it depends who you cosplay as.
  • General Tips : Go light on the make up, I mean you don't need blush, mascara, lipstick (unless you are character does have that.) Honestly less is more, so just remember not to pack your face with too many products. The more you have, people will noticed and feel you might be a little too overboard for being a guy. How else do you think I fool other people when I cosplay guys? :D 

Female
  • Eyelashes :  False eyelashes really play up your game in looking girly for cosplay. So if you can, do try using it. If not, at least apply your favorite length and volume Mascaras to play up your eyes, it really does make a difference. Aside from that, of course we know everyone uses circle lenses to exaggerate their eyes haha.
  • Blush : Instead of bronzer contouring, you should focus on blush, try a coral blush for a lighting contour and lift to your face. Just a little peachy will make your face more lively and less washed out. Foundation can really make you look like a ghost sometimes! So remember that blush, but don't go overboard unless you want a clown face haha.
  • Lips : Lips for a girl in my opinion is very important. Apply either nude or color. Add a little gloss. It makes your face. Majority of the time what captures pictures is your eyes and lips for girl cosplays.
  • Body Language : It's much easier to cosplay girls, but what if you cosplay guys a lot? It'll be more hard to get the girly attitude down. Like sitting with your legs closed, opening your eyes wide awake for your photos and posing to accentuate your curves. You have to mostly pay attention to characters just like I mentioned. Each and everyone is different, study study study!
  • General Tips : Even though females will have more make up than guys, you still don't want to cake on too much make up. Enough for your face for coverage is most important. However play with what makes your face look to your characters. If you aren't a foundation type of person, just remember tinted moisturizers go a long way. If you don't have a preferred one you can always make your own by mixing a little foundation and your favorite moisturizer. It feels great and natural! 
In general, study your character you cosplay for their attitude, body language, and the more you enjoy a character the more you will feel into the character. Everyone is beautiful in their own way so discover your character's beauty~ 

Monday, May 9, 2011

Tips & Tricks for Cosplay : Character File "Onizuka"


Tips & Tricks for Cosplay : Character File "Onizuka"
lols~ Being in character is always #1 most important. :D 

Monday, May 2, 2011

Tips & Tricks for Cosplay : Character File "Yin"

First character file, female makeup, Yin (Darker than Black). I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions, you aren't obligated to watch this, be warned. :3

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Tips & Tricks for Cosplay : Skin Care and Critical Basics!

Please do know these are the tips and tricks I usually do for myself. Whether you agree, want to do, is all up to you, I am just sharing what I feel is important when you attend conventions and/or cosplay.

For everything listed here, always make sure you have washed your hands and it's clean! That is a very important step to everything you do.

1. Basic Care :
(If you take care of your skin regularly, you do not have to worry about this step. However if you are lazy/forget/too busy try your best to take care of your skin at least the week of before a convention. We all know how tired we can get from sweatshopping the night before and even the whole weeks before a convention! A few things you can do to really boost up your face.)
-Always wash and clean your face with an exfoliating face wash! You don't do it both day and night, you can choose a regular face wash for whichever works best for you. But you want to do it at least once or twice a week depending how your skin type is. However, yes, washing your face is so important! It's not something you should be skipping out on, it's like brushing your teeth, you don't want to be skipping out on it.
-Next is apply moisturizer lotion! I don't care if you are female or male. Everyone can apply moisturizer to their skin to take care of it. Honestly, I feel that the bias of only women taking care of their face is kind of outdated by now... especially all of the "Men" products now a days that is produced just for males. Best is to choose by which type of skin you have, dry skin/combination/oily etc. Make sure you buy both face washes and moisturizer lotions that is fitted for "you" if you get a wrong type it'll have an opposite effect in helping you. (We don't want that.)
-Before going out to the con, apply sun block lotion or even just moisturizing lotion that has UVA/UVB block all over exposed parts of your body. Many people believe only when the sun is out, that is when you will need protection. Technically, it isn't true, you can block sunburns yes, but everyday you will still get the same outdoor exposures which causes Age Spots / Redness etc. If you care about your skin (and don't want to cover up with make up all the time.) Using caution is always good, plus lotion is always good for your skin anyways, just be sure to choose the right one for you.
-Every day at the convention, please remember to apply perfume/cologne/deodorant. This should be self explanatory, you don't like smelling sweat and odor, and you don't want to be the one people are avoiding either. So just before you leave your hotel room door, remember to apply enough for the day! (If you can carry it, it'll be better but if you use an all day one, it should last you.)

TIP : If you are one of the all nighters, use a mask before the con! There are many to choose from but using one before a con really gets you prepped before the big event. Always drink enough water even if you are sweatshopping! And most importantly remember to eat your breakfast before a con, even if it’s just a bread, egg, fruit and nuts. You want something in your body to start the day, or else you’ll be tired before the end of the day.


CRITICAL : Always take a bath/shower! No one can look awake if you haven’t showered or bath for a few days. (not even deodorant can save you…)

2. Wig :
-Putting On A Wig : I don't remember how many people has asked me before, but it is so important to wear wigs with wig caps. It keeps your wig sturdy on your head more and it keeps your wig more clean vs. if you were to wear it without a wig cap. (Especially if you wear wigs without washing your hair...)
-When taking off the Wig : Please do not put it back into a bag or store it on wig head right after you took it off your head. I can't explain how much wigs actually need to breath after it's been on your head for the day. I usually lay it flat on a clean table or cloth when take it off so it can breath before I put it back into a bag.

TIP : After a while for a few wears, be sure to give your wigs a bath. I usually use wig shampoo and a clear tub to clean them. Then let them air dry. I usually wash them after 5 wears or judge by stench. Do NOT comb them though when it’s fully wet. Always make sure they are completely dry before storing them again.

3. Make Up
-It’s super important that you have your daily face moisturizer on before you put any make up on. (Yay if you have one for UVB/UVA protection.) If you are prone to acne, dab a little of your favorite acne cream in the spots you have acne before applying make up.
-For long wearing make up all day, I really suggest in wearing primer for both face and eyelid primers for long wearing make up. There are plenty of cheap good drugstore primer if you are on a budget. I can suggest that if there are requests for that. (Maybe show you differences if you are interested.)
-If you do not own primers, I suggest a setting powder to be your next alternative for your face and for your eyeliner you can use matching dabs of eye shadow to set your eyeliner. I would suggest setting sprays last because usually it's more cost effective just using things that can last you longer vs. liquid sprays. (This is purely my opinion. You can totally love setting sprays if that is what fits you most.)
-Also remember to keep your lips moist. Always have a good lip balm to condition your lips, there are many drugstore and department store brands out there. Find out what works best for you!

TIP : There are many brand make ups, always follow what your skin type is, this is also just a basic list of tips. I will be more in depth in videos and/or upon request and people asking. My honest opinion, Drugstore  brands and Department brands all have their goods and bad. Just because something is more expensive doesn't mean it's good and things that are much cheaper doesn't mean it's bad. This works visa versa too. I am no expert but I have tested many brands and learned from friends who are make up artists so I have my own set of experiences. Things that work for you, may not work for others, so always remember to keep an open mind when someone strikes an opinion about make up.


CRITICAL : When you are done for the day, take off all your make up. Use what works for your face the most for make up remover and wash your face extra if you have to. You do NOT ever want to sleep with make up on your face. This is something so important that people sometimes forget.

4. Contact Lenses :
-If you get contacts fresh from those tubes/boxes remember to at least soak the contacts in contact water hours before you wear them. I do not suggest people sticking it into their eye once it comes out of the fresh package.
-When your contacts are stored, I always tend to like giving them a clean every 3-4 months. The water usually gets bad after a while and to promote the longevity for them I clean the case and contacts with contact water.
-Always clean your contacts with contact water before you wear them and after you wear them. You're sticking these in your eyes, it's not something you should just do whatever to it. Please do NOT use tap water to clean your lenses. Tap water has a lot of bacteria that can harm your contacts over time and it doesn't clean it.

TIP : Before putting contacts in after you clean it, I usually like putting a drop of contact lenses eye drop on the lenses and make sure that drop gets all over the lens by moving it with my fingers. When I do this, I noticed I feel little to no discomfort when placing them in my eye. It also lets it last in my eye much longer compared to when I put it in normally. I have really sensitive eyes so I have tried many ways to make it most comfortable for me haha. This is my favorite thing to do during the contact process because it actually feels good (imo).


CRITICAL : Usual contact wearers know how critical it is to take out contacts before you sleep, but since a lot of cosplayers use for fashion, may not know everything. Take those out before you sleep. There has been incidents where the contacts has risen into the eyes causing perm. damage. You don't want to try your luck on that.

5. Other Important Etiquette :
-If you can, always carry a Anti-Bacteria wipes/bottle hand gel. It's not about being super nit picky clean, but you know how many people there are at a convention. (and conSARS) You don't want to be the victim of getting sick/ill right after you had a fun con. Just staying safe before you eat and drink goes a long way.

Thank you for reading this post all the way! I hope this helped some who wanted to hear some advice about conventions/cosplay in general. If anyone has questions you can always feel free to ask me. I'll be back with more updates soon! 

[Wig] Introduction to Wigs

Styled Wigs either from basic flat long wigs or short flat wigs. These are just examples of wigs. I've done, there are many more that is on my ACParadise.com


Examples of wigs I've dyed.

Examples of wigs worn by me or others. 




New Individual styled wigs/tips and tricks etc eventually will be posted on this blog. This is just an introduction to wigs I've done for myself or for others. Thanks for taking time reading my post!