Cosplay Society

firewolf826:

This seamless trim technique is a method I’ve been using for years to add custom trim to my costumes without any top-stitching at all. Similar in a way to bias tape, but with many key differences in implementation and results. No one taught me this technique, but now I’m teaching it to you! Please read through all the instructions below before asking any further questions, and happy trim-making! C:

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So awhile ago, I got an ask asking about what I thought ruined a good cosplay.

murisaboy:

Recently, I saw some posts go around that pointed things out that people found particularly offensive. Bad wigs—people not styling or dyeing their hair to the characters, using costume satin, people who don’t seal their makeup. The usual complaints that people tend to have about those who are uninformed about cosplay.

I thought about it for awhile, and not a lot particularly offends me when it comes to cosplays. Not even giant stripper boots for a masculine character makes me think, “oh, that RUINS their whole outfit,” I mean, I don’t particularly like their footwear, but if the rest of their cosplay is nice, so what? They probably just wanted to be taller to fit their headcanon for the characters.

Today while cooking, it hit me. What the worst, most offensive thing is, that can ruin even the most wonderful cosplays. 

A bad attitude.

If you’re just at a con, having fun with your friends, even if you rolled out of bed this morning and said “hey, I think I’ll cosplay this,” grabbed some random stuff out of your closet, and threw it on, I’m really not going to care. I’m not going to be irritated by your existence, I’m not going to judge you. It’s your business how long you work on an outfit or how many feels you have about the character, it’s not mine. 

However, giant epic super-detailed 349654962-part cosplay, or closet cosplay, if I CONSISTENTLY see you being rude, talking down other cosplayers, causing a disturbance, being disrespectful of others, talking shit about other cosplayers, hating on people cosplaying a fandom you don’t like, sending them hate, or just being unpleasant/nasty to others who are just trying to have a good time and aren’t hurting anyone? Oh man, do I judge you. I judge you hard. I stop caring how pretty your cosplay is, I stop admiring you altogether. I’ll think to myself, “Wow, that person has a beautiful cosplay, but WOW they have a bad attitude. That costume/makeup/face/skill/whatever is wasted on someone so spiteful.” 

So yes, that’s my cosplay peeve. That’s the one thing that can ruin ANY cosplay on any day. 

(Source: murtunacaptor)

Anonymous asked: Hey, just a question. Where do you buy Ben Nye? I saw the question asking how your cosplay was so amazing ( which it is, probably the best Gamzee I’ve seen ) and I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Also, for applying the makeup do you use the mixing method or do you use just regular grey? ( I apologize for all of the questions.. I really need help and your cosplay is amazing. )

askirlsobergamzee:

((OOC: Oh my god I cannot handle all these kind words PEOPLE ARE SO NICE lgjbnergjnerjtge. First off, thank you so much. I’m still improving my Gamzee as much as I can! I see a lot of amazing Gamzee cosplayers and I’m like UBUBUBUBU WHY CAN’T I BE YOU. I’m going to try my best to be as quality as I can become but I’ve got a long way to go! :’]

Anyway, I got my Ben Nye from here!:
http://www.stagemakeuponline.com/02-CL/Creme-Color-Liners-Ben-Nye.html 
I got ummm… well at first I got 2 white, two grey, and one black. I use the mixing method! The whole, put one grey and one white in the microwave for 10 second blasts making sure to check, mixmixmix them together, blablabla thing, and I put it on by stippling with a sponge wedge. If you just buy one white and one grey it makes two little compacts of the troll grey that I use, and that’s lasted me a while! Then again, I don’t have to use it for my face, but… I hope that helps!

Also, sorry guys, but I’m working on putting out actual content, I swear. kjbgkrjbgr)) 

Awesome make-up tips!

Do It Yourself SPA - Exfoliating Mask Recipe (vegan)

fitvillains:

Exfoliation Enzyme Mask

1 teaspoon mashed papaya
1 cube pineapple or 1 1/2 teaspoon pineapple juice
1 teaspoon cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a mixer, adding sea salt last. Apply to entire face, save for eyes, using a mask or foundation brush for even application.

Leave on for 3 to 5 minutes before rinsing. The mask gently removes dead cells without irritating, leaving skin velvety smooth. Follow with moisturizer.

Yay for clear, beautiful skin!

(Source: stylelist.com)

thelittlecosplaythings:

Suggested by http://twin-spica.tumblr.com/ !

Terezi Glasses Quick Tutorial

homestuckcosplayhelp:

This is done with primitive tools. I don’t have access to some of the nicer tool sets people have, but household items can work just as well, depending on the job and if you know what you’re doing.

Since the red Vampiress sunglasses were discontinued, I purchased the Devil Rimless Sunglasses off Amazon instead.

Obviously, they weren’t the right shape. I had to fix that.

First, I laid out the shape I wanted the glasses to be in using a dry-erase marker. It didn’t show up too well on the red glass, but it was enough for me to see where I needed to start cutting.

I carefully unscrewed the lenses from the bows and center piece. They’re tiny nuts, so I used a flat-ended tweezers since I didn’t have any tools small enough for the job. CAREFULLY do this, since if you’re too hasty, they can fly off and get lost in the carpet. There are also tiny clear plastic washers between the nut and lenses that you don’t want to lose.

Once I did that, the fun part began. An exacto knife proved to be useless (only causing deep gashes in the lens rather than properly cutting them), so I took a pair of old, sturdy scissors and started hacking at the plastic. I suggest wearing eyewear for this (goggles if you don’t have glasses), as the plastic likes to catapult itself wherever it can.

Once that’s done, I took some coarse sandpaper and just started rubbing the lens edges against it. This step can take a little while, but it’s worth it.

Once you have all that smoothed down, you can reassemble the glasses.

It took me a couple days, but I’m fairly happy with the result.

Good luck!

submitted by sasha-nein

How to…

Stay alive at a convention.

By which I mean, don’t starve yourself. We all know how troublesome food can be at conventions, finding, attaining, eating, time constraints, money constraints, gas constraints, and so on and so forth. But not eating/drinking enough could really ruin your whole con experience!

Not eating/drinking enough can cause…

• Extra stress
• Headaches/Migraines
• Seizures (No joke! Dehydration can cause a seizure :O)
• Grumpiness
• Passing out
• Extra tired

Does that really sound like the way you want to feel at a convention? I thought not. So here are a few tips on how to keep yourself (mostly) healthy at a convention.

• Bring a case of water bottles. Everybody in your room is going to need them. You’ll be loved forever.
• Plan meals. Packing food is seriously too easy. Bring a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a case of instant cup ramen and a pack of plasticware. It might not provide the most satisfying of meals, but if you’re just going to skip them otherwise, whats the big deal? Many dollar stores have grocery sections now, so you can even get the food for really cheap if nobody is willing to pool money for a room food stash. And if you can afford it, it can be really fun to pick an evening of the convention to cram all of your friends into as few cars as possible and go out to dinner somewhere. Fun AND gets you fed.
• Watch your caffeine intake. Personally, I love surviving off of caffeine at cons. Its so bad for me, but oh so good. Okay, not really, I actually turn into a stressed out bitch if I don’t get enough sleep and only function on caffeine. But its tempting! Who wants to sleep when you can stay out making new friends and going to fun events all night? Its just important to remember that caffeine dehydrates you. If you’re going to be chugging those energy drinks, then you really really really need to make sure you have water on hand. Energy drinks are not a substitute for water.

So there you have it! And make sure you watch these things. :] Nobody likes to come home from a con only to be immediately knocked out by post-con sickness. But between avoiding food, dehydration, sleep deprivation and the exposure to hundreds of people, you’re just begging to get sick. Take care of yourself!

Would anyone happen to have a tutorial on combining wigs?

homestuckcosplayhelp:

Ive got two questions in my inbox right now that need one and i’m running out of luck.

I don’t know anything about Homestuck, but would this tutorial be anything like what you’re looking for? It’s for putting two wigs together for Nia’s two-toned hair in Gurren Lagann.

Convention Guildelines

(So mad, I just typed up a good essay length list of guidelines and then lost it all.)

Since I started attending conventions six years ago, I have found that there are a lot of unsavory terms floating around that are commonly used to describe convention attendees. “Pizza-face,” “Hambeast, and “Weeaboo,” to name a few.

And the sad part is, they’re often used accurately. Don’t fall into the trap! We’re all beautiful people, especially when we put effort into our appearance and hygiene. 

So let’s break this idea that con goers are unsavory people!

Here are a few important guidelines:

• Wash your face daily. It doesn’t even really matter what you use, because everybody is different. My cousin has an entire regime of products she cycles through to control her acne. A boy I know simply uses soap and hot water. Personally, I have found that I really like “L’Oreal Go 360° Clean Anti-Breakout Facial Cleanser.” It contains salicylic acid, a key ingredient to fighting acne, but isn’t harsh on my skin at all. It comes with a little scrubby pad that works very well and I always feel wonderfully refreshed after washing my face with this product. 
• Watch what you eat. Watching what you eat is actually important for a lot of reasons. One of which is even related to the guideline above this! Everybody is different, but its been proven that acne breakouts are often related to eating too much greasy food, junk food, or sweets. Watching what you eat helps care for your skin, it helps care for your teeth, and it helps you with your weight. I struggle with keeping weight off, as my body often leans towards a heavier set than I am comfortable with (and to be honest, is even healthy). At the same time, I have many friends who struggle with gaining weight. Watching what you eat is important for both sides of the spectrum. You don’t want to be overweight (ew.) but you really don’t want to be underweight either (ew!).
• Brush your teeth daily. You might think this is a given but it isn’t necessarily for everybody! Good health is centered around good habits, and some people haven’t quite fit teeth brushing into their daily schedule. Its worth the time and effort though. Nobody wants to associate with somebody who has bad breath, and it could save you thousands of dollars in dental work besides.
• BATHE DAILY. Number one rumor I have heard about con goers is that people don’t bath enough and that everybody stinks. Gross! Super gross! I realize that every now and then there may be a good reason for skipping a shower (no time, hair took hours and don’t want to ruin, whatever). But when interacting with a large enclosed social scene, there really isn’t any excuse for putting something as important as bathing off. There are always ways around obstacles, especially since “bathing” in cologne/perfume/deodorant just really isn’t going to cut it. Personally, I haven’t actually experienced that many obviously unclean cosplayers, however, while going over this list with a fellow con attendee it has been requested that I mention this at least six times, in all caps, with exclamation points. This is bad guys, just take a damn shower. 
• Watch your behavior. When I attend conventions, I’ve found that they are one of the few places where I’m surrounded by near strangers and still manage to be outgoing and social. Its a great environment and a great place to make new friends! I’m sure that cons are like this for a lot of people, and you don’t want to be the one to ruin that, do you? For example, has anyone noticed that “glomping” has been banned at many conventions at this point? Now, plenty of people ignore this rule, but its there for a reason! Glomping is simply unsafe. Forcing an unwanted, football style hug onto an unknowing passerby could damage their delicate costume, or even injure their unborn baby. The consequences are far and wide, and that alone should help you keep your hands to yourself. While on the subject of behavior, I’d really like to address any weeaboos, otakus, or rabid fangirls/boys. Do you really want to come off as an ignorant and uncouth individual? Don’t be racist, elitist, or cruel. Don’t be loud and obnoxious. Do be aware and respectful of other people’s personal space. I’m not trying to be insulting, I’m just trying to help. Behavior that is always associated with weeaboos, otakus, and rabid fangirls/boys is really awful. Everybody deserves to have a good time at a convention (think about all the time, effort, and money put into your costume, booth, or hotel), and nobody has a right to cut into that. If you don’t know how to have a good time while behaving like a decent human being, then you need to stop attending conventions and start learning how to correct yourself in social situations.
• Don’t be hella creepy. Seriously though, this is important. I know you’re excited to see a cosplayer of your favorite character, or to finally meet your favorite voice actor, or even to just make some new friends. But stalking is bad. This does fit under the above category, but I’ve had at least one friend end up being stalked by a fellow con-goer. They danced together once at the rave, and it just went too far from then on. Surely you can show your admiration and appreciation without turning into some poor convention attendee’s nightmare.

There you have it! I may edit or add to this from time to time, but here are a few basic but important factors to keep in mind when attending conventions and cosplaying. C: