This is a supplement to our Makeup for Costuming console and workshop — shorter, net-friendly version!

A faceless cosplayer, washed out by flash. Could this exist you?

So you've got a great costume and the perfect wig, and yous're all ready to strut your stuff! You go to the convention, pose for a hundred photos, and then go home and cruise the internet looking for your pictures. But when you lot find them, you're appalled: Your face is washed out. Your forehead is then shiny it's glowing. You look fifteen pounds heavier.  Yous look like a random person wearing a wig, rather than actually resembling your character.

Audio familiar?  The solution may be as simple equally powdering your nose — or a few other piece of cake fixes.

FAQ CONTENTS:

  • How Do I Know If My Costume Requires Makeup?
  • What Makeup Do I Demand?
  • What Other Products Might I Demand?
  • Which Brand of Makeup is Best?
  • How Practise I Employ It?
  • Where Should I Purchase My Makeup?
  • Is College-Priced Makeup Worth the Extra Cost?
  • What if I'grand Allergic to Makeup?
  • Where Can I Learn More?

How Do I Know If My Costume Requires Makeup?

Makeup can be an intimidating topic, especially if yous've never used information technology before! Just consider that for every actor or extra on stage, Goggle box, or the picture screen, makeup is a very real part of their costumes. Information technology helps them go their graphic symbol, and is the key to looking skilful on camera or nether stage lights. In the aforementioned way, makeup should exist a major part of your cosplay!

Now, obviously, not every costume requires makeup. If you lot're wearing something that obscures your face up – a mask, a fursuit, a deep hood – makeup might exist overkill. If you lot're cosplaying an original character who looks exactly like you, and you know for sure that y'all won't have any photos taken in costume, you lotmight be able to get by without makeup.

On the other hand, if Whatsoever of these statements describes your costume, you might need to visit the remainder of this FAQ for some ideas on how to perfect your look:

Olive peel tone + yellow-blonde wig? Makeup is the reply!
Cosplayer: Koristarfire. Photo: Kevin Chan.
  • Your costume isn't normal street wear. In near cases, cosplay means you're wearing something unusual – say, a brightly-colored outfit, or one with a different texture than normal habiliment. The manner these materials reverberate light and bounce it up toward your face is also different than everyday clothing. At all-time, it's unflattering to be underlit by an intense color; at worst, it can completely wash out your face.
  • Yous're wearing a wig. If you lot have a wig for your costume, chances are that it doesn't exactly match your natural hair color. Since your natural peel tone will most likely clash with this, a little colour-correction may be in order; otherwise, y'all might end up looking a bit ill.
  • You're non cosplaying yourself. Many times, the characters nosotros're cosplaying are of a different age, sex activity, personality, or species than ourselves. This is what makes them fun to cosplay! Just if you actually desire to resemble your graphic symbol, y'all may need to modify your advent. (Case: I'thou xxx-something woman of Dutch extraction, with pinkish-toned skin and freckles. While I sometimes cosplay someone my own historic period and sex, the range of characters I portray also includes young children and men of all ages, likewise as characters with pale porcelain skin, outdoorsy tanned peel, wrinkles, beard stubble, etc.)
  • In that location will be a camera anywhere in the vicinity. Cons are terrible places to have photos: Fluorescent lights, ugly hotel color schemes, and camera flash all conspire to do unflattering things to your appearance. Camera wink washes out your peel, flattens your face up and wipes out facial features, rendering you shiny or pasty, heavier, and sometimes completely unrecognizable. Even someone who looks fine in real life can look bad in a flash photograph, and photos last a lot longer than people'due south memories. Makeup can help with many of these issues. (For more photograph tips, check out our console Cosplay Pics 101: Posing For Cosplay Photos.)

In brusque,for any costume that shows your face, and which you're wearing in a public identify, information technology's a good idea to take a few cosmetic steps. Fortunately, getting started with cosplay makeup can be piece of cake and inexpensive! Keep reading.

Makeup can transform your face into many different characters! All the photos above are the same cosplayer (Alena) wearing unlike makeup.

What Makeup Do I Need?

Nearly every costume requires some cosmetic detailing, but yous don't demand to wear a metric ton of blackface to reap the benefits; sometimes, a very light application is the best ready!  There are lots of types of cosmetics and as many cosplay uses, only hither are the three bones makeup ingredients that you lot should include for EVERY costume:

1) Foundation or Base.

This kind of makeup evens out your skin tone and gives you that smoothen, airbrushed look (because anime, comic book and video game characters rarely have freckles, tan lines or blotches).  Information technology also absorbs light so you don't cease up glowing in wink photos.

Flash photo: Bare skin vs. wearing foundation.

When choosing a foundation, try to match your pare tone as closely as possible. Accept a friend to the store with y'all to help you choose the right color, and test the foundation onthe side of your face (non your hand) to encounter how well the color matches.

Foundation comes in several varieties and opacities. Each person's skin is unique, so you lot may desire to experiment with several types to see which of these works best for you lot:

  • Mineral or Powder Foundation: This offers the lightest coverage. It is a fine powder that is applied lightly with a brush all over the confront. It combines the benefits of foundation and powder (discussed beneath). If your peel is adequately even and you don't need to polish out freckles or blotches, this is probably all you demand to look good for the photographic camera.
  • Liquid Foundation: This is a picayune more opaque, giving slightly more coverage, but is yet fairly light on the pare.  For lighter coverage, a tiny amount of liquid foundation should be dabbed onto the confront and then smoothed gently with a sponge or clean fingertips. For heavier coverage, you lot tin can use with a foundation brush (a large, flat brush designed to smooth the production over your skin). The fundamental here is to Blend, and make sure that ALL of your face and cervix is covered lightly but evenly. Pay special attending to the jawline; you don't want any hard edges where your makeup stops! Properly practical, liquid foundation should soak into the skin and y'all shouldn't be able to experience it on your face. If your confront feels sticky or oily, or if you look like a mannequin when you're finished, you probably have besides much makeup on.
  • Mousse Foundation: This is a hybrid cross between liquid and crème foundations; information technology is a fluffy, thicker liquid that usually comes in a pump or jar. It offers heavier coverage than liquid, only is not as dumbo or opaque as crème. To utilise, follow the same steps every bit liquid foundation: Dab on lightly, then blend. Blend. Blend. Blending is particularly important with heavier makeup!
  • Crème/Cream Foundation: This is the most opaque foundation available. A thick paste, normally in a jar, it resembles theatrical/stage makeup. Information technology tin can be practical with a sponge or brush. Crème foundation is recommended if you need to change your pare tone dramatically, or if you naturally take very uneven skin color. Remember to alloy! (Note: Crème foundation commonly needs to be set with powder to keep information technology from smearing or rubbing off. See beneath.)

two) Powder.

Applying face powder with a brush.

Powder sets your foundation (keeps it from rubbing or sweating off equally apace) and diffuses light, so you don't cease up with hotspots or a shiny nose in your pictures. If you're planning on having photos taken in your costume, powder is your best corrective asset!

Powder comes in two forms: Loose and pressed. Loose pulverisation comes in a jar, and is applied with a powder brush (a large, round castor with soft bristles, as seen at left). This is all-time for applying all over your face and neck and "finishing" your makeup. Pressed pulverization is a flat disc of solid pulverisation that comes in a compact, and is applied with a sponge or flat powder puff. Information technology is ideal to carry for quick affect-ups throughout the solar day.

Powder may be tinted to friction match your skin tone/foundation, or it may be a colorless setting pulverisation that is merely meant to go along your foundation from rubbing off. (Colorless antiperspirant setting powder is bachelor from theatrical suppliers, and is ideal for setting creme colors and so the makeup doesn't smear or sweat off.)  Either of these can be used for cosplay purposes.

3) Eye Definition.

This character (Seiran from Saiunkoku Mongatari) has pale hair, stake eyebrows, and neutral lips. Without shading and definition around the eyes, Alena'southward confront would photograph as a blank hulk. Photo: Friese Frame Photography

Your character may not be the type to wear eye makeup. But the eyes are the primal characteristic in most anime/manga/game art, and unfortunately they're the first matter to fade out in photos. You don't need to glam up your optics Las Vegas-style if information technology's non appropriate to the character, only information technology's a adept idea to set them off with some subtle cosmetics.

You may not need to utilize all of these kinds of makeup to accomplish your expect, but here are some options for cosplay eyewear:

  • Eyeliner. Eyeliner is used to create an edge or shadow around the lid of your middle. It can come up in the grade of a pencil, crème, liquid or powder. Each has unlike backdrop: Liquid liner creates a hard, crisp line, while powder liner gives a soft, smoky look. Pencil and crème liners can be smudged for a softer line. Apply sparingly, as also much liner can make your eyes wait small and narrow, rather than setting them off.  In nearly cases, information technology's best to stick to natural colors (brown, greyness, soft black) and apply liner but to the outer tertiary of your eyelid. The liner shouldn't be obvious when you're finished; if you look like a panda, yous're probably wearing likewise much!
  • Mascara. This is a liquid that is applied to your eyelashes to make them await longer.  Long, dark lashes normally point a feminine or very pretty graphic symbol, so use black mascara only if you're going for that expect. If you want more than definition merely don't want to expect girly, use clear, brown, or "soft black" (actually a charcoal greyness color) mascara instead.
  • Eyeshadow. Eyeshadow can exist a tricky fauna; it comes in thousands of colors, textures and fifty-fifty press-on patterns! While some characters crave bold and dramatic eyeshadow colors, many costumes call for a more natural look. Use browns, grays, or charcoal tones (depending on your natural pare tone) to shade the crease surface area of the eyelid. (When choosing natural eyeshadow colors, wait at the shadows effectually the sides of your nose, ears and jawline, and try to match your makeup color those naturally-occurring shadow tones.) Use shadow with a brush, in very light layers; it'south easy to become overboard and end up looking bruised!
Eye makeup can add definition without being dramatic or obvious.

What Other Products Might I Need?

Good question! A lot of that will depend on your item costume. Some other products we love:

  • Primer. This is a clear or tinted gel that is applied beneath your foundation. Primer smooths your peel, fills pores and fine lines, and makes your makeup stay in place hours longer! A boon for the all-day con attendee.
  • Lip Handling. Full, colored lips indicate a feminine character, while thinner, paler lips betoken a masculine character. For cosplayers playing girls, lipstick or lip gloss is a must, while those playing guys should brand certain their lips aren't too pronounced. (Instance: I take very red, girly lips, so whenever I crossplay, I apply a flesh-tone lipstick or foundation and pulverization over my lips to tone them down.)
  • Highlighter. If y'all want to give your confront a more pronounced shape, yous can utilise highlighter on the spots you want to catch more than light. For slender, feminine characters, this can be applied along the browbone (under the outer one-half of the eyebrow) and cheekbones. For thin or gaunt characters, try the bridge of the nose, mentum and cheekbones.
  • Contouring Shadow/Color Wheel. The opposite of highlighter, this powder makes sections of your face up wait deeper or sunken (i.e., if yous're playing Severus Snape, y'all can use this around your optics and in the hollows of your cheeks). When applied below cheekbones, it can accentuate high os structure. Yous can as well apply this just under the jawline to create a more pronounced jaw for masculine characters.
  • Barrier Spray/Sealing Spray. This is a finishing spray that sets your makeup in place and reduces smudging or rub-off. For cosplayers who anticipate a long solar day, or those who sweat a lot, or those wearing easily-stained costumes, this is indispensable.

Which Make of Makeup is Best?

Theatrical makeup brands such equally Ben Nye or Mehron are best for dramatic colour changes. Photo: Elemental Photography.

At that place are hundreds of brands of makeup, and as many different skin types in the world. I can tell you what products I like to use, but chances are information technology won't work as well on YOUR skin as a different product might. Even Laura and Alena, who are sisters, use completely dissimilar types and colors of makeup. There is no substitute for trying it out on yourself.

A good plan when looking for loftier-quality cosmetics is to expect for a reputable retailer – good makeup stores rarely sell junk – and/or lots of customer reviews. One resource I apply when researching new products is Sephora, which has tons of client product reviews, as well as a very generous return policy (in instance you lot buy something that simply doesn't work out for you).

For special effects makeup, however, the field is narrowed greatly. Information technology's best to stick to makeup sold for apply on stage, as it'southward much more reliable than off-brands. Ben Nye, Mehron, and Kryolan are all loftier-quality brands. Exercise Non utilize makeup kits sold for Halloween or costume use, even if information technology carries a improve brand name; they are poor quality (not the brand's usual line), and usually comprise toxic substances. (I am not kidding. Read the fine print on those cheap made-in-China Halloween kits. Many of them comprise pb.)

How Practise I Utilise Information technology?

Tools matter — you lot wouldn't put together a fabulous costume with mismatched thread or duct tape, would yous?  Nor should you try to utilise great makeup with those cheap sponge tools included in the box.  Disposable free tools are usually worth what yous paid.  And fingers are groovy for finger-painting, but artists utilize brushes for a reason.

Makeup brushes are available in hundreds of styles, but there are a few essentials I refuse to exercise without. I include links for illustration purposes only; there are a variety of groovy brands and options, and I only chose nice photos!

  • foundation brush (for pulverisation, or liquid foundations with heavy coverage)
  • sponge (for liquid foundations, light coverage — launder frequently, replace occasionally)
  • eyeshadow brush
  • pulverisation brush (for utilise loose powder to set)

And there are of class additional tools which are very useful:

  • liner brush (for pulverization eyeliners, preferred for some effects)
  • chroma/contour brush (for blush, highlights, contouring, etc.)
  • angled castor (for shaping and middle effects)
BLEND EVERYTHING. For most looks, you want a smooth, airbrush-effect finish.
Cosplayer: Mogchelle. Photo: Elemental Photography.

Central to brushes is not just shape, simply stiffness and bristle type.  Natural and synthetic bristles deport paint and oils differently, and the flexibility of a bristle determines how it will utilise the makeup.  In a workshop I tin can present two brushes for you to feel the difference, simply that's a bit harder over the internet — you'll have to trust me that brushes really do vary.

You lot needn't (and shouldn't!) buy the almost expensive brushes available, but the cheapest aren't recommended, either.  Cheap plastic bristles are hard to work with and cheap brushes often fall apart quickly (leaving bristles stuck in your wait!). Replacing a brush every few months apace becomes more expensive than buying a single adept castor which should last you lot for 10 years or more than.

Also, be sure to clean your brushes!  They do collect makeup and pare oils, and they will work amend and concluding longer if you give them a regular once-over.  (I use water-diluted commercial cleaner; at my current rate, one bottle should last me half dozen years or more. Alternately, use other household products, as in the linked video.)

Remember, when applying makeup, you want to Blend. Brushes will assist y'all; smooth them in a gentle sweeping or circular move, peculiarly when applying powdered makeup. You don't want hard lines where your foundation stops (this includes at the jawline or ears), nor dense smears of blush or eyeshadow with visible edges. Every bit with all creative skills, applying makeup well tin take practise, and so have some time to try various application techniques and figure out what works best for you (and your particular costume).

Where Should I Buy My Makeup?

Nosotros are pretty loyal to Sephora (seriously, we don't get any kickback for maxim that — it's just a smashing place to shop!), only any store that allows yous to test or sample makeup is a good bet. Sephora, MAC, Victoria'southward Cloak-and-dagger, and virtually department stores with makeup counters (Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, et al) will allow you to try before you buy, which allows you lot to learn a) how it looks on you, and b) how long it lasts before it wears off – both important considerations when shopping for costume makeup!

The trade-off for this convenience is that those stores typically sell college-end cosmetics, which toll more than the makeup at your average drug store. If y'all're simply getting started and don't want to drib more than a few dollars for your first experiment, by all ways, go to the local Walgreens or Target and pick up some makeup there! Some drug shop brands are quite good and will serve but as well as their higher-priced counterparts.

That said, see the next section.

Is Higher-Priced Makeup Worth the Extra Cost?

Price does not e'er correlate to quality. If you buy glory-brand eyeshadow, you're paying more for some celebrity'southward name, and information technology'south not necessarily a better product than a not-designer brand. However, it is true that college-quality makeup (which also costs more, in almost cases) is more pigmented, while cheaper makeup contains more fillers and less pigment. This means information technology takes more of a cheaper production to make up for the weaker color.

Need a metaphor? Call back of crayons. If you colored with Crayola crayons as a child, you lot know that they produced brilliant and intense colors on the pages of your coloring volume. But when you went to a restaurant and got a child'southward bill of fare that came with cheap off-brand crayons, the crayons were waxy and faint and you lot had to scribble harder to get any colour to show up on the paper. They left so much wax on the newspaper that you could scrape the crayon off with your fingernail.

High-quality makeup, like Crayolas, goes on brilliant and smooth and lasts longer. Cheap makeup, like cheap crayons, takes more product to get the same corporeality of color, and wears off your skin more chop-chop. This means you lot'll use less of a high-quality product, and then you're actually getting more applications out of it, and it will last you longer — then in that regard, yes, it's worth the higher cost.

On the other hand, if y'all don't actually demand your makeup to last for 16 hours, yous can get by without spending the extra money. It depends on your own habits and what you desire from your makeup. (Personally, I utilize a variety of both very cheap and more expensive products, depending on the day/costume/event.)

What if I'g Allergic to Makeup?

People with sensitive pare or allergies often find that what they're reacting to is actually a binder or filler in cheap makeup, rather than the pigments themselves. Frequently, higher-quality mineral makeups (which have fewer or no synthetic ingredients) won't trigger the same allergies. You might desire to experiment and see what works best for your skin. Also, using a barrier or sealer spray under your makeup can reduce skin irritation, as can removing makeup thoroughly with a good cleanser. If you see a dermatologist, consult him/her for additional advice.

Where Can I Learn More?

For hands-on learning with various types of makeup, you're welcome to attend to one of our Makeup For Costuming workshops (we offer this at Gen Con every year, and several other conventions on a rotating basis). We also offer a Makeup For Cosplay panel, with the same information but without the hands-on demos, at many cons throughout the year.

For special makeup looks and application techniques, check out these popular YouTube video tutorials by MissChievous, julieg713, and panacea81.