Be a Man! A Beginner's Crossplay Tutorial

Hi again! So for this tutorial, I'm going to go through basic crossplay makeup. I used my friend Meech as a model. Meech currently has more crossplays than regular cosplays, so I decided she'd be perfect.

This is Meech normally.

We'll start off with foundation. For cosplaying, I normally use a lot of makeup because you'll want everything to look fantastic and as flawless as possible. So I start off with liquid foundation.

Put the liquid foundation all over the face and blend. Don't worry if it's a little bit sloppy, because this is just the first layer of foundation. After that's all done and blended, you'll move on to the powder. I use mineral powder because it covers well. So brush that on.

Love the brush, Meech. Love it.










Once the foundation is done, we'll start contouring. Contouring can make a huge difference between a feminine face and a more masculine face. I'm not putting too much on Meech, because she's not used to a lot of makeup.

To contour, put either bronzer or a foundation at least two shades darker than your skin tone on your cheeks/jawline, your temples, and along the sides of your nose (from the tip to the eyebrows). The key will be to make your features more angular than normal. Once you're put the bronzer/foundation on, blend it. You can use pretty much any brush to do this, but I normally use my foundation brush.

Now you'll want to use either a brow pencil or eye shadow ((or sometimes both)) to thicken and shape the eyebrows. If you look at boys, they don't often attend to their eyebrows so you can go ahead and thicken them quite a bit. Go ahead and put some liquid foundation on the lips to take away the girly color.

Now go ahead and put on your boy wig! And remember, if you find you don't look manly enough, you can always go back and add more contouring/highlighting.

Stay tuned for a binding tutorial, coming soon!

<3 Kandell

Eyelashes: Natural, Basic, Minking or Fake?

Makeup is a large part of cosplay. Just like details on a costume, it can help make or break the overall look. For today, let's focus on the pro's and con's of different looks for your eyelashes.

Natural:
Pro's -   Going without mascara is great for crossplays, and it takes away time from getting your costume on.

Con's -  If you don't have any mascara on (Unless you have crazy amazing eyelashes) your lashes will be completely lost in photos, and your eyes won't be as catching.


Basic:
Pro's -   You can use brown mascara to give a natural look while still adding length and volume, which is great for crossplaying pretty boys or young girls or tomboys. Very little time is spent on your lashes while getting ready with this method.

Con's -  Depending on the lashes you're starting with, it might not make the lashes as apparent as you want. Also, depending on the color, it can change the look. Unless you're crossplaying a very girly guy, don't use black for crossplay eyelashes.


Minking:
Pro's -   This is a relatively new method, named because it uses two colors of mascara to make your eyelashes look even thicker and longer. Minking adds volume, length and texture by using brown mascara as a base for your eyelashes and putting black mascara on the tips only.

Con's -   Minking uses twice as much mascara and takes twice as long to do as opposed to basic mascara. It also takes longer to wash off at night.


Fake:
Pro's -   Good fake eyelashes can be purchased at cheap to reasonable prices, and make your eyes really pop in photos. They also allow you to skip the mascara completely.

Con's -   Falsies can be difficult to put on, and may make your eyes feel heavy, pull off during the day, and/or be uncomfortable. Depening on how practiced you are, it can take even longer than minking.


And there you have it. Personally, I use minking for my daily makeup and use false eyelashes when I cosplay. I prefer these two methods because they really help define the eyes. When I look at pictures, false eyelashes really bring your attention to the face and give a glamorous impression.