Cosplay Makeup Tips

Makeup tips for any cosplay. Send an ask if you want to know anything, or want to suggest a cosplay.

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Hello! I needed advice forma a cosplay for a feminine yet male looking character and wanted some advice on how to achieve said look. Also I wanted to know what do you recommend for wigs, cause the guy has this baby blue Turquoise colored hair and for some reason fantasy color hair just looks awful on my skin. I am in a bit of a loss here 😥😥

Try studying both masculine and feminine makeup techniques and seeing if there’s a good balance you can find of things you like from each technique! If not, there are also plenty of makeup tutorials on how to look more androgynous that might help.

As for the wig, a good way to figure things out is your undertone. Generally cool toned skin fits blue better, but that doesn’t mean warm toned skin can’t pull off blue! Looking for a warm toned blue (i.e. more on the green side than the purple side of blue) could help, or if you’re cool toned, a neutral or cool toned blue will work just fine! Your wig doesn’t have to match the character 100% if you feel better in a wig that you think looks better on you.

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Hi ^-^ I was wondering if you could help. Long story short, I need to do something that looks like scales, on my face, that's gonna last a while and possibly water proof (see my profile image to see what I mean) I am just stupid new to pretty much any makeup, so treat me like a child please.

I’ve seen people make scales out of hot glue drops, then eyelash glue the dry pieces to their face. These may fall off through a con, however. Another option is to put a fishnet stocking over your face and brush eyeshadow over that to create a fishnet pattern! There are plenty of mermaid makeup tutorials online that use this technique.

I hope this helped

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

I just bought a warmish dark brown wig to cosplay Tracer from Overwatch, but it came in today and I realized it looks terrible with my cool, very pale skin tone. I think using a different color foundation with this wig is a possible solution to this, do you have any tips on picking a foundation for this?

Sorry for taking so long to respond! Unfortunately I think using a different foundation shade might look a little odd, and your best bet is either to get a new wig or grin and bear it.

You could also experiment with your other makeup (blush, lipstick, etc) being more warm or neutral tones! I’m sorry if this isn’t much help.

[cosplaymakeuptips]

I do a lot of cosplays of blonde characters and the only way I can fix my dark brown eyebrows is with Photoshop (I don't have a lot of makeup and definitely don't have experience with it). Do you have any tips?

The most commonly used method in the cosplay community is brow covering using the glue stick method (a quick google search should give you tons of results)

Alternatively, though, if you don’t mind keeping your natural eyebrow shape, you can either cover your brows with white eyeliner (a lot of people use NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk) and then cover that with eyeshadow in the color you need or use a blond brow mascara.

Skill wise, I’d say the white base with eyeshadow over it is the easiest!

[cosplaymakeuptips]

I’m an idiot and I need makeup advice. I’m planning on dressing up as a more humanoid version of The Moonjumper (A scrapped character from A Hat in Time) and I’m not quite sure what I should do make-up wise, especially for areas around my eyes. I don’t really want to cake my face in make-up - just maybe a light bit to really add to the look. I’m planning on using a mask to obscure the top part of my face. Do you have any advice?

Unfortunately a humanoid version isn’t an official design, so I can’t give much specific advice. If it were me, though, I’d pick colors and patterns from the original design, and use those colors and patterns as you choose on your face

i.e.: blue eyeshadow, the patterns on the Moonjumper’s eyes drawn on your face, etc.

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Hii, I'm planning on cosplaying Dante from Devil May Cry, the one with black, short hair. I'm a girl that has no experience whatsoever in makeup and I was wondering if you had any tips on how to look more manly. Thanks!

Contouring and eyebrow shape will be your priorities! Contouring a face to look more masculine is different from Instagram contouring

Eyebrows should be kept lower than your natural brows

Here's a more in depth guide of FtM crossplay makeup: x and a picture that may help with contouring:

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Do you have any suggestions for how to do the dirt on Junkrat(from Overwatch)'s face and shoulders? This is the first cosplay I'm making and I've never used makeup before.

I would just use eyeshadow with a big fluffy brush and a light hand, the messier the better!

Alternatively, a stippling sponge and either gel eyeliner or body paint

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Do you have any tips for creating realistic freckles without using alcohol paints or face paint?

X 

This tutorial can be done with any liquid makeup, which could just be a dark foundation or concealer. Many people use brow pomade.

Another option is to dot them on individually with eyeshadow or a pencil product

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

So i don't wear a lot of make up on a day to day basis, so I don't own very much. And most of my cosplays have used simple make up. But I'm doing a punk Sailor Moon cosplay and I'm not really sure what I need for the make up. What are the essentials for doing that kind of make up? Also i have a round face, so any contour information would be nice!

Because of punk’s history, there’s lots of different tutorials for punk makeup on Youtube that you can copy, but in terms of general essentials

-A good foundation routine

-Dark eyeshadow with a pop of color. Depending on what Sailor Scout you’re cosplaying, I would pick the colors of their outfit (ex: some green for Jupiter, red for Mars). Something like this might be easier to work with than more over-the-top punk makeup, and still have a darker look tht you want

As for contouring, if you want to make your face look more angular, ant contouring videos for round faces will do

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Do you have any tips for contouring your nose to look smaller? I've gotten many comments that my nose ruined the look of my cosplays and I really want to fix it.

Hi!

First of all, I’m really very sorry that you’ve received such terrible comments! A negative comment about any part of your physical appearance is not really appropriate, and I hope that you’re okay.

So, to contour your nose, you essentially need to use makeup to create the apparent outline of a smaller nose. This is a good link to use, and it has both a video and instructions for you to follow.

This is also a good video. 

I hope this helps you!

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Hey I’m doing an Undertaker cosplay from Black Butler in a couple months and I’m trying to figure out what to do with the eye makeup. Any suggestions or ideas on how to go about it?

x Here’s an eye tutorial, but any eye makeup tutorial for a character from the same series could probably work! Modify whatever you want to fit Undertaker’s eyes

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Heya, I was just wondering if you had any tips on how to get effective results with only powder based makeup? I can't use liquids & creams etc because of my skin

This tutorial I stumbled upon might help x

If you’re looking for a full coverage foundation, I’ve found Tarte’s Amazonian clay airbrush foundation to work pretty well with powder

Also, I’m not completely sure what your skin concern is, but if it’s oily skin, I had excessively oily skin and many foundations now dry matte in a way that won’t come off

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Hi! I am planning to cosplay Machi from Hanayamata in the coming week, and was wondering you if have any tips for makeup for her? I'm a beginner cosplayer and am also concerned about the heat and sweat causing the makeup to go all over the place. Thank you!

I just posted this on Machi: x

As for humidity/sweat, I can help more clearly. I have lots of experience sweating with heavy stage makeup on Most modern makeup simply doesn’t run much, even drugstore makeup, as long as you prime and set it well with powder (you can use tons if you need to) 

This is an old tutorial I still swear by: x

Also, I used to have excessively oily skin, and I’d put on primer, powder, and setting spray, but the only technique that seemed to help was baking my oily areas, which you can learn here: x

If you do need to touch up your makeup, here’s a tutorial on that: x

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Do you have any tutorials or tips for doing makeup to look like you're freezing? I'm doing a Yuki Onna cosplay, and I'm not sure how to do the makeup. I know I'll need to something for my hands, too, but I have no idea what to do at all ;v;

Something like this x may help for simply looking cold, this x (TRYPOPHOBIA WARNING) is how to look frostbitten, and it also shows a way to look like you have ice on you by using rock candy, but please be careful and don’t get it in your eyes

You may want to use a paler foundation or white body paint, and depending on makeup style, use cooler colors, possibly gray to contour, vampire makeup may actually help you!

Whatever foundation you use can simply be continued onto your hands, and if you glue on rock candy like in the video, do that to your hands as well

Just throwing out some ideas

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

hi im new to cosplay can you teach me shinoa cosplay makeup o saw afew natural ones online and its damn cute xD but i tried it it kinda hard for a newbie like me..

Here’s a tutorial: x

If you find it’s too complicated, you can find eyeliner help videos and such online, or simply focus on eyelashes and eyebrows, or even use a stencil

Practice makes perfect!

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

Hi! I hope this blog is still active/checked, but I was hoping to cosplay a slightly obscure character, Machi from Hanayamata, and was looking for tips/tutorials on how to cosplay her properly (make up and stuff). Thank you!

Something simple like this should help, and then shape your eyebrows to be thin/angled x

If you have trouble finding obscure characters, try to find characters with similar features who are more popular and look for those

-Mod Julie

[cosplaymakeuptips]

I'm cosplaying Nina from Rage of Bahamut, and I don't know how to go about doing her makeup. Do you have any suggestions? I'm a beginner and I'm not sure how to achieve the 'big, round eyes without heavy/thick eyelashes/eyeliner' look.

Unfortunately, drastically changing your eye shape also requires heavy makeup. If you want to look more natural, some techniques from this video will help you: x

Circle lenses will also help a LOT, but if you’re not comfortable with that, there’s no need to.

My previous post on Tsui from BNHA should help you! Just pick and choose which techniques you’re comfortable with!

-Mod Julie