I saw your answer and I would like advice on cosplay please
No problem! I was really scared to try cosplaying until I learned it was not so scary. These are the advice I learned.
You need the outfit, but sometimes you can make one from a Thrift Store or find one online. Sometimes they are not the best quality though so be careful when ordering things off of some websites. The same goes for wigs.
Always get the wig longer than you need it. Use hair trimming scissors and not crafting scissors. For best results have someone you know cut the wig while it is on you. This way you can have it match the shape of your head and look more natural.
Make sure none of your hair is showing under your wig. They make a special tape for this.
Makeup is IMPORTANT whether or not your character wears makeup. You want to have a basic foundation for cameras/stage on your face. Usually, I first apply concealer, then foundation, make sure you set it with powder or something too.
Contouring and all of this is very important if you’re trying to give a type of look to your character. The Japanese girls I cosplayed Hetalia with often went very above and beyond with their eye makeup to achieve the look they wanted.
Colour contacts are not required. Most good photo apps can change eye colour or you can photoshop it to be changed. I think they help but I know not everyone can get them and I think it’s fine.
If you want to, often some cosplayers will use tape to help give a temporary facelift. Most tape should work and you can photoshop it out later. Some of it comes in different skin tones but most the girls I knew used just paperwhite and edited later.
Most cosplayers use photoshop. Those cosplays that you see where they just look *too* good is going to have some photoshop in there. Whether they’re fixing their make up or making their eyes brighter to completely painting over the image, these are all things people do. Don’t let ‘oh my god they look like the character!!’ fool you. A lot of cosplayers go overboard with photoshop. Sometimes too much so.
Confidence and acting in poses. You may feel stupid if you’re taking a selfie or something but confidence will make or break the cosplay. Use a selfie stick if you have no one to take shots for you.
Don’t worry about weight, height, skin colour, etc. All cosplays/cosplayers are valid. With regards to height, you can use angles to make you look taller or smaller. My height was a big thing that stopped me but you can look taller on the camera easily.
It’s a lot of trial and error too, but don’t get hung up about looking ‘100%’ right out of makeup or something. Most people don’t and most people do some degree of photo editing. I had the privilege to befriend and get to know a lot of Japanese cosplayers and nearly all of the ones that had big followings or got tons of likes/favourites photoshopped somewhere at some point.
Most importantly, just have fun!!
