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Hair, Nails, Makeup, and More


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#1
Nyx

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So, I've been looking through the Cosplay section now and again, and have noticed topics asking for help on making the costumes, and even one for contact lenses -- but I was hard pressed to find one about helpful hints on styling hair or problems with makeup... Hence this topic. dry.gif

I figured general cosplaying questions could be asked here, along with links and advice for other portions of costuming DOOM -- at the very least to keep it all organized in the same topic. If I get a lot of information, I'll have to split it into several posts. Links, Questions, hints, tutorials -- all are welcome. Post or PM if you want to add something!

A reminder -- this topic is in no way supposed to advertise for companies, but to help with patterns, tutorials, and the such. If I list a site that sells things, it's meant to be an example, not as an advertisement. If I put something up that someone finds offensive or incorrect, please tell me. Also, be careful when constructing any type of craft -- take all the necessary precautions first! Stay safe!

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Okay, first we'll have some helpful links.

First and foremost is Threadbanger.com-- throughout their forums they have incredible amounts of patterns and tutorials
that are well worth the many hours it will take to go through them
Expect to see many links to their site.

Sadly, Threadbanger moved house, and their site is no longer up, meaning all of the links to those tutorials

are now lost. I'll see if I can find old archives of them later.

Next, Fire Mountain Gems has an incredible selection of beads,
chains, and shiny, decorative objects that make good details to a costume. There are several sites like this, but I'm relatively certain that this is an international one...

Instructibles.com has many, many tutorials on how to do a myriad of things --
and although I will be posting links to some of these tutorials, I would advise against going to some of the
'related' tutorials as several can be pointless, fake, useless, or downright dangerous to attempt.
I'll keep the links for this one limited to related topics.

Also, VampFangs.com, has been mentioned here before. For those with need for sharp teeth, as well as a small selection of special-effects contact lenses.

With those in mind, let's get to it!

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Eyes
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(Eye Makeup Tutorials)

Youtube is a great place to find eye makeup (and also hairstyle) tutorials. It might actually take you a few hours to look through all of the search results for a few keywords on it. Here's one on how to make your eyes look a lot bigger. Also explains how to apply fake eyelashes.
How to do Anime Eyes


(Contact Lenses)

SQUiD was kind enough to mention a lens maker by the name of 9mm Special Effects in the post below -- thank you SQUiD!

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Hair
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How-To: Clip-on Hair Extentions
(I will only go over Clip-on hair extensions -- they're safer if you have to do them yourself.
The site also sells them, I think... You can make your own hair extensions, and you can dye them the more wild colors with certain dyes.
Should you decide to attempt a different method, please be careful!)

-Wigs-

CosWorx (Which can easily be found linking out of Cosplay.com) has some nice wigs for decent prices. Keep in mind that a cheap wig is cheap quality, and read the descriptions carefully. (Cosworx also sells some really nice boots.)

If you want to DYE a synthetic wig, get a small spraybottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol. The more alcohol, the more diluted the color will be, so keep that in mind. Get a box full of sharpies in the color you need, and crack the case open and stick the core in the alcohol -- let it soak for a few hours, or overnight. After the color has set, start spraying your wig. You MUST do this in layers, almost as if you were giving it low lights. This will take some time, but the colors will be more even. This works very well on blond or stock white wigs. Also know that really cheap wig fiber won't take dye very well, if at all.

 

There are some excellent tutorials on Youtube for dying wigs like this.

Styling:

If you want to STYLE a wig, heat is both your friend and enemy. Flat irons and curlers can be useful, and sometimes have nice results -- but they tend to work better on real-hair wigs then synthetics. Synthetics are mostly plastic, and will melt easily if the heat is too high. One suggestion I've heard is warming the hair by dipping it in hot water, then styling. Setting curls is as easy as putting the wig up in curlers and soaking them for a few minutes -- same as doll hair. Low-temperature is often best -- I wouldn't even let the water get to the boiling stage. Let it dry fully before taking out curlers if you want defined curls. If you not quite brave enough to stick the wig in a pot, try boiling the water and then pouring it over the wig into a bucket -- once you get the wig to the style you want, set it to dry. And if even that seems to harsh, just soak it in hot water from the tap.

Fabric Softener can help you to remove curls, but it also might make it semi-shiny, so beware. As for conditioners, the Wig-specific types are best, but regular conditioner works on wigs too. There are also some more expensive 'dry conditioners' like BioSilk that can be used safely on wigs.

Rub the wig gently between dryer sheets to rid it of static. Again, synthetic wigs are mostly made from plastic so excessive stretching and pulling can deform the strands of hair. Brush gently, and remember some brushes may be better than others when it comes to this. Soft and small plastic bristle-brushes may work better than the hard plastic type. Different size and density combs are often the easiest (and best) to work with, even though it will take longer to untangle the wig. You risk less damage but more sanity.

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Skin
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How to make a Fake Tattoo with pencils, tracing paper, deodorant, and sharpies. (Video Tutorial, on Youtube.) (Small tip: Most highlighters are UV-light reactive, so using them for markings on fabric or even skin will cause them to glow vividly under one.)

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Costume
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(Fabric Types)
[Under Construction - I need some help filling out this section, please!]

These are for tips on how to WORK with some kinds of fabric. Local suppliers will have to be found on your own. Also -- beware buying fabric online! I've seen it work out very well before, but remember you can't physically see, touch, or find out how it looks under certain lights before you buy it. And if you do decide to buy online -- make sure you buy enough. It's very difficult to match dye lots unless you have it in front of you.

First bit of advice -- pins are your friends, but don't forget about them if you go to try something on. Ouch.

Always remember your bias -- particularly on stretchy fabrics or ones with a pile that faces a given direction. Lighter weight fabrics like sheers and silks tend to 'jump' and slide out of alignment in a sewing machine, so slow and steady is the way to go. Sometimes pins are a bad idea with these kinds of fabrics because they might leave unsightly holes -- this is another occasion where you want to move slowly and constantly be checking your line.

Seam allowance is your best friend. Seriously. If you need to widen something in one area because it's a -tiny- bit too small, this can be a lifesaver. As for drawing out your patterns -- you will always be safer aiming for 'too big' then 'a little too small'.

It's been said many, many times before -- Measure twice, cut once.

(Dyes)

Most dyes have some quirks, so make sure you read the package carefully. Always make sure you wear gloves, and are using a bucket in a sink or tub you don't mind getting stained -- this stuff stains skin almost as well as fabric. Powder dyes need to dissolve fully for best results. And remember -- some fabrics don't take dyes well at all. Read the label (if it's an already-made item) or look up your fabric types.

Tea baths or coffee baths with leftover grounds or bags can help give a 'distressed' look to most fabrics -- and it works pretty well if you're going for that lovely aged-steampunk look.

Salt and vinegar can help to set the colors in after dying is complete -- and you'll want to do it as soon as possible after dying, once it's the right color. It might be a good idea to have a second bucket ready for this. Most times I hear of this, it's a cold water rinse -- but I've heard of people using hot water before, and many places say a lukewarm works best. Do your research!

-Clothes-

Main Threadbanger List for Clothes
How to Make a Tie

Lord of the Rings Costume Research
(Very helpful on multiple subjects, includes patterns for some elven clothes and help with pointed ears as well!)

Ladies and mens patterns, from t-shirts and vests, to skirts and pants. They also have instructions for corsets of all sizes. They even have a size selection to make your life easier. Keep in mind, though -- the patterns are in PDF format. And if it says 'show me more' beside categories -- click them. There are loads of patterns on here.

-Hats-

Jester Hat
(Stylized. Could be modified for NiGHTS cosplay?)

(There was once a topic on the NiD forum, where member Sand3 used a plastic canvas to make a maren hat frame with some very nice results. Sadly, the link I had is broken, and I don't believe the topic is here anymore. However, the idea is sound, and I've found that many people have used this method with other hat types, again, with very nice results. Plastic canvas is lightweight, durable, and with a base fabric like felt over the top, it creates a very smooth looking, shaped surface. To work with it most easily, it might be a good idea to have a lot of yarn or twine on hand, along with a long and thick needle with a large eye.)



(Props)

Some of these may be submitted by other users from different sites, I'll try to post the clearer ones.

-Wings-

How to Make a Pair of Angel Wings
(Attached to the arms, can fold and unfold. Can be made with real feathers.)
'Fallen Angel' Wings
(On the smaller side, good for a costume accent.)
Do-It-Yourself Fairy Wings
(A Threadbanger tutorial. These wings are made from common household materials, and are lightweight.)

-Elf Ears-

Two different methods that I've found online for applying store bought elf ears -- the first is here, the second is here.
(They advise that you have another person on hand to help you...)

And the specific link for the LoTR Research elf ear section again for good measure.

-Masks-

How to make a Venetian Mardi Gras Mask
(A helpful tutorial on how to make a Mardi Gras mask from nothing more than tinfoil, roll-plaster, and paint.)

-Horns-

Ram's Horns
(Helpful, but on a larger scale I'm not sure how they'd hold up.)
Bison Horns
(Which I figured should go here...)


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Plush Dolls
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While I'm at it, I'll go ahead and post the links to plush doll makers who very generously decided to supply their patterns and methods to others. You can even use some dolls as miniature mannequins for testing cosplay patterns.

Dollmaker Runo
(I've used these patterns before. The patterns are a little complicated,
and not for beginners, but have incredible results. Site also includes instructions.)

Deviant Art has quite a few, here's a couple to start with --
How to Make Anime-Style Plush Hair
How to Paint Plush Doll Eyes
Vestenotus's Chao Plush Tutorial
Nitanita's Simple Wire-Framed Plushie
Keysha-chan's Simple, Basic Plush Toy
Ichigo-pan43's Method for Plush Hair

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#2
SQUiD

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Welp, I read up on the Maren lenses thread, and you might want to add 9mmsfx to the contacts list up there. :>

#3
TRiPPY

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Woahdude those are epic but bloody expensive @_______________@




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