Bringing a character to life is more than just wigs and costumes. There’s also the makeup that comes with making yourself really look like the character. The following lists has all your cosplay makeup essentials you could need for any character. The list is broken up into basics and SFX since you may not always need to use SFX makeup for every cosplay.
Basic Cosplay Makeup Essentials
When we say basics, we mean common staples you’ll need in most cosplays. You might be shocked to find you have some in your day to day makeup kits as well.
- Foundation – Foundation helps give you a fresh palette to create a character on. Whether you use a foundation that matches to your skin tone, or you’re looking to lighter or even try fun color foundations to create unique characters, you need to have this on hand.
- Concealer – Concealer can help cover and hide anything you need. So if there’s anything you want completely erased for the perfect cosplay look, be sure to have plenty of this ready in your kit.
- Bronzer and contour – Chisel and accent any part of your face or even abs by using bronzers and contour.
- Blush – If your face needs a little color for youthful or anime characters and more, blush is the way to go.
- Highlight – Brighten up and glisten with the power of highlighter. This one is probably not going to be as heavily needed as the other basic essentials on this list.
- Mascara – If you don’t love fake lashes or only need to slightly bolden up your lashes, mascara is the perfect way to go. I typically stick to this over fake lashes since I hate putting stuff near my eyes.
- Eyeliner – Eyeliner is a very common staple to create sharp wings or to try and change your eye shape. That’s why it can be helpful to get a variety of colored eyeliners. At the very least, you’ll want to have black and white eyeliners.
- Eyebrow pencil or cream – When it comes to eyebrows, you may want to be redefining their shape with an eyebrow pencil, or maybe you want the color to match a wig and you need eyebrow creams.
- Eyeshadows – You are going to want to have many colors and palettes ready depending on how many cosplays you have. I keep a variety of eyeshadow colors available to fulfill the many different characters I want to create.
- False lashes – Some lashes mascara just can’t recreate. If you’re comfortable putting on false lashes, then definitely have some at the ready.
- Lipstick and gloss – Everything from matte to gloss, that comes in sticks, tubes and more. Lip color is important to have in order to bring the finishing touches of a cosplay together.
- Setting spray or powder – If you want to lock in your cosplay makeup masterpiece, then you need something to set it. You have options like setting sprays and even setting powders.
- Primer – Before you put on any makeup, you need to use a primer. Makeup primers help get your face prepped to best hold the different colors you put on. There is also eye primers to get your lids ready to lock on the shadows.
- Makeup brushes and sponges – In order to best apply any makeup, you’ll need blending sponges of different shapes and sizes as well as an assortment of makeup brushes to use for your face and eyes.
SFX Cosplay Makeup Essentials
SFX makeup helps to create practical effects that basic makeup just isn’t capable of. Things like fake wounds or attaching gems and more is a breeze thanks to these cosplay makeup essentials:
- Liquid latex – If you’re allergic to latex, please skip this one. Liquid latex is a great way to create different effects to your skin like wounds, and flesh or they even have different colored versions of liquid latex.
- Flesh wax – If you don’t like the smell of latex, are allergic or want to create thicker would or flesh effects, you’ll want flesh wax or gels.
- Stage blood – There’s scab blood, spray on or standard theatrical blood. All can help to create different fake wounds or just smear it on to make it look like your survived the fight with just a mess to show for it.
- Rigid collagen – Making a cut look deep requires rigid collagen. With enough layers, you can create deep wounds easily. You can also pair it with red face paint to make an old flesh wound too.
- Spirit gum and remover – Attaching prosthetics and more is easy with spirit gum. It’s strength will hold any thing in place but you’ll want spirit gum remover to safely get it off.
- Bruise wheel – Creating fake bruises whether fresh or old becomes easier when you have all the colors of a bruise wheel palette to work with.
- Face creams, crayons and paints – I always keep a variety of these on hand. Face paint palette’s help for somethings whereas face paint crayons can do the job better at others.
Looking for more cosplay makeup essentials or cosplay makeup tutorials? Explore my website and YouTube channel for more!
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