/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

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Advice?

Don't wear thick eyeliner for crossplaying male character unless the character himself wear it.

Asians do it best, and it doesn't really work unless the character (and cosplaer, actually) is fairly androgynous to begin with. It's usually quite easy to tell, which ruins it for me usually.

>>7498118
>> Asians do it best

>>7498115
A million times this. Raccoon eyes will kill an otherwise good costume, it's a shame.

>>7498118
I think about .01% of crossplayers can actually be fully convincing. Maybe I've just been cosplaying and watching drag shows for too long, but I can always spot a crossplayer from a non-crossplayer, even if the person is "androgynous".

And the reason "Asians do it best" is because they're the best with photoshop.

Advice for ftm:
Don't wear your binding past the point of pain if you don't want to crack your ribs
Never wear tape of any kind or ace bandages all the way around your ribs
Blend your contouring so you don't look like your face is covered in dirt.
Hairspray is a perfectly good and less painful alternative to spirit gum when it comes to adhering crepe wool, and if you're cosplaying in the heat, spirit gum can cause chemical burns
Wear multiple layers of spanx and pad your waist to combat girly figure
Blend fake sideburns into your real hair and not your wig so they don't look pasted on.
Practice walking without swaying your hips for a full illusion
Don't wear dark eyeliner unless the character does.

Advice for mtf
Always wear false lashes. Always.
Unless you are thick (as in, your thighs, not that you're dumb), always pad your hips.
Even if the character has naked legs. 9/10, multiple layers of dance pantyhose will look better than your natural legs
Always cinch your waist, no matter how skinny you are
If you're a skinny bitch and are having a hard time using the tape method to make your cleavage, have a friend hold a pencil between your tits as you smoosh your chest tissue together, and use three pieces of tape as opposed to one. The first one will go straight across just the same as the usual tape method, second will go from middle of one pec diagonally to just below the other pec, same but opposite for the third.
If you can't afford breast forms, balloons filled with rice work well. You can also cut up kickballs and fill them with bathtub silicone
Watch drag tutorials on youtube, and always contour.
Don't try to make your voice higher when talking, but rather more "husky" eg. Marilyn Monroe. It will sound less fake.
Holding your tuck in place with a gaff rather than tape will make you feel a lot better about it after the day is done. Unless you're wearing something that shows off your tuck. Which you won't be if you're wearing multiple layers of pantyhose
More is less when it comes to drag makeup. I guarantee you that you don't look more "real" or "fish" by wearing less makeup. Learn how to blend better if you think it looks to harsh
Always use a full coverage foundation

>>7498125
>>7498140
Not saying they have superior skills or anything, just that they pull off the androgyny thing much more easily in a lot of cases.

A small thing I've found is that extending the corners of the eyes a bit with eyeliner helps for ftm bishie look

>>7498161
Nice advice so far. Thanks.

>>7498166
mtf crossplay here, what is your opinion on using a padded bra instead of your suggested alternatives?

Also, due to circumstances (huehue parents) I can't really experiment with makeup but I'll have to find a way to make fake lashes work since I know how transformative those can be, but I am currently working on improving my complexion so that I won't have to rely on makeup.

As for fake eyelashes, although I know a lot of it requires research on my part, I'd just like to ask the following: are they simple to add/remove? If I'm trying to achieve a convincing look that is subtle, do you recommend a particular brand?

Thirdly, although not directly related to my specific crossplay, I have following concern: When bathing in the showering prior to shaving my legs, I use moisturizing soap and exfoliate my legs prior to shaving with cream but I always have red bumps (especially on my thighs) afterwards even after applying body butter. This isn't as much as an issue with my legs as it is with my thighs and especially my crotch, but I'm at a complete loss here and if anyone has any advice on the matter I would be deeply indebted to you.

>>7499215
dude, honestly I never figured it out either. I'm a tranny and the only way I found to stop that shit from happening was popping E and waiting for my hair to thin out.

Aside from that you're doing exactly what I used to do. Do it often and your skin will start getting used to it and will make the process easier. Also, try to air your legs out for a few hours after you shave (as in wear some loose shorts). The rubbing from the pants irritates the skin and makes it redder.

If none of that works wear nude tights like someone else has mentioned.

>>7499215
Wax/epilate instead of shaving. It takes more effort but hair thins out after a while, plus no bumps.

>>7499215
Seconding waxing.

>>7498161
I always hear people talk about padding your waist, but through all my searching I never see any advice on doing that well, or materials or techniques. I just see "pad your waist. the end"
Can anyone go into more depth/add pictures of things they have done when padding their waist?

>>7499373
>>7499416
Don't do it anon, dont wax. Man hair grows too fast, Even if you did it the day before, you'll have stubble by the next day.

Epilating can work but only for real short and real fine hairs. You'll have to do it 12 hrs in advance because it will turn your skin into a tomato.

>>7498125
are you mad whitety?

>>7499417
I invented my own method because I had much the same problem. It's similar to the way mtfs pad their hips, just instead you're filling in the curves as opposed to adding them. You buy couch foam from Hobby Lobby or whatever, and then you cut I out the pads with an electric knife, into sort of dome/letter d shapes. You end up with three pieces of foam, two for each side of your waist, one to fill in the dip in your back above the booty. The way I attach mine is that I have them sewn onto a piece of six inch wide elastic, with about a 10 inch long tail of elastic on one side, and Velcro. I arrange the padding on my waist, then wrap the elastic around a few times to smooth out the appearance, then Velcro it into place. After that, I wear my binder over it, and safety pin the waist rig to the binder so it doesn't slip (and the bottom of the binder to my spanx, so it doesn't roll up). Mine is full length though, don't know what you'd do if you wear a tri top, except maybe get an under armor compression shirt or something to wear over it all. it's hard to describe without pictures, and I'm on mobile, I'll try to post later. In the mean time, try googling the way Geisha pad themselves to get their boxy figure, that's where I drew my inspiration from.

>>7499215
Likewise, I wanted to give pic related a shot (does cosplaying a trap count as crossplay?) but my legs do the same thing. It's really annoying.

>>7498115
i hear this all the time and then I see all the big asian cosplayers do other wise and put a ton of eye make up on
world cosplay/cure is full of that

bump

>>7500155
I think the really good cosplay RD who posts here did the same type of method when she did Lotr cosplay. Shoulder and waist padding made a big difference. Looked great.

>>7500155
>>7502871
Thank you so much! Glad to get some actual advice on this rather than "do the thing" from everyone I find through google.
Never even seen someone mention shoulder pads before, but in hindsight that just seems like too much common sense.

>>7503396
No problem, anon. I'm going to try the padding method myself.

>>7502871
On this note, I'm planning some flight suits from various shows and I wanted to pad out some muscle. I'm a skinny fuck with no boobs so really it's just a case of adding on, mostly on the arms and shoulders, maybe the pecs.

Can anyone recommend what to make it out of? How to attach it? I was going to sew it directly into the arms etc before attaching but maybe it would be better on a separate undergarment.

Cosplay friends who want to get super special awesome legs!

Cover up those bumps, wide pores, and red patches with Sally Hanson Leg Airbrush Tan.

Okay so I started working at a beauty company and they recommended this to me when I was complaining that tanning didn't help to sort out my legs, and how I got these dots all over them that weren't ingrown hairs. It's like a tenner here in the UK, and I think you can get it in the US too because there's a bunch of stuff about Kim Kardashian using it.

It'll probably have an even more dramatic effect on crossplaying guys. But for the love of god use a tanning mitt to apply it. You should exfoliate before applying and maybe use more than one coat but I haven't tried that yet.

Also what is this, exfoliate AFTER you shave. Then moisturise. I personally use Soap and Glory Breakfast Scrub and that shit works like a dream, but exfoliators are much of a muchness and they all do the same stuff in the end.
Someone suggested using conditioner once to me which I tried, and it kind of made the regrowth for that evening softer, but otherwise did nothing. IDK maybe it works better for other people.

>>7499862
If you have a stubble the day after you've waxed, may you be a man or a woman, there is something very wrong with the way you do it.

>>7503549
You shouldn't exfoliate right after shaving, you skin is already irritated and sensitive, it will only worsen it. But, doing it a day after or right before shaving is great.

>>7499215
Even with waxing you can get red bumps. Just look for an after-shaving cream or lotion, you should find some good ones in the epilation section of a drugstore. For the pubic area, Bikini Zone is great, it also can help with ingrown hair. I also use hydrating lotion more often than usual after waxing.

>>7503581
>>7503549
going to try the exfoliating thing. I've been relying on nude tights all this while hmmm

>>7499215
the glue on false eyelashes comes off really easy and residue washes off easily with makeup remover. So no worries on that part.
I can emphathise with the parents part, only recently did they really come to terms with the idea that just because I crossplay female characters doesn't necessarily mean I am transgendered. But I will emphasize that no cosplay should be done without makeup imo. Stash it at a friend's place and practice there or something, it will really up your chances of crossing well

>>7503534
Look up the padding the Hobbit costume department did for the dwarves. It's a separate undergarment, which I think would be better, if not easier.

>>7503549
What if I want super awesome legs, but I don't want to become tan or change the shade/color of my skin? I suffer from "Chicken Skin" on my legs and I really want nice skin for the summer.

>>7502871
>>7503396

Hehe I was thinking whether I should post this here myself when I saw the thread.
What I wanted to do here is mainly to get the 'coat hanger shoulders' of Lee Pace (as described by the costume designers of the Hobbit movie) and to distract from my wide hips.
I think it worked fine for Thranduil but for 'manlier males' (aka non-elves) you can use way more padding, especially on the waist.

Pic related, this is what it looked like worn at the convention

>>7504262

For supersmooth summerlegs, I make that awesome scrub that's going around on tumblr

I'll just copypaste it here:
"Ingredients

1 1/4 C Sugar (Yup, plain, good-ol’ white sugar)
1/2 C Oil (I used olive oil, but you can use any oil, coconut oil, baby oil, canola oil)
3 tablespoons Citrus (Lime or lemon)
1-2 Razors

Mix everything together in a bowl.
Soak your legs in the tub for 5 minutes.
Shave your legs.
Rub some of this mixture all over your legs. The sugar will help rub off all dirt and dead skin. Rub, rub. Feels like a mini massage.
Rinse it all off, shave again. I would use one razor per leg if you have two. You will be rinsing this razor a lot. I was GROSSED out by the amount of dead skin I was “shaving” off. It was insane! Trust me, you’ll see.
Rub your legs again! Second coat of wax, oh yeah.
Rinse off! You can use a mild soap to help get some of the oil off.
Lotion your legs up, and feel the silkiness!
"

>>7504289
This looks so great!

>>7504304
Thanks for the tip. I'm going to try this for bathing suit season.

>>7499372
Thanks, I'll try that. My skin irritates easily, maybe going lolcommando at home should help the redness some.
>>7503549
Airbrush tan might not match my skintone, I think I'd rather get those tights that look like thighighs but have a nude-colored overlay over it.
>>7503581
Do you suggest I use the after-shaving cream first after getting out of the shower and then applying the body butter as usual?
>>7503607
I'll have to research a bit on false eyelashes, I'm assuming any from a local pharmacy should do as long as it's subtle yet passable.
>>7504304
I'll definitely try this. I got some brown sugar and coconut oil lying around.

Thanks for your advice, everyone!