My Dress Up Darling, a manga written and illustrated by Shinichi Fukuda, is an ode to the art of cosplay. Adapted into anime in 2022, the story follows high school classmates Wakana Gojo and Marin Kitagawa who foray into the vibrant world of cosplay together. The shy Wakana is an aspiring traditional Japanese Hina doll craftsman, while the outgoing and boisterous Marin Kitagawa is a part-time model and otaku. This unlikely duo crosses paths when Marin recognizes Wakana’s talent for dressmaking.
One of My Dress Up Darling’s main themes is that cosplay is a celebration of creativity and self-expression. Throughout the story, Wakana and Marin meet a spectrum of cosplay enthusiasts, including Internet-famous cosplayer Sajuna Inui, her photographer sister Shinju Inui and crossplayer Chitose Amano, who share their techniques for bringing characters to life through costume design and makeup.
Cosplay makeup is essential in transforming cosplayers into their chosen characters. A little creativity and wit provide endless possibilities for reshaping features, enhancing facial expressions and portraying the characters’ personalities. Read on to unlock the secrets of cosplay makeup. Don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun in the process!
Transforming the Eyebrows
While the brash Marin unhesitatingly shaves off her eyebrows when cosplaying as her favorite sim character Shizuku-tan, another method is to conceal the eyebrows. First, prep skin by washing off sebum from the brows. Next, use a glue stick to hold down the eyebrow hairs. Since glue is water-soluble, dries transparent and adheres well to clean skin, it’s perfect for this task. Use a concealer to mask your brows. If you have dark brows, use an orange color corrector to negate the dark tone, and then blend the edges with a high-coverage concealer. With this flawless canvas, you can draw the brow shape of your character.
Color Correcting
To create a light cool undertone that matches the white wig and cold-hearted aura of the antagonist character Black Lobelia, Sajuna suggests that Marin use a purplish primer before applying a pale shade of foundation. Similarly, try matching your foundation’s undertone with your wig. Tinted primer can also be used to correct blemishes for an even skin tone.
Perfecting the Gaze
To mimic Black Lobelia’s slanted siren eyes, Sajuna advises using face-lifting tape to pull up the outer corners of the eyes, securing the tape to the hairnet with a bobby pin and hiding it with the wig. Liquid eyeliner is used to draw a sharp wing. Marin pulls the look together with longer false eyelashes that fan out towards the outer corners of the eyes.
Achieving Masculine Features
Feature-altering makeup helps Shinju look more masculine for her cosplay of the male character Soma. To sharpen Shinju’s cheekbones and jawline, Gojo uses face-lifting tape that pulls her skin taut from the sides. Contouring helps to craft a straight nose bridge, sharp cheekbones and prominent chins. Finally, to avoid curly lashes, they straighten false eyelashes by curling in the opposite direction.
Achieving Feminine Features
Crossplayer Chitose Amano aims to soften his facial features and make his eyes look bigger via makeup. He draws aegyo sal and uses white eyeliner to line the waterline. He also conceals beard stubble and eyebags using an orange color corrector. To give the illusion of a rounder and cuter face shape, he softens his jawline by holding down the face-framing layers of his wig with liquid glue.
Nail Hacks
Get creative with nail tips and nail polish to create custom accessories for your cosplay looks! Have some extra nail varnish lying around? Marin recreates Black Lobelia’s magical gem by coating layers of black glitter nail polish over a clear acrylic cabochon and sealing it with a top coat.
Can’t get your ideal fangs? Gojo cuts and files white nail tips to replicate the character Prisoner Veronica’s sharp fangs. Be resourceful and let your imagination lead the way!
