Cosplay Essentials

ComiCon just wrapped up, and we’re almost into Halloween season, so we are in the middle of thinking about cosplay essentials.  Are you familiar with Cosplay?  Cosplay is when people — just like you and me– create costumes that reflect their favorite characters from movies, TV, comic books — the sky is the limit!  The costumes are detailed, often beautiful, and great homages to the characters that these people love.  How do you get started in cosplay? What are the cosplay essentials?  We’re here to help you figure this out!

Cosplay Essentials: Wig Caps and Wig Blocks

Cosplay usually involves a wig of some sort — whether it’s bright pink for an anime character, dark and full for Wonder Woman, or blonde for Elsa from Frozen, you’ll need a wig cap to make sure your hair doesn’t peek out and spoil the effect.  We have several wig caps to choose from, including ones that match the color of your wig to make sure that you have the perfect effect.  While you’re at it, don’t forget a wig block!  They’re great for styling, storing, and simply admiring your wigs.

Cosplay Essentials: Makeup is a Must!

Cosplay usually involves makeup, unless you naturally look like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Hulk.  Manhattan Wardrobe Supply has a wide array of makeup products to help you out.

• Learn how to apply makeup with The Makeup Artist’s Handbook
• Skin Illustrator Palettes allow you to custom-mix your makeup, whether you’re going for Mystique from The X-Men or Shrek.  They’re a great value, and last a long time.
• Have a collection of makeup? Use ZPalettes to organize them — from eyeshadow, to blush, to bronzer, to make-your-own-lipstick palettes, these make your collection easy to store.
• BeautyBlenders help apply foundations, blushes and bronzers neatly and with a beautiful, skin-like effect.  They’re reusable, and come in a great carrying case!
• Are you cosplaying True Blood, Walking Dead or Buffy the Vampire Slayer?  You might need a little blood.  Fleet Street Blood comes in two colors (“Fresh” and “Dark”) and stays moist looking on both skin and hair.
• Fix your makeup so it doesn’t move in a sweaty convention hall by using Skin Illustrator Matting Spray.  It’ll set your makeup, keep you from getting shiny, and generally just keep you looking good all day long.
• Store it all in one of our great storage cases.  Whether you want a huge, rolling case or a small set bag (or anything in between), we can help you keep everything right where you need it, so you’re never fumbling for shimmer or misplacing a lipstick!

Cosplay Essentials: Shoes

You need to be detailed in cosplay, down to the shoes.  We have everything you need to customize your shoes, from Angelus Leather Paint in any color you can think of, so your shoes are precisely the color you need, to Angelus Glitterlites (what Tinkerbell is complete without sparkly shoes?).  We’re happy to help you on any tips for application, too!

Cosplay Essentials: Dye

Sometimes, you just need the perfect color for your costume.  You’re spending a ton of time hand sewing it, why not make it perfect?  We have dyes for every purpose, from Jacquard dye to RIT dye, in every color imaginable, so your Ariel’s tail is the right shade of green or your Super Mario’s hat is the correct red.

We’ll be featuring more costumes and cosplay articles over the next few months, so stay tuned.  What’s your favorite character to cosplay?  Whatever it is, we can help you make your costume as detailed as possible at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply!