09 August, 2018

Cosplay Pouches

Cosplaying a character with pockets in his/her outfit, or having a bag as an accessory is a blessing, and oh so rare!! But what about those without pockets? Where can we put our valuables like our phone and money? Sometimes holding them is okay, or having a purse bag but then when we pose for photos, it's a little off to be holding a bag especially when it doesn't fit the character.

The solution I found then was that I always try to put secret pockets on most of my costumes but of course, it doesn't always work especially for short skirts and tight costumes. Hence, I have "cosplay pouches". These are small pouch bags that can fit my phone and a small wallet (or cash), attached to my costume either by a belt, a string, or a safety pin.




I normally place these pouches on my side or at the back, where they won't be easily noticed and yet I have easy access to. Plus points if some costume parts cover it too! I recently made new ones in a bigger size (because new phone OwO) and in different colors to match most of my costumes like red for Supergirl, violet for Liliana, gold and white for other characters. :)

Do you also have "cosplay pouches"? What other ideas do you do to keep your valuables? Share in the comments!~ ^_^

cc: Dukesa Cosplay


21 July, 2018

Recycling Costume Pieces

Recycling Costume Pieces

We cosplayers should also know how to be resourceful and creative with what we have~ Cosplaying isn't a cheap hobby after all! ^_^

Here are four cosplayed characters that I have done wherein I recycled a costume! I'll call them by first name: Serenity (Sailor Moon), Emeraude (Magic Knight Rayearth), Celestia (My Little Pony), and Celestia (Shining Tears X Wind).
 
 

* The base white dress I used for Serenity (SM), Emeraude (MKR), and Celestia (MLP) is one and the same! Oh yeaaah~~~ ╰☆╮ Emeraude's puff sleeves were used for Celestia, which "tails" can be removed (hand-sewn only). Most of the accessories were separate pieces so it was easy to change the look of the dress. However, I altered the base dress again into the Snow White (OUAT) maternity dress for my pre-natal shoot. So that was a total of five (5) characters using the same material. <3

* I also used the same wig for Emeraude (MKR), Celestia (MLP), and Celestia (STXW) just styled differently! Except that I already dyed it multi-colored for Celestia (MLP).

I also use old pieces of clothing (ukay) to make into costume pieces. Or borrow an accessory, glove, skirt, etc from another character to use for another one. Tee hee~ I'm a big cheapskate cosplayer lol.

I have posted this already on my page three years ago, but worth re-sharing again (I think hehe). https://bit.ly/2myxqYa
 
 

09 July, 2018

Storing Custom-Styled Wigs

As we progress in our cosplays, I can say that one of the major improvements that is easily noticed is our wigs. Custom-styled wigs are now readily available to buy from Taobao and other wig shops. But most of the time, the custom wigs we receive gets deformed or ruined from the packaging during shipment and that we still have to fix them ourselves or have our fellow cosplayers, who do amazing wig styling, to fix and re-style them for us. That is why it is important to have a proper storage for our custom wigs to preserve the style and keep it safe. 
 
To store my custom-styled wigs, I made cardboard protectors. 

For my wigs like Cinderella (with a bun), Ariel (with high bangs), Sailor Moon (high bangs, buns, ponytails) and other similar characters, one trick that I do is have a cardboard protection around the wig before putting them inside the ziplock plastic bag. 
 
It is made of used cardboard taped together to form a fence-like rectangular shape. I also place a separate cardboard underneath so it is easier to slide the whole wig in and out of the plastic.

Remember that the measurement for the cardboard depends on the size of your wig and plastic storage. So make sure you check your ziplock plastic before cutting the board.

Mine is 4in x 6in x 8in for Cinderella. I also placed a thin cardboard flap to put hairpins on because I need to use a lot to hold my wig in place during cosplay.

Sometimes, you may need to provide a bigger actual box for more complex and larger wigs. For example, Rapunzel's wig, or wigs with spikes like Goku's.

I make my cardboard protectors from used milk boxes. But you can also use plastic shoe boxes, juice boxes, cereal boxes, or the cardboard that comes along with the wigs from the suppliers.


You can use two of white thin wig cardboard and put them together with tape.  Once you have the cardboard taped together, you can customize it any way you like: cover it with colored paper, place stickers on it, write the character name - go crazy!

Cardboard protectors aren't good just for storage but also for handling the wig during trips to the event. You can easily pack it in your luggage without having to worry about your wig getting squished by your other costume parts.~

As an extra tip, here is how I pack my costume inside my trolley suitcase in hierarchy:

wig
light prop/accessories
fabric costume parts
shoes/heavy prop

So there! Wigs are totally love so let's do our best to take care of them.~


04 July, 2018

My new logo

I made a new logo signature for me and had it printed on a water bottle, in gold because I'm golden. 😄😜

 

The bottle is in ombré red... to represent the blood of those who done me wrong. This, as I drink from this bottle, strengthens me. 💪💋

😄✌️
Ordered from Barely Famous Customized Printing & Design