r/CosplayHelp • u/MyNameIsN0thing • Sep 10 '26
Makeup Guy wanting to try Makeup for the first time
u/anondoodles on reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/cosplay/comments/1w530po/my_waguri_cosplay/
@welvvey on twitter
not sure who this is unfortunately, think someone on rednote
Basically the title, I’m a guy which has never really touched the idea of makeup before. I've always been interested, but with a comic con near me coming around i figured I'd dip my toe in. I'm a pussy so I'm too scared to ask my mother for help so I figured this would be the right place... I've attached a few images of the style I'm going for, though it's highly unlikely I'll get near that ever lol.
What I'm asking for is just any tips anyone can bring and what I should buy to get started. I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic but I'm hoping this will help. For anyone wondering, I'm planning on cosplaying Makoto Yuki from Persona 3 (the guy on the second slide).
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u/koya_444 Sep 10 '26
Very important that you workout if you are cool or warm toned. A fine eyeliner will also be essential, I recommend the Judydoll ones that are marketed as very thin. Actually from Judydoll their contour palettes are also commonly used. Id recommend you find an eyeshadow pallete with brown/natural and pinkish tones for your eye makeup. There is a specific thing people highlight in this style called "aegyo sal" i would practice that. Contouring the fat under your eye to make your eyes look bigger, though I feel like this only really suits Asian features. I agree that these pics are heavily edited but there is also face taping and tape for your nose if you want to look into that. This is rambly as fuck but its 3am over here
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u/koya_444 Sep 10 '26
Also eye largening contacts (usually in the 14mm range) are essential!!!! it really helps with the anime/cartoonish look
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u/takera1996 Sep 10 '26
Youtube will be your best friend. It's loaded with cosplay tutorials and makeup reccomendations. Watch a couple and you will find that though everyone has their own preferences, the techniques are all basically the same (just tweeked a bit to fit a specific look). Definitely look at cosplay looks, drag looks, celebrity makeup looks, etc to pick up some how to skills.
It's also perfectly fine to start with cheap makeup for practicing (tho i would suggest not going cheap on ur foundation bc its not good to fuck around with your skin)(also remember do proper skincare before and after wearing makeup, this is stupid levels of important for getting your skin as close to that unrealisticly smooth filtered look as possible)
Stores like Ulta(if you are US based) are fantastic because they are loaded with samplers so you can see what you are buying before you buy it. They also carry a wide variety of products for many different prices. A popular cheap brand from there is Nyx (i actually really like their eyeliner pens and usually default to it tbh, their finishing sprays are decent enough for their price to be a nice starter). A lot of the brands you see in tutorials can be found in an Ulta or a Sephora.
Fake eyelashes tend to make a cosplay. I personally recommend buying them in the clusters version (rather than the strip) to start(since its easier to place) and there's hundreds of versions of them. Even male cosplays use them (commonly the straight lashes). Lots of cosplayers (who are usually already super into asian skincare) tend to buy huge packs of cheap chinese ones and pair them with a good lash glue.
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u/MyNameIsN0thing Sep 10 '26
I'm UK based, but I remember seeing lots of samples when I've been to the drug stores before. I should be looking more into skincare, I've never looked into it or tried it but I've always wanted smooth skin. I'm also now figuring out from the comments is the sheer price of just makeup, it's a bit disheartening but I'm still really excited to get started! Thank you for your help!!
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u/takera1996 Sep 10 '26
Honestly, there's nothing at all wrong with starting with drug store eyeshadows and blushes and eyeliners/mascara. The cheaper it is, the less pigmented it is usually and that means using more with can end up looking "cakey" (which just means blatantly too much product).
Good skincare will go the farthest for you. You can buy the most expensive foundation in the world and it will still look like shit without good skincare (which doesn't have to break the bank either, i'm a diehard for asian skin care products). And makeup without proper skincare will lead to even worse skin flare-ups and breakouts. Which just makes the makeup look worse and then you feel like you need more makeup to cover the imperfections you see. It's a vicious cycle lol
From there, it's really just a matter of practice make perfect. I really hope you have a lot of fun finding looks and trying things out! Good luck!
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u/Proud-Cow567 Sep 10 '26
Agree but also remember that all makeup will have SOME texture. A lot of people think any texture = cakey which is not true, we just don't have smoothing filters in real life.
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u/nessthing Sep 10 '26
This will probably be very difficult to do to this level without several hundred dollars worth of makeup (I’m not kidding, quality makeup is actually very VERY expensive) and a few test runs, like 5 or 10 applications. This doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t do it, but you might need to invest around $500 USD to get this to really look good in person.
One thing you can do very easily and on a budget is buy a pair of circle lenses (costume/cosmetic contact lenses with a larger-than-usual iris) from one of the links in the FAQ. I recommend uniqso from that list to buy cosplay contacts from but it can take up to a month for them to arrive to me in the US anyway.
If you find a pair of circle lenses you like then you can just buy a white eyeliner, a black eyeliner and a small eyeshadow palette that has white (or light colored) eyeshadow and black or dark brown eyeshadow in it. You have to “set” most cheap eyeliners especially if it’s drawn outside your waterline with some kind of powdery makeup so it doesn’t melt off your face from the heat of your body and cheap eyeshadow is great for that. Though the circle lenses alone should do most of the work and you may find they’re enough for the character.
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u/MyNameIsN0thing Sep 10 '26
I did notice how the lenses popped out but I severely underestimated the impact they may have! It seems like a great idea so I'll have a look into it, thank you for your help!
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u/nessthing Sep 10 '26
It should only be about $20-$30 for a pair depending on the lenses too which is a complete bargain compared to most makeup.
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u/villagerwannabe Sep 10 '26
The other commenter is right, though getting an eyeliner just to practice is a good idea. It's hard to get it to look just right, I personally like liquid eyeliner with a brush end for cosplay makup but a eyeliner pencil for a smudge look for day to day. Also definitely go get color matched at an ulta or Sephora, an employee should be able to help you. I personally dont use liquid foundation, just concealer for under eyes and acne spots, powder for my face, though you would need liquid foundation for these looks
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u/CosmicChameleon99 Sep 10 '26
Start very very simple and build from there. Begin by going to a cosmetic shop and getting a foundation that matches your shade- a lot of places will help you match it- and maybe a fairly light blusher. Get used to applying foundation and blusher well and go from there. You may also want concealer in the same shade if you have any acne
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u/Raybonezz Sep 10 '26
Definitely look into getting a good quality foundation that matches your skin!! Drug stores not so much, but a lot of makeup stores will help find a shade match for you. I know it can seem scary but if you're wanting good results, it's important to overcome that timidness around buying makeup. If you have a smaller budget, some drug stores may have testers and you can try out different foundations to see what might work best for you.
With this makeup style in particular, the contour and highlights around your nose and eyes are going to be super important. I'd recommend looking at tutorials on rednote or tiktok. Whether you have a cool or warm undertone will also be important here. Contact lenses and lashes are also super important for a more anime look. I wouldn't buy too thick lashes especially if youre cosplaying a male character, but some thinner lashes will definitely help with the look youre going for.
I've never personally tried it, but face taping is also pretty common and will help achieve a more anime v-shaped jawline.
Probably the most important tip is to try it out a few times and get some practice in before the con. Makeup is a skill and takes a lot of practice before perfecting, and unfortunately, the style you're going for is at a bit of a higher skill level and you may not be satisfied with what you're able to do immediately, especially if you've never done makeup at all before. You also need to prepare to spend a good chunk of money for the products you'll need. Even when buying cheaper drug store makeup, it can still be costly. Even for someone like myself, who wears makeup every day and has a pretty big collection built up, I dread having to go in to buy refills for a few products at a time.
I kinda rambled on a bit but I hope this was at least somewhat helpful!!
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u/MyNameIsN0thing Sep 10 '26
Rambling is what I need! This has been more than helpful and your encouraging words mean a lot ^-^ I'll try my best to face my fears (I'll need to for a con anywayl lol) and follow your advice. Thank you very much!!
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u/Playful-Hand2753 Sep 10 '26
In terms of products, I recommend elf. Their stuff is cruelty free, affordable, and they’re solid products.
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u/PerfectClash Sep 11 '26
I'm pretty new to cosplay makeup too but you can look at this video where a guy gets a pro cosplayer to help him cosplay as a girl for the first time. It's quite fun and a bit informative.
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u/senadoori Sep 11 '26
The style you're referencing is a relatively new cosplay makeup style that takes inspiration from Chinese Douyin-makeup and Japanese Jirai-kei makeup. It goes quite heavy on the eyeliner to emphasize really big, anime-like eyes, the "aegyosal" area and of course, uses colored circle lenses to make your eyes pop. I think it's also pretty important to trim your brows so it's thin like anime characters.
It ranks quite high on the difficulty scale as you'll need a lot of practice drawing eye liner and especially fake lashes. But luckily, it's a makeup style that pretty much draws your face from scratch, so you don't "need" a specific face type to achieve that look. Practice a lot, try and figure out what works for your face, and have fun! Also be prepared to spend a lot of money on makeup products lol, but I think budget options exist.
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u/imabananatree78 Sep 10 '26
those makeup references you shown are edited + heavy heavy makeup. Especially the eyes, i have a couple of friends who does cosplay makeup and they say they take around 2-3 hours to achieve that kind of very "anime" look.
I would recommend looking into getting a foundation which suits your skin color first. Then look into concealers, contours, eyeliner & eyeshadow palettes. All the best dude.