Animation On Display (AOD) 2010

Oh, man, I don't even know where to start with this one. We left way later than I wanted to, due to a lot of things really. Then we hit some of the worst traffic I've ever seen, and then we got lost. So we ended up not making it to the convention until about 5:30.

We met up with my cousin and her friends, whom I sold stuff too, and my cousin gave me gifts =] We then ended up in the tabletop gaming room where (hahaha) my friend got hit on by some random guy. It was hard to watch, but still so hilarious. Poor girl D=

Then I went to sign in for the costume contest (as Amaterasu), which I thought was at 6, but was actually at 5! Oops. I still got to participate though, they just had to do my judging later.

We wantered for a while, and I ran into Foxberry in her completely awesome Dr. Franken Stein (Soul Eater) costume, which I won't link directly to because I'm not sure she wants her picture all over the interwebs. I know I wouldn't mind, but I'm weird like that. We talked a bit, in-between being asked for pictures and whatnot.

Then my group went for food and Foxberry and I went to the masquerade pre-gathering organization thing to ger seated and receive info on how things would be run. It was... A little chaotic in there. Loud. very loud. But they got the job done. I had to be pre-judged, and, oh my goodness, stress! I don't know why, but I completely froze up when they asked me questions. "How did you make this piece?" "I.. Umm.. I... Made it..? *dies*"

The masquerade itself went fairly smoothly. There were a few audio malfunctions, and one group ended up knocking the mic stand (with microphone still in it) completely off the stage. Heh. That was also hilarious and painful to watch. I got the worst headache ever during the "halftime show." I think it was a combination of my tight wig cap, my mask pressing against my forehead uncomfortably, my fangs not allowing my to relax my jaw completely, and bad jokes on the Emcee's part. Okay, the jokes weren't bad at all, I would've rather enjoyed them if it weren't for the immense pain.

I ended up winning runner-up for construction, which I"m a little butthurt about, but I'll get over it. I'm sure that the guy who won best for construction deserved it. I believe those judges were very fair. Foxberry got a Judge Favorite award because of her awesome clicking screw-bolt-thing (I don't know what it technically is, but it's awesome! D=). We went to collect our prizes and get more pictures taken of us.

And then Shiek found me! I had been looking for her as Ayame all day, but it turned out that she had changed into something else. I was looking forward to seeing that too =/ That's what I get for being so late, I suppose (though parts of that were beyond my control). By the time she found me, I had taken apart my costume because my fangs, wig cap, and mask were killing me, and I was starting to get hot flashes and the fur didn't help.

After that, I bolted to the swap meet where a friend of mine bought a game she's been wanting for hecka cheap. A couple of things caught my eye, but I resisted the urge to buy useless things. I wanted to keep my money. I brought $30 to the con and ended up leaving with $100 xD That part was totally awesome. Usually cons completely drain my money, so this was a nice change. Though I remember profiting from Kin-Yoobi too when they gave us cash as a costume contest prize.

I might go back to AOD next year, in a simpler, easier-to-wear costume, and at a decent time (not 5:00 o.o). I think AOD's main downside is that there's nothing to do and not enough space to do it in. I liked the venue last year more, the "Main Hall" was a very large open area where people could just chill. But this year, there were actually chairs and tables, so that's always nice too. I guess it's sort of a trade-off.

Quote of the Day:

Random Guy: You're not making any sense!
Random Girl: Your face doesn't make sense!
Me & My Friends: Ohhhhhhh!
My Friend: Are you gonna take that?
Random Guy: Who the hell are these people!?
*my group walks away*

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Patching Ammy's Wounds (Day Seventy-Three)

As promised, I patched up Amaterasu today. She needed it more than I thought =/ Poor thing. While she was, in my book, an above average costume (okay, she was damn great), I still saw many flaws. I'm sure others noticed a few too.

I lined the inside of her leg pieces (led-warmer-lookin' things xD) because they were previously completely unlined and I had the foam parts against my tights and it stuck to them and made them not only to put on and take off, but difficult to move around in. I'm toying with the idea of completely lining the inside so that the elastic won't touch my tights either, but it's not an issue yet, so we'll see.

I added fur where it was needed on the shorts, there were some patches of jeans showing through, and some seams, basically. I covered them pretty well, now all I have to do is remember to brush my butt and crotch after putting the shorts on to be sure I'm covered. HA! xD

The bottoms of the feet were coming off, and the foam on one started to detach itself from the shoe, so I fixed all of that. I also added another layer of Shoe Goo to the bottoms of the black paw pads. I'm still trying to figure out Shoe Goo's properties though, so I may have to redo that again. I know for sure I have to paint the white bits or something, because the Shoe Goo I have for that part is clear, and the white is so dirty, I can't clean it off.

I also re-made the straps to the shield, as the ones I had BOTH fell off at Holiday Anime Faire. I actually had to remake them twice, but I think it was worth it. I used a fabric more suited to the job this time (it stretches =]), and I made them longer, so it's easier to put on and take off. Now if only I could get it to hover a few inches behind my back... Hahaha.

I also got my Heat 'n' Bond and my black lace today. =D As well as more white fur. Just in case I don't have enough.

Tomorrow, I really have to finish up my final project for Costume Construction, so Ammy will probably be left in her box for the day. We'll see how quickly I get done. My next task, before adding onto Ammy, is to finish, or at least make wearable, my Chi dress. While I won't be cosplaying Chi until Fanime, May 30th, I plan on wearing the dress To SacAnime Winter on January 9th. Which is the entire reason I needed Heat 'n' Bond so badly.

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Makeup Recommendation: Almay Blemish Reducer

In cosplay, a lot of people look at you and take your picture. So while you may not even care about how your face looks in everyday life, you may care while you're in costume. (Or you may not care what anyone thinks at all, kudos to you!) So every now and again, I might post some makeup info, but I may start a blog specifically for makeup tips and recommendations, in which case any makeup posts from here will be copied to the other blog (and deleted from here).

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a site, or even part of a site, specifically for the product I'm recommending, so here's the Official Almay Site.

I honestly didn't think this stuff would work at all. It's a compact powder that doubles as a cover-up and an acne / blemish reducer (it of course comes in a wide variety of skin tones). Liquid acne reducers (such as benzoyl peroxide) actually don't do much for me. Things like Clean & Clear work, but they usually stop working after a while as though I build up an immunity. I don't know if that's even possible. Also, Clean & Clear and other benzoyl peroxide-besed products dry out my skin like you wouldn't believe.

I actually didn't even notice much of a change when I first started using Almay
s Blemish Reducer either. I actually broke out a little more than usual first, but that happens sometimes. (For those that don't know, acne cleansers will usually bring out acne hiding beneath the surface of the skin before getting rid of it.)

After maybe a week or so, I noticed a significant reduction in not only acne, but also redness, blackheads, and enlarged pores. I've been having issues with my Godzilla-sized pores for a while now, so I was extremely happy to see those reduced.

I apply the makeup / blemish reducer two to three times a day. Once before putting on my makeup in the morning, I then put my regular makeup over it, but that's optional as it is also a cover-up; I do touch-ups during the day if I see a lot has come off; and then once after washing my face before I go to bed. Yes, you can leave this product on overnight, and it does say to use two to three times a day.

I'm not impressed with it's application method though, a cheap, fabric-y / sponge-y... Thing. I don't even know what it's called. You can apply it with a brush, but you'll need a rather high-quality brush, as anything low-quality will just cut through the compact powder and fling it into the air. Using a brush also doesn't cover the redness as well and the sponge-wannabe that comes with it.

The compact case that it comes in is rather convenient, as it has a mirror in it and is nicely sized, but it doesn't really have anywhere to keep the sponge-wannabe. (I just end up putting it on top of the makeup and closing the case, but it's not like there's a lot of extra room in there for it.) The case isn't small enough to fit in a pocket (it's about 2 X 2 X 0.5), but it would probably fit nicely in a purse or backpack and wouldn't get damaged or accidentally opened up other stuff.

On a side-note, I also use Almay eyeliner and mascara (too lazy to check what types right now), and normally I'm not one too be picky about makeup other than concealer, but Almay has yet to fail me. Their twist-up eyeliner is the only black eyeliner I'll ever use.

I definitely recommend Almay Blemish Reducer or Clear Complexion (yeah, there's two, might be wrong on the exact names though). It's convenient, useful, and actually works.

Special thanks to my cousin Katie (aka MoE) for recommending it to me. ♥

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Makeup Maintenance

I stayed up hecka late last night. Inhumanly awake. I didn't fall asleep until after six-thirty when my mom was already out of bed and the sun was coming up. So of course, I slept in really late too, until about three-thirty, I think. So, naturally, I did basically nothing all day. So, today's topic: Makeup Maintenance.

Please note that this is not about makeup application or brands. Maybe I'll do something like that later, but this isn't it.

Makeup & Conventions
I prefer to have two sets of makeup and brushes: my everyday, high quality makeup and brushes, and my convention, lower quality makeup and brushes. I usually use the high-quality makeup and brushes before leaving for the convention, and then pack the cheap stuff to take with me. (When I stay overnight for Fanime, I plan to take my good makeup and brushes and leave them in the hotel room.)
I have one high-quality brush that I take with me to conventions though. It it an eyeshadow brush specifically made for travel (retractable). It actually does make a difference what type of brush you use, as a higher-quality brush will give you smoother lines.
I keep all of my brushes and makeup together in my convention bag, in a small pouch that is easy to take out so that you don't have to take the whole backpack into the bathroom for touch-ups. I also bring a small, compact mirror.

Cleaning Brushes
I clean my brushes after each use (as opposed to before each use). The reason being that my brushes take at least twelve hours to fully dry. I don't clean my brushes if I use them for a costume's makeup and I know for sure that I will be using them for that costume's makeup the next time I use them. (Example: I use them for Mello's makeup and know that the next time I will use those particular brushes will be for Mello's makeup again.)
To check if a brush really need to be cleaned, rub it on the back of your hand, as if applying makeup, and see if anything comes off. If it does, you definitely need to clean it. If not, you could probably get away with not cleaning it.
So here's step-by-step on how I clean my brushes:
• Hold the brush in your dominant hand (I am right-handed), place the bristles on your non-dominant hand (in my case, left) and run it under warm water.
• Put a small amount of soap in the palm of your [left] hand, preferably something non-scented and with minimal chemicals, baby shampoo / soap is good.
• Move the brush in either a circular or back-and-forth motion in the soap until the soap changed into the color of the makeup that was in the brush.
• Rinse and repeat until the soap either doesn't change color or it's a really light color.
• Run the brush under the water and move it in the same motion as when washing it with soap. Continue until the water runs clear.
• Use your hands to wring out the brush and set it down so that a majority of the bristles are not twisted or curved. The brush should retain its full form once dried, even the cheap ones.

Storing Your Makeup
I have two makeup boxes, and I still don't feel like it's enough. I sort my makeup by brushes, eyeshadow & liquid eyeliner, face makeup (cover-up & glitter), lip makeup (lipstick & gloss), "crayon" eyeliners, mascaras, and extra makeup "parts" (sponge pads, eyelash curler cushions, etc.). I also have a separate box for makeup & brushes I use every day, and another box specifically for theatrical makeup (body / face paint, liquid latex, Spirit Gum, etc.).

I may come back and update this post on occasion. If you're interested, bookmark the page. =]

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Day Eight

First day of October! The best month ever! I swear, Halloween is like Christmas for me.
I however did nothing cosplay-related. I played with makeup for my possible Halloween costume change, but I didn't really like it. I managed to burn my finger while ironing in my Costume Construction class. NOT fun. I can't type much though, due to the finger (I burned the tip), which is a shame because I had a good topic for today's post too. So sometime in the next week: Genderbending vs. Crossplay!

READ MORE - Day Eight

Cosplayers & Halloween

I'm starting to regret starting this blog at this time. I'm not doing anything cosplay-related... I played with makeup this morning, taking the color out of my lips for crossplay, and practicing my makeup for Halloween.

I've heard that some cosplayers actually don't like Halloween because of all the "amateurs" and people that buy poorly-made Halloween Store costumes. I like to think of Halloween as a break from cosplay. I can still get into costume, which is usually something random and baseless, and still get complimented on my creativity, but it doesn't take nearly as much effort.

This year's Halloween costume is an upgraded version of my costume last year, a butterfly. I bought small, children-sized butterfly wings, a black mini skirt, and black knee-high pleather boots from a second-hand store, black tights with various colored butterflies on them, a lace jacket, and various colored hair extensions from Hot Topic, a pink tank top from Basic, and found a butterfly mask that my mom had bought a few years ago at a flea market, I believe. The mask, however, goes on the back of my head, held on with chopsticks through the eyes. I'm thinking of buying better, plastic chopsticks from a Japanese store called Daiso, but money is unbelievably tight, so I'm stuck with wooden ones for now.

I know it's early to plan my costume, but the Spirit Halloween store just came back into town for the season and I'm planning a Halloween party as well.

I feel like I've got a lot on my plate, what with YaoiCon and Haloween literally at the same time, and me planning to do both, YaoiCon the day before Halloween, of course, as it'll take all day to prepare for my Halloween night scary movie / costume party.

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