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In today’s article, we will be introducing you to the "must-have" cosmetics that male cosplayers need when they first start cosplaying.
This article is for those who are just starting to cosplay, so we will focus on cosmetics that can be easily found at pharmacies and 100-yen stores.
Also, a lot of information is useful not only for male cosplayers, but also for female cosplayers. Even if you are a female cosplayer, hopefully it will help you.
Cosmetics You Need to Prepare and the Budget
First of all, the following is the list of what you must buy.
- Primer
- Concealer
- Foundation
- Face powder
- Eyeliner (Liquid)
- Eyeshadow
- Eyebrow Pencils
- Blush
- Lipstick
You may have heard of some items, but might be unfamiliar with some of them.
We will be explaining each item in detail later.
In terms of budget, if you use the cheapest products among what we will be introducing you here, it will be 4,290 yen. Even if you use the most expensive items, it will be 13,910 yen.
(Note: Only items which have a suggested retail price. Excluding items from ETUDE HOUSE.)
The calculated price shown here is based on the suggested retail price. If you buy items at a drugstore or online, you may be able to get it even cheaper.
Considering the expense of costumes and other cosplay items, best price cosmetics allow you to choose an item based on the price.
However for a male cosplayer, if you buy cosmetics once for cosplay, it can last for years as you will not use it on a daily basis. It is also a good idea to think of it as an initial investment and get what you really like.
Base Makeup
In the list above, primer, concealer, foundation, and face powder are categorized as base makeup. Make sure to apply a makeup base well, otherwise it would cause problems like messy and smudged makeup.
Primer
After you put skin lotion on your face, the first thing to apply is a primer.
It is not necessary to apply a primer, but it will help even out the skin tone and give your face a smooth and luminous appearance when applying foundation and other makeup applications.
If you have redness on your face naturally, use a green or blue primer.
Recommended Best Price Primers
CEZANNE UV Ultra Fit Base N (Suggested Retail Price: 680 yen)
CEZANNE Make Keep Base (Suggested Retail Price: 600 yen)
media Makeup Base S (Suggested Retail Price: 750 yen)
KISS ME FERME Tone Up Base (Suggested Retail Price: 880 yen)
CANMAKE Smooth Skin Primer N Natural 16g (Suggested Retail Price: 840 yen)
candydoll BRIGHT PURE BASE (Suggested Retail Price: 1,490 yen)
kiss mat chiffon UV Whitening Base N02 Natural (Suggested Retail Price: 1,600 yen)
The items we have introduced range from 600 yen to 1,600 yen, so you can try them easily.
Make sure you try out a variety of affordable items and see what works the best on your skin. This is important because we want you to use a good primer as it is a key to creating a great base for your beauty look.
Concealer
Concealer is an item that hides acne scars, skin dullness , and dark circles.
While it has excellent coverage, if you apply it too much, it tends to smudge or crack. So, we recommend you to gently apply it by using your fingers or applicators.
Make sure to dab it little by little instead of applying it all at once.
Recommended Best Price Concealers
the SEAM Cover Perfection IDEAL CONCEALER DUO (Suggested Retail Price: 1,320 yen)
SHISEIDO SPOTSCOVER foundation (Suggested Retail Price: 1,320 yen)
KATE Stick Concealer A Natural Beige (Suggested Retail Price: 880 yen)
INTEGRATE GRACY Concealer (SUggested Retail Price: 990 yen)
KOSE NOAH STICK CONCEALER (Suggested Retail Price; 748 yen)
MAYBELLINE FIT me Concealer (Suggested Retail Price: 1,000 yen)
Among the best price concealers, there are the MC Stick Concealer series from 3coins and the popular URGLAM Cover & Highlight Concealer from Daiso.
You can purchase these items for only 100 or 300 yen which makes it easy to try them out and find one that is suitable for you.
Foundation
Foundation is the most important item that determines the color of your skin.
If you use a color that does not match your skin tone appropriately, it will make your skin look white and awkward.
When you choose a foundation, it is best to try a tester on your skin.
However, if it is difficult for you to go to the store just to try the tester, you can mix several colors and create a color that matches your skin. So you don’t need to worry about it.
Recommended Best Price Foundations
The following are some of the popular foundations among cosplayers.
COSCOS Perfect HD Foundation (Suggested Retail Price: 1,600 yen)
COSCOS items mentioned above prevent messy and smudged makeup, but it might be hard to adjust for men or people who have darker skin.
In that case, use Liquid Foundation Secret Skin Maker Zero from KATE or other products to adjust the color.
KATE Liquid Foundation Secret Skin Maker Zero (Suggested Retail Price: 1,600 yen)
MAYBELLINE FIT ME Liquid Foundation (Suggested Retail Price: 1,500 yen)
REVLON COLORSTAY MAKEUP (Suggested Retail Price: 2,00 yen)
Kanebo media Cream Foundation (Suggested Retail Price: 1,100 yen)
excel SKIN TINT SERUM (Suggested Retail Price: 1,980 yen)
There are powder foundations, but we recommend liquid foundations in order to create a pottery-like skin that anime characters have when cosplaying.
Face Powder
Face powder is an item we use to finish up base makeup.
It is a non-oily smooth powder which helps inhibit sweat and sebum and prevent shiny face and smeared makeup.
Recommended Best Price Face Powder
Face powder usually comes in a big case among other makeup items needed, so you better consider whether or not it is easy for you to carry around when you choose.
What we recommend is LB velvet mineral powder mentioned below which comes with a puff and is easy to carry around.
LB velvet mineral powder (Suggested Retail Price: 1,000 yen)
CANMAKE Marshmallow Finish Powder (Suggested Retail Price: 940 yen)
CEZANNE UV Clear Face Powder (Suggested Retail Price: 680 yen)
innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder (Suggested Retail Price: 825 yen)
CHACOTT FINISHING POWDER (Suggested Retail Price: 1,200 yen)
TIME SECRET Mineral Powder (Suggested Retail Price: 1,980 yen)
CANMAKE Secret Beauty Powder (Suggested Retail Price: 850 yen)
Among these items, the face powder from Chacott, which is a cosmetic for ballet stages, is famous.
If you find the best face powder that matches your face color-wise, your makeup will stay much longer and will not get smudged during long hours of shooting and events.
Liquid Eyeliner
Cosplayers put extra effort on eye makeup when they cosplay.
Liquid eyeliner takes an important part in reproducing a variety of facial expressions such as slanted eyes and droopy eyes depending on the character.
When attending an event, eye makeup often gets smudged from sweating, so it is best to choose a liquid eyeliner to prevent that.
There are also non-liquid eyeliners, but liquid eyeliners definitely work the best for cosplay.
Recommended Best Price Liquid Eyeliners
KATE Eyeliner Super Sharp Liner EX (Suggested Retail Price: 1,150 yen)
CANMAKE Creamy Touch Liner (Suggested Retail Price: 650 yen)
CEZANNE Gokuboso Eyeliner (Suggested Retail Price: 580 yen)
CEZANNE Gel Eyeliner (Suggested Retail Price: 500 yen)
Love Liner Liquid Eyeliner (Suggested Retail Price: 1,760 yen)
MAYBELLINE Eyeliner HYPERSHARP LINER (Suggested Retail Price: 1,200 yen)
heroine make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner (Suggested Retail Price: 1,000 yen)
Kate eyeliner mentioned below is also very popular for drawing double lines on eye creases, eyebags, and inner corners though it is not like a regular eyeliner.
KATE Eyeliner double line expart LB-1 (Suggested Retail Price: 935 yen)
Eyeshadow
Eyeshadow is another item that determines the impression of eyes by creating distinct features on eyes.
The eyeshadow color you can widely use for a variety of characters is brown.
When you choose an eyeshadow, you need to make sure not to choose the one with so much glitter because it may look too glittery or stick to areas other than the eyes.
If you are a beginner, choose a matte eyeshadow to avoid these risks.
Recommended Best Price Eyeshadows
The following are eyeshadows that are used widely and recommended for a first time purchase.
It comes with four brownish matte eyeshadows that are easy to use and an accent color in one palette.
CANMAKE Perfect Multi Eyes 03 (Suggested Retail Price: 780 yen)
CANMAKE Perfect Stylist Eyes (Suggested Retail Price: 780 yen)
CEZANNE Toneup Eye Shadow (Suggested Retail Price: 580 yen)
MAJOLICA MAJORCA SHADOW CUSTOMIZE (Suggested Retail Price: 500 yen)
EXCEL Skinny Rich Shadow (Suggested Retail Price: 1,650 yen)
Also, eyeshadows from ETUDE HOUSE, a popular brand among cosplayers, may not be the best price, but it is recommended as it has several colors that are easy to match in one palette.
There are many types and color options, so it will be worth buying if you get the one that suits your face.
ETUDE HOUSE PLAY COLOR EYESHADOW (Suggested Retail Price: 2,500 yen)
ETUDE HOUSE PLAY COLOR EYE PALETTE TRENCH COAT Showroom (Suggested Retail Price: 3,500 yen)
ETUDE HOUSE PLAY COLOR MULTI PALETTE STREET Fashion (Suggested Retail Price: 3,500 yen)
Eyebrow Makeup Item
It is an item to draw eyebrows. You can even use it for nose contouring.
If you would use it for contouring, it is better to choose powder type.
It may be difficult to draw eyebrows in a way you want it done well at first, but eyebrows dramatically can make a huge difference in facial expression, so keep practicing!
Recommended Best Price Eyebrow Items
KATE DESIGNING EYEBROW 3D (Suggested Retail Price: 1,210 yen)
HEAVY ROTATION COLORING EYEBROW (Suggested Retail Price: 800 yen)
CEZANNE Super Slim Eyebrow (Suggested Retail Price: 500 yen)
KATE 3D Eyebrow Color (Suggested Retail Price:935 yen)
INTEGRATE BROW MASCARA (Suggested Retail Price:800 yen)
MAYBELLINE FASHION BROW Powder In Pencil (Suggested Retail Price: 1,000 yen)
Visee EYEBROW POWDER (Suggested Retail Price: 1,210 yen)
URGLAM eyebrow powder and URGLAM eyebrow pencil from DAISO are also recommended.
Blush
Blush is an item that you put on your cheeks to change the impression of your face.
Many male cosplayers might think they don’t need it, but it is actually a necessary item.
When you use only foundation to lighten up the skin tone, it can sometimes make you look pale and unhealthy.
In such cases, apply blush on your cheeks to make your face look healthy and attractive.
Also, blush can be used not only to create a good skin complexion, but also to cover up the blueish bald spot after shaving beard before applying foundation.
Try to use an orange cream blush so that you can cover it very well.
Recommended Best Price Blushes
CEZANNE Pearl Glow Highlight (Suggested Retail Price: 600 yen)
CEZANNE Natural Cheek (Suggested Retail Price: 360 yen)
CANMAKE Glow Fleur Cheeks (Suggested Retail Price: 800 yen)
CEZANNE Pearl Glow Cheek (Suggested Retail Price: 600 yen)
CANMAKE Powder Cheeks (Suggested Retail Price: 550 yen)
CANMAKE CREAM CHEEK (Suggested Retail Price: 580 yen)
If you have a variety of items like above, you can choose the color that best matches you.
Also, a light beige blush (close to white) can be used as a highlighter on the bridge of the nose and cheekbones.
Lipstick
Like blush, male cosplayers might think lipstick is not necessary, but it is needed in order to create a good skin complexion.
If you have your lips covered with foundation and concealer, your face will look pale, so put on orange or bordeaux lipstick to look healthy.
At first, you probably want a variety of colors to match the character and try them, so start with affordable items.
Recommended Best Price Lipsticks
CEZANNE Lasting Lip Color N (Suggested Retail Price: 480 yen)
CANMAKE Stay-On Balm Rouge (Suggested Retail Price: 580円)
CANMAKE Melty Luminous Rouge (Suggested Retail Price: 800 yen)
Chifure Lipstick (Suggested Retail Price: 350 yen)
OPERA Lip Tint N (Suggested Retail Price: 1,650 yen)
B IDOL (Suggested Retail Price: 1,400 yen)
L'Oréal Paris Lip Rouge Signature (Suggested Retail Price: 1,800 yen)
Kanebo media Shiny Essence Lip A (Suggested Retail Price: 950 yen)
We recommend Chifure because they have 30 different colors and a refill costs only 350 yen.
Lipsticks have the risk for peeling lips depending on people. If your lips get dry easily, apply lip balm or Vaseline before applying lipstick.
Summary
We have introduced you to the essential cosmetic items that you need for cosplay.
There are many other makeup items and tools, and once you start, you will find a lot of items you want to get.
There are also convenient items for cosplay, so I will get into that in a different article.
At first, you may need to take time and spend money to collect many items.
But nowadays, you can easily find best price cosmetics at drugstores and 100-yen stores. It is enjoyable once you start, so give it a try!