First, I’ll show you how to shade under your chin. This helps if you have a weaker jaw line or a double-chin. Since quitting retail and working office jobs, I’ve gained a bit of weight, and this has really helped me look better, both in person and in photos.
I do this when I’m about 75% done with my face makeup, before I put on the final layer of foundation and powder. I use the final layers to help blend everything together.
Ignore the fact that this was clearly an accidental photo and notice how my chin seems to disappear into my neck. This trick will fix that!
Take an eyeshadow brush (or any similarly-shaped brush) and get a light dusting of bronzer. The Wet n Wild Bronzer is very pigmented, so I recommend using less than you think you’ll need! Blending helps somewhat if you pack it on too much, but you don’t want to end up looking like...well, like you put a ton of dark makeup all over your neck.
Take the brush and follow the shape of your jawline. I start from the point of my chin and follow my jawbone, stopping right under my ears. You want to get just under your chin - avoid getting any of the powder on your face.
You're basically giving yourself a neckbeard.
Without adding any more powder, use the brush to blend the line down your neck. The pigment should start to fade out towards the base of your neck - that’s good! Any more and the makeup will be too obvious. Try to get a gradient effect. It will look pretty streaky at first, but that’s what blending is for.
If you feel like you didn’t add enough bronzer, now is the time to add more.
Let it cook for a few minutes. Now is a great time to finish your eye makeup!
Once the powder has had time to settle into your skin, now is the time to blend. You can use a blending brush or a sponge for this. I use BB cream instead of foundation, so at this time I apply the last layer of BB cream and blend what’s left on the brush into the shading on my neck. A final layer of powder helps make it look seamless.
Look straight ahead in the mirror and admire your success! You should now be able to easily discern your chin from your neck.
Another easy contouring trick is… contouring your cleavage. Forget push-up bras and rubbery inserts - this is the secret to getting ridiculous-looking cleavage, no matter your cup size! (This works great for crossplayers, too.)
For your reference, I am on the larger side of a B cup. When I use this method, I usually also wear a larger padded bra, inserts, and I duct-tape my ladies together. Yes, it hurts taking the duct tape off, but you can’t argue with these results. For this tutorial, I’ll be using everything but the duct tape, just to show you how much difference contouring can make.
This is usually the last part of my makeup routine (when the costume calls for it), and I usually do it with my costume already on. As long as you are careful with how much powder you get on your brush, you shouldn’t get any on your costume. You will risk smearing the makeup if you put your costume on after, but it really all depends on how your costume gets on your body. Consider this carefully before you start!
Use the same eyeshadow brush, and, again, don’t get too much powder on it. Start the brush about where your sternum ends. This is the part of your cleavage that has the darkest shadow, so that’s where you want most of the powder to go.
It looks good on eyelids, too.
Blend, apply powder to set your shading, and use a makeup sealant spray so it doesn’t get on your costume (or anyone else’s).
Now go forth and be the trashy gyaru despair queen you were born to be!
I worked up a sweat taking all those selfies (no, really. I live in Arizona!) so On the Go Makeup Sheets included in the August Theme Box really came in handy.
Wet N Wild Bronzer
Hi, I’m Luluko! I’m a cosplayer from the Phoenix area and I’ve been way too deep in this hobby for the past six years. I’m not a makeup expert, but I enjoy experimenting with it, and I firmly believe it’s one of the most important, yet overlooked, aspects of cosplay. I hope you’ll enjoy the following tutorial I made using some of the products from CosBox’s August Themed Box! (Also, please forgive my messy manicure and my weird eyebrows - I was trying something new.)
Contouring seems to have become a lot more popular with the average makeup-user. It’s the age old trick of using makeup to help change the shape of your face using highlights and shadows - if you’ve ever watched a drag queen transform, then you know how effective it can be! It’s a great tool for cosplayers because it can help us play up certain areas and play down others, and it’s an especially great tool for crossplayers.
However, doing it right takes a lot of practice, so today I’m going to show you two incredibly easy (and useful) ways to use the Wet n Wild Bronzer included in the Cosbox August Themed Box to help you learn the magic of contouring!
I used all of these products from the August Themed Box for this look! I don’t cover my use of the Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil, however.
Start here...
...end here.
Repeat for the other side.
Also pictured: the HUGE difference lashes make. WEAR THEM!
Here I’m starting with inserts inside a padded bra that’s a full cup size larger than I am. As you can see there’s already quite a difference - but contouring will take it even further!
Bring the brush up and out of your cleavage, following the natural curve of your breast. Think about how most cartoonists draw ridiculously-pushed-together-breasts - imitate that shape with your brushstrokes.
Repeat on the other side. Be wary if your lines come out too dark - you will likely want to re-do them in this case.
Same as before, blend down and repeat if necessary.
Optionally, you can also use a white shimmer powder or cream just underneath the contour line to help highlight the wonderful shape of your new cleavage.
If you want to be super-over-the-top, add glitter! The Wet N Wild Mega Sparkle Confetti Glitter definitely lives up to its name.
Contouring doesn’t have to be scary or complicated - just two easy tricks can make all the difference. I hope this was helpful - please feel free to send me feedback so I can make my future tutorials even better! Thanks for subscribing to CosBox!