Last time we looked at the application of foundation to create a lovely flawless canvas. This week we will be looking into one of the most defining aspects of a cosplay; eye makeup.
Not everyone is comfortable going at their eyes with pencils, brushes, gels and liners! It can be pretty daunting staring down at the smudged point on a pencil and shiny bristles of a liner brush but the eyes will be the centre of look. Let us put the nerves aside and look at how you can create three simple looks any makeup or cosplay enthusiast should have under their belt.
If you are wearing contact lenses for your cosplay, make sure to put them in first to avoid smudging your work.
Wide Eye
1. First of all prime your eyelids with a primer of your choice. I used a UD Eden Primer Potion.
2. Next apply an eyeshadow that resembles your skin tone.
3. Line your upper lid with a black liner, lid gel or if you want a less harsh effect a dark eyeshadow.
4. End the line in a slightly upwards flick.
5. Next you will start making a fake bottom lid of sorts from about 1/3 of the way across your eye towards the outter corner.
6. You want to connect the two with a gently sloping line that mimics the outer eye corner.
7. You want to then cover the piece of skin with a white pencil or a pencil that is close to the colour of the whites of your eyes.
8. You can blend out the line on the bottom lid and line your waterline with a white pencil.
9. Lastly stack on a thick pair of lashes to complete the look.
Femme Fatale
For this type of look you want to exaggerate the lines.
- Follow steps 1-4 as outlined above.
- At this point extend the tip of the eyeliner out more.
- Bring the line back to make a reasonably thick winged eye look.
- Next you want to line your crease with a dark shadow. This gives can make your eyelids appear bigger depending on where you put the shadow.
- Blend out the shadow to soften the line. This can give you a slightly smoked look or a sultry gaze depending on how much eyeshadow you apply.
- Top it off with some thick lashes with longer hairs on the outer corner of the eye.
Broody Male
When it comes to broody males they seem to have the same sort of eye shapes. Eyes that look like they are always judging you.
- Follow steps 1-3 in the first guide above.
- Instead of of ending in an upwards flick you want to angle the eyeliner slightly downwards.
- Make sure the line is quite thin.
- Make a fake bottom lid and connect it to the top in either a gentle slope or a sharper one.
- You want to fill in the gap with a white eye pencil like before.
- Blend out the harsh edges for a softer look.
- Add lashes that suit the appearance of the characters lashes.
When in doubt just remember practice makes perfect! Draw the lines over and over again on a piece of paper and you’ll find it easier to get the shapes down neatly when it comes to your eye look. Even the most experience makeup artist will occasionally slip up or smudge a line, that’s what makeup wipes are for and you can also touch up or correct mistakes to your makeup as you go along.
Eye makeup is probably the trickiest to do and requires a bit of patience. Don’t let the eyeliner know you are scared, I’m pretty sure it can sense fear!
Join us next time for a tutorial on contouring. Have you tried any of these tips before? Do you have questions on products? Please let us know in the comments below.
