Bringing your Cosplay to the Beach!

Let's Cosplay by the Sea!

The other weekend, the kareshi and I took a random day trip to the beach. I work most weekends so it is hard to get away. Besides, we have the almighty Otakon, Disney World, and AUSA to get ready for. With all those upcoming trips, we need to be mindful of our budget. It was very nice to go "down the shore" as we say on the East Coast, ha ha ha. 
I decided last minute to bring a wig along for a random cosplay by the sea mini photo shoot. I narrowed it down to my girl Nanao chan from Bleach because Captain Kyouraku just wants to see her in a bikini. It was a funny idea so I decided to roll with it! There were people all around us (of course, it's the beach. On a weekend.) but for all they knew I was some chick with black hair and glasses. Oh, little did they know what we were up to! I must give myself some credit too, I successfully changed my clear contacts over to violet under a towel. No sand in eyes. YATTA!

.....On to the pictures....!  

Commercial Break: This Urahara hat came with the Kareshi's cosplay. It didn't fit him (it was really tiny!) so now it's mine and it is the perfect sun hat :) Represent!!!!

 Like I said, it was a mini photo shoot! Next time (if I can get a chance to get to the beach again this summer) I'd like to bring along Misa Amane from Death Note! That would be fun. 

If you plan on doing a cosplay by the sea, lake, river, pool, etc...make sure you have your wig safely secured in a zip lock bag. If you have the wig on your wig stand, place a plastic bag or cover over it to protect from the elements. You don't want sand or dirt OR the sun messing up your wig. The sun can possibly fade the wig, so be sure to protect it!
Bring along a can of freeze spray just in case or a travel sized hair spray as well as the Got2B spiking gel if you need to. Personally, I would not bring the spiking gel unless you truly need it. Do a re-touch the night before the shoot and spray it down. The spiking gel can be messy especially somewhere like the beach. Gross.
Be extra careful if you are bringing colored contacts. Don't do what I did. I changed my clear ones to violet under a towel. I miraculously did not get sand in my eye, but it was a foolish move on my part. Go to a nearby bathroom or enclosed area where you can switch the contacts.
Choose a swimsuit that best suits your character or a funny situation that the character is associated with. Nanao-chan would not wear a bikini let alone a swimsuit, but there's a running joke that her Captain would dearly love to see her in one. There was my inspiration!!! Also, remember to have fun with the poses! Keep in character, and the poses will come to you. For example, one of my poses was me posing with a book looking annoyed. Perfect Nanao-chan moment: she is reading AND does not want to be disturbed!
Most importantly, my fellow cosplayers, wear a good sunblock! DO NOT forget SPF!!! Last thing you want is a bad sunburn and risk of skin cancer. Do take care of yourselves. <3

*

*Huge thank you to ENVY Photography for their amazing pictures!*

Prepping Your Skin For Cons

Let's get our skin convention ready!

Hello all! We're gonna talk about skin prep for cons. During conventions, we wear more make up than usual for our cosplays. Foundation, concealer, fake lashes, body paint, I could go on and on. In order to keep our skin from breaking out from the make up OR even before the fact...who wants a pimple right before a con? I sure don't and neither do you. The con paparazzi will be taking pics of you and your friends and you will be taking selfies of yourself in the hotel bathroom (yes you will). We need to keep your skin healthy! Gentlemen, this applies to you too. Trust me :)

Since Otakon 2013 is a huuuuuuge convention and I am sure many of you readers are planning on going. It is a little less than a month away and the perfect time to start taking care of your skin. If you are not going to Otakon, this information will help you greatly.

Think of your skin as a canvas that an artist uses. It is blank until you begin applying your make up or body paint. You want to keep that canvas smooth and without blemish or darkness. If an artist's canvas has imperfections, they need to perfect it or get a new one. NO, that doesn't mean you get a new face, my God. 

Now you must ask yourself what skin type you are, as this is very important:

Is your skin oily/acne? This means literally you are oily all over and have blemishes.

Is your skin combination? Oily in the forehead and nose (aka the "T  Zone) and dry elsewhere.

Is your skin dry? Self explanatory.

Is your skin normal? Again, self explanatory and lucky you ^_^ 

Is your skin sensitive? You tend to break out easily when using facial products. 

All of the above is crucial to your pre-convention skin routine. Decide which skin type is you and go from there. I will help you along with suggestions for products for each type of skin.

Oily Skin/Acne

 When you have oily skin, you tend to have blemishes or breakouts. To prevent this from happening, you want to use a cleanser that has benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or beta-hydroxy acid. Big fancy words that mean good things are gonna happen to your skin. 

What steps do I use? 

1 Facial Cleanser

2 Toner

3 Oil Free Moisturzer

Do this in the AM and PM. Also, oil blotting paper are fantastic! Carry them with you at the con, you can blot the oil during the day. Also, they are just good to have on hand for everyday. When I wake up in the morning I use a blotting paper before I wash my face as I tend to get oily in my T Zone during the summer.

Here are some products to use for an oily skin regimen:

1. Clinique has a 3 step set just for oily skin. (cleanser, toner, moisturizer) It is available at Macy's, Bloomingdales, Beauty stores like Ulta or Sephora, and other stores.

2.Pro-Active has a set for oily skin.

3. Cetaphil, St. Ives Blemish Fighting, Clean & Clear, and Neutrogena are have some great cleansers, toners, and moisturizers. Available at drugstores!

4. Oil Blotting wipes...I use green tea ones by a company called Boscia which is available at Sephora stores or online www.sephora.com. I have also seen ones by Neutrogena and Clean & Clear too.

Combination Skin

Combo skin ain't so bad. You have a little of both skin worlds: oily and dry. You have oiliness in your T Zone (imagine a big T on your face) and dry elsewhere. No worries...

 Steps for Combo Skin:

1 Facial Cleanser

2 Toner

3 Moisturizer only on the dry parts of your face, not the oily!

Wash your face in the AM and PM. Some products I recommend are:

1. I recommend a foaming cleanser...Neutrogena has a nice grapefruit one I like and Sephora has some nice cleansers in travel sizes.

2. Toners...get one that is alcohol free. The alcohol in the toner will dry your skin up even more and produce more oil. NO WAY. Try one from your drugstore by the top skin brands like my fave Neutrogena. Be sure to read the bottle.

3. There are some great moisturizers out there for combo skin. Try going to your local Sephora to try a sample of one or head to the drug store. I like Oil of Olay, it really smooths the dry spots. First Aid Beauty has fantastic moisturizers too and Clinque's Dramatically Different Gel is perfect for this skin type. Note, not the lotion, the gel if you are going to purchase this product.

Dry Skin

OH, dry skin. It is uncomfortable. Most people tend to have this during the winter months. Others have it all the time. There are great ways to combat this skin type!

Steps for Dry Skin

1 Facial Cleanser

2 Toner

3 Serum...this is optional but this extra step works remarkably well.

4 Moisturizer

Wash your face in the AM and PM...let's get to some products:

1. Yes to Carrots is a great cleanser for dry skin as well as Philosophy products.

2. For a toner, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Toner or Burt's Bee's Garden Tomatoes Toner.

3. Serum...this is the optional part...I cannot recommend enough Josie Maran's Argan Oil from Sephora. They have a travel size which is affordable and lasts a long time. All you need is two to three drops. 

4. A moisturizer that never fails is Oil of Olay, a classic for a reason! Check the Yes to Carrots moisturizer as well. Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion by Clinique works so nicely too.

Normal Skin

Ah, normal skin...nice, but you still need to take care of it! 

Steps for Normal Skin

1 Facial Cleanser

2 Toner make sure it says for normal skin...you can dry your skin out if you use something else not specified for normal skin!

3 Moisturizer 

Wash your face in the AM and PM. Onto the products!

1. African Red Tea Cleanser is oh so lovely. It is from Sephora and comes in a travel size. Neutrogena and the Yes To Line have great cleansers for normal skin.

2. For a toner, make sure it says "for normal skin." The Body Shop and Aveda have nice toners. Also, check your drugstore...there are some many brands out there that do wonders!

3. Oil of Olay is a classic moisturizer that I recommended for dry skin...it feels so nice and available all over. Sephora brand moisturizers are great as well!

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin needs to be taken care of and gently. 

1 Facial Cleanser

2 Moisturizer

Wash your face only once a day. You can choose either AM or PM. I would do PM after a long day. I'd begin the day with a soothing moisturizer. Some products for sensitive skin:

1. Yes to Cucumbers is for senstive skin as well as a few Clinique products. Clinique is very good for people with sensitive skin. I recommend visiting a Clinique counter and checking them out.

2. Same as the above ^_^ Avoid cream based moisturizers. 

WOW. That was a lot of information! So now you have found what skin type you are (if you are having difficulty pin pointing it, feel free to ask me) and how to treat it to get that con ready skin. Not only is this a great routine for pre-cons, but think about carrying it over into your day to day life. Some of you may already do this, which is greatness. One thing I must stress is DO NOT use regular soap. It is just plain awful for your face. End Scene.

Another thing...at the end of the night at the conventions when you come in from the rave at 4am and feel like you're gonna face plant into the bed, please do so...but...keep a package of make up wipes (Products: Neutrogena, Sephora, Josie Maran, MAC) and wipe your face clean before passing out. You will thank me in the morning. You will destroy your skin if you do not take off your make up at night and you will break out from clogged pore. I am sorry, but it is reality. If you are covered in body paint...hope in the shower. Do not sleep in that and get the hotel's sheets looking like a rainbow. Not cool!

Another great way to con prep your skin are face masks! For those with sensitive skin, be careful and read the package or ask a consultant in the store you are buying from. Go and visit www.lushusa.com. They have a mask for every facial concern. They are all natural, smell great, and work wonders! Check the website for a lush store near you.  If you are feeling creative, there are manyyyy websites about making your own face mask at home. Sephora, Ulta, and drugstores have face masks as well. Just make sure you read the bottle well. A good idea is to do a test spot on your face and see how your skin reacts to the product. If it doesn't become irritated, you are good to go! Do a mask once a week...or you can start doing a mask two weeks before a con. I always do a face mask the night before the convention. It's a tradition I do while I pack!

 The same goes for exfoliaters. Use once to twice a week. There are even exfoliaters for the body and body lotion that will get your body convention ready...especially if you plan on wearing a revealing cosplay. Sensitive skin friends, try to steer clear of these unless you speak to a dermatologist or a beauty consultant. The grains in the exfoliant could give you a flare up. Exfoliation is an excellent way to get the dead skin off, plus your skin looks absolutely glowing afterwards! Be sure to check the bottle to see if it is suitable for your skin type and do a test spot! I feel like a parrot...lol.

Bring your skin care with you to the con. Do not stop just because the con is here. Keep it up. Sometimes when you begin a new skin routine you may see a little blemish here or there. Especially if you use a tool like the Clarisonic (I have the Mia Clarisonic, it's my best friend hahaha). This is because your skin is being purged of the toxins and dirt that are in your pores. It has to come out. Same with doing juice cleanses...just as you are cleansing your body, you are cleansing your face. 

There are other side products for cons I like to bring along with me such an under eye treatment.  Basically, it is a little roller ball that you run back and forth under your eye. It has caffeine in it and it reduces puffiness and under eye circles. Perfect for those morning after the rave or late night panel at the con. Brightens up your eyes like a charm. I either use one by Clinique, Ole Henriksen, or First Aid Beauty. There are some of these at drugstores as well ^_^

I hope you enjoyed the pre convention skin care.

It really helps get your skin ready for all the make up and body paint.

Enjoy using the products and getting ready for your conventions!

Until next time **^_^**

 

AnimeNext 2013: The Third & Final Day

THE CONCLUSION

Ah, we come to the end of another con...

I was the first one up Sunday because I did not feel well for reasons you can assume from the night before. And lets be honest: who does feel 100% at the end of a con? It's like you are on high the whole weekend and all the preparation leading up to it and then it's over. 

I began gathering my things while I waited for Lauren and Kareshi to awake. I swear, those two can SLEEP. I envy them. When they woke up, we all finished packing and loaded up the car. I was kinda nagging at them to come on, let's do this because I kinda freak out when its time to check out. I mean, we bring so much stuff to cons!!! The costumes, wigs, shoes, make up, props, accessories, our regular clothes, ETC. It's banana rama ding dong checking out too. It's like the mass exodus of otaku at the check out line. And also, making sure everything is perfect in the hotel room...don't make a bad name for otaku and trash your con hotel room. Really, it's not cool. We will talk about that in another post.

I checked out and we sat down for our last breakfast together. It was also Lauren's b-day and it was a gloriously beautiful day. It was perfect cosplay weather too. Bright and sunny and a little warm, but not OMG I'm gonna pass out in my cosplay warm. It was a shame it was the last day and it was this lovely out. 

 I was dressed as Ururu from Bleach and Kareshi was Urahara again so we could pair up. Lauren decided to go in regular clothes. We walked over to the Garden State Exhibit Center and began to head to the dealer's room. The Kareshi realizes he doesn't know where his camera is. I literally thought: "are you kidding me now? This weekend is psychotic. First, the chinchilla problems, the monsoon, Lauren losing [she found it, yay] her badge, and now this?" We went to lost and found and another kind otaku had turned in his camera. Thank goodness. I swear I thought I was gonna have a nervous breakdown after all of this!

After the quickly solved camera drama, we continued onto the dealer's room. Of course, being the last day, it was packed. However, I prefer to go to the dealer's room and artist's alley on Sunday because sometimes you can get good deals ;) I bought a Dr. Who poster for my brother in the dealer's room and that was it from there. I got a cute Hello Kitty head wrap from artist's alley and a little poster of a cupcake screaming "I AM THE DELICIOUS!" And that was it. I know, God it is so disappointing I did not buy more things. Don't worry though, Lauren and Kareshi bought tons of stuff. Lotsa posters and geek swag (the pins lolz) to go around!

We decided to leave the con at 2pm after Kareshi fell asleep in a chair while Lauren and I were playing Find Mii on our 3DSes. Also, Lauren had a bus to catch back home at 5:30pm. We took one last long look at the Garden State Exhibit Center and bid it farewell til next year's AnimeNext. We piled into the Chinchilla and drove back to Philly listening to Billy Mays commercials and Epic Rap on YouTube. We were laughing so hard we were crying. Our little con trio listened to Jack Nicholson prank phone calls when we drove from DC to Katsucon 2013. So I guess we have a tradition of listening to hilarious YouTube videos on the way to cons. Ha to the ha ha. Lauren wanted to go back to Wong Wong...best Peking Duck in Philadelphia, I tell you...and she was the birthday girl so we went! It was delicious as it was on Thursday. NOM! So good! Then it was time to say good-bye to Lauren. It breaks my heart when she leaves...she is truly one of my closest and oldest (I've known her since freshmen year of HS) friends. She got home safely as did the Kareshi and I.

So, what did I think of AnimeNext 2013?  Well, apart from the Chinchilla issues, badge being lost and then found along with a camera, and the monsoon from hell, it was a good time! First off, the weather cannot be helped. It was unfortunate that it was not just a regular storm but a storm of epic proportions that soaked everything and everyone in its wake. But, it kinda made it memorable. The AnimeNext 2013 Monsoon will go down in history as ruining cosplays everywhere. OK, luckily ours weren't ruined. We were just soaked. I feel just awful for any otaku whose cosplay did get messed up. Or their regular clothes. Or both. Moving on...

The lost and found at AnimeNext was great as was the staff. I cannot express what a great job they did. Everyone and everything was kept in line and organized. Badges were checked as well as IDs and all went smoothly. HUGE thanks to the staffers!

The dealer's room was quite large and had everything from colored contacts to props to posters to manga and everything in between. It was not as big as Otakon's dealer's room, which I find to be overwhelming (who doesn't from it's awesomeness?!?), but it was damn bigger than I expected. Artist's alley (support the artists!) could have been a little bigger and spread out. I found it to be very cramped. Other than that, they had great artist's that were very talented and friendly!  

The rave was excellent. The best I've been to so far. The DJs played not only anime and game music but also mixed in current pop music which was fun. I do not really like just the pulsating music, so this was a cool and different rave! I mean, they DID have rave music, but whatever it was they were spinning, I was dancing and loving it with my trio!

I did not go to any panels. Shame on me. I did go to two video showings...18+ ahem...and the Saturday night hentai chosen was hilarious compared to the yaoi that was chosen for Friday night. 

The cosplays I came upon were excellent as you could tell from my pictures. Otaku did a great job really putting everything together down to the tiniest detail. One thing I liked was that some cosplayers even went as far as to be in character! I love to see that and like to do that sometimes, perhaps it is because I am in theatre....but it is fun nonetheless! We had some funny run ins with cosplayers who were depicting their characters so well. 

Let's see...was there any con drama...nope. Not from what I saw. I didn't see anyone having words with each other or a fight. Maybe there was drama, but my trio didn't see it. The staff should be thanked again for that.

The food at the con was plentiful and readily available. There was a mini cafeteria in the Garden State Exhibit Center as well as a two restaurants (one a pub) in my hotel, and in the hotel connected to the con, there was a pub, a regular restaurant, and a small convenience store. The hotel convenience stores (I forgot to mention there was one in my hotel as well) were ridiculously over priced, but that is to be expected from hotel stores. I noticed a lot of people were gathering in the main hotel lobby and ordering pizza and Chinese food. We considered doing that but decided against it. How the heck will you find them? It would be too chaotic. There were no restaurants that were really in walking distance as this convention center was little off the beaten road.

OH, how could I forget. In my hotel, people were getting rowdy and damn loud in the hotel hallways after hours. It was so bad Friday night ahem morning around 3am that we called downstairs to get these people to shut uppppp! It was unbelievable! Seriously, I am all for having fun at cons, but go in your room. Do not linger in the hallways. Us otaku need sleep for cons! And please keep in mind that there are muggles in the hotel! Not everyone is there for the con...be considerate and I repeat, do not give the otaku a bad name. People will dread us coming to their hotels and worst case scenario would be the convention center turning a beloved con away because of people's out of control behavior. Ahem, anyways...

All in all, AnimeNext 2013 was a blast and a great way to celebrate Lauren's b-day! I am definitely going back next year and can't wait to see what is in store for the next one ^_^ My next con is Otakon and and you can count on me that I will definitely be reviewing that convention as well! 

Here are a few piccies from Sunday:

The End!

Thank you for reading!

Keep checking for my next blog post...itsa good one...like my Facebook page for updates! 

 

Anime Next '13 Part Twoooooo!

ANIME NEXT 2013

PART TWO

We awoke Saturday morning to an overcast day, but NO RAIN, huzzah! I had limited time because I had to leave to sing at a wedding...Imma cantor (singer) and I sing at Masses on the weekends and at weddings and funerals. Anyways, since the Chinchilla (if you didn't read my previous post...you should lol...that is the name of my car) was having issues with the clicker to get into the car, I had to wait for my parents to arrive to bring a new clicker. The plan was I'd leave with them and follow them home to sing at the wedding. It was an hour drive, but it was alright. I was asked to sing this wedding and was being paid. It is only right. 

Lauren, the Kareshi, and I went downstairs and ate breakfast. You needed a ticket at the Somerset to eat this buffet. If not, you had to pay $10. It was alright, nothing special. The Kareshi and Lauren were dressed as Detective Gumshoe and Franziska von Karma from Phoenix Wright. They looked great:

My parents arrived with new clicker and it worked!!!! However...Lauren realized she did not know where her badge was. Panic ensued. With the help of the Mama Llama (my mother) we tore apart the whole room. Nothing. It was psychotic. Any con goer knows that if you lose your badge, no matter what the excuse, you have to buy a new one. You cannot get into any panel, dealer's room, artist's alley, concert NADA. THEY ALWAYS LOOK and they have every right to...they don't want people just popping in for free when they invited marvelous guests and making the con as wonderful as possible. In this case of replacing the badge, it'd be sixty bucks to replace. Hell to the no. This badge would be found, ok! I left Kareshi and Lauren reassuring them it would be found, and they were off to check the lost and found and retrace our steps. Now remember, the night before was a damn monsoon, so we could only hope it wasn't torn off her and washed down a whirlpool. 
 I was devastated to leave...especially with Saturday being the biggest day of any con. Even though I came back around 5PM, I still felt like I missed a lot. Oh well. I returned and found out that Lauren found her badge at the lost and found! It was a miracle and may God bless the person who turned it in. We found someone's driving license later that evening and you better believe we turned that in. We changed quickly into our Bleach trio...starring Kareshi as Kisuke Urahara, Lauren as Yoruichi Shihouin, and myself as Soi Fon. We ventured over to the main convention hall and sat down and had a buffet dinner in the hotel part of the convention. It was meh. They had meatballs, ziti, small salad bar, some kinda chicken, and mixed veggies. The dessert was cookies and cake. Whatever, we needed fuel. It was a nice place to sit as we sat by the window that looked out into the hotel and we watched all the fellow cosplayers go by. It was hilarious. Here's one of our passerbys:

 Chef Deadpool. This was so so so funny! He just stood there stirring, lol. And there was a random dude standing behind him in an adult diaper. I didn't get it.

After dinner, we wandered around and ran into a nice lady named Ike! She asked us to participate in her YouTube video she was creating for AnimeNext. We agreed! Here is her video.. You can take a look at all the amazing cosplays from the con. We make our debut at 2:30. Subscribe to her; she has lotsa great vids from cons!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFqrAQLaQyw

Saturday night was absolutely a blast. We went into a hentai showing LOL I never laughed so hard. I was crying from all the heckling people were doing. If you went to this you will know what "SWITCH" meant and random people were screaming this until the next day.

Next, we headed over to the rave. AnimeNext's rave was AWESOME. Seriously, best rave I have been to so far. The DJs they had skillfully blended anime and video game music with mainstream. It was recognizable music which personally I prefer to the heavy bump bump bump beatz. I still go to those raves because I like to dance, but this one took the cake and the icing too.

Kareshi spun his rave lighting up ball thingies and Lauren and I both had a light up glove. We literally danced until 3am. It was officially Lauren's birthday and it was the best way to ring it in!

FUN TIMES! We went back to the hotel tired and happy. And filled with sake and soju. It was a grand night, indeed.

Here are some pics from Saturday:

 I was so sorry I missed this guy! Billy Mays here with Oxi Clean!

 GLOOMY BEAR...I love these two <3

 Pyramid Head

 Shepard

 Excellence!

I love this pic of Urahara and Yoruichi. It is cuteeeeee.

 Yoruichi & Soi Fon chillin'

 Soi Fon having a strange moment

 Soi Fon doing a fatal blow to Tousen!

 KENSEI!

 Yoruichi, Kensei (with a HOLLOW MASK!!!), and Soi Fon

Aw! Soi Fon in absolute heaven. And I love this picture because it is me and my best friend :)

This concludes Saturday's review of the con. I wasn't there most of the day, alas, but it was fun nonetheless, ESPPP the rave. And I never ever say that. So trust me on that one! Next up will be the Sunday review. I will update ASAP. ^_^