Miss Fortune Cosplay Part 2

Hi GGG Readers,

Other Miss Fortune Cosplay posts:   Part 1

I am back with part two of my Miss Fortune Cosplay.  I have finished my top and I have started on my hat.  I still have a lot to do, and I feel like I am running out of time.  My guns are coming along as well. My next post should focus again on my gun progress.

Miss Fortune’s Top

In order to make Miss Fortune’s top (if you can call it a top LOL) I bought a bra from La Senza.  It is a white lace strapless bra.  I wanted to make sure the bra was lace in order to give it more detail.  I then bought faux leather fabric from fabric land.  This fabric was actually found in the section that is used to make drapery, curtains, and other things.  It wasn’t in the regular clothing material section.  I then took the following steps to make the top:

1)   I first cut out triangles that fit perfect onto the bra cups

2)   I then cut a shape that would fit perfectly under and around the cups.

3)    I hand stitched on the triangles first, and then the bottom piece.

4)   I then cut out two rectangular pieces that are the same height as my bottom piece.  I hand stitched this onto the sides of the bottom piece.  I made sure that these pieces were not attached to the actual back of the bra.  This is so that you can still stretch and hook the bra on in the back.  These rectangular pieces will then lay on top.  The back is attached with black velcro that was also bought at fabric land.

5)   Next, the detail was added at the top of the bra cups.  This was made by purchasing a white lace trim and black ribbon.  I cut slots into the lace trim, and the black ribbon was weaved through to give that striped effect.  This was then hand stitched onto the top of the bra.

6)   I then created my own bow with the same faux black leather material.  This was hand stitched together and then onto the top.  I then added a gold/black button to hide the stitching and give it a more finished look.

7)   Lastly, the arm straps were sewn on.  The material I used isn’t stretchy, so I had to make sure these were long enough so I could lift my arms.   The problem is now when my arms are down, they hang pretty low.  Oh wells!

Cutting out first leather pieces

Pieces sewn on initially.

Supplies

Ribbon added

Bow and Button

Final with arm straps

I might still add some detail onto the top.  Not sure yet.  It is not in the splash page, but I think it will add more to the look.  I’m thinking of adding a gold pattern along the side bands of the top.  I guess I’ll decide later.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and stay tuned for more updates on my cosplay progress.  I should have a tutorial on my hat shortly as well.
Remember to like us on Facebook as well!

<3

Miss Fortune Cosplay Part 1

Hi GGG Readers!

Other Miss Fortune Cosplay Posts:  Part 2

Anime North 2013 is fast approaching, and as predicted I am procrastinating on my cosplay. LOL.  I’ll be going as Miss Fortune from League of Legends this year.  So far I have my wig, my contacts, started on my guns and top/shirt.  Still have a lot to do and not enough time!  In this post I want to share with you how I am making my guns.

Wig and Contacts

Lets start off with a preview of my wig and contact lenses.  I just got my contacts from PinkyParadise.com.  They are the Vassen Bambi Queen Blue circle lenses.

Miss Fortune Wig and Contacts

Guns

I started off by making my guns similar to my Riven cosplay props.  I started with layers of foam board, with the intent of covering with instant paper mache.  Please see my link for more details.  After finishing the base of the first gun, I decided to stop this method and make my guns out of wood.  I decided on this for a couple reasons.  First I wanted my weapon to be a bit more sturdy than last year’s, and I think I am able to make it look better and provide a smoother surface to paint on with wood.  I will be sharing both methods for you, as I know a lot of you cosplayers out there may not have the equipment or time to do wood work.

Foam Method:

1)   First I bought foam board from the dollar store.  Each board was $1 each I believe.

2)   I traced out the basic shape of my gun and cut the foam board out with an exacto knife.

3)   I bought a pylon from the dollar store and cut off the base to give me a cone.  This cone I used as the opening of the gun.  I traced the pylon onto the foam boards.  I then cut out this shape so that the pylon would fit nicely onto the end of the gun.

4)   I cut out many layers and glued them together to my desired thickness.  Some layers I cut off the trigger part, so that this part would be thinner than the others.  The barrel layers (outer most layers) did not include the handle.

5)   This is where I stopped, but to continue you would shape the gun by carving it with an exacto knife.  This would give it more of a rounder shape.

6)   Cover the gun in instant paper mache (Purchased from Michael’s craft store for approximately $30.00.  Remember to use your coupons!)

7)   Let the instant paper mache dry.  Do not make the layers too thick as they might not dry completely.  Add more layers if necessary.

8)   Sand the paper mache down and paint.

Please see our other tutorials on how to finish your weapons.

Wood Method:

1)   Trace gun shape onto wood board.

2)   Cut out shape.  I used a small table like saw to cut out my guns.

3)   Wood can be a bit more heavy than foam, so to make my guns a little lighter I hollowed out the inside layers a bit.  Be very careful to not go all the way through the wood.  I used a hammer and a chisel to do this.

4)    Use wood glue to glue together the layers.  I used two layers of wood for the handle and base of gun.  I added an additional two layers (rectangular shaped) to the barrel, and a few additional pieces to the end of the gun so that it can be sanded flush with the end funnel.

5)    I bought a plastic pot from the dollar store to use as the end of my guns.  This turned out to be a perfect size.

6)   I used a sanding tool attached to an air compressor to sand down my gun and make the barrel more rounded.

Still to do:

- Attach plastic pot to the end- Finish sanding
- Adding Trigger area
- Using wood filler to fill in gaps
- Painting
- Adding detailed designs

Basic shape cut out

Hollowing out the guns

Glued together

With the end piece

Sanded and rounded

Rounded barrel view

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and stay tuned for more updates on my cosplay progress.  I should have a tutorial on my top shortly as well.
Remember to like us on Facebook as well!

<3

Spring Beauty Revamp II: BHCosmetics

Hi everyone!

Here’s part two of my Spring Beauty Revamp. As I said in the last revamp post, I’m replacing all my old, expired stuff with new items and I’m telling you girls (and guys?!) what I think about them.

I’ll be reviewing a few things I got from BH Cosmetics this time.  BH Cosmetics is an American brand of affordable cosmetics (but they’re made in China). This is a company that my friend recommended me to try out. They sell mostly eyeshadow palettes and brushes along with some lip and face stuff. They have sales all the time too which is awesome! I ordered from them twice… the first time I ordered single eyeshadows and gel eyeliner along with a brush. After that, I decided to get my brushes from them since their brush sets are very affordable. I got the brushes first because I had entered the wrong postal code and I contacted BH before they shipped my second order. The first one had the wrong postal code so it took way longer to arrive.

I bought the double-ended travel brush set from BH.

First impression: They’re tiny! Haha~ I threw in my Blackberry in this picture as a size reference.

I really don’t mind the size though. That just means I can take them along with me when I go out but hey, I rarely ever do touch-ups when I’m out for some reason. I’ve been using them a lot now and they’ve been great so far. They don’t shed at all. The bristles are very soft too~!

Next up are the eyeshadows. I didn’t feel the need for a whole palette since they’re kind of intimidating to me. I don’t think I would use all the colors and it is my first time trying out this brand so I picked four brown/neutral single eyeshadows. They’re really meant for the palettes that you assemble yourself so they come in clear plastic packaging with the ingredients printed on the back. I’m not a fan of this packaging but it works.

The colors that are available are separated in cools and warms as well as metallic and shimmer. I picked out two warm mattes and two metallic mattes. They have a number to identify the colors but I really prefer names that describe the colors rather than numbers.

These are the swatches of the eyeshadows that I purchased. I swatched them dry on the top and then I did the same with a wet brush on the bottom. Then I ran water over the swatches and wiped my arm as well. Here are the results.

Onto the gel eyeliner. I’ve been using liquid liner for the longest time and this is my first time using gel eyeliner. I wasn’t too happy with the results at first but I played around with it a couple of times and I liked the results. I did the same test with the eyeliner and I also shamelessly used the same layout without changing the text haha~ Here are the results.

Veredict: I really enjoyed the brushes I got from BH Cosmetics.

I also liked how pigmented the eyeshadows are, especially when applied wet. I just wish they had real names instead of numbers haha~!

I am very satisfied with the quality of the gel eyeliner but it’s always a hassle to remove. It’s great that it’s waterproof but it’s not smudge proof at all… and did I mention that it is REALLY hard to remove? I wouldn’t mind at all if it was smudge proof as well but unfortunately it isn’t. It’s still a great liner though and they do offer it in different colors. Plus, it’s very affordable! You just have to take care of not rubbing your eye by mistake haha~!

Would I repurchase? Brushes, definitely yes. I’m very happy with the quality of the brushes and I find them very affordable. Eye makeup, not so sure yet. I do like how BH Cosmetics is affordable and they do offer a wide range of palettes and eye makeup. The eyeshadows have decent pigmentation and their gel eyeliners have great staying power. The eyeshadows they have are not my cup of tea though. They have awesome palettes with many many colors but that’s just not my thing. I feel like it’s overwhelming, especially since I know that I won’t use all of the colors. Their makeup also contains parabens and I’m trying to avoid that whenever possible from now on. If you don’t care about parabens and you do like the palettes they have then I’d say go for it. It’s not a bad choice of a brand honestly. Besides, from time to time they have INCREDIBLE sales so it’s great to check the shop from time to time. Perhaps I’ll pick up a smaller palette when there’s a sale, who knows, but for now, I’m sticking to my single shadows and mineral make up.

One last thing. I also got this Cleansing Petit BB cream by Holika Holika in the mail (as well as a couple samples). I absolutely love it. It smells nice and it blends in nicely with my skin tone. Also, it has a cat on the package- what’s not to love?! I just got this today so if you’re interested, I can provide a followup on how it has been working out for me after I use it a bit more.

Spring Beauty Revamp: Essence Haul

Hi everyone~!

I’ve been out shopping lately with a friend of mine, hoping to replace some old stuff in my make up bag and doing a whole Spring revamp basically. I have been collecting stuff gradually and I want to show you some of the stuff that I’ve acquired.

I’ve decided to sort these posts by brand and I’m going to start with Essence. Essence is an European brand of cosmetics that I happened to stumble upon during one of my trips to Shoppers Drug Mart (I’m so classy hahah~). I had never heard of the brand before but the stuff is CHEAP.

Being a college student and all, I can seldom afford fancy non-drugstore cosmetics so I decided to give Essence a try. My first impression was that this brand was geared towards teenage girls. I was a little put off by that actually… but I decided to give it a try nonetheless.

These are the first things I purchased: Essence smokey eyes set ($1 sale) and cream eyeshadow ($1 sale as well) in “and the glammy goes to…” ~ yes, that’s what it’s called.

The smokey eye set comes with a creamy liner and a gray shimmery eyeshadow with complete instructions on how to do a smokey eye as well.

First impression? It’s pretty good for the price. I tried to apply the liner but it wasn’t dark enough for me. It was more like a dark gray rather than black. I It’s not the best thing I’ve tried but it works. It’s a good addition to my little make up bag mostly because I don’t have any other gray/black eyeshadows. I’ve decided that I like the liner better as an eyeshadow.

The cream eyeshadow that I bought is a metallic golden color. I swatched it on my hand and it looked pretty good but ugh! This thing is too solid. I feel like I have to dig up the product with my finger or brush and even then it is clumpy and flaky. I kind of made it work by applying a tiny bit at a time with my fingers instead of a brush. It’s not as bad if I apply a little at a time. I don’t know if this is the case with the one I purchased in particular but I don’t think I’d be buying more of these unless I’m desperate…

I’ve worn it out on my brow bone for a full day without any mishaps (so far). I really do like the color -and my pictures don’t do it justice- but I don’t really like the application.

I also got this nail stamp kit. It was a random thing for me to buy haha~ I wouldn’t usually go for this kind of stuff but hey- there’s always a first time! It’s all tiny and cute, and it works very well! I stamped my nails with the polka-dot design and I’m pretty satisfied with this product.

I don’t have this pictured here, but I also got myself one of their XXXL lip glosses in “Supergirl” which is a glittery baby pink color. I didn’t even bother taking a picture of it because it’s not a product that I particularly enjoyed. I still use it, I try to use everything I purchase no matter if I liked it or not because I’d feel guilty for wasting money~ haha~!

Anyway, the reason why I didn’t particularly like this lip gloss was that it’s sticky and VERY glittery for my tastes. It definitely gives off the impression that it’s something geared towards younger girls. I was hoping for a little bit of pigment and I’m not sure if it’s because of the original color of my lips but it doesn’t even show up. It does add some gloss and HEAPS of glitter on my lips though!

Overall, I gave Essence a try and I must say that their stuff is pretty decent. They do have great prices and they’re awesome if you have a tight budget. It wouldn’t be my first choice though. I did hear that their nail polishes were good. I haven’t really given them a try but I might do so in the future.

Vivi March 2013 Scans

Hi Japanese fashion lovers!

I love Japanese fashion because they’re always able to take a cute spin on all the latest trends and make them super girly XD.  Here are some scans from the latest Vivi magazine to get you guys thinking about spring fashion trends and makeup and hair tips!

 

Lots of neons and bright colours this spring!

 

Neon accent pieces are probably easier to wear than full neon garments.

 

 

Flowers are always a must for Spring.

 

Garments with cutouts are sexy and cute at the same time!

 

For the monotone lovers.

Makeup tips to open up your eyes.

 

Spring is all about looking youthful, easiest way to achieve a youthful look is fuller brows!

 

BSC Vita-X Moisturizer Review

My favorite moisturizer at the moment is BCS Vita-X 8 in 1 vitamin total effect cream.

The cream claims to contain vitamins B12, D, E, K B3, F, C, and B5. The cream claims to “ solve various skin problems in one go. It triggers the regeneration of skin and hence lays a good foundation for improvement. It also restores the tenderness, silkiness and youthfulness of skin. Say goodbye therefore to the defects on your face.”

I don’t have wrinkles yet so I can’t speak for its effects on restoring the youthfulness of skin, however, it has helped diminish the acne scars on my face, balanced my combination skin, and provided moisture to my skin while not breaking me out.

The cream itself is pink coloured, have a slight fragrance, and thick.

As you can see I’m almost finished my current supply of the Vita-X cream. I would recommend this cream for night-time. It’s a bit too thick for day time and may end up making your face oily under make-up. When you first apply this on your face, it will feel thick and heavy, but it is quickly absorbed into the skin and is an excellent night cream to provide that extra moisture without the greasy feeling.

I love this so much I’ve already ordered it again from Sasa XD. Right now it’s also buy 1 get 1 free!

DIY: Making a Custom Lipstick Palette

Hey everyone!

Making your own lipstick palette is an easy and convenient way to carry many colours with you at once. It’s also a good way to salvage as much of your lipstick as possible when you’ve almost reached the bottom of the bullet. You can also mix your own colours!

You will need:

A spoon, butter knife, lipsticks, pill box, candle, lighter, and a small dish

 

First, light your candle and cut off a small section of your lipstick with the butter knife.

Next, light your candle and place the spoon about an inch above the flame to melt your lipstick. Don’t place it too close or you will burn your lipstick!

 

 

Once it’s all melted like the above picture, carefully pour the melted lipstick into a slot in the pill box.

 

I couldn’t find the pill boxes I wanted so I had to buy these to make do. This one is a bit chunky, but the idea is the same.

Hope you guys enjoyed this DIY =)

 

 

Braun Silk Epil 7 Review

I purchased the Braun Silk Epil 7 around last Christmas so I’ve used it for a good 7 months now, and I LOVE this product.

 

If you don’t know what an epilator is, it’s basically like an electric razor, but instead of shaving your hair, it plucks the hair.

The Braun Silk Epil 7 came with the epilator itself, 2 heads (1 with massagers for sensitive areas and a regular head), a brush cleaner, and a wall charger.

There are other heads that you can buy (ones for the face) but I haven’t purchased them yet. The epilator itself is cordless for convenience and has 40 heads on it for a thorough epilation. One full charge on it lasts me a month! But then again, I have no hair on my legs and arms to begin with so I only use this for underarms haha. There are also 2 speeds to chose from. So far, I have yet to use speed 2 (faster speed), since, not gonna lie, it sounds kinda scary lol.

Since underarm areas are very sensitive, I prefer to use the massaging head. It helps ease the pain.

 

If it’s your first time using an epilator, it WILL hurt. But I don’t think it’s any more painful than waxing, it’s just that you have to endure it for longer. I prefer it a lot more than shaving since shaving can make your hair grow back thicker and there is a shadow.

In the long run though, owning an epilator is definitely more cost efficient than waxing especially if you go out to wax. I bought the epilator for around $90. I also use the epilator with the regular head for my upper lips. I’m thinking of getting the smaller heads they have available for the face to make it easier and also for use on my eyebrows, but the regular head that comes with the epilator works fine for now for my upper lips. I wouldn’t recommend it for eyebrows though as it doesn’t offer the preciseness you would need for eyebrows.

Cleaning it is also easy, simply dip the brush in some rubbing alcohol and brush the hair off the epilator and the head!

Overall I give this a 9/10, it’s simple to use, convenient, and gives good long lasting results. The only downside is the pain, which you will get used to after a while =P.

 

 

Cure Natural Aqua Gel

Hi everyone!

Today I want to talk about Cure Natural Aqua Gel, which is my favorite exfoliator of all time.

It’s water based, has no artificial fragrance or colors added so it’s good for those with sensitive skin as well!

Exfoliating helps remove those dead skin cells sitting on top of your skin and allows for better absorption of any products that you would normally apply.

I love this exfoliant because it doesn’t irritate my face like some scrubs can and you can actually see the dead skin coming off! I know it sounds kinda gross but it’s actually really cool haha.

This is what the Cure Natural Aqua Gel looks like:

To use it, you just gently rub it on clean skin and you will start seeing these little white clumps forming. Those are your dead skin cells!

It’s safe to use anywhere, I use it to remove my cuticles sometimes XD

Again, this is a Japanese product so if you’re not in Asia, you may be able to find it in some Asian make-up stores. Yesstyle also sells Cure Natural Aqua Gel but it’s pretty expensive. I think I bought mine from Watson’s in Hong Kong for around $40. Keep in mind that one bottle will last you a loooooonnnngggg time. I use it weekly on my face, each time I use about 3 pumps, and a bottle will last me around 6 months =)

Do you guys have any favorite products?

SEPHORA: Matte Top Coat Nail Polish Review

Hello Everyone!

Here is my experience with SEPHORA’s matte top coat nail polish:

The black I used was SEPHORA’s “What’s a Tire Jack?” and the top coat I used was SEPHORA’s ”Matte Top Coat”. I also ended up using “Glass Shine” by Kiss. I will say early in this review that I was disappointed with the results. It wasn’t necessarily the nail polish didn’t do what it was suppose to, but I didn’t get the results I wanted. This style has been floating around here and there and I loved it! I really wanted to get the look, so I tried it. Here are my results and suggestions:

First I applied the SEPHORA’s “What’s a Tire Jack?”:

I wanted to try something different so I tried to do random slants on my nails. Then I blocked off slanted parts with scotch tape and applied two coats of SEPHORA’s ”Matte Top Coat”:

As you can see it doesn’t look very nice! You can’t even tell that I did a design for the index and pinky finger. I tried to take a bettter shot with light so it is more noticable:

Even with the light the black nail polish doesn’t seem to contrast enough to make it noticeable or even nice. I tried the steps over again with the standard style I’ve been seeing. This time I used “Glass Shine” by Kiss so that it contrasted the matte nail polish more :

With the “Glass Shine” coat by Kiss I got more of what I wanted. To be honest it is only noticeable because of the light. In person this design is hardly noticeable and no one notices it unless I point it out to them. Overall I was disappointed with my results. It could be because I have short nails so this style doesn’t look good on me. I do not recommend using The black SEPHORA’s “What’s a Tire Jack?”  with SEPHORA’s ”Matte Top Coat”. You need more contrast in the two. Ether get a shinier black or a more noticeable matte nail polish. You could also try to find a shinier top coat for the tips. If I were to do this again, I would try a different matte nail polish brand.

I could have also done something wrong in process. What are your experiences with matte nail polish? Did you find it unnoticeable and disappointing too? What products did you use?

While I got this nail polish I also got new stretchers:

There is this new store in Square One called New Steel, a jewellery shop. I checked their site but it looks like its still under construction. I don’t find many stretch earrings in Mississauga, so it was nice to have a store with earrings I haven’t seen before. It was $12 for each earring, but I got it for $16 since the sizes were inconsistent! They have a decent selection of earrings for a decent price compared to other places.

Don’t forget to like our GGG Facebook Page and I will see you next time!