Just wanted to add a small comment for anyone scrolling thru, as someone who has cosplayed for quite a few years IGNORE the gatekeepers who tell you that you shouldn't cosplay someone "basic" or "overpopular" ie Harley Quinn. Cosplay whoever you want! If you want to cosplay Harley and so do ten other people at cons, WHO CARES? You're all cosplaying that character because you like them. And you all might be doing slightly different versions/your own takes on the character. And even if you aren't, it doesn't matter. Cosplay is about having fun and expressing your like of characters. Don't let people tell you you can't cosplay someone.

Ooh that first question about posing and pictures. Hi! Im a photography major. Use natural light. Morning and evening are known as "the golden hour" in photography because the lighting is best. Avoid high noon lighting where it makes shadows super intense. Keeping your arms up someway helps keep them look slim. On the same note, dont crop a photo at a joint (elbows knees etc)

On the whole cannon vs non-cannon thing I think both are awesome. The last convention I went to a guy dressed up in a pink suit with a parasol and crown - he was a male version of Princess Peach. Honestly thought he looked awesome

As someone who has cosplayed in bought cosplays for around 11 years, I can back up it is TOTALLY ok to wear bought cosplays like anya said 😁 people will still be excited to see you dressed up as their favourite character 💜

6:19 I’ve never cosplayed before, but I feel like an easy cosplay to do would get a character with recognizable hair and just wear the wig with any outfit you think that character would wear. You can wear stuff you already have if you think the character would wear it.

I’ve been cosplaying ever since the pandemic started and this really helps- so thank you 😌

"start with easy cosplays" me who never cosplayed before: starts to make a original style for monokuma cosplay

about the beginners at cons thing, I've seen some cosplays in person that were obviously made by beginners, and to me it's like, hey they're getting out there and making something cool, and that's more than I'm doing, so good for them!

I feel so much better knowing I’m not the only one who struggles with motivation! :з

I’ve been cosplaying for 2 years but I’ve never been to a con 😅

Something that had stopped me for a long time was thinking I absolutely needed a wig for cosplay, even if my hair was the exact same. Also that foundation was a must have. You should cosplay how you want, long as it isn’t harmful!

The first cosplay I ever did was Anabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson series. It was a simple cosplay, I only had to get a Yankees hat and a Camp Half-blood shirt. It was really fun!!

4:00 I think there is an app called Cosplaner. There are probably more like it, but it's really helpful for keeping a schedule because it lets you have a list of tasks and can be set to give you reminders. The app is nice in general tbh. You can have progress photos, task lists, list of cosplay elements to buy or make, budget summary, time summary. I think it's free? Hope this helps anyone at all. Lol

Solid tips! If I can throw one in on posing for photos as a beginner, it can help a lot to have a friend come over to do photos at home/in the backyard where you’re most comfortable and can get used to modeling to a camera rather than being out in public in costume getting photos of you. It’s a lot of things that are “out of the ordinary” all at once so you’re more likely to be stiff or lose confidence to exaggerate for the camera.

I made the head for my phone guy cosplay, I even added a speaker in it so I can play his voice lines XD

I'm so glad you mentioned Colourpop because I think their pigments are great for starting out in cosplay! Also closet cosplay is an awesome way to start out toying with silhouette!

This was very helpful, I have wanted to start cosplay for a while, I only havent done it because of price and a little bit of my insecurity. But this is helpful 😁❤

Good wig site for UK people is coscraft. They have really great quality wigs and they're also reasonably priced :)

Theres a really good app for planing cosplays its called cosplans or something like that, you can add due dates, budgets, set tasks, and it helps a lot

I recommend Milani in the US. It's available in drug stores (and Walmart). It's not too expensive but good quality. I started using it shortly after first using makeup. Also, this was still an entertaining and informative video for me despite not being a beginner. 😀

The schedule yourself for smaller task advise is great. I usualy be done with 95% of the cosplay and leave those smaller tasks for the weak of the convention or photoshoot

When she read my question,my heart literally stopped and I started fan girling so hard.Also thanks you💖

I love the fact that you brought to not raceface as a main rule, I feel like people within our community don't talk about it as a must not and instead act like it's more of a preference to not raceface. So it was really nice to hear you say that as a main rule especially from a POCcosplayers perspective.😁❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

what do you do about a un-supportive family? or you think they would judge me

When you have an actual camera but you can’t take selfies with it and nobody knows how to use it in my family :(

Make up wise, seconding colourpop. the majority of my make up is from them. Their super shock highlighter is something i always get complimented on wearing. so do recommend that at least! I love the packaging and frequently keep the shipping boxes for storing craft supplies for specific projects afterwards. I've been cosplaying 8 years, and still can't figure out eyeliner and only really got into the make up side 3ish years ago. so you don't have to do the make up thing if you don't want to.

The cosplay photos one thank you

As far as good cheap drugstore brands in america, i recommend E.L.F or Nyx! Also wonderful video! Lots of really good tips. I personally would love to see a separate video on posing and photography. Keep up the good work!

I recently ordered from epic cosplay, VERY VERY GOOD. Didn't tangle, however, are very thick, you may need to thin out. i got the helios spiking wig in golden blonde, I would definitely recommend

I'd like to give my two cents on the cosplay makeup! If you want affordable makeup with really good pigment, I also suggest Morphe Brushes palettes! I SWEAR by these palettes for my cosplay makeup. They have so many different palettes with various shades. I'm also a huge drugstore makeup person, and I find Morphe to be just as affordable!

Hi! I love your content and I just started getting into cosplay because of your video, Cosplay tips.😊 My most recent one that I did was girl Bakugo Katsuki. Everything was perfect accept the hair pieces. 😣 They kept sliding down the wig or just flopping forward. If you had any tips on that it would be great 👍 Your videos really inspired me to get into cosplay and I hope to start making KZfaq videos on cosplay outings with other cosplay friends! 😁 Also is there any suggestions u have on what I should do for my next cosplay? I’m stuck 😩 And how to pick wigs that match your face and would look good? love your vids sooooo much ❤️❤️

I’ve only just started cosplaying late last year, I’ve always loved cosplay and been interested in it but I’ve only just gained the confidence to actually start/ask my parents about it (I’m a teenager). I did my first cosplay with my friend and we did Bill and Ted, we went to the park in our cosplays and had a great time so we’re planning on going to our first con as Bill and Ted later this year. Anya’s videos have really helped me gain the confidence to start cosplaying and I’m really grateful that she gives us such fun and helpful content!

I have brown skin and I really wanna cosplay characters with lighter skin tones then me but I feel like the wig/costume/character wouldn’t look that well on me

The cosplanner app is a lifesaver! I don't know how I did anything without it!

I have more wig recs- epiccosplay wigs is def another good one- also for people in the US there's 5witswigs, they have a lot of specialty stuff. For cheaper stuff and beginners I def recommend amazon more even tho they suck as a corporation, they do have better quality cheaper wigs. Just always make sure to check the reviews. I've gotten several good wigs off amazon.

Another tip I’ve seen a lot about posing in cosplay and stuff is searching for pictures of and poses, if it’s someone from like a movie or an anime or something. Like looking at how the character poses in their show or whatever their in and then use those poses as inspiration when you’re posing for your photos if that’s something you wanna do

11:33 *AND DON'T SEXUALIZE MINORS WHEN THERE AGES ARE CONFIRMED AKA CHARACTERS BELOW 18*

About the wigs... if I'm unable to buy wigs and I want to cosplay for example Undyne from Undertale, Monika from DDLC or a character with pink, blond or whatever colorful hair and i have dark brown hair is it okay?

I feel like a great character for personalized makeup is Ibuki Mioda. All the cosplays I’ve seen for her have really expressive and personal makeup, because it fits the character well.

I’m getting a cosplay of my comfort cosplay this december and i’m so excited. Also these tips are great as I just started cosplaying in september

Helpful tip to European and or nordic cosplayers, Arda wigs have amazing wigs, But, it will cost way too much to ship it. A wig that might've costed 35 dollars ends up in the 80-100 dollar price range :'). Just a thing I thought would be good for people to know! Amazing video btw, it's always fun to see your content! :D!

Everyone always brings up shows and movies when it comes to cosplay but you can do books too. The cosplay I'm going to wear to a con coming up is from a book(Mistborn if you're wondering). It also gives you more freedom as interpretation of what characters and clothes look like varies from reader to reader.

What are some good tips for making cosplays? What sort of materials, fabric, etc do you use? I’m at a loss because there’s a cosplay I would like to create but I have no idea what to use 😅

I was overwhelmed by the cosplay realm and the expectations of it all... But after watching your video I feel confident and have found a secure place to start! Thank you! 💗

I will be SO happy once we can do cons again! :) And as a non-cosplay newbie, I still love the tips.

Just wanted to share a small tip here: If you can’t find a specific wig made for the character you wanna cosplay, search for other character wigs that you can style or easily pass off as the character you’re cosplaying! I went as Lemon Irvine from Mashle to a con a few weeks ago while wearing a Wizard Howl wig, and nobody knew!👍

When you wanna try cosplaying and waiting for shit to get delivered to your house to cosplay secretly . . . Thanks for the confidence boost, Anya!

Good conversation with the wigs/ makeup! They are definitely not required, since cosplay has no rules! I started out never using wigs, because they are quite expensive and may not be worth it to you if you only plan on using a cosplay once! When I was younger I would plan my cosplays around the hairstyle I had at the time, and it worked out well for me! Eg, when I had shoulder-length brown hair, I did Rey from Star wars, with a brown pixie cut I did Peter Pan, when I dyed my hair black I did Mettaton Ex! (Also hair dye may be a cheaper option for you if you want to do cosplays of characters with different hair colours than you!) Same thing with makeup, you definitely don't need it! I use makeup for my cosplays, since I feel more confident in it, and it can be as simple as foundation and mascara. And if you are starting out, drugstore makeup is definitely the way to go!

how do you do makeup for cosplay? for both genders?

7:00 ahhh i dont get people who gatekeep cosplays! Like sure, it would be awesome to have a cosplay group with all different characters but also I would be so happy if someone wanted to cosplay a character I cosplay commonly because I could help them find the pieces and we could even work on adding to each others!

Your videos are so helpful 🔥😍😍❤️

elf is also a really good over the counter makeup brand!

oh also, cosplay for yourself!! stop worrying abt what people think bc they dont matter

my first cosplay was celestia ludenburg from danganronpa v1 and it was sick! i went to my first con, in my first cosplay for my sisters birthday and everybody looked so cool, totally recommend cons!

I always feel relieved when people say “It doesn’t have to look canon” because wigs with bangs give me so much trouble, so I prefer to not have bangs.

On the note of colourpop their liquid eyeliner pen is a felt tip and is GOD TIER and it’s only $8!!

A tip for accessories, dont be scared to add some hair clips, necklaces, bracelets, etc... accessories can really make a difference when you put together your cosplays and they can make them more unique and fun! But at the same time, dont add too many because it may overpower your cosplay.

i did luz for my first cosplay and it was actually alright, i want to try amity next but her h a i r ahsxhgzchsgs 😭😭😭

Thanks Anya for answering my question! Loved all the advice given especially recommendations on where to buy wigs!

I'm a bit late but I've been cosplaying for a few months now and I needed this advice. Also anya should make the "how to take cosplay photos" video

I just completed a year cosplaying and ur videos really helped so a big thank you

Love your content! Thank you for this, it really helps!

This is really helpful cause i just started cosplaying lol. I have wigs and basic makeup and this helps with other things :D

I've not been cosplaying for very long, so this is very helpful! Thank you so much for making this video

Thanks this is really helpful for someone like me who’s been wanting to cosplay

*cries in just discovered cons near me but they take place in a month and it’s quarantine time*

THANK YOU!! ❤️💕 THIS HELPED SO MUCH ☺️ LUV YOU!!😼❤️💕

You did a good job on this video, as always.

I personally do not like wearing wigs very much, that's probably a matter of learning how to better get them on, but I have long wavy/curly and I have a lot of it so I feel like every time I wear a wig it gives my head a weird shape bc of how much volume is under the wig caps (I've tried using multiple wig caps to squish it down) so I avoid wigs like the plague, I think my head looks weird with huge. hair so I think I've only ever really worn a wig for a party once when I was Daphne from Scooby Doo since it felt less weird to have that too much hair thing happening for a cartoon character but I ended up taking the wig off halfway through the party anyway. I also wore a wig once for a Con when I was batgirl, since I had a cowl on top I wasn't self conscious of the wig, but I was self conscious of knowing it was a pretty bad cowl that did not fit me well (straight outta amazon). My inability to make wigs look natural and style them also does not help and I very often let that limit what characters I can cosplay since I have brown hair and most characters I seem to like are blonde, red or colorful hair, though I did cosplay my version Pennywise with my natural hair, since I made it after another cosplayer's version I felt like it was okay for me to have a different hair color as creative freedom and prioritizing my comfort. Although I am a strong believer that it's okay to cosplay someone that looks different, I often feel like I am failing as a cosplayer if I can't be accurate and that's something I really struggle with, the whole "do what I say not what I do", it's hard to follow my own advice. I actually own a few wigs, a Harley Quinn one, two orange ones (one for Batgirl and one I got for Pennywise) and a white one that came with a secondhand Firekeeper costume I got, and I really hope at some point I get over myself and learn how to wear them confidently.

What a helpful and enjoyable video, thank you! Also, your Kylie Griffin cosplay was incredible!

This is very helpful thanks :>

Thank you so much for answering my question!! it helps me alot, not only with copslaying but also with my confidence^^

love your content!!❤️

So I’ve been looking for a video like this for so long because I decided I want to try and cosplay and I’m waiting for the next chance after the pandemic to cosplay and I’ve been looking for a set of tips like this and I went all the way to your first videos on this channel and I couldn’t find any in this video was super helpful for me. 😁♥️✨

Oh I just clicked on this and didn’t realize that this was uploaded 2 hours ago OoP

Ty! Going to Phoenix 'Con 2022 and your lists (and others) are extremely helpful. 👍

I haven't cosplayed before and I just bought my first one I'm super excited tho 😄

my second ever cosplay im making a princess celestia cosplay, with a 3d printed light up crown and bracelets and a necklace and wings made out of eva foam!!! so exciting

Great Video! I loved it

Realy cool and helpful video 👍

Please do the photo tips, I would love it 😍

I’m a beginner but I am taking ont he challenge of making movable dragon wings for Halloween. The thing what I’m struggling on is finding an actual outfit that I want it where. I can find any good fantasy clothes and I don’t have the time or skill set to make my own I’m trying my best lol

Thank you so much~

I want to try this out !🤔😍

Only time I can cosplay: Supanova (a con held ever year in around April) Halloween (um- October every year obviously-)

man i remember my first cosplay, it was when i was eight years old and i cosplayed as bonnie from fnaf, all i did was have a purple shirt and took a marker and drew on my face, now six years later i have offical cosplays and a buttload of wigs! ofc im still learning but its nice to see how far i've come :D

Colourpop is in US makeup stores and target! 😄

my mother introduced me to Colorpop and now that's all I use my favorite palette is the Elsa palette

About the 'gatekeeping' cosplayers I know what they mean if it's something similar to this- so basically I was getting my first cosplay and my friend was interested in cosplaying too, so I asked "what character would you like to cosplay?" and she says "the same one as you", I also wanted to cosplay out with her and us both having the same first cosplay didn't sit well with me and I if I want to go out in cosplay the other should not be in the same one in my opinion cause it just wouldn't work well. It just felt like she was copying me and it pissed me off a bit so I told her "you should pick a different one to me".

Hi Anya! Thank you for addressing the bought cosplays question. It made me feel 10x better about the times i have cosplayed. I do have a question tho is it okay to do photoshoots in bought cosplays? and also how do people go about doing photoshoots at cons? I've always seen people doing the photoshoots and have always thought it looked fun but never knew how to do it...

14:47, my eyes water after a while of wearing my mum's make-up, (only if I wear it on my eyes obvs) but I still like doing it, so I have to take it off quickly. I'm getting my second cosplay for Christmas, its gonna be Sailor Moon! I'm really excited, but my mum won't let me get contacts for it, it'll hurt my eyes, even the completely safe ones... Pretty disappointed, but she's coming around I guess. She also says they are expensive, but she is right, I don't blame her. But have a good one! Bye!

Hey Anya, great video as always! I wanted to ask if you could do a video about racefacing or link to some resources. It's not something I've heard folks actually talk about in the community yet, but something that I feel we should start bringing attention to! It seems to be something that no one automatically does, at least where I'm from, but I think we should still educate folks about it and bring it to light as a topic.

15:30 im genuinely glad that someone asked this because i styled my hair like maki harukawas (person in my pfp; she's from danganronpa v3) but im kinda scared to say that its a cosplay bc i mean it's not a wig its my own hair so like yeah tbh i rly just need her outfit and we gucci

The gatekeeping, well I never have it happen to me in cosplay but more then once at historical reenactment. It's litterally one of the worst things you can do imho.

I’m cosplaying my MHA OC Rayla, and I’m planning on buying her U.A. uniform, but makeing her hero costume. It’s gonna be great

Protip for makeup choices: check out makeup gurus here on youtube! They often do full-face drug store makeup looks and videos for drug store dupes of the expensive brands. (:

Not sute if you've said this in another video, but do you have any tips for being "in character"?

For Halloween this year I’m going as Oikawa (Haikyuu) and I’m slowly wishing I chose Killua (hxh), but it’s like three days before Halloween so guess that one has to wait

I never felt insecure about my skin color until I watched cosplay videos. I really want to cosplay but I feel like it might look weird since my skin is dark

I get most of my makeup at dollar tree 😂