Guest Post – Dressing Up Your Toddler in a Costume for a Party

Jamie Highland writes articles for My Baby Shower Favors, a site that sells supplies for various events including everything from baby shower favors to Halloween cookies. In this article, Jamie gives some tips on how to choose a costume for your toddler.

Photo Credit: Toddler Totoro

Dressing up your toddler in a costume for Halloween or for a party may sound like a great idea but you will have a lot of thinking to do in advance. Remember that the costume selection and dressing up should be enjoyable both for you and for your child.

Toddlers can be very stubborn, especially when you really want them to do something. Chances are that your little one will resist all of your attempts, kicking and screaming. Knowing how to approach the costume dress up and how to make it fun for your little one is essential for success.

Choose the Right Costume
A costume should be both original and comfortable for your little one. The right idea is essential for the success of your creative attempts. Many parents are even attempting to make their own costumes for parties because this is the best way to achieve originality and to stay away from the mainstream.

Anything that you can imagine can either be purchased or made. Choose soft fabrics and padded elements that increase both the safety and the comfort of your toddler. Some costumes will be very inappropriate for a young child. Take a close look at the instructions and the specifications before making a purchase.

It is also possible to dress up as a family. Find a matching costume for every family member. This decision will bring the cuteness factor up even more.

Try the Costume On!
You should certainly try the costume on before the big day. Waiting until the last minute may result in some unpleasant surprises. Be sure the costume fits properly and looks good.

Turn the costume dressing process into a game. Simply forcing your toddler in this unusual outfit will be inefficient and far from enjoyable. It should be an activity that satisfies both of you. Forcing your toddler to wear a costume simply because you want to be the parent of the cutest kid would be wrong. Instead, find a costume you both enjoy.

Trying the costume on in advance will help you decide whether you need to make some adjustments. It should be comfortable and it should be safe. Refrain from purchasing costumes that have tiny details and ornaments that can be easily detached from the fabric and swallowed.

Be Careful with Masks
A mask can be a cute final addition to your toddler costume but it may present some concerns in terms of safety.

If you want to feel confident and calm, you should probably refrain from purchasing a mask to go with the costume. This way, you can observe the face of your little one and you can make sure that your child is happy and feeling ok.

To make the transformation complete, you can utilize face paint and hair accessories that will contribute even more to the appearance and the cuteness of your toddler. Being creative is the most certain way to impress everyone.

Having fun with toddler costumes is an essential prerequisite for your party success. Come up with a nice idea and try the costume in advance. Make necessary adjustments to increase the safety and the comfort of the costume. Turn the dressing process in a game. A toddler that enjoys the process will be a happy and even cuter child.

Guest Post: Cosplay on a budget – Make up

Let’s face it. Cosplay is an expensive hobby. The costume alone can be $50 to $200 (if not more depending on complexity) and then one has to factor in make-up, wigs and props.

But it doesn’t have to eat a hole in your wallet! You can save lots of money and whether you’re experienced at cosplaying or not isn’t a factor.

In this post, I’ll be talking about getting good deals on make-up.

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There are so many ways to get cheap but good quality makeup. If you’re based in America, you should be aware of the site www.elf.com. Although I personally have never bought from there (due to expensive shipping costs), I have heard many good reviews from fellow cosplayers, raving about the great quality of their products.

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Most of you should be familiar with the Japanese bargain store Daiso. If you are not allergic to any of the ingredients or have sensitive skin, you should try out their products. They have many brands of mascara, eyeliner, BB cream, concealer, mineral powder and lip-gloss for only $2.80 each. The other day I bought two sets of false lashes from them and nose illuminator powder and the results were great! You can save a lot of money by buying their falsies. It’s so much cheaper than those from Priceline or Dollywink, however their quality is still of a high standard. Apart from the glitter lashes, Daiso’s falsies look very natural. They also have three different sub-brands and the various types of lashes (such as natural and cross).

If you’re still reluctant to go to Daiso, you can search for cheaper brand makeup at your local Priceline store or Discount Chemist. Two brands you should be aware of are Models Prefer and Designer Brands. I’ve bought lipstick and concealer from Models Prefer and eyeliner from Designer Brands and have had excellent results.

The main cost for make-up though is foundation, or BB cream depending on your choice. (Generally though, I would go with matte foundation because it looks better in photos).

When it comes to foundation, I personally wait for sales. These can be really good, especially during the economic downturn! You can save 20 to 40 per cent at times…

For some people, this isn’t an option. However if you are well organised and keep up to date with when sales are on (hello catalogues!!) then you should be fine.

Tip: Do your research. Some shops sell cosmetics at over-inflated prices. I know one store sells false lashes for $10… the exact same product AND brand sells in Daiso for $2.80. Rip off, much?

Mid-range products

Australis is a brand that is cheaper than the big names (such as Revlon, etc.). I’ve tested their liquid liner, which is cheap but glides on smoothly.

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Your local Morning Glory or E-Cosway store has some great, affordable products too ^_^ Morning Glory sells Tony Moly eyeliner and it is fantastic! My choice, the waterproof automatic eyeliner is easy to control and comes with a sharpener on one end.

Market leaders

Brands such as Maybelline and Covergirl can be constantly bought at lower prices from Discount Chemists. When it comes to buying at supermarkets, generally the market leaders will have rotational sales on different products. Check your catalogues regularly and visit the make-up aisle for a quick glance during your weekly shopping routine!

Don’t forget to check the samples section in your local Discount Chemists, they’re the big name brands at an affordable range!

When it comes to high end cosmetics, you’ll have to pay attention to catalogues for the department stores… good luck!

Remember

If you feel that you may be allergic to some of the cheaper products (such as from Daiso) don’t be afraid to ‘go one level up’. At the end of the day, your skin is more important than your cosplay.

Good luck finding those bargains!

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Author About Tsubame
AvatarTsubame is an avidfan of many things including manga, reading, writing, cosplaying, sewing, street fashion and make-up. She has an eye for quality and specialises in reviews and budgeting posts. See more of her blogs at dailydoseofgenius.blogspot.com.au.

Cosplay Tutorial – How to Make Zidane’s Blades

Click the photograph for the enlarged version!

About the author: Hi I’m Panda~chan and I’m an obsessive cosplayer from Australia! I have been cosplaying for about 3 yrs now and it’s pretty much my entire life, living and loving it 365 days a yr. I’m a proud nerd and gamer girl who loves watching movie with friends when I’m not knee deep in fabric and clay! My dream is to represent my country and bring all the charaters I love to life even just for one day!

Cosplay Tutorial Contest – How to do girls’ cosplay make-up on eyes by Lisa

How to do girls’ cosplay make-up on eyes

Step 1: Wash your face. Apply face powder. Prepare your eyes with concealer to cover up your under-eye circles.

Step 2: Apply eyeliner on top part

*wear my contact lenses to make my eyes look prettier =)

Step 3: Apply eyeliner on below part

Step 4: Apply eyebrow color, eye shadow, and blusher

Step 5: Apply mascara first then use eyelashes(top and half on below)

Recommend

Step 6: Apply it…FINISH!!!

CONTRAST

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This is a guest post from Lisa, entered in the Cosplay Tutorial Contest. Click here to check out all the participants and their scores, and more details about the contest, like the rules, how to join, the prize, etc.

Author Bio:

Name: Lisa
Gender: Female
Nationality: United States
Personal Blogs & Social Networks: Twitter
Comments about the tutorial: easy and sample way to do girls’ cosplay make-up on eyes

Cosplay Tutorial Contest – HOW TO MAKE RIN MELTDOWN GUITAR SIMPLE AND EASY by Jing

HOW TO MAKE RIN MELTDOWN GUITAR
SIMPLE AND EASY

WHAT YOU NEED :
– Cardboard
– Cutter
– Paper or Newspaper
– Gold Acrylic Paint
– Paintbrush
– Black Acrylic Paint
– Hot Glue Gun
– Ceramic
– White Spray

Let’s start now!

First draw the guitar base on a piece of newspaper or any big paper then cut it out. Paste the paper on the cardboard and draw out the shape on the board following the lines. After that, use a cutter to cut the shape of the board out. Since the thickness of board is only 1cm, I cut out 4 boards.

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Cut the two boards like the right side and two boards like the left side. After that I sprayed using white spray at the boards.

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After the boards are dry, using a hot glue gun, stick the board together as you can see the 3d effects on the guitar. Don’t forget to use the leftover board to cut out the guitar stick. You can use papers to stick on the board if it’s hard for to spray.

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Then start painting your guitar with gold acrylic paint. But if you can’t see the golden colour yet, you can use yellow acrylic paint first. After it’s dry, paint with gold acrylic.

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Paint the stick with black acrylic paint. You’re allowed to use spray instead of paint. As for the end of the stick, paint gold acrylic on it. After all the boards are dry, using the hot glue gun again, stick the guitar stick together with the main board.

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Paint gold acrylic again on a piece of paper and cut it into small rectangle. Then stick it on the guitar stick. FINALLY YOU’RE DONE!

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This is a guest post from Jing, entered in the Cosplay Tutorial Contest. Click here to check out all the participants and their scores, and more details about the contest, like the rules, how to join, the prize, etc.

Author Bio:

Name: Jing
Gender: Female
Nationality: Bruneian
Personal Blogs & Social Networks: blogger
Comments about the tutorial: An easy and cheap way of making Rin Meltdown Guitar. Hope you enjoy the tutorial!