Cosplay Makeup Starter Kit: Powder + Blush ⋆ Anime & Manga

We’re back again with our third installment of the Cosplay Makeup Starter Kit series, and this time we’ll complete the basic face makeup with face powder and blusher!

5. Face Powders

Powders leave your makeup looking fresh and creates an overall flawless finish. This is especially important for cosplayers since we explore the grounds of crowded events and in a hot and humid country like Malaysia, we all fall victims to perspiration that threaten to destroy the makeup we painstakingly put on. Choosing the perfect powder for your face goes back to identifying which skin type you have to select the appropriate product. You should also match your face powder shade with the shade of the foundation/base makeup you used.

There are several types of face powders out there in the market now:

Loose Powders are sold in small tubs. They are finer and tend to set makeup better than pressed powder. They are typically applied with a puff or a brush.

Pressed Powders are sold in compact cases. They come in cake form, providing better and longer-lasting coverage. They are often applied with a dense puff or makeup sponge.

Translucent Powders are unpigmented, sheer powders used mainly to control oily zones. They can come in both loose or pressed forms.

Tinted Powders are pigmented and are usually worn without foundation. Like the translucent powder, they can be either loose or pressed.

Some popular face powders include:

Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder (leaves an airbrushed and soft-focus finish, makes skin luminous, perfect for cosplay photos)
Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder (loose powder that is mainly formulated with Jeju natural mineral and mint extracts, excellent at soaking up excess oil and sweat, helps skin maintain the balance between oil and moisture)
TONYMOLY Cats Wink Pact (cat-shaped long-lasting pressed powder, covers pores and controls sebum for clean looking skin, provides brighter and cleaner skin, known for its cute packaging)
L’Oréal Paris Translucide Naturally Luminous Loose Powder (great staying power, gives hint of shimmer for slight glow, leaves natural finish)

6. Blusher

An essential product to give you that glow in cosplay photos. Choosing the right blusher and how you apply it will give very different makeup effects.

There are a few kinds of blushers:

Cream blush are perfect for all skin-types, especially for dry skin. They blend over naked skin or foundation and leaves a glow after. Usually applied before translucent powder. They have a creamy, non-greasy texture that is usually applied onto the face with your fingers.

Powder blush are excellent for oily skin, and best applied after face powder. They stay on peak of your skin and add a translucent glow to it. The powder blush is considered the densest of the blushers.
Tint blush stays for a long time once it is set, and are very quick in drying. Because of that, you should apply it fast and well so it stays on with your desired look.

Gel blush work best on oily to combination skin because these blushers last longer and many are oil-free and water-resistant. They are usually applied over foundation or on bare skin, and give a supple, fresh-scrubbed look to your face.

Learning how to apply blush is key. This chart by Daniel Sandler is a good guide to applying blusher based on your face shape.

A few blushers to look out for:

MAC Powder Blush (boasts an incredible range of shades, smoothe on evenly for a pop of colour, long-lasting)
Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour (compliments tan as well as pale skin, finely milled powder creates an ultra-natural look, wears well throughout the day)
The Face Shop Lovely ME Blusher (powder blush compact perfect for oily skin, high pigmentation, non-chalky powder blush, with sebum-controlling formula)
Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher (gives glowing, vibrant skin with an all-natural look, powder blush formula, low pigmentation for all-natural look)

There you have it folks! A rundown of products used for face makeup. In the next part of the starter kit series, we get to move on to brow and eye makeup!