Today’s question is…
Some people go all out for costumes, and I was curious, is there something you won’t do? Where’s the line for you?
I’m actually pretty lazy. There’s a lot I won’t do, mostly just because of sheer laziness. “What, you mean I have to go out and BUY leather for this? screw that I have some vinyl in my stash I can paint and it’ll be close enough.”
1. Wear contacts
I know right? So many costumers wear coloured contacts for their costumes. I don’t.
I did spring for green contacts for my Mara Jade costume back in 2005. I spent an hour trying to get one of them in my eye (I’ve never worn contacts) before saying screw it. I tried again at the next con and same scenario. I’m sure all you regular contact wearers are laughing at me. But after that I said, I’m never wasting money on contacts again. And I haven’t.
I’m lucky I have grey eyes which, if I’m wearing the right colours, can pick up tones and look different shades. Mostly blue. And if that fails, there’s always photoshop – but mostly, I just don’t care if I’m a Leia with grey eyes instead of brown.
2. Wear a thong
Kinda TMI I guess. But I haaaaate thongs. If I ever do a costume that the source material is a thong, you’d better believe it’ll be a normal, full-coverage back.
3. Drive myself crazy worrying about details
It can be fun to hunt down the exact right fabric or the exact same buttons the production used, or get the seam exactly the same or replicate the embroidery exactly. It can be fun to a point. And if it gets to that point, I stop. When it goes from being enjoyable to being frustrating, I figure out another way to do it, even if it’s not “screen accurate.” Because this is my hobby, and it’s supposed to be fun, not frustrating.
4. Wear any shoe I think I might break my neck in
No super high stilettos, no heels with no heels (like I should have had for my Lady Gaga costume), no roller skates. My goal at the con is to have fun, not have to skip the rest of my costumes for the con because I twisted my ankle, or worse, made a trip to the ER. No thanks, not even trying.
5. Wear nailpolish
Another one that’s probably a “huh?!?!” to other people. But I used to do this and I stopped. Really, it’s more about having a SPECIFIC nail colour for a specific costume. Having bright red nails for that one character is fine, but I wear so many costumes at a con, that then those bright red nails don’t work for the next one. I’m coming against this now with Johanna, since she has specific nail polish on – and I’m probably not going to do it. I don’t have time to be removing nail polish before putting on my next costume, and I’m not wearing gold nail polish with my other costumes! I guess I could look into a stick-on option, but it’s just too much trouble. No polish or neutral is all I’ll ever do.
My toenails are another issue entirely – I generally keep them painted some fun colour throughout the year and even if my toes show in my costume, I won’t bother to change them. So I’ve done Ewok Leia with green toenails and Belldandy with blue. Don’t care LOL
And then here’s my list of things I always say I’m never going to do again, but I always end up doing them again just cuz.
1. Wear wings
After my giant Belldandy wings in 2003, I always said, never doing that again. Then I did it again in 2007 with Kingdom Come Wonder Woman. And was playing around with ideas I could reuse the Belldandy wings for this year.
2. Anything that requires toupee-tape to stick it to me
After Urd, I said, NEVER again!!
Then I did Hild, and I said, NEVER AGAIN!!
Then I used toupee tape to hold my Ame-Comi WW tiara in place and bruised my forehead taking it off. NEVER AGAIN!
So I used it to hold my Enchantress tiara in place… and thus the cycle continues.
3. Body paint
*paints self orange for Starfire* Ugh this takes too much time, what a mess I don’t want to do this again.
*paints self orange for another Starfire* ugh it’s too much time having to take this off and redo my makeup I don’t want to do this again.
*paints self red for Ahsoka* oh my god it just took me 2 hours to get into this why?? I never want to do this again!
*paints self green for Poison Ivy* I have no will power
4. Multiple layers of velvet in Atlanta in August
Every year I wear stuff that’s super hot and I tell myself, I’m not going to do that next year! And then I wear a Time Lord in the parade.
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head.