How to Create a Commander Shepard Costume

How to Create the Perfect Commander Shepard Costume

Mass Effect is by far my favorite gaming series of all time, even if it didn't quite end as I might have liked. One of my favorite things about it was its vast cast of strong, independent and interesting female characters, from the book-smart Liara to the wrench wench Tali to the out-of-her-mind but powerful Jack. At the top of the list though is possibly the most awesome woman in all of gaming, Commander Shepard. In this post I'm going to outline how you can cosplay as the Spectre herself. Note that all of the costumes on this post are either unisex or come in both male and female versions.

The Outfit

Mass Effect N7 Armour

Yes people have actually made wearable N7 armor. Yes, it is awesome. And yes, the jet lights at the back are fully functional and light up. This set is made from lightweight EVA foam and is fully adjustable to fit most sizes. Naturally a set this eleborate, time consuming to make and high quality isn't cheap, so if you are skilled at making cosplay props and costumes you might want to try making a set for yourself. It's an adventurous project but a tonne of fun - check out this guide on making your own foam N7 armor. To save you time, it is possible to buy replicas of the helmet and the hand-guard armour pieces. Sadly no one makes/sells FemShep's casual gear, which is a shame, but to make up for that here's a cute N7 themed hoodie.

Weapons and Accessories

Mass Effect 3: M-3 Predator
Full Scale Prop Replica

Next up you'll need some bad-ass scifi weaponry to help you in your quest. The gun on the left is an M3 Predator, but you can pick up some of Shepard's other guns if you search the net for long enough - Etsy often has a few. The Bioware website occasionally sells replicas but they tend to be limited edition and run out of stock super fast - if you see one, pick it up while you can. Its also possible if you are handy with a glue gun to make your own gun replicas: here is a guide to making the M8 Assault Rifle.

Another sweet accessory you can get for your costume is some Alliance military N7 dogtags, which I've linked to below. They're neat since you can wear them in your day to day as a fashion accessory as well as having them be part of your costume.

Mass Effect 3 Dog Tags
Necklace N7 Shepard

Have fun!

And that's a short guide to the Commander Shepard costume in a nutshell. It's not a cheap look to pull off unless you happen to be a costume maker, not by a long shot, but the end result is, at least in my opinion, well worth the money.

If you liked this post and are looking for some more costume inspiration, don't forget to check out the rest of my blog which features all of the best costume ideas for women on the net.

How to Make Lightning's Costume from Final Fantasy 13

The Perfect Lightning Farron Cosplay (FFXIII)

Gonna be honest with you, FF13 is my least favorite of the Final Fantasy series (though it definitely picked up with XIII-2!), but one thing I did love to bits about it was the character designs and costumes, in particular that of the female lead character, the bad-ass Lightning Farron. Cosplaying as Lightning isn't cheap, but if you pull it off right you will look completely amazing, so lets dig in and find out how to do it! (Note all links here are to US sites: if you are shopping from the UK or EU, you'll find Lightning costumes here)

Final Fantasy XIII Lightning
Cosplay Costume

The Outfit

First of all you'll need Lightning's outfit, which consists of a pretty crazy combo of stylized overcoat, mini-skirt, blue gloves and a kick-ass cape. It's a hard outfit to put together piece-by-piece because of how intricate it is, but luckily there's lots of costume sets which give you the whole thing in one bundle. The one on the right is my favorite of the commercially available Lightning costumes online - I think it sticks to the original concept art absolutely perfectly, which is difficult to pull off with such an elaborate outfit. 

This set comes complete with all of the armwear, the brown mini skirt, the sash, a pauldron, underwear, a mantle, the thigh bag, and of course the overcoat. That's everything but the boots, which you can pick up separately here. This costume even comes in male sizes, so all you cross-players out there need not feel left out.

The Hair

Final Fantasy Lightning Long
Full Wigs Dream Wigs

Next up you'll need the hair to perfect the costume. Its difficult, though not impossible, to style your hair naturally to look like Lightnings, a  challenge posed by a combination of a unique color and the standard crazy anime hairstyle. If you want to have a go any way, check out this great tutorial by SecretLifeofaBioNerd on Youtube.

If not, you can easily acquire the look with a handy wig. The wig on the left is my favorite of the Lightning wigs as the curling and colors are more subtle and gentle. Some people prefer a slightly pinker look, and if that's you, you might want to check out this wig instead.

The Weapon

Lightning's Convertible Gunblade

Finally you are going to need your weapon. Lightning bears the honor of having the only gunblade in the series to actually be practical - it transforms from a gun to a sword and back again at will. Sadly this version of the weapon is in gun mode only - if you'd rather have the Blazefire in sword form, check it out here. If anyone ever comes across a version of the weapon which transforms for sale, let me know! Either way, this prop looks amazing and is a perfect compliment to the Lightning look.

Happy Cosplaying!

And there you have it, one cute and epic Lightning Farron Final Fantasy costume. I hope you have fun with it! If you liked this post or just want to check out some other cosplay ideas, be sure to browse the rest of my blog for the best costume ideas for women on the net. In particular, if you are thinking of going as a group to a convention as Final Fantasy characters, be sure to check out my posts on how to cosplay as Vanille, Fang and as Lightning's sister, Serah.

Top Five Harley Quinn Costumes for Women

Top Harley Quinn Costumes

One of my favorite comic book characters (well, cartoon character to be accurate), DC Comics' Harley Quinn has had a big couple of years. Harley's made appearances in the recent Batman games, Arkham Asylum and City and hopefully will be making a strong comeback in Origins. To celebrate her ditsy goodness, in this post I'll be featuring the best Harley Quinn Costumes, based on her unique outfit in the comics, Batman: The Animated Series and of course the recent video games. If you are looking for the perfect couples costume idea or cosplay, you can't go wrong with Harley Quinn. These are costumes available in the US: if you are shopping from the UK or EU, find Harley Quinn costumes here.

1. The Punk Gal (Suicide Squad Costume)

Harley Quinn Punk Suicide Squad Costume

We'll start with the most recent shall we? Suicide Squad may be a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it movie (I personally loved it) but even the haters agree that Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn completely stole the show. As well as having a few fun shout-outs to her old costumes, Harley gets a whole new look in the movie, complete with sexy boy shorts and some awesome coloured highlights. You can get the matching wig, boots and tattoo art for this costume here, and don't forget to pick up a baseball bat to do some whackin'!

Miss Enigma - PVC Harley Quinn costume

2. The Classic Catsuit Costume

First up is the original outfit itself, the classic red and black playing card themed catsuit that Harley wears in the comics and in her original appearance in the animated series. Its sexy but not revealing, which is unusual for villainesses of the comic book world believe me!

The best version of the catsuit I've found is this amazing PVC costume available via Artifice Products. It can be customized in both size and height and while the boots don't come with it the page provides a link where you can find a good pair. This costume isn't cheap - but having seen all the budget versions of the catsuit I'd happily pay extra for something that didn't look cheap and tacky!

You can also get other color combinations on request, but I'm not sure why you'd want to!

3. The Sexy Nurse (Arkham Asylum)

Batman Arkham City Secret
Wishes Sexy Harley Quinn
Asylum Costume

Here's one you're sure to love - the sexy nurse outfit from the Arkham Asylum game. One has to question what happened to the nurses Harley had to steal the various bits of this outfit from while incarcerated in Arkham, but perhaps its best not to ask. This is my personal favorite of her looks, and this is my personal favorite of the costumes as a result! It's also one of the less expensive costumes on this page, making it a great choice for comic book cosplayers on a budget!

This costume comes with the colorful corseted top, the choker, the red and purple fingerless gloves, the belt, the cute skirt, a smiley headpiece and the eye mask you see on the picture. You can pick up a giant comedy syringe here too if you'd like! Finish it off with some sweet black knee high boots with lots of buckles and you're good to go. How about these ones?

4. The Combo (Arkham City)

Batman Arkham City Secret Wishes Sexy
Harley Quinn Costume

Next up is a design based on Harley Quinn's costume from Arkham City - a combination of styles from the corset cut nurse top and the spandex catsuit pants. Its a darker and more gritty look, great if your are couple-costuming with some one going for Heath Ledger's Joker rather than one of the more comedic iterations. With every set of this costume you get the top, pants, belt, gloves and choker. Once again I'd recommend these boots as looking totally awesome with the rest of the costume.

DC Comics Super Villain
Harley Quinn Costume

5. The Evening Dress (Just for Fun!)

Finally, my fourth favorite Harley Quinn costume is this cute little number: a white collared evening dress style costume which, while not based on any of Harley's actual outfits, is still instantly recognizable as her kind of look and is in general incredibly sweet and sexy. With each costume you get the dress, the beautiful collar as well as the matching red and black ball gloves. 

DC Super Villain Collection
Harley Quinn Girl's Costume

So there you have it - my top 4 favorite Harley Quinn costumes of all time. I hope you've found one you like for your event, be it a Comic Con or just in time for some Halloween mayhem. Either way, if you are looking for more incredible costume ideas for yourself or your friends, be sure to check out the rest of my blog for all the best costume ideas for women on the net! Oh, and if you are looking for a Harley Quinn costume for a child, check out the cute one on the left.

Group Costume Ideas: Sucker Punch

Group Costume Ideas for Women - Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch is one of my biggest movie guilty pleasures - I've seen it so many times and love it more every time I watch it. One of the best things about it is how stylized it is - from the incredible CGI settings to the direction and atmosphere - and, of course, the costumes. For this post I've scouted the net for complete Baby Doll, Sweet Pea, Rocket, Amber and Blondie costumes and accessories so that you and your friends can cause some havoc as Team Sucker Punch. Lets roll! Oh, and if you are shopping from the UK or EU, you can find Sucker Punch costumes here.

Create the Baby Doll Costume

Zac Snyder's Sucker Punch Secret
Wishes Babydoll Costume

First  up, every group will need their little Baby Doll. The  best place to start is with the Secret Wishes Sucker Punch Collection, which has a sweet Baby Doll Costume that comes with the iconic sailor senshi top, split mini-skirt, belt, head band and thigh highs. Pair it with some Mary Janes and that's the basic costume down! 

If you already have long blond hair the Baby Doll haircut is east to pull off - just tie your hair in low pigtails leaving some cute bangs on either side of your face loose. If not, there's a sweet blond wig you can pick up here that is based on the haircut from the movie.

Here are your weapons. First you'll need Baby Doll's signature katana, which you can find here, and next her handgun - you can pick up a cute one here. Remember to check if replica firearms are legal to have in public in your area!

Now fight!

Sucker Punch - Sweet Pea Costume

Create the Sweet Pea Costume

She's strong, she's tough, she's the star of the show, and her costume is just awesome. Sweet Pea is more a leathers-woman than a sexy little school girl, and she has my favorite of the movie's outfits. You can pick up the Sweet Pea costume here, a great set that comes with the cool hooded jacket, the shorts, fingerless gloves and thigh high stockings.

The character's hair is nice and easy to pull of so long as you have long hair -just wear it down and give it a bit of a wavy curl if your hair doesn't have it naturally. Otherwise, you can find a cute wig that fits the character here. 

The last thing you'll need for the perfect costume is Sweet Pea's sword, and you can find a replica here.

Create the Rocket Costume

Zac Snyder's Sucker Punch Secret
Wishes Rocket Costume

Rocket is the cute runaway whose outfits are a tonne of fun for the tomboy of your group to dress up in. Secret Wishes does an awesome Rocket costume which comes complete with the dress, belt, hat, gloves and garters. Finish off the look with knee high or thigh high boots and a set of sexy fish-net tights.

Rocket's hair is the hardest to pull off if you don't already have your hair cut into an urban bob, but luckily they've made a wig styled after her look that you can use  instead. As for weapons, you can find a great replica of Rocket's knife and sheath here.

Create the Amber Costume

Zac Snyder's Sucker Punch Secret Wishes Amber Costume

Next up is Amber, mech-driver and warplane pilot extraordinaire. Sadly you can't buy that giant robot rabbit online, but you can buy Amber's cool military-style get up up here. It comes with the jacket-top, the short-shorts, the chaps, the choker and her awesome hat-headpiece. A wig based on her hair cut can be found here, and weapons similar to Amber's can be bought here. I advise picking up some fishnets to go underneath.

Create the Blondie Costume

Sucker Punch Blondie Costume

Last but not least, your group costume party will need an axe-wielding Blondie to finish it off. You can pick up a cute Blondie costume here, while a wig based on her hair can be found here and her signature hand axe can be picked up here. The wig even comes with her vinyl goggles, which is pretty sweet!

And there you have it, one set of Sucker Punch costumes for a group party event. If you are looking for a guide to each character's make-up you can find a tonne of tutorial videos on Youtube, so be sure to check some out. You now have all the weapons you need - now fight!

How to Create a Princess Serenity Sailor Moon Costume

Create the Perfect Princess Serenity Costume

Sailor Moon was my favorite Anime as a child, even if the 4Kids dubbing was monumentally confusing. (Zoicite is a girl...right?) Like most anime, the costumes are unique, iconic, and a ton of fun to dress up as and cosplay. My favorite of the costumes is that worn by Princess Serentity, Sailor Moon's past life incarnation and denizen of the lost Moon Kingdom. In this post we'll be looking at all the essential elements of a perfect Princess Serenity costume! Be sure to also check out my Sailor Moon costume guide for the regular costume.

Create the Outfit

Cosplay Fantasy's Princess Serenity Dress

First up you'll need Princess Serenity's signature white gown. There are a number of cosplay sites which sell dresses made to be exact replicas of the one in the show as well as the dress in the manga. They tend to be a little costly, but if you have money to spare I definitely recommend them because they are spectacularly beautiful as well as true to the material.

The one on the left is my personal favorite, which is based on the more silvery sleek dress from the manga. You can also find one which imitates the anime dress' more yellowy design, complete with cute puffy sleeves here.

If you are on a budget and want a cheaper alternative then a simple white or cream chiffon prom dress will also look great, such as this cream one or this elegant white one. The most important thing is to look flowing and elegant! Pick the dress that looks amazing on you.

Create the Hair Style

Sailor Moon Princess Serenity silver
cosplay wig with free white wigcap

Creating the actual hairstyle from your own hair requires the right colored hair, the right length and the right hair thickness, meaning only a couple of girls will be able to pull it off. If you want to try, check out the video tutorial at the bottom of this post. For the rest of us, there are loads of super cute Sailor Moon hairstyle wigs to choose from to easily and instantly pull off the look. 

SureWells Costume Sailor Moon
Long Blonde Wig

Which color you go for really depends on whether your are more a fan of the anime or the manga - in the manga Princess Serenity has silver hair, whereas in the anime she remains blond like Sailor Moon. I personally prefer the silver haired look since it goes so well with the white dress, but both are beautiful.

Whatever your choice, finish off the hair style by decorating the buns with beautiful white flower hair clips, just like the Princess. This part is optional if you are going for the anime look since she isn't always wearing them, but absolutely necessary for the manga version of the Moon Princess! Here are some gorgeous ones with crystal centers fit for a princess! Another elegant alternative is this double white rose hair piece.

Have long, thick blond hair and want to have a go at styling it like Sailor Moon? Check out the video below for a tutorial on how to do it. This requires hair extensions (since your hair would have to be really thick otherwise!), and you can find some good ones here.

And there you have it, one perfect Sailor Moon Princess Serenity costume, great for Halloween and Anime conventions alike. Have fun! If you liked this post and want to see more, don't forget to check out the rest of my blog for more great niche costume ideas for women.

How to Create the Perfect Effie Trinket Costume (Hunger Games)

Create the Perfect Effie Trinket Costume Based on the Hunger Games Movie

Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games is probably one of the most visually interesting female characters in recent movie history, and while this is a difficult costume to put together if done right can result in something truly special. She has a number of outfits in the first film (I believe one of the drinking rules involves taking a shot every time it changes) but the pink puffy sleeved jacket look that she wore during the Reaping is the one she is most remembered for. In this guide we'll be looking at how to put that outfit together.

How to Create an Effie Trinket Outfit

80's Soap Star Adult Costume

You might think finding that poofy sleeved jacket would be a nightmare, but lo and behold one actually exists online. Sadly the pencil skirt which comes with this outfit is the wrong color, but luckily you can pick up a sufficiently luminous pink pencil skirt here. Alternatives include this range of colored blazers, which you can get in magenta.

Women's Pull-OnPonte-Knit Pencil

Effie Trinket also wears a deep v-neck black top underneath her poofy jacket. This part of the costume is optional since you might get a bit too warm wearing two layers, but if you don't mind or you're partying in the cold you can pick up a cute version here.

Effie Trinket's costume is finished off with a neck scarf made of fabric flowers - I recommend making your own with a combination of a silk pink floral scarf decorated with fabric flowers stitched on. Alternatively you could swap this part of the costume for a more simple floral necklace if you feel the scarf is too elaborate. 

How to Create Effie Trinket's Hair

Jazz Baby Wig Blonde Adult

Since actually getting your hair to look like Effie's would take some seriously hardcore styling, it is much easier here to just pick up a good quality curly blond wig. The one above is my personal favorite and the one I think most accurately matches Effie's hair in the Hunger Games. Every Effie costume also needs an over-sized flower fascinater to finish of the hairstyle, preferably pink or purple to match your outfit. Here's a cute pink one that would work well with the above outfit.

How to Create the Effie Trinket Make Up Look

Effie Trinket, along with pretty much ever other Capitol character, has a pretty difficult look to pull off make-up-wise, but if you can get it right you will look AMAZING. If you want to really go all out, check out the make-up tutorial below, courtesy of KlairedelysArt.

Products Used in This Video include:

• Graftobian HD Crème Foundation Corrector
• Make Up Academy Extreme Curl Mascara (no longer available, but here's a great equivalent)
• Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Classic
• Blush Professional 120 Palette
• E.l.f. Essential Natural Lash Kit
• Sleek Pout Paints

And there you have it, one perfect Effie Trinket costume from the Hunger Games film. If you liked this post you might also like this fun guide to dressing up as Katniss Everdeen. Future posts pending while I figure out how to pull off the other twenty outfits Effie wears in the Hunger Games and Catching Fire... 

How to Create the Perfect White Swan Queen Costume

Create the Perfect White Swan Queen Costume

Natalie Portman's depiction of the White Swan in the movie Black Swan has captured the imaginations of millions, and the design makes an elegant and unique costume for any party or Halloween event. 

The White Swan is the flip side to the Black Swan, the innocence to her sensuality, the fragility to her boldness. It is the perfect costume idea for women who want to look beautiful and radiant in the classic sense, not in the 'bearing all skin' sexy sense. 

If you're looking for a way to make your own Swan Queen costume, then read on for my guide to doing it. 

Why not team up with a friend dressed as the Black Swan? I've also made a guide on creating the Black Swan costume.

How to Create the White Swan Costume

Daisy Corsets Burlesque Corset

You can find pre-made White Swan costumes online, such as this cute one, that are good if you are in a hurry but I prefer to put my own costume together. 

You will need:

• A white leotard with a large and rigid tutu attached. I think that the rigid types of tutus look much better than the more wafty, floppy kinds, and are more faithful to the movie costume. If you live in the EU the perfect leotard/tutu combo is this cute set here. If you don't you can pick up the right kind of tutu here but you'll have to buy a leotard seperately.

• A white corset. The more beautiful and elaborately lacy, the better! The one on the right is by far my favorite - I think it is perfect for a white swan costume!

• White tights.

• White ballet flats. 

• White feathers. These are for decorating the top of the outfit - slip some into the center of the corset (the cleavage part) or stitch them on if you are feeling confident. You can also use these in your hair if you want a cheap alternative to the White Swan feather headpieces. 

Create the White Swan Hairstyle 

                                         

Simply tie back your hair in a bun with a plain bobble and use some hairspray to keep any flyaway hair down. Tresemme Freezehold spray is a good option if you intend to do some heavy duty dancing - it leaves your hair a bit plasticky to the touch, but it'll hold it in place in a tornado if necessary. 

White Feather Hair Headpiece

Finally you'll need two white feathery hair pieces on either side of your head to finish off the look. There are a number of bridal hairpieces that achieve this look, such as the one on the left. If you want a cheaper option, tie a number of white feathers together and hold them in place behind your ears with a hair clip or pin. 

And there you have it! One perfect White Swan Queen costume that any woman is sure to look absolutely amazing in. Enjoy your night out! Don't forget to check out this guide's evil alter ego, the Black Swan Costume page.