Skin Care Tips From Mod S

Most of the characters we tend to cosplay have beautiful, clear skin. We don’t see them worrying about acne or trying to get rid of redness…but us cosplayers are only human; the occasional flaw is inevitable! Fortunately, we have some control over our fate when it comes to skincare. Here are some tips to help get that “anime” complexion.

Wash your face
It sounds like a pretty “duh” tip to start out, but I cannot tell you the number of times going to bed with my makeup on resulted in regret the next morning. Makeup clogs your pores leaving dirt and oil trapped on your face. Not only that, but things like mascara and eyeliner are covered in bacteria that can cause irritation to the eyes and even infections.

Do your face a favor; wash it at least once a day to get off all the gross stuff. 

Know your skin type
Skin care products are not one-size-fits all. It’s important to know what your skin type is before grabbing a random cleanser off the shelf. To find out your skin type, there are several quizzes you can take just by typing skin type quiz into Google. 

Someone with sensitive skin is going to want to stay away from harsh chemicals that may only make it more red, while as someone with oily skin should look for products labeled “oil free.” 

Stick to your products
Once you find a product that works for you, there really isn’t a reason to experiment with other cleansers. Doing so may result in skin irritation or more breakouts. If it works, why change?

On the contrary, if there is a product that causes your skin to become irritated, get rid of it! There is probably another product out there that will work better.

Moisturize
No matter how dry or oily your skin is, always moisturize. Cleaning your face is great, but it can also strip your skin of natural oils. Using a light moisturizer will prevent dry, red skin. 

Look for something that is meant to be used on the face, where skin is typically more sensitive. 

Use sunscreen
You don’t have to slather yourself in it each time you leave the house, but using a foundation/moisturizer with a built in sunscreen will protect against things like wrinkles or cancer in the future.

Don’t overdo it
Having a clean face is good, you don’t need twelve different cleansers to achieve it! Using multiple products on your skin may actually irritate it more, same with washing your face more often than necessary.

Wash your face once or twice a day (in the morning and the evening) with one cleanser, and use things like masks and exfoliating products about once—but no more than twice—a week to allow your skin a break.

Talk to your doctor
If your skin just will NOT cooperate—no matter what you do to care for it—there may be a bigger issue there than just typical “teenage” acne. Your doctor may be able to provide more effective treatment than what you can get over the counter at the drugstore, or help figure out if your skin problems are being caused by something else all together.

Eat right, sleep well, and drink lots of water
This last tip sounds pretty “duh” as well, but again it’s one of the most important things you can do for your body.

Eating a balance of nutritious foods can help bring in vitamins to repair your skin. While there is some argument that diet has nothing to do with complexion, it can’t hurt to eat right for other reasons. I can personally tell you that when I don’t eat right, my skin breaks out like no tomorrow. 

Sleep is so important for skin care! Try getting at least seven hours a night if possible. Again, it gives your body a chance to rest and repair itself. You’ll feel better and look more vibrant in the morning if you get enough sleep at night.

Water is important to keep your skin young looking and hydrated. No amount of moisturizer can ever replace the benefits of water. The best thing of all? Most of us have easy access to clean drinking water on a daily basis for FREE.

Will the above tips guarantee beautiful, flawless, never-get-a-zit-again skin? Of course not. But they are steps in the right direction toward healthy looking skin. 

UP NEXT: Savvi’s Skincare Arsenal—The products and routines I use to keep my skin in check.

*I also want to point out that I am someone who suffers from moderate (previously severe) acne. These tips are compiled from years of trial and error when it came to making my skin look good. I dislike taking advice from people who do not even have the affliction they are giving others tips on, that’s why I want to assure you all that I am in the same boat as many of the people who read this. 

Sewing tip of the day

This is a small but helpful time that is usually over looked

Always always always always always alwlayalwlaywslswayawlawas ALWAYS 

put your sewing machine needle DOWN when you
-adjust your fabric
-shift anything
-leave for even a second in the middle of sewing

You’ll save yourself a ton of frusteration <3 

So, I've read your answer, describing how you get into a cosplay role (and beging a freakin amazing Cosplayer...). And though I really, really enjoy Cosplay and love the few characters I cosplay, trouble is: I'm shy and awkward in front of a camera... which is, as you could expect, kind of annoying. I know it's all about feeling good about yourself, but I don't really know how I can get there. Any ideas? :)

I hope it’s allright when I answer this in public, since it’s a question I get from time to time and other might be interested in it.

It’s actually simple: It’s not easy to be a pro in front of the camera if you got no (namable) experience or good snapshots of yourself, which you can use as a reference for your confidence.
So here some tips:

• Train in front of your mirror. Move around, try out all kinds of poses, again and again. When you pose for photographers you won’t have a mirror to look if the pose looks good, so you need to internalize the poses that suits you. Plus moving around much in front of the mirror helps you to get a better physical feeling.
• Smile at the person in the mirror! She/He sure will be happy about it, and you’ll know a bit better how you’ll look in front of other people. (It helps when you tell the person in the mirror a nice, honest compliment <3)
• Ask your closest friends if they want to spend some minutes to take pictures of you, so you can train with them. In return, take some pictures of them. You can grow yourself some experience together!
• Cerish and maintain yourself before shootings. Grant yourself some luxury. Use your favorite peeling for your skin and your face, a good smelling lotion for your body, brush your teeth with your favorite toothpaste, use a good shampoo and condition hair cure (? if this is the right english word). If you use Make-up, use the one you know you look best in. Heck, even use your favorite parfum! Sure you want smell this at the end on the pictures, but this all helps you to feel better in your body, and this definitly helps to look good on pictures.

And never forget: Don’t be sad if it doesn’t work out the way you expect it to at the first tries. Sustainability (Nachhaltigkeit) is the key to success!