youthculture
Fighter
Someone brought up having a resource/listing for prosthetics and make-up, so I thought I would offer up my master list:
Make-Up
Mehron: Mehron brand make-up is by far my favorite brand for almost anything -- whether it theatre, LARPing, or any other general costuming I do. You can find their products at most professional costume stores, but you can also purchase from their website ( http://www.mehron.com ). They offer several different kinds of make-up, so here's a basic run-down of what works best:
- Starblend http://www.mehron.com/retail/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=301: Starblend is awesome for Sarr and Scavys because it's fade resistant and goes on very well and very cleanly. Also, Starblend is NOT a grease-based make-up so it doesn't destroy your face like generic costuming cake make-up. Generally, one cake will last you for awhile too.
- Fantasy F/X http://www.mehron.com/retail/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=159Fantasy F/X: Their Fantasy F/X make-up comes in a small tube and is a liquid that can be applied with any sort of generic make-up sponge. It's a good choice for any sort of markings/tattoos your characters might have, and you can finish it off with a sealer to make sure it stays in place and it durable.
- Liquid Body http://www.mehron.com/retail/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=331: If you own an airbrush, Mehron's liquid body make-up is awesome. Even if you don't, Mehron's liquid body can be easily sponged on and stays on fairly well from my experience with it -- and for the amount you get in the larger bottles, it's pretty cheap. Just make sure to mix some water into it if you plan on using it for airbrushing purposes.
- Ben Nye http://www.bennyemakeup.com: Ben Nye is a pretty recognizable make-up in the theatre community. They're a classic make-up company -- the kind you'd see used by anyone producing Cats, for instance. They offer very similar products to Mehron -- and in most cases, the only difference is a matter of preference. In order to look at their products, you'll have to download their catalog -- but you can order direct from them. Some costume stores sell Ben Nye, but usually only professional ones. If you're interested in Ben Nye, take a look at their Creme Colors, Magic Liquid, Clown Make-Up, and MagiCake. They also have some really cool hair-specific make-up as well.
Prosthetics
Small Prosthetics: Ears, Horns, Noses
If you're looking for smaller prosthetics, http://store.cinemasecretsonline.com/woochie.html Woochie is pretty much the standard. They have latex prosthetics from ears to horns to scars and anything else you could desire, and all for a decent price. Most costume stores sell woochie products as well; they're pretty easy to come by.
Aradani Costumes ( http://www.aradanicostumes.com ) also has a wealth of costuming resources, including some very unique elf ears for purchase. If you're looking for something a little more personal and individual than Woochie products, this is a good way to go. They also have a variety of horns, including both latex and polymer horns for use.
Really unique on the grand scheme of horns, ( http://www.pansdevilhorns.com )Pan's Devil Horns has some awesome products for sale, all of which are polymer. They also do custom horns and other custom prosthetics for use.
Big Prosthetics: For Sarrs and Scavys
Okay, so if you're playing a Sarr or a Scavy, you have some options to consider. Depending on your character's race, you can go for straight make-up with some smaller prosthetics (such as a latex nose), or you can go for bigger prosthetic pieces of half-masks. Here's some resources that can be useful:
( http://www.northfur.ca/ ) NorthFur F/X offers some awesome full face and partial face prosthetics in latex, cold foam, and hot foam. For LARPing purposes, you'll want to go with either cold foam or hot foam. Cold foam gives your prosthetic piece a little more flexibility, but hot foam is more durable -- however, hot foam is more expensive than cold foam. In the end, you have to make your own decisions based on your finances and what you're looking for as far as durability, but I wouldn't suggest going for latex. NorthFur has a HUGE selection of masks: cats, dogs, bears, beavers, bats, kangaroos, coyotes, and even walruses all at extremely reasonable prices. Their product also looks and wears very well -- I highly suggest them.
On the other end of the price spectrum, we have kangena. ( http://www.kangena.co.uk/ ) Kangena has a smaller selection of LARP masks, but their quality is very nice. If you plan on playing a bird and/or lizard scavy, you should take a look. Keep in mind that they are a UK based company, so not only will it be more expensive, it will take longer to ship. I have used some of their masks as well and while some of them require minor adjustments, it's usually worth the end result.
If you're anti-prosthetics or are interested in additional costuming pieces (tails, paws, wings, what have you) you may want to look at some mascot companies. While a lot of them are geared towards the furry community, some mascot companies are more than happy to make half-masks or other costuming pieces for LARPers. ( http://www.b3mascots.com/ ) B3 Mascots is one of those companies that can probably help you out with that. Although their website is currently being rehauled, you can check out the basic prices here: http://dragonsteel.org/c.htm I have used B3's costumes before and they're another company I can fully endorse for both looks and quality.
If you guys have any resources, I say add them here too. We might as well make one massive list for people to access!
Make-Up
Mehron: Mehron brand make-up is by far my favorite brand for almost anything -- whether it theatre, LARPing, or any other general costuming I do. You can find their products at most professional costume stores, but you can also purchase from their website ( http://www.mehron.com ). They offer several different kinds of make-up, so here's a basic run-down of what works best:
- Starblend http://www.mehron.com/retail/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=301: Starblend is awesome for Sarr and Scavys because it's fade resistant and goes on very well and very cleanly. Also, Starblend is NOT a grease-based make-up so it doesn't destroy your face like generic costuming cake make-up. Generally, one cake will last you for awhile too.
- Fantasy F/X http://www.mehron.com/retail/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=159Fantasy F/X: Their Fantasy F/X make-up comes in a small tube and is a liquid that can be applied with any sort of generic make-up sponge. It's a good choice for any sort of markings/tattoos your characters might have, and you can finish it off with a sealer to make sure it stays in place and it durable.
- Liquid Body http://www.mehron.com/retail/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=331: If you own an airbrush, Mehron's liquid body make-up is awesome. Even if you don't, Mehron's liquid body can be easily sponged on and stays on fairly well from my experience with it -- and for the amount you get in the larger bottles, it's pretty cheap. Just make sure to mix some water into it if you plan on using it for airbrushing purposes.
- Ben Nye http://www.bennyemakeup.com: Ben Nye is a pretty recognizable make-up in the theatre community. They're a classic make-up company -- the kind you'd see used by anyone producing Cats, for instance. They offer very similar products to Mehron -- and in most cases, the only difference is a matter of preference. In order to look at their products, you'll have to download their catalog -- but you can order direct from them. Some costume stores sell Ben Nye, but usually only professional ones. If you're interested in Ben Nye, take a look at their Creme Colors, Magic Liquid, Clown Make-Up, and MagiCake. They also have some really cool hair-specific make-up as well.
Prosthetics
Small Prosthetics: Ears, Horns, Noses
If you're looking for smaller prosthetics, http://store.cinemasecretsonline.com/woochie.html Woochie is pretty much the standard. They have latex prosthetics from ears to horns to scars and anything else you could desire, and all for a decent price. Most costume stores sell woochie products as well; they're pretty easy to come by.
Aradani Costumes ( http://www.aradanicostumes.com ) also has a wealth of costuming resources, including some very unique elf ears for purchase. If you're looking for something a little more personal and individual than Woochie products, this is a good way to go. They also have a variety of horns, including both latex and polymer horns for use.
Really unique on the grand scheme of horns, ( http://www.pansdevilhorns.com )Pan's Devil Horns has some awesome products for sale, all of which are polymer. They also do custom horns and other custom prosthetics for use.
Big Prosthetics: For Sarrs and Scavys
Okay, so if you're playing a Sarr or a Scavy, you have some options to consider. Depending on your character's race, you can go for straight make-up with some smaller prosthetics (such as a latex nose), or you can go for bigger prosthetic pieces of half-masks. Here's some resources that can be useful:
( http://www.northfur.ca/ ) NorthFur F/X offers some awesome full face and partial face prosthetics in latex, cold foam, and hot foam. For LARPing purposes, you'll want to go with either cold foam or hot foam. Cold foam gives your prosthetic piece a little more flexibility, but hot foam is more durable -- however, hot foam is more expensive than cold foam. In the end, you have to make your own decisions based on your finances and what you're looking for as far as durability, but I wouldn't suggest going for latex. NorthFur has a HUGE selection of masks: cats, dogs, bears, beavers, bats, kangaroos, coyotes, and even walruses all at extremely reasonable prices. Their product also looks and wears very well -- I highly suggest them.
On the other end of the price spectrum, we have kangena. ( http://www.kangena.co.uk/ ) Kangena has a smaller selection of LARP masks, but their quality is very nice. If you plan on playing a bird and/or lizard scavy, you should take a look. Keep in mind that they are a UK based company, so not only will it be more expensive, it will take longer to ship. I have used some of their masks as well and while some of them require minor adjustments, it's usually worth the end result.
If you're anti-prosthetics or are interested in additional costuming pieces (tails, paws, wings, what have you) you may want to look at some mascot companies. While a lot of them are geared towards the furry community, some mascot companies are more than happy to make half-masks or other costuming pieces for LARPers. ( http://www.b3mascots.com/ ) B3 Mascots is one of those companies that can probably help you out with that. Although their website is currently being rehauled, you can check out the basic prices here: http://dragonsteel.org/c.htm I have used B3's costumes before and they're another company I can fully endorse for both looks and quality.
If you guys have any resources, I say add them here too. We might as well make one massive list for people to access!