Oz Comic Con Day 1
Normally when my alarm goes off at 2am, I groan and snooze it in a futile attempt to gain just a little more sleep before starting work an hour later. Last Saturday though, I sprang into action immediately. This was the weekend of the event I'd been excitedly counting down the days to: Oz Comic Con. Waking up at 2am for a convention that doesn't start till 9am sounds really excessive, but over the weeks I had been practicing my makeup, timing how long it took to get it all done, and making mental lists of other things I'd need to do in order to get this cosplay spot on. From this, I knew roughly how long each thing would take, from securing the wig to perfecting my makeup, and had even factored in screwing something up then fixing it.
I've been cosplaying at conventions since 2012 but this was the first time I'd gone as a character belonging to a celebrity guest who would be in attendance and actually see it (and I was going to be two!). I'm incredibly nitpicky about getting all the little details right on a costume, so the pressure to get it right increased thousandfold at the realisation that I'd be coming face to face with the actors who played both my characters.
I've been cosplaying at conventions since 2012 but this was the first time I'd gone as a character belonging to a celebrity guest who would be in attendance and actually see it (and I was going to be two!). I'm incredibly nitpicky about getting all the little details right on a costume, so the pressure to get it right increased thousandfold at the realisation that I'd be coming face to face with the actors who played both my characters.
Liv Moore of iZombie. Petronella Osgood of Doctor Who. No pressure!
Day 1: Liv Moore
Cosplay Cost Breakdown:
- Wig - around $200... $60US for the wig and $67US for the fast shipping (I was worried it wouldn't arrive in time)
- Dress - $20
- Hoodie - $25
- Boots - $60
- Makeup... $45 Kryolan TV paint stick, $20 eyeshadow palette, $15 beauty blender sponge, $15 setting powder, $2.80 eyelashes (Thank you Daiso!)
How I AchieveD the Look
I'd practiced the makeup twice before so I was confident I would not screw it up. I put in my contacts, showered , then prepped my dark hair by plaiting it back and spraying my hairline white – I would be wearing a white-blonde lacefront wig so I didn't want my rainbow fringe or dark roots showing through it. That done, I began turning myself into one of the cutest zombie characters on tv, Thriller blasting out of my phone to set the mood. White greasepaint around the eyes (I bought the good stuff because cheap costume makeup would flake off during the day. And this was going to be a long day.) Eye makeup. White to the face, neck and chest, sponge it all in so it looked nice and even. Seal it with finishing powder. More eye makeup. Eyebrows. Lipstick.
I aaaaaam, aaaaaaaalready deeeead
When I was finished, I looked at myself all wigged and costumed and makeupped and cracked the widest grin ever. This was the most expensive and complicated cosplay I'd ever done and it had come together beautifully! Initially, I'd been kind of “ehhh, I could go either way” about doing it. iZombie isn't really well known here in Australia yet and at the time only David Anders (who plays the main antagonist) had been announced as a guest. I'd also decided I was going to be Osgood from Doctor Who because Ingrid Oliver had been announced, and if I got bored, one of my other completed cosplays. But then Rose McIver (Liv, the central character of iZombie) was announced as a guest and suddenly it was all action stations in Jess's cosplay adventure land.
Reactions from the Stars of the Show
Several hours later at Oz Comic Con, I stood with my girlfriend waiting to have our photo taken with Rose and David. My heart went all flutterynervous when they both turned and looked at me, and the reaction from both was PERFECT. They stared; David went “Heyyyy, LIVVY!” and Rose said, “Oh, my god”. We posed for the photo (which was treated like an assembly line to get people through as quickly as they could) and as we walked out, ushered along by the volunteer, Rose, aka the real Liv Moore, called after me, “Your makeup is perfect! You got the eyes exactly right.” YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
SO WORTH IT!
Far less exciting was standing in my freezing cold bathroom that night, scrubbing under the (thankfully hot) shower to get every trace of hairspray and makeup off to prep myself for the next day's cosplay: Osgood.
Day 2: Petronella Osgood
Cosplay Cost Breakdown:
- Hair - $20 Kryolan black hairspray
- Glasses - $70 (reused I bought these two years ago for my Daria cosplay)
- Lab coat - $26
- Scarf - $45
- Outfit - $30 total at Savers (Op Shop/Thrift Store)
- Boots - $50 (also used for Daria cosplay)
I already had all the makeup I needed for this one. Phew!
I've been called a “cosplay chameleon” before; I can change my face and overall look so dramatically that people sometimes can't believe I'm the same person in each photo! But Osgood was different; many, many people had told me that I looked like Ingrid Oliver and that it would be the easiest cosplay ever for me. Turns out they were right! The biggest hurdle was figuring out what to do with my hair; it's the same length and style as the character has, and (apart from my rainbow fringe) the same colour. I didn't want to buy an expensive wig when my own hair was so close to matching it, so I bought black hairspray from Kryolan to cover the rainbow.
I've been called a “cosplay chameleon” before; I can change my face and overall look so dramatically that people sometimes can't believe I'm the same person in each photo! But Osgood was different; many, many people had told me that I looked like Ingrid Oliver and that it would be the easiest cosplay ever for me. Turns out they were right! The biggest hurdle was figuring out what to do with my hair; it's the same length and style as the character has, and (apart from my rainbow fringe) the same colour. I didn't want to buy an expensive wig when my own hair was so close to matching it, so I bought black hairspray from Kryolan to cover the rainbow.
Which one is the zygon? We don't talk about that.
Reactions to My Cosplay
Being Osgood was fantastic. The TARDIS booth volunteers did a double take when I walked up to get photos with it and said “we thought Ingrid Oliver had come in cosplay!” and that sentiment was echoed throughout the day. Waiting in the autograph line to meet her (and later on, the photograph line), I met and got photos with other Osgood cosplayers and the shared love for the character, swapping of tips about places to get various costume parts and the overall camaraderie of the fandom was brilliant.
Reactions from the Star of the Show
Then Ingrid came out, spotted the group of Osgoods waiting to meet her, spotted ME and her jaw dropped. She insisted on hugs when I walked up and couldn't stop staring at me... and then she told me I looked so much like her that it was crazy. Cosplay goals achieved? Hell yes!
I'm still not telling you who the zygon is...
Now it's over and I feel a little bit lost. All my hard work, weeks of looking forward to it, the prepping and practicing my zombie makeup, all for those brief moments where I got to interact with the guests... it's finished. It's done. I need to find a new thing to throw my creative energies into. But I have the memories, the photos, and I can wear both cosplays to other events. I've also picked up new wig, makeup and sewing skills that will be invaluable for the NEXT con. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience.
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