A Guide to Cosplay Makeup With Tips From Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Aeon, Jahara Jayde & More

To the everyday person, cosplaying might come across as just dressing up as a character. But for those in the community, it’s so much more. Cosplay is an immersive experience that blends creative expression, identity, and a sense of belonging. It’s about being unapologetically yourself while transforming into a fictional character you’ve brought to life through the hours spent applying makeup, styling your wig and crafting a costume from scratch. It’s about channeling your love for a character into something tangible and presenting that to the world.

But how does one even start cosplaying? While there’s no shortage of online tutorials (YouTube reported over 20.5 billion views on cosplay-related videos in 2023), knowing where to start can be overwhelming. But fear not, because your fairy god-cosplayers are here to help. Teen Vogue spoke with actor and cosplayer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (@maitreyiramakrishnan) alongside creators Aeon (@aeonik), Jahara Jayde (@JaharaJayde), Soylent (@SoylentCosplay) and Jo Steel (@artistjodysteel) to create the ultimate beginner’s guide to cosplay makeup.

Why Is Cosplay So Popular And Loved?

Cosplay is beloved for how uniquely it blends personal and collective experiences. On the one hand, it allows you to express your identity and connect with characters in your own special way. On the other, it fosters a sense of community, bringing people together with the same passion and creativity. That’s exactly why Ramakrishnan, a self-described nerd, got into cosplaying. “It’s another way to embrace my passions and show how huge of a fan I am,” she says.

While cosplaying has been around for several decades, like anime and video games it saw a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 lockdowns. People were stuck at home and suddenly had free time to pick up new interests and hobbies. Many turned to anime and video games because they offered comfort and escapism. According to Aeon, who has been cosplaying for 13 years and has built a massive following on TikTok, this had a huge trickle-down effect on cosplaying because many of these newfound fans now needed an outlet to celebrate their favorite characters.

“My friends who would’ve never given anime a chance started asking for my opinions and recommendations. Later, once they were hooked on these series, they began asking how to cosplay,” Aeon says. “TikTok also made cosplaying so much more mainstream than it used to be.”

How To Start Cosplaying

Once you’ve decided which character to cosplay, the first step is to plan and research. For Steel, who is self-taught in makeup artistry and often goes viral for her intricate cosplays, understanding the character is important as it helps her visualize herself as them.