cosplay | The Geeky Hostess

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Tara

You Asked For It: “Sexy” Kool-Aid Man Costume

I’m beginning to worry about you all. Sure, I get the sexy shark costume. Sharks are dangerous. Sexy Boba Fett I understand. I mean, it’s Boba. But the Kool-Aid Man? This is the “sexy” Halloween costume you wanted me to wear?

Lucky for you, even if I begin to worry, I still have your best interest at heart. And your best interest was to see me in a Kool-Aid Man costume with fishnets. And even luckier for you, BuyCostumes.com didn’t bat an eye when I said I needed the Kool-Aid costume, fishnet tights, and long red satin gloves.

As a disclaimer, I tried so hard to find a brick wall with a hole in it, but apparently Seattle likes to keep their buildings in somewhat decent condition. This wall with a painted over spot was the next best thing–I like to think they were just repairing it from my last visit, and I’m back to taunt them.

Special thanks goes to the lovely and talented Liz Leo for taking what looks like high fashion photos on a windy day in the middle of an old parking lot in Seattle. She’s amazing!

Ok, ok, without further ado. Here are some ridiculous(ly awesome) pics of me as the Kool-Aid Man. The costume itself recommends you stuff it with newspaper or other padding, but the wind wasn’t cool with that idea. So instead, you get a Kool-Aid Man inspired dress-type-thing. You know you love it.

Pick up your own Kool-Aid Man costume at BuyCostumes.com (You can still get your costume in time for Halloween with some of their shipping options!)

What are you going to be for Halloween this year?

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Tara

The Weirdest “Sexy” Halloween Costumes of 2014

It’s that time of year again! Time to dress up like sexy versions of things while eating candy and watching scary movies? Or something like that? Anyway, it’s time for my annual round-up of the weirdest “sexy” versions of costumes from BuyCostumes.com! And it’s your job to vote for which costume you’d most like to see me in. I will wear the winning costume for a photo shoot and show off the results to you. Because I have no shame. You can see me in 2012’s winning costume here, and 2013’s winning costume here.

So, without further ado, the weirdest “sexy” Halloween costumes of 2014:

Your Favorite Characters

Ruining your childhood, once costume at a time.

Beetlejuice

Go ahead, say my name three times…

Mario

A plumber’s never looked so good! Just be prepared for a disappointing night of trick or treating–your candy’s always gonna be in a different castle.

“Christmas Story” Bunny

Nope. You should not take a little boy in an awkward bunny outfit and make it sexy. No no no. (Also, for the record, this is an officially licensed product.)

Rocky

Well, this is a thing. A horrifying thing.

Darth Vader

Ok, say what you want, but I think this outfit’s pretty hot. I just need to find some stormtroopers to follow me around.

From the Pages

Everyone knows reading is sexy.

Sexy Detective

Ok, so I won’t ever be able to be as sexy as a certain Sherlock everyone loves so much, but perhaps a dress and a capelet is a good start? Bonus: It includes the magnifying glass and pipe.

“All For You” Musketeer

I’m gonna do nothing but eat 3 Musketeers bars if I wear this costume. And look for the other missing 2 Musketeers. Also, is this someone’s fantasy? Their lady dressed up as a sexy musketeer? No judgements, just wondering.

Sexy Animals

These costumes belong in a heavy petting zoo.

Howling Adult Hottie Werewolf

I’m glad they clarified that this is an adult hottie werewolf. Wouldn’t want any hot teen wolves running around, now would we? Perk of this costume: you don’t have to shave your legs. Right? That’s how it works?

Lobster

“Hey, you’re looking pretty good. How about we go back to my place? I’ve got a hot tub…I promise I won’t be shellfish…”

Monkey

Insert every pun about bananas here.

Stinkin’ Cute Skunk

“Oh, don’t worry about that smell baby. “

From History(?)

You won’t find these hotties in any history books…

“Goin’ Clubbin” Cave Woman

You better hope this cave woman lived in a temperate climate, or else the only thing she’ll do in this outfit is freeze to death.

Egyptian Cat Goddess

Ahh, Ancient Egpyt. The only place/time that loved cats as much as the internet does. Be worshipped (or mistaken for Katy Perry) in this Egyptian Cat Goddess costume–it sure beats a keyboard cat costume, anyway.

Sexy Inanimate Objects

You’ll never look at these random objects the same way…

Touchdown

Can someone please explain to me what a “sexy touchdown” is? And why I’d want to dress up as a “touchdown” and not a football player, cheerleader, ref, or heck, even the football itself? And why does it say “Touchdown” on the field-dress?

Beer

“Maybe boys will notice me if I just turn into a cartoon mirage-style giant mug of beer!” “But honey, do you want to be noticed ONLY because you’ve turned into a cartoon mirage-style giant mug of beer?” “I guess not, Mom.”

Spicy Taco

Nope. Not touching the puns for this one. Nice of them to add a jaunty culturally appropriated hat.

Salsa

“I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood you when you said to put on my best salsa dress. I’ll see myself out.”

Kool-Aid Man

“OH YEAH!” (I’d pair this with fishnets and sexily break down walls ALL THE TIME.)

Which one do you want to see me in? Leave a comment below! I’ll pick a winner based on what gets the most votes in the comments by 11:59pm PST on Thursday, October 9th.

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Tara

Fashion First Aid: Your Cosplay/Convention/Life Survival Kit

I don’t know about you, but it takes me FOREVER to get dressed in the morning, especially if I have something important like an interview, a convention, or an event planned. Will this outfit be comfortable? flattering? Make me sweat? Do I have the right bra for it? Is it going to show too much cleav? Will the shoes end up hurting? Are there pockets? I often drive myself crazy just figuring out any potential issues that could arise and try to solve them before I leave the house.

Fashion First Aid came to my rescue last week when they sent me their Fashion First Aid Kit and a copy of their book “The Dirty Side of Fashion.” With the kit, I don’t need to worry about all of the above issues before I leave the house–I can just pack up some of their goodies and deal with problems if/when they happen. (For instance, when Stan Lee walks by you at a convention and you break into a nervous/excited sweat, not that I’m speaking from experience…)

I’m not taking a trip or attending a con without these products in my bag. I’m going to be the Macgyver of all fashion-related problems and the savior of my cosplaying and fashion-forward friends everywhere. The Fashion First Aid Kit includes:

Collar and hat protectors
Tattoo and skin shields
Temporary sticky pockets
Disposable underarm shields
Adhesive wardrobe tape
Racer back bra clips
Deodorant, drip & drool erasers

And once you’re back home and need to know how to clean your outfit, “The Dirty Side of Fashion” comes in. As the main laundry-cleaner of the household, I thought I knew my stuff. But this book goes into specific types of stains and materials, and suggests the best ways to clean them (as well as how often you actually need to clean). It sounds a bit dry, but the book is actually fascinating, and gave me a lot of tips I can’t wait to try out!

Why am I bragging about all of this stuff? Because you can WIN it! Fashion First Aid will be sending one of you their Fashion First Aid Kit and the book “The Dirty Side of Fashion.” Just enter the Rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Tara

Geek Fit: Cos-Fit

Looking for a workout to match your favorite cosplay? Want daily geeky fitness reminders, tips, recipes, and encouragement? Then you’ve gotta follow Cos-Fit. Monday through Friday at 5pm they share a new themed workout featuring an awesome cosplay photo. You’ll feel motivated and encouraged to hit your cosplay fitness goal, and you’ll have fun mixing it up with the different routines.

…Sometimes they even incorporate other geeky things (like dice!) into the workout. Plus, they recently posted a recipe for “Bacon Cupcakes.” I mean, how can you not love them?

I joined their Facebook group a week or two ago and have loved seeing their photos and posts in my newsfeed. It’s a must for anyone trying to get their geek-fit on! Check them out at facebook.com/cosplayfitness.

What’s your favorite workout? And what character would you like to seem them base a workout on?

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Tara

OneUpMakeup: Johanna-Inspired Makeup from The Hunger Games

The lovely Liz does a Johanna-inspired look on me in this week’s OneUpMakeup! I’m loving this look (and it’s not necessarily the look you’d expect for Johanna). Check it out!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Tara

Game of Thrones-Inspired Hair

My friend Justin passed along this great infographic, and I just had to share it. Learn how to braid your hair like the ladies from Game of Thrones! Man, they’d be ALL over Pinterest if it was around in their time. I want to try the Daenerys myself.

Which style catches your attention?

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Tara

Closet Cosplay with thredUP: C-3PO

I had this silly idea to create an “evening look” inspired by C-3PO. Mostly, I’ve wanted to do a closet cosplay of C-3PO somehow, and I thought this might be easiest. Why him? He’s my favorite character from Star Wars. He and I are very similar: we both worry and focus on etiquette excessively, often to the annoyance of our friends. We’re both tall. And, well, I guess that’s where the similarities stop. But while wearing this outfit, I can pretend I’m a bit more mechanical. You just need to find a gold dress, some gold makeup, and a bunch of wires to fashion as a belt. Voila! Very subtle cosplay!

Dress: French Connection Cocktail Dress from thredUP.

Belt: Wires from Ace Hardware. The woman who cut the wires for me has a Millennium Falcon tattoo on her foot! You never know where you’ll find Star Wars fans! To make the belt, combine the wires together, put around your waist, then wrap the wires around each other or place a bit of electrical tape around the ends to keep it together.

Makeup: Time to break out all of your gold! For my eyes, I started with Stila’s Gilded Gold from the In the Light Eye Shadow Palette and then Urban Decay’s Chopper and Smog. For my lips, I used Clinique’s Different Lipstick in Tenderheart and Long Lasting Glosswear in Sunset. I have the two of them together in a trial pack, and apparently you can still find it on Amazon.

Accessorize with gold jewelry and shoes and you’re all ready for a night out!

Check out thredUP and get 25% off your first purchase! Use code GEEKYHOSTESS25 by the end of August.

(This is part 6 in a week-long series of closet cosplay from thredUP. Only one more to go!)

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Tara

Closet Cosplay with thredUP: Lara Croft

Sometimes it’s hot out, you don’t want to be bothered to do much with your hair, and you need a bit of extra oomph to get you through your day. And on those days, it’s best to channel Lara Croft. Her bad-ass-ness will infuse your day while you get to relax in cargo pants.

If you want to go a bit less cosplay-ish, you can lose the utility belt. But seriously, don’t knock wearing a utility belt until you try it. I’ve worn it at cons before instead of bringing a purse and it’s amazing. A way cooler version of a fanny pack.

Pants: Ann Taylor LOFT Capris from thredUP. (This is why thredUP is amazing. I would have never looked at Ann Taylor for cargo pants, but I saw them online, got them, and love them!)

Top: Brown Cami from Romy

Belt: Nylon Swat Belt from Amazon

Hair: Just put it in a messy braid down your back. Super easy!

I kept makeup very simple with this look. If anything, just bronze a bit.

Check out thredUP and get 25% off your first purchase! Use code GEEKYHOSTESS25 by the end of August.

(This is part 4 in a week-long series of closet cosplay from thredUP. Stay tuned for more!)

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Tara

Closet Cosplay with thredUP: Meg from Hercules

I’m back from VidCon and Disneyland, and I did things right: In one day, we rode fifteen rides, caught three evening shows, and had a delightful dinner at Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue, and I did it all in this cute Meg-inspired outfit.

thredUP, an awesome new online consignment store, offered me the challenge of putting together a week’s worth of outfits from items found on their site, and I upped the ante by challenging myself to create a week’s worth of outfits inspired by movie and tv characters. It’s closet cosplay in the most subtle sense.

I loved getting to embody the sassy Meg with this cute dress from Banana Republic, and decided to use some of my existing Greek and Greek-inspired accessories to complement it. I encouraged my whole group to dress up in Disney-inspired outfits as well, and even those who wouldn’t normally be the “dress-up” type were happy to find subtle influences for their outfits. If you want to do the same, I recommend checking out DisneyBound for inspiration!

Dress: Banana Republic Dress from thredUP

Eyes: Smashbox Eyeshadow Quad in Softly Seductive. Find a similar set here.

Necklace: Gordian Knot-inspired design from Greece

Check back all week for more closet cosplay, thanks to thredUP!

Check out thredUP and get 25% off your first purchase! Use code GEEKYHOSTESS25 by the end of August.

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Tara

Geek Beauty: Glitter Masks

In honor of their newest collection and the amazing superhero they came up with to go along with it, Espionage Cosmetics spent Emerald City Comicon putting glitter masks on people. When I first saw them, I thought they were rhinestones placed on a face, but they’re actually done with eyelash glue and loose glitter! Here’s how to make a glitter mask of your own:

Use black eyelash glue to dab small dots on your face in the shape of a mask. Let dry slightly so it won’t run/smudge.

Take loose glitter (we used ones from Espionage Cosmetics’ Comic Book collection) and tap it lightly over the glue dots, making sure you cover them all. Then take scotch tape and lightly remove the excess from your skin by going between the dots. If you want a look similar to Kristina and Liz up top, you can stop here! If you’re looking for more of a two-toned look, continue on.

Using clear eyelash glue, apply dots in the middle of your mask or where you would like the second color to appear.

Like the first time, pat the second color on lightly over the slightly-dried glue dots, and try to avoid getting the glitter onto the first color. Remove the excess with scotch tape.

You’re ready to fight crime and look fabulous!

Check out Espionage’s full line of makeup at EspionageCosmetics.com.