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

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 …