COVID Cosplay: Coordinating Your Mask With Your Cosplay

We've been dealing with COVID for well over a year but we aren't quite out of the woods yet. While conventions are resuming in most places, the most recent Delta Variant (which, for those of you who have watched the Loki series on Disney plus, the word 'variant' will always make me chuckle) adds a bit of uncertainty to these events.

For those of you who are new here, I have Multiple Sclerosis, my immune system sucks as it is, I have a little one in my household, and all those things aside, I generally just care about people and would like to avoid spreading COVID.

I talked about this on the podcast, but I had a pretty bad MS-related relapse in November/December. I went to the ER and the entire hospital was FULL. So full, in fact, they had to put my bed in the hallway.

Saying that to say, you won't find conspiracy theories here. Just a human being that's firsthand seen the effects of COVID while already dealing with my own illness. If hospitals had an Annual Season Pass, I'd be an elite member. So please understand that when it comes to mask-wearing, it's absolutely no big deal to me.

At the time I'm writing this post, the CDC recommends that if you're vaccinated, you do not have to wear a mask. But attending a large convention could make one nervous, even if you are vaccinated. COVID aside, I've always hated catching the dreaded Con Crud anyway, so I had an idea.

Even if the convention doesn't require it, what if I got creative and started coordinating masks with my cosplay?

I also thought back to the year 2020 and seeing all of my favorite conventions get canceled one by one. 2020 was a rough year, and that is a major understatement. So many things that brought me joy were out of reach and I was surrounded with news of death and uncertainty.

Conventions are back and I'm grateful enough to not want to pitch a fit if they end up having to require masks. I'd imagine if Con Crud is a thing, then surely COVID and its variants is something to be concerned about.

Take it from someone with Multiple Sclerosis, being sick sucks. It sucks a lot more than wearing a mask.

To avoid getting the plain blue mask at the door or just grabbing a random one, wouldn't it be fun if I just made it match my cosplay instead?

I thought I'd try it out this past weekend. Here's a pic of me in my Loki/Sylvie Variant cosplay. I bought this mask from Hot Topic. I chose this one because the moon phases appear on a floor of a certain building they enter (trying not to spoil the series if you haven't seen it).

I noticed Hot Topic had lots of masks you could coordinate with your cosplay. I found a Stitch mask for my Lilo and Stitch cosplay and a really cool skull mask for a Black Widow cosplay I'm planning.

Knowing I'd be wearing a mask, I emphasized my eye makeup. I used a green shimmer eyeliner. I've also been looking up YouTube tutorials on eyeshadow. Making my eyes pop helps if I don't want to make the mask so prominent on my face.

Another thing people worry about is makeup or lipstick smudging on the mask. First, let me say, primer is your friend. I use a pretty cheap one, let it dry, and it won't rub off the mask. For lipstick, the best lipstick that will not rub off at all is hands down, Beauty Bakerie. Once you put that lip whip on, it is going nowhere. Honestly, it can withstand eating, drinking, and other activities without rubbing off. Beauty Bakerie is mask approved. In a pinch? You can spray all-day primer on any lipstick you are currently using and let it dry. Here's a pic of me at the end of the day after taking off my mask. That lipstick stayed ON!

To make it easier to breathe and to make it so the mask doesn't sit directly on your lipstick, I bought a pack of these 3D Mask Brackets to go under my mask from Amazon. It also makes it much easier to talk in your mask too, I find.

Overall, there are so many amazing fabrics out there that will match your cosplay perfectly and keep everyone safe at the same time. Here's to being able to enjoy cons again! I'm hoping we can continue to enjoy them for a long time ?