Cosplay for Beginners is a new video series following my original Cosplay: Getting Started blog post! Whether you’re a newbie, a curious parent or a seasoned cosplayer – this series will cover the basics of cosplay and how to get involved! My Cosplay 101 talk has always been popular at events so making a video equivalent of that was one of my goals when I started my YouTube channel, Cosplay Chatter. Each subject will have its own video and once each video is released, there will be a megacut version covering it all! So where do we begin? With The Basics, of course! This po ..read more

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have seen my adventures with a new hobby: Garage Kit building! I attempted to paint one once and failed, so it went back in the box and into a cupboard… as most unsuccessful hobby attempts do. When I moved earlier this year, I unpacked the kits and thought I should try it again. This time, I was armed with YouTube guides and tutorials and my first kit turned out to be pretty nicely and before I knew it, I was in deep! My latest video on YouTube is a video where I, a total newbie, attempt to paint a GK of Sumomo & Kotoko from Chobits ..read more

Ooooof. It’s been.. a while? 2020 has been a wild ride for everyone, and a lot of cosplayers – myself included! – have really struggled to stay motivated! I managed to sew a few things at the start of lockdown, but it was difficult to keep the motivation going while I was stuck inside and while my weight fluctuated. So why not try something new? Behold.. Cosplay Chatter on YouTube!   I had a bit of a break between January and now for moving, but I’m back at it and I have lots of fresh ideas for videos! Some of them will be informative, some topical and some just for fun! You ca ..read more

Welcome to my introduction to competitive cosplay! This entry is the first in a series on competitive cosplay, explaining what competitions are, why you would enter, and what to expect. Following entries in this series will cover individual competitions, rules and entry processes! I am an avid follower of cosplay competitions and have previously represented in World Cosplay Summit, Clara Cow’s Cosplay Cup and European Cosplay Gathering. I am also an experienced judge. Many of the competitions included here are hosted internationally, but there may be some cultural differences from th ..read more

Following on from Cosplay: Getting Started!, here are my top 10 tips on how to level up in cosplay! These are the little things that will make your costumes look better and help your confidence soar! No matter how long you’ve been cosplaying, these tips are designed to help anyone of any skill level. A few small changes can make a big difference to how your costume looks! Menu These are the topics covered in this post – you can keep scrolling to read it all, or click on the links below to jump to each section! 1. Try It On First2. Iron Your Costumes 3. Do Makeup ..read more

Looking at other people’s makeup is one of my top guilty pleasures, so.. here’s mine! I pack a lot of makeup for cosplay – let’s see What’s In My Makeup Bag! If you are unfamiliar with makeup, I recommend reading my dedicated post on Cosplay Makeup first! This entry is to show which products I like to use myself and take with me for events rather than as a guide. None of the products mentioned here are sponsored. Everything I have listed was bought by myself, I have not been paid to recommend anything! If you are interested in anything listed here, I recommend you do some r ..read more

Hello! Welcome to my blog about cosplay! If you’re new to this hobby, cosplay is when people dress up as characters from your favourite comics, movies, games and more! As far as hobbies go, cosplay is very diverse and has a lot of amazing aspects to it. It’s definitely one of those hobbies where you do you; it can be as casual or as serious as you want it to be. You’re totally in control of how you make the most of it and enjoy it. Whether you’re a newbie, a curious parent or a seasoned cosplayer, this post aims to highlight some of the basics of cosplay and how to get involved! Menu The ..read more

How was your 2018? I’m looking forward to 2019! Outside of cosplay my life pretty much fell to bits this year, which in turn impacted my enthusiasm and productivity. But that’s how life goes isn’t it? The optimist in me thinks, “it wouldn’t be interesting if things went smoothly all the time!”, while the cynic thinks.. well, stuff I’d rather not repeat here. Hah! Despite a rocky year, here are some of my cosplay highlights!    Events I attended less events than I usually do. I appeared at Anime Go! and Rai-Con Spring as a guest and attended EXP-0, SunnyC ..read more

Hello! Welcome to my blog! If we haven’t met before, my name is Exelia and this is a little corner of the internet where I like to talk about cosplay! This website is finally back with a nice shiny update and lots of new content – I hope you enjoy exploring and reading everything I have to share! My Profile is much more streamlined and the Costume Gallery has been completely overhauled. Each costume has a gallery to browse, with detailed Construction Notes & Construction Galleries explaining material choices, techniques, personal critique and progress ima ..read more

Happy new year everyone! Over the winter holidays, I helped my good friend Lauren with a new video project for her new cosplay-centric YouTube Channel, Cosplay Life! The first project is an overview of Shopping in Tokyo. During a recent visit to Japan, Lauren captured some footage around different districts in different stores to highlight what is available for cosplayers, whether it’s buying premade costumes, picking up accessories or looking for supplies to make your own costumes – there’s a little bit of everything for cosplay enthusiasts covered! Shopping in Tokyo is a four part serie ..read more