Cosplay is as varied and intense as the simple action of putting on your makeup; there are a lot of ways to do it, depending on what kind of look, event, and overall finished product you are going for. So, when you see a cosplayer walking around with their A-game on and you catch yourself thinking ‘they’re no different than the next one’, think again. Every cosplayer has their own secret to making it last; each has their own origin story.

We had the chance to speak to some of the best names in the industry to hear their tips, tricks and stories – from building that first suit of armour to pulling off the perfect eyebrow.

Ivy Doomkitty

Though blessed with an intense amount of physical va-voom that puts her right up there with film noir sex symbols, Ivy is more well-known for her body positivity and support for cosplayers of all shapes, sizes, colours and creeds.

What kind of advice does she give to cosplayers about picking characters to dress as, who might be concerned about whether or not they look like that character? "Honestly, just be yourself," she says. "Have fun with it. At least, what I like to do is to make a list of all the different characters that I like – that I enjoy from childhood and just growing up. And I pick characters that I feel passionate towards. Do I look like them? No. But it’s fine. You take a concept and you run with it. At the end of the day it’s art; it’s you expressing your love for the character, and it’s you having fun. Don’t let others dictate what makes you happy. Don’t let others dictate how you perceive yourself."

Cosplay is an art, and so are Ivy’s eyebrows. She uses Benefit’s Brow Zings – a combination of wax and powder – to make them pop, but the shape is a natural one. "I started waxing my brows at a young age; it’s at a point now where I don’t need to wax them at all: they just grow this way! And then I just fill them in to darken them, because I really like the darker eyebrow."

Riddle

The globe trodden Riddle knows how to travel, but there’s something about Canadian cons that she loves most, especially since she’s a Canadian herself. "They’re really well run," Riddle confided. "Everybody’s so polite. I don’t know how to describe it; everyone’s just so awesome. But it is honestly – anytime you’re at a con the geek community is just awesome in general."

Her tips and tricks for travelling on planes with unwieldy props and delicate armour are invaluable. "With sculpted and fragile pieces, I will actually carry them on," she says, "so that way they don’t get crushed. One trick you can do is put a little PVC bracket cage in your checked bag and pack around that, so then if the bag does get compressed the PVC will stop that."

"With Delta [Airlines], golf bags have no weight limit, so you can pack a ton of stuff in a golf bag. Also, if you put a weapon into a gun case and say it's a gun or a bow, it’s not considered oversize baggage, it’s considered regular baggage."

Finally, if you’re ever travelling with a strange costume or suspicious weapon-like props, Riddle advises that you always put in a picture of the full costume and a letter stating its purpose. "It’s tough. I always used to get stopped by customs!"

Monika Lee

During our interview with Riddle, Monika Lee shouted "We’re a gay couple!" from the background. Boisterous and friendly, it was our second time meeting Monika, and she has yet to disappoint. If you ever see her at a convention, don’t be shy about saying hello. She might look angry but, as Monika told us, she is one of the many victims of the ‘Resting Bitch Face’. "I have to work extra hard to look happy, because I was just born this way."

Despite her status as a student, she still finds time to head out to conventions and meet her fans (often with Riddle, her good friend). She travels so much she often has a hard time keeping track where on the globe she is. "Generally I know what part of the world I’m going in, but sometimes I’m like, where are we, in relation to this country? I’m ignorant."

She recently went to Manila, and had a great time seeing the convention world from the Asian perspective. She also put Abu Dhabi on the travel docket, and she swore she wouldn’t do a repeat performance of Carrie in Sex and the City 2.

A first generation American, she has roots in central Canada, including Montreal. "My dad’s side of the family has a noodle company in Chinatown. Wing Noodles – that’s the Lee family! If only my grandpa could see me now! He would be horrified. I’m the worst noodle royalty ever."

Nathan DeLuca

Quite cruelly, we asked Nathan who was nicer – Calgarians or Edmontonians. Wisely, he chose not to answer and, really, when it comes to being nice, Nathan DeLuca takes the cake. His smile didn’t slip from his face once.

Men are rare in the world of well-known cosplayers, but Nathan didn’t find the field to be less friendly towards him at all. What was it like, moving up in the scene? "Unexpected. It was never my intention nor my plan, but honestly it has been nice. I’ve just been going with the flow. Everything so far has been a happy sort of accident. I walked in with no expectations and the fact this is happening still blows my mind. I never expected it to be a job."

He started coming to cons as a guest about a year ago, and has been added to the roster exponentially since then. Starting out in the hobby he relied a lot on the Internet for help with costuming; RPF.com was a great resource, as well as good old fashioned trial and error. "I went to a con in my first set of armour and I realized I loved it. It wasn’t good armour, by any means: craft foam, and it tore about some 30-odd times. I would look down and something would be ripped in half. But since then, things have gotten much easier and more enjoyable."