Category: movies and culture

Easy Manga Halloween costumes

~ Emmie Reve ~ 3 Comments

So this year, I wanted to do a low fuss halloween costume.  For those of you that know me…low key is not usually what I am known for during Halloween.  As a fan of cosplay, over the years, on a most costume fussy night such as Halloween, I have been such things as a zombie cheerleader, day of the dead sugar skull, Poison Ivy, Queen of Hearts, a Witch, a nurse, woodland Faerie, and “Kyo” from Blackbird just to name a few.  So ya, I like me the costumes.  But when fall hit this year, my desire to go over the top was curbed by a keen realization: being someone other than yourself can be as simple as wearing different make-up and clothes, and having a different mind set.  And I have always been a fan of the unassuming, hidden horror that came from the manga character Tomie.  On the surface she appears as a normal pretty asian girl, but her ability to haunt and entrap men into dark obsession is what makes Tomie truly fearful.

Tomie is a curious monstrosity and freak girl created by Japanese manga artist Junji Ito–one of my fave manga artists.  I give him total props for thinking up and drawing out this female horror icon.  In his series of horror stories, Tomie is an eternally youthful, pretty girl who mentally tortures and manipulates vulnerable men, until they ultimately “snap”, and in a fit of possession/obsession, murder her in often gruesome ways.  To her victims’ horror, no matter how violent her death (such as being chopped up into hundreds of pieces), she always regenerates in twisted haunted ways, always remaining tempting and attractive, until she gets killed again.  It’s hard to explain the premise, but you gotta read the mangas and see Ito’s artwork to be truly drawn in.  In Japan, Tomie is famous for having spawned many B movies and such.  Forget Freddie Kruger, and Jason Vorheses, Tomie has gotten them beat.  A monster in a youthful Asian girl.

A coloured manga cover depicting a typical Tomie pose. Demure and threatening underneath.
A coloured manga cover depicting a typical Tomie pose. Demure and threatening underneath.
This is how Tomie regenerates and reproduces herself after being murdered, She can grow from severed member of her body until she has many evil copies of herself. Creepy.
This is how Tomie regenerates and reproduces herself after being murdered, She can grow from any severed member of her body until she has many evil copies of herself. Creepy.

For my costume homage to Tomie, I already have her bangs and long hair…so it is not a hard costume for me at all!  The make-up I did for Tomie was simple.  Lashes was key.  Two coats of mascara top and bottom lashes.  Liquid liner in inky black was also key in making her bold slanted eyes.  I drew the top liquid liner on a slant, making it thicker and higher in angle near the outer corners of my eyes.  The signature mole that Tomie has under her left eye was created with liner and was enough to set the look.  And I looked for any girly clothes that can be seen as something Japanese girls wear.  I really liked my results.  I felt like the evil Tomie all Halloween night!  What fun.

Tomie as a school girl, is one of the ways she appears in the series!
Tomie as a school girl, is one of the ways she appears in the series!
Do I bear a resemblance to the evil freak girl Tomie?
Do I bear a resemblance to the evil freak girl Tomie?

Movie inspiration: Makeup from the “Flowers of War”

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

I’m not very political.  Well, not from being shamefully ignorant of current everyday world matters, but by choice.  I am individualistic, and things that move me are personal and internal.  But I recently watched a movie called The Flowers of War, which came out in 2011 about the atrocity that was the Japanese occupation of China in 1937 during WWII in the city Nanking. There was a lot of violence and rape during this invasion, and the Japanese Imperial Army was painted as sub-human, and most heinous in this movie, attacking the innocent civilian women of China with dehumanizing rape and murder. Any female was a target, even school children… The premise of the movie is that women from the two most farthest social groups: school girls 13 years of age and prostitutes from the red light district, are thrust together while hiding out in a Swiss Catholic Cathedral, trying to keep their lives, while being led and aided by an American posing to be a priest.  It’s based on terrible events, but one that needs to be heard.  My family background is Chinese, and it hurts me deeply to learn about how savage the attack was on the city of Nanking.  Without putting too much blame on the Japanese, I still can’t believe how one Asian nation can rape and pillage another Asian nation with such ferocity and dis-compassion.  I will forever be scarred knowing this war actually happened.

But politics aside, I really loved the fashion and make-up in this movie. The actresses playing the prostitutes in this film really “brought it” in terms of vintage Chinese make-up and fashion.  The times were sad, but the visual feel of these glamorous women were not.  If Western culture is guilty of objectifying and overly feminizing Eastern cultures in the past, this movie totally justifies it.  So many beautiful Chinese actresses, so much wonderful fashion and make up looks.  I examined the looks in this movie and was inspired to create my own modern day Chinese prostitute make-up to beguile and enchant here in present day North America.

The hookers were well spoken and smart in this movie, without sacrificing their femininity.
The hookers were well spoken and smart in this movie, without sacrificing their femininity.  Look at their gorgeous make-up palette!  Minimal, but so striking.
Ni Ni as Yu Mo in The Flowers of War (2011).
Nothing dreary about the colourful fashion of the times. The star actress Ni Ni wears this vintage dress with the confidence only a real lady can possess.

How I made my version of the look:

1.  Thin eyebrows. Vintage Chinese make-up had the thinnest eyebrows possible, lined to perfection.  Update it by perfectly grooming your brows, a bit on the skinny side.  Not a hair should be out of place.  Line and fill with brow shadow.

2.  Thin and exaggerated black liquid liner on the top eyelid.  Make it fluid, make it thin and as pointed high as you can go, without looking too pronounced or prostitute like.  After all, we want to be inspired, but we don’t want to look like a 1940’s hooker.

3. Lightly line the bottom eyelid or skip altogether.  I still want to line the bottom, even though in the movie, the bottom eyelid looked bare and bright.  I think bottom lining is important to make your eyes pop.  But lightly line so that the star of the show is the top lid’s liquid liner.

4.  Minimalist eye shadow.  This is important…because the star of this make-up is the exaggerated liquid liner, the eye shadow should be barely noticeable, but still important, to create a look of polished elegance.  I used a slightly tan shadow on my top lids to give warmth while staying true to this vintage look.

5.  Red, red lipstick. Or tinted red lip balm.  Whatever you are comfy with!

6.  What do you think?

This is my take on this movie inspired make-up.  Not as amazingly stunning as Ni Ni’s, but passably pretty for day to day?