Monday 22 September 2014

Make the most of Free Shipping this Halloween

Like most of you I have already started trawling the net for some Halloween bargains.  Living in New Zealand - so far away from everything; one of the deciding factors for me when purchasing a product is how much the Shipping is going to cost.

This Halloween my son wants to be a mad scientist.  For him this means a white lab coat with blood splatters and slime residue and some steampunk goggles. 
 

AmazonGlobal free shipping to New Zealand

I quite often get lead to the Amazon.com website one way or another.  But it is interesting to note that in the past they had included New Zealand in their AmazonGlobal free shipping policy (which allowed you to spend over $125 to qualify for free shipping).  This is no longer the case.  So for me personally - say I wanted an item costing US $40, I would have to pay roughly $100 for Shipping!  Ouch.

eBay Global shipping to New Zealand

Actually the shipping rates on eBay are quite reasonable, one example I saw was a Superman t-shirt costing NZ $26, the shipping cost came to US $13.  So this is reasonable.

Halloween Discounts

There are loads and loads of websites of course that sell products.  CostumeBox in Australia allows free shipping to New Zealand if you spend over $69.  However they do have a Halloween promotion where if you spend $80 you get 25% off using code TRICK25.  Otherwise if there was a specific product like a children's white lab coat costing AUD $23.99 there is a low flat shipping rate of AUD $9.99. That's good value considering they are just over the ditch.  All shipping within Australia is Free!
 
Halloween Free shipping

Pinky Paradise are the experts for all your circle lens needs.

 

AliExpress free shipping - CHEAPEST IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!

There are 100s and 100s of great bargains to be had at AliExpress.  One of the reasons being that they are selling at wholesale.  I have started buying a few things from here.  The main reason being the Free Shipping.  This suits my budget, I can add the items into my wishlist and I get an email as soon as they are on sale and Bam!

Please visit AliExpress today to take advantage of Free Shipping!



Happy Cosplaying!

Sunday 7 September 2014

Tokyo Ghoul perfect for Halloween!

Tokyo Ghoul - 2014's newest and hottest anime sensation.


It is modern day Tokyo, but life is definitely not easy.  Blending in society with humans are cannibalistic Ghouls who look just like humans but watch out if you wander down a dark alley.  There are two gangs of Ghouls however.  One gang who terrorise humans and another who refrain their cannibalistic tendencies and drink blood tainted coffee.  Then there are the Doves who try to maintain order and wipe out the menacing Ghouls. 

Kaneki Ken is a one of a kind Ghoul.  He is half human and half ghoul.  His dream is for all ghouls and humans to get along. 

I just finished watching Episode 10 on AnimeLab and Kaneki Ken has been kidnapped by the Aogiri gang.  I anticipate there will be an all out war as Kaneki Ken's supporters will attempt to rescue him.  I can't wait to see the follow on Episodes!



I think Tokyo Ghoul has some great characters that you can Cosplay for Halloween.  Kaneki Ken wears an eye patch most of the time to hide his Ghoul eye.  However most ghouls get a unique mask made to hide their identities.  To look cool this Halloween you could wear a Cosplay hoodie and team up with some accessories like Kaneki Ken's eye patch or Kaneki Ken's mask.  You can buy some cool circle lenses to create that anime effect at home.  Pinky Paradise have an awesome range of anime lenses.  To create a Ghoul eye effect I would suggest their Super Pinky Bright Red.


Kaneki Ken wears a patch to hide his Ghoul eye
Kaneki Ken - half Ghoul / half human


Episode 10 prior to Kaneki Ken's kidnapping.  For a simple costume wear
a plain coloured hoodie and a gas mask.
Your perfect Tokyo Ghoul Halloween costumes:
Aliexpress have some of the cheapest cosplay fashion and costumes around.  They also offer Free Shipping!

AliExpress.com Product - Plain Hoodie Jumper Sz XS-XXL FREE S&H 112# AliExpress.com Product - Practical MO4 Nuclear War Crisis Series Protector Gas Mask with Elastic Strap for Airsoft AliExpress.com Product - New Arrival Tokyo Ghoul COS Mask - Kaneki Ken Cosplay Mask AliExpress.com Product - New Anime Tokyo Ghoul Kaneki Ken Cosplay Costume PU Leather Halloween costume made any size AliExpress.com Product - New high quatliy Tokyo ghouls Ken Kaneki daily sweater Cosplay Costume suit AliExpress.com Product - Anime Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kirishima Touka Kaneki cosplay costume shirt tie skirt lolita girls uniform set AliExpress.com Product - Anime Tokyo Ghoul Cosplay Costume Kaneki Ken Japanese anime costume cosplay men's long-sleeve hoodie anime cosplay AliExpress.com Product - 2014 Hot sales!Japanese anime Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki 100%Cotton Black Hoodie Costume Cosplay for Halloween AliExpress.com Product - 45% discount (6pcs more) New Anime Tokyo Ghoul Ken Kaneki cosplay eyeshade blinder black butler Ciel eye mask for Halloween

 

HAPPY COSPLAYING!

Wednesday 20 August 2014

World Cosplay Summit 2014 winners

In Nagoya, cosplayers represent 26 countries at the World Cosplay Summit.

World Cosplay Summit 2014

Cosplayers work very hard to create their costumes and re-enact the scenes.  Lots of different textiles are used to create the look of their favourite character.  My favourite winning cosplay was from Team Indonesia.  Mostly because I love Armour in cosplay.  Most armour is made from worbla.  As you can see there is a lot of detail on these costumes.  However as these cosplayers are very young it is possible they had family and friends to collaborate with and create these costumes.

Cyperius Award (best wig) - Team Spain
DoCoMo Award - Team Korea
Joysound Award (best sound effects) - Team Indonesia
Brother Award - Team Denmark
Nico Nico Award (audience awards) - Team Mexico
LIVEDAM Award (best performance) - Team Italy
----------------------------------------­---

3rd Place - Team Indonesia

World Cosplay Summit 2014
From the city of Yogyakarta, Dharma cosplayed as Oda Nobunaga and Ryan was Akechi Samanosuke with a performance from Onimusha 3. 
.

2nd Place - Team Italy

World Summit Cosplay 2014
Nadia and Gabriella play Naegino Sora and Rosetta from Kaleido Star.
 

1st Place - Team Russia (Congrats!)

World Summit Cosplay 2014
Nek and Nichi from Russia win first place as Princess Zelda and Link.
 

These were the winning performances that impressed the judges and audience:

 

Team Russia - First place winner, Princess Zelda and Link cosplay



Team Italy - Second place winner, Kaleido Star cosplay



Team Indonesia - Third place winner, Onimusha 3 cosplay



Get the latest Cosplay Fashion, Tokyo Ghoul - 2014 anime favourite.


AliExpress.com Product - New Arrival Tokyo Ghoul COS Mask - Kaneki Ken Cosplay Mask

AliExpress.com Product - time-limited hot 2014 new anime clothing Tokyo Ghoul active cotton hooded sweater cosplay men and women coat freeshipping

AliExpress.com Product - Japan Animation halloween Tokyo Ghoul COS Kaneki Ken Cosplay black Hoodie Costume Customize

Happy Cosplaying!

Monday 4 August 2014

Why you should play Wildstar and make the most of gameplay

Play one of the more unique and interesting games on the market.





Let's be honest, these days, it seems like every few months we're hearing about some new Massively Multiplayer Onling Role Playing Game (MMORPG) getting ready to be released. Ever since World of Warcraft emerged on the scene and took the gaming world by storm every game developer under the sun has wanted to grab a piece of that MMO pie. Unfortunately, most of these games end up getting rushed out to release and suffer from faults that inevitably lead to their demise. Usually the only salvation for these games is to then go Free-To-Play and add microtransactions which might gain the interest of casual gamers but typically deters hardcore and purist gamers.
 
Well, yet another MMORPG has arrived in the form of WildStar, but unlike those that came before it, WildStar makes the strongest case so far that it's not just a poorly made WoW clone but a true contenter for the MMORPG throne. For starters, the game was developed in part by former employees of Blizzard Entertainment who worked on vanilla World of Warcraft, which many still consider to be the height of MMORPG's. The game has the same level of imagination and wonder in it's environments and character design that you've come to expect from WoW but in a totally different sci-fi universe rather than the traditional fantasy one. Also, unlike WoW which has went from being a rather challenging game in the beginning to being dumbed down repeatedly with each expansion, WildStar has a slightly higher difficulty, giving a real sense of reward when you accomplish things, but increasing the learning curve, especially for newcomers.


 
That said, the games difficulty need not dissuade you from trying the game because the folks over at Zygor Guides, who you may know for their famous in-game leveling guides for World of Warcraft, have already created a full 1-50 WildStar guide that will power level you to level 50 in less than 2 days. The guide installs just like an addon and gives you a detailed step by step walkthrough that you can follow inside of the game. The guide also includes an on-screen 3D Waypoint Arrow that will point you exactly where you need to go and let you know when you have arrived at your destination.  Best of all, the guide can actually sync up with your character and detect your progress as you play, updating itself as you complete goals and automatically moving forward in the guide as you complete each step.

You really have to see it to really get the full impact, so if you're not sure if this leveling guide is right you can download a free trial that covers the first 6 levels of the game. Once you start playing with a Zygor Guide you'll never be able to go without it.



Happy Cosplaying!

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Lionhearted by Porter Robinson features Harajuku fashion and cosplay

Filmed in LA - Elleanor who operates a Harajuku fashion blog from Tokyo features in Porter Robinson's latest music video.


Elleanor's latest vlog:



At just 19 years of age Elleanor has travelled from Japan to LA to feature in and style the Harajuku models in the music video.  A wonderful opportunity and a great opportunity to promote Harajuku fashion in the US.

Elleanor works in the heart of Harajuku in two fashion shops.  She is a great ambassador for Japan and is influencing the Harajuku fashion trend currently growing.

Porter Robinson is a DJ and producer from the US who began producing at the age of 12.  His first official release was in 2010 "Say my Name" which was a No.1 on the house charts.  He then released an EP Spitfire which also reached No.1 in the house and dance charts.  In early 2013 he released the single "Easy" which came with an animated video:



The video follows a pop star by the name of Maki. She ignores her manager's attempts to contact her, and then she leaves her apartment complex on a motorcycle, with a large duffel bag. After she has driven a certain distance onto the highway out of the city, she activates it, which causes what would appear to be a large expanding dome of light, possibly an explosion. She calmly and happily waits for the dome to catch up with her after it has consumed the city, and is then floating in a white void in a different art style. Then she appears riding a bicycle amid peaceful scenery matching a photo seen earlier in the video. The video contains many references to the classic anime film Akira. Some are visual, such as the light paths left by motorcycles, but there is at least one plot reference in the form of the explosion that consumes the city.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_(Mat_Zo_%26_Porter_Robinson_song)

Worlds is his first studio made album.



Visit iTunes to download Worlds by Porter Robinson:



Japanese Street Fashion

 


 
 

Happy Cosplaying!

Tuesday 27 May 2014

The Walking Dead's Chandler Riggs - cosplay character profile

The Walking Dead - 

Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes

The Walking Dead


Character's name - Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes

Featured In - Walking Dead, TV series about a virus that takes over Earth and causes people to become human-eating Zombies.  Carl Grimes is played by Chandler Riggs.  Chandler Riggs attended the 2013 Florida SuperCon.  Riggs was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Gina Ann (Carlton) and William Riggs.

He started working on The Walking Dead at the tender age of 10.  In 2012 and 2013, he was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor for his role on the show.

As well as The Walking Dead his other roles include:
Home Invasion (2014) - currently in filming about a family who become imprisoned in their own home by intruders who play a life-and-death game in which the mysterious rules become clear as the night unfolds.
Mercy (2014) - about a single mom and her two boys help take care of their grandmother with mystical powers.
Terminus (2011) - On a journey through post-apocalyptic Atlanta, a young woman struggles to protect her brother while coping with her father's death.
The Wronged Man (2010) - about Janet Gregory, a single mother with a haunting past, is a paralegal struggling to overcome doubts about Calvin Willis, an African-American husband and father wrongfully accused of raping a neighbourhood girl.
Get Low (2009) - A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive.
Jesus H. Zombie (2006) -  4 years before TWD Chandler Riggs has this role:
             

...obviously in training for TWD!

He also featured in a documentary Hollywood Ramblings at TFW (Texas Frightmare Weekend) 2013

A brief interview back in May 2013 below states his career started after he attended community theatre with his parents.  Since his career took over - he has been home schooled.




The trailer for Terminus:



Weapons - His weapon of choice is a pistol with a silencer.  The Beretta 92FS with the aluminium baseball bat silencer/suppressor, and the Browning BDA he took from Daryl's motorcycle.
  
The Beretta with silencer is Carl's primary weapon, used when stealth is required. Carl doesn't have a holster for this pistol. He just carries it.

The silencer is roughly handmade - simply used to muffle gunshots so as not to alert walkers.  For the purposes for cosplay - it simply has to look genuine.


Carl Grimes main weapon
Carl Grimes' revolver taken from the RV

Carl Grimes main weapon
Carl Grimes' Browning PDA pistol
Carl Grimes main weapon
Carl Grimes' Beretta 92FS with baseball bat silencer
Carl Grimes main weapon
Carl Grimes' Beretta 92FS without the silencer

The Browning BDA is Carl's backup weapon.  Carl keeps the Browning with him at all times. Carl carries the pistol in a tactical holster similar to this Blackhawk Omega VI Ultra Holster.

 He also took a revolver from the RV (they used a mould from a Bruni Olympic 6 revolver as he was very young during filming).  He did not keep it.



(get an autographed Chandler Riggs "Carl Grimes" Beretta 92FS)

Hair - brown hair, a mussed up layered pageboy style with a side fringe.

Chandler Riggs

Carl Grimes
 
Chandler Riggs
 
Eyes - I'm pretty sure he has blue eyes, although sometimes they look green.
Costume - Carl Grimes wears a Science Dog t-shirt along with an open plaid western shirt.  Normally he's wearing brown trousers or a pair of demin jeans.  He wears the CDH calvary hat with fobs.  You could use any brown cowboy hat and modify it.


Carl Grimes hat
Carl Grimes / Chandler Riggs - The Walking Dead
Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl Grimes maroon hoodie
 
Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl Grimes cosplay

Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl Grimes cosplay

Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl Grimes cosplay

Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl Grimes cosplay
 

(a popular t-shirt!  I hope they print some more!  An alternative is this Stooble Walking Dog t-shirt.  It has no cuffs and has a blood splatter on the graphic)



(Over time Carl has worn a few different outfits.  I guess depending on what clothes he finds out scavenging.  The medal featured on his maroon hoodie is a NATO Iraqi Sudan Afganistan mini medal)

Personality and background - Carl is Lori and Rick Grimes' son and Judith's elder brother. Upon learning of his father's shooting days before the outbreak, he is devastated. When the outbreak begins, Shane and Lori take him to the supposed safe zone in Atlanta. On the way there, he is told that his father is dead, and he gradually began to accept it.  
 
In season one, after they set up camp with other survivors on the outskirts of Atlanta, Carl begins to look at Shane as a father figure, as he does various activities with him such as fishing. Carl appears to be oblivious to Shane and Lori's ongoing sexual relationship. When Rick returns, Carl is overjoyed and Lori restricts Carl's interactions with Shane. After walkers overrun the campsite, killing and injuring many quarry survivors, Carl and the group travel to the CDC, where they enjoy the facility's amenities. Following the CDC's destruction, they start traveling again.
 
Carl Grimes cosplayCarl Grimes cosplay
 
 In season two, Carl is shown to be yearning for more responsibility within the group, such as helping to scavenge for supplies. While searching for the missing Sophia, he is shot and wounded by a man named Otis, who leads them to a nearby farm. The owner, Hershel Greene, operates and saves his life. While in recovery, he begins to develop a colder mindset, which worries Lori. This new mindset continues to develop following the reveal of Sophia as a walker. He denies the idea of heaven and shows disrespect towards his elders.  In the season's penultimate episode, Carl saves his father by shooting Shane, who had become a walker.  His gunshot attracts a horde of walkers and so the group is ultimately driven off the farm.

Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl Grimes cosplay

In season three, six to seven months later, Carl has evolved into a child soldier of sorts; he has grown more proficient with weapons, and has adapted a more mature demeanor, as well as a more responsible role within the group. He has grown distant from Lori and shows a developing crush on Hershel's seventeen-year-old daughter, Beth. After watching his mother die while giving birth via C-section, a distraught Carl shoots her per her request to prevent reanimation. While Rick, Oscar, Daryl and Michonne head out to attack Woodbury, Carl is left in charge of protecting the others inside of the prison. Upon the arrival of Tyreese's group, he takes the initiative to lock them all out of his cell block.


Carl Grimes cosplay
Carl kills a teenage boy 
In the finale, Carl kills a teenage member of The Governor's army, who failed to drop his gun, despite professing to surrender, when the boy stepped closer to Carl, Hershel (who was unarmed), and infant Judith. Carl tells Rick he did not want to take his chances by letting someone else live who could potentially kill someone in their group; he brings up how he did not kill the walker on the farm that killed Dale and how Rick's decision to not kill Andrew and The Governor resulted in the deaths of Lori and Merle, respectively. Carl also appears angered by Rick's decision to take in Woodbury's remaining survivors, who generally appear to be less able-bodied. In season 4 Carl has turned to farming along with his father, Rick tries to encourage Carl to be a kid, but Carl hardened by what he's seen and done is reluctant to do so.


Carl Grimes cosplay
Carole at Storytime
He does go to "Storytime" that is hosted by Carol which turned out to be teaching the kids how to use weapons when needed. He tells his father. After an infection breaks out in the prison Rick lets him carry a gun again. In the mid season finale he tells Daryl he has a clear shot on The Governor, but Daryl tells him to not take the shot as a firefight would break out. During the fight he saves his father before finding his sister's carrier empty and bloody. Devastated Rick and Carl leave the prison as walkers invade with Rick telling Carl, "Don't look back."


Carl Grimes cosplay
Rick and Carl leave the prison behind "Don't look back"
After the attack, Rick and Carl found a house in a neighborhood. Carl feels like he doesn't need Rick anymore and starts scolding him about how he wanted to plant vegetables and hide while The Governor knew where they were. He goes on to state that he never forgot how to survive while it happened. He is later seen luring 2 walkers away from the house to kill them somewhere where noise won't attract other walkers. He successfully lures them away but encounters a third walker and nearly gets killed. He goes to a house and discovers another walker in one of the rooms. The walker nearly kills him but Carl gets away losing his shoe in the process. He eats pudding he found in the house while sitting on the roof. He later returns to the house and Rick rises from a couch being used to block the door from walkers. Thinking that Rick is dead, he raises his gun at Rick, only to cry saying that he is scared. The next day, as they are sitting near the couch, they hear a knock on the door. It is revealed to be Michonne after she found the pudding that Carl ate the day before. Rick looks at the door and says it's for Carl.

Carl lures walkers, gets into strife
Carl Grimes cosplay
Pudding on the roof
While Rick stays back at the house to recover, Carl and Michonne set out on a supply run where they further their bond, and Carl learns that Michonne once mothered a son. They return from their supply run to find Rick fleeing the house due to it becoming occupied by a hostile group of men. Carl accompanies Rick and Michonne on foot until they come by a train car with a sign attached which points out a sanctuary known as Terminus. Rick decides to travel towards it. On the way there, they are confronted by the hostile group who now have Daryl in their employ. Daryl retaliates against the hostile group, and the confrontation quickly escalates. During the ensuing fight, a man attempts to rape Carl, but is stopped and killed by Rick.


Carl Grimes cosplay
Man attempts to rape Carl
Carl, Rick, Daryl and Michonne continue to follow the tracks, eventually reaching Terminus. Rick decides to have his group sneak into the compound to avoid detection, remaining cautious of its current residents. They find the Terminus members in a broadcasting room, and are greeted by Gareth, the apparent leader. Gareth escorts Rick's group to the courtyard where other Terminus members are situated. Rick notices a Terminus resident in possession of Glenn's watch and quickly deduces that something is wrong. He draws his weapon and demands to know where Glenn and the other people from the prison are. Gareth has his men open fire on Rick's group and strategically rounds them up to a train car. Rick, Carl, Michonne and Daryl are forced to drop their weapons and step into the train car where they are held prisoner. Inside, they are reunited with prison group survivors - Glenn, Maggie and Sasha, along with new group members - Tara, Abraham, Eugene and Rosita.

Arrive at Terminus
Reunited inside a container at Terminus





I am so excited for Season 5!  Here is an interesting video about the Season 5 cast and storyline predictions:


 

Happy Cosplaying!

Back from the Dead! Introducing Brioni Faith - Industrial Cyber Artist

Back from the Dead!  Introducing Brioni Faith. If it looked like I vanished off the Earth - that is because I took a couple of years off b...