We are about to go on a costuming journey of make-up and outfits that will change the fantasy into reality…

NERDSOCIETY.COM: Thanks for taking the time to interview with us at NERDSociety.com, would you be so kind as to state your name? Stage name? Where are you from?

LOPTI: My name is Lopti, and I come from the United States!

NS: What was it that got you into costuming? How did the “light bulb” go off telling you, ‘this is what I want to do?’ Were you introduced into costuming by someone? Do you make your own costumes or do you acquire them from other means?

LOPTI: I have always loved costumes, but my real love for cosplay took off when I was 13 and attended my first Renaissance Festival. I fell in love with the music, the food, the dancing, but most of all, the costumes! And right then, I knew I wanted to be involved. I started small, working with my mom to make peasant dresses, gypsy skirts and princess dresses. But my costume collection slowly grew into something much more, and I branched out into the comic book world!
I still work with my mom to make the mass majority of my costumes, though I have commissioned a few.

NS: What does cosplaying mean to you? Is it something fun that you do for personal enjoyment? OR is it something that you do for other reasons?

LOPTI: Cosplay is all about the fun to me. I love having the ability to “become” another person or mythical being. Making a new costume is such a thrill to me, and I’m always so excited to try on that character’s personality for a day.

On Individual costumes.

NS: Let’s start “light,” you portrayed a character so far out of reach of comics and Anime that I just have to ask. Why Audrey Hepburn? Is she a person that you look up to? How did you feel being her? What went into putting the costume together?

LOPTI: Honestly, my Audrey costume fell into my lap! I love shopping in vintage stores, and when I found the dress, I couldn’t help but think it looked just like something she would wear. I bought it to wear to dinner on a cruise I was taking, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought it needed to be put to use in my costuming. Audrey’s sophisticated class has always been something I admire, so I began to gather adornments to make my own rendition of Holly Golightly. I think it came together well, and it was a blast to cosplay. And I want to give a huge thank you to my photographer, Katelin Kinney, for making the pictures come to life!

NS: Tell us about “The Last Unicorn” I’ve never seen anything so amazing, it is as though an artist put you in professional make up and accessories on a movie stage. Where did you acquire the ears and horn? What went into putting such an amazing look together?

LOPTI: I love fantasy stories, and The Last Unicorn was a dear part of my upbringing. When I got into costuming, I knew that eventually I would like to recreate my own version of Lady Amalthea. Even though she did not have a horn when in human form, I wanted to display the magic of her inner unicorn, and decided to add the horn in anyway.
The horn came from Firefly Path – a wonderful costuming shop on Etsy – and the ears are from Aradani Studios, where I purchase all of my elf ears!

NS: The “Night Elf” AND “Dark Elf.” Now that is a lot of make-up! What does that feel like, being encased in the oils and pigments for a long period of time? What kind of “fun” is it to remove at the end of an outing? For both costumes, what went into putting them together; both are amazing!

LOPTI: I actually love being all painted up. It’s a lot of fun! I use high quality paints from Mehron, so they’re not greasy or oily in the least, which makes the whole process a lot better. No smears – no mess – just fun. 🙂 But the taking OFF process can be a nightmare, depending on the color of paint. The purple for the Night Elf comes off fairly easily, but the Drow is a completely different story. It takes at least an hour long shower to scrub all the black off, and I’m typically out of warm water within 30 minutes… so lots of cold, cold scrubbing. And even then, once I get out of the shower, I always end up finding more black. But it’s worth it for such a dynamic costume!

NS: Rumpelstiltskin / Mr. Gold—you look just like him….well, almost. The make-up, the costume…there are a ton of fans of “Once Upon a Time,” what made you want to play the character (except for the obvious reasons)? What went into putting the costume together and preparing the make-up? What kind of comments did you get while playing the character?

LOPTI: Haha! Thanks! He was a blast to play. I knew I wanted to cosplay him pretty much as soon as I started watching Once Upon a Time. His character is so complex and captivating – you just can’t help but love him. Not to mention, his costumes are absolutely amazing! It took 80 hours of work to complete his costume, and the makeup/hair, take about an hour and a half to get ready every time.
I actually wore his costume on my first time attending DragonCon. I walked around with an old fashioned scroll and quill pen and went around asking people if they wanted to make a deal with Rumple. I got SO many signatures on that scroll, and it will forever be a cherished keep-sake from DragonCon.

NS: Mystique—WOW! Now, that is amazing! Please tell us about the make-up process, putting it on and taking it off—time, feeling, everything, just “bare” it all on this make-up experience. What went into the costume itself? Although this version is from the movie “1st Class” what is your personal interest with the character throughout X-Men and Marvel?

LOPTI: Mystique is my favorite cosplay I have done so far. It takes two hours to do the face makeup each time, but it’s totally worth it. I start off with a base coat of Steel Blue face paint from Mehron, covering my entire face. Then I used “Extra Flesh” to mold each and every scale separately and attach them to my face with a prosthetics adhesive called “Fixative A.” After it dries, I add another coat of blue paint over the top. Then, I use a darker blue paint, and paint it onto the scales with a paintbrush. I also use the darker blue to accent the lips and highlight the eyes. After everything is dry, I spray on “Barrier Spray” to set the paint in place.

I actually have an entire YouTube video about this process, which you can find here: 

The costume was made from scratch by my mom and me. It took about 60 hours to complete, and fits like a glove! 🙂
Mystique is actually one of my favorite comic book characters of all time. Again, she’s very complex, which draws me to her. Even though she is misguided, she believes that what she is doing is in the interest of mutants like her, and she will do anything to try and achieve that. She’s passionate and driven, and I like that in a character.

NS: What were (are) some of your own favorite costumes; feel free to tell us your thoughts on them?

LOPTI: Mystique is by far my favorite costume, though I also love my recent Galadriel costume. Though it’s simple, there’s something so magical about being the Lady of Light herself. And I will always have a special place in my heart for Loki, as he was my first costume to truly be noticed! I love playing Jotun Loki, as well, since I get to use a bit of my own imagination for it.
I’m really looking forward to two of my upcoming costumes: Selene from underworld and a Draenei from World of Warcraft. I think they’re both going to be phenomenal, so I hope everyone checks in on my page to see the updates!

NS: Have you had any thoughts on cosplaying a character from…let’s say…An Anime, not everyone is into Anime, but being a fan myself, I thought I should ask?

LOPTI: In the near future, I will be cosplaying Android 18 from DragonBall Z! I’m excited about that one, as well. I’ve also considered doing Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle.

NS: I saw a lot of Doctor Who related photos on your Facebook; who was your first Doctor? EX: Mine was Tom Baker in the 80’s, I used to watch the show with my Mom; however, my favorite is Christopher Eccleston.

LOPTI: Nine (Christopher Eccleston) was my first! And I quickly fell in love. Though, I must admit that Ten (David Tennant) is my favorite.

NS: Does it get to you when there are shows that portray “backstabbing and hate” in cosplay instead of focusing on why people do it in the first place? Isn’t it about the creation of the costume and being able to play your favorite characters?

LOPTI: Yes, and I try not to watch anything that promotes that attitude. There is no “winner” in cosplay. We’re all in it together, for fun! It’s not a contest, and I really wish people could understand that and not make it about how many likes they get. Just enjoy it, and you’ll be so much happier!

NS: What advice would you give for aspiring cosplayers?

LOPTI: Start slow and work your way up. Your first costume doesn’t have to be a full set of armor. Start with things you know you can make, and gain new skills as you go along.
Experiment: One thing that I found helpful with my makeup experiments was to make a video of what I did. That way, I could look back and see what I could improve, and also, having the camera rolling was enough pressure to help me not give up in the middle of a trial. It pushed me through it, and I’m so glad I didn’t give up when I was first trying Mystique!
And above all else, have fun! Just enjoy yourself and get to know other geeks who enjoy geeking out over the same things you do! It’s much more fun that way. 🙂

NS: Outside of Cosplaying, what are some interests you have? Music, Movies, Anime, etc…, do you collect anything?

LOPTI: I love music–SO much. My husband is a professional pianist, so I’m lucky to have my own in-house musician. ^_~ I love super hero movies, fantasy movies, and fantasy books. Some of my favorite TV shows are Doctor Who, The Big Bang Theory, X-Files, Eureka, and Downton Abbey. I collect ancient coins. And I’m a huge lover of animals. I have two cats named Wicket and Tesla. Wicket is my best buddy – he’s always with me! My favorite animals are owls, penguins and cockatoos. Yes – I love big birds. 🙂

For more information on Lopti’s cosplay visit the following pages:

To find Lopti on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Lopti.somelikeitblue

Katelin Kinney Photography:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katelin-Kinney-Photography/286893378018968

Siffy of The Sisters Mischief:  https://www.facebook.com/TheSistersMischief

Leah Kelley Photography:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leah-Kelley-Photography/134345536643665

We, the crew of NERDSociety.com would like to thank Lopti for sharing her cosplay/costuming experience with us—I’m personally fascinated by the make-up work, its amazing to go so far to the point where it is professional quality. The costumes speak for themselves—looking forward to Selene, should be cool.

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