Construction Details:

I am such a big fan of Mass Effect. Liara is my favorite character in the game, and I decided to take on the challenge of making a latex mask for her tentacle headpiece.

I used a soft dark green microsuede paired with a waffle textured cotton fabric for the dress and black satin ribbon for the trim. The waffle fabric parts are backed with white PVC vinyl, which give it an extra subtle glow and the gloves are also made of the white PVC fabric with the waffle textured fabric on the inside of the top cuff. I used these fabrics together to try and achieve the oddly textured look of Liara's green dress. The dress closes with a hidden zipper in the front, which is covered by a flap in the front of the dress.

I made the latex headpiece myself. On the Cosplay Cousins Facebook page, I have a gallery of my progress working on this thing if anyone is interested in looking. It was my first attempt at making anything like this, so it isn't perfect! While the headpiece did come out with a few flaws due to rookie mistakes, I am still pretty happy with the results.

I decided to use a foam wig head as the base for this (the one that looks like a man's face) because after measuring several points on my own head, this one matched in size very well. I made a clay sculpture of the Asari head using plasticine clay. The mold was then made using Ultracal 30 and strips of fabric for extra reinforcement. After letting the mold dry for a few days, I began the latex casting process. I used rubber casting latex from The Monster Makers for this. After pouring into the mold and coating all the inside parts, I let it dry for about three days and then peeled it right out of the mold. Lastly, I painted the headpiece with various shades of blue and white latex paints mixed with some acrylics. Voila!

When applying the headpiece to my head, I use liquid latex to attach it to my head, then a few more coats of liquid latex painted over the seam on my forehead. Then, with the help of Tranquility a skin putty from Kryolan was used to blend in the seam of the mask with my skin. You can put makeup over this putty, and it is very easy to work with. I used three different shades of Kryolan Aquacolor makeup to match my face to the mask, and a purple color on my eyes, lips, and cheeks for freckles.

I also made a quick datapad prop using a combination of foamboard, plastic sheeting, and foam sheets cut into shapes. The whole thing is sealed with auto primer and painted with silver spray paint and weathered a bit with black and darker silver acrylic paint, then sealed with a high gloss clear coat. The datapad screen is made of three layers of yellow and orange clear plastic folders.

This costume is not finished yet; it is truly a dream costume of mine that I really want to perfect. I want to make other outfits of Liara's, and also make a second attempt at the latex headpiece. :)

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