Makeup Siren’s New Bollywood Steampunk Look!
A few months ago we were able to get a sneak peek of a work in progress by cosplay icon Ariel Dixon, A.K.A Makeup Siren. Her new look, a follow up to her much lauded Bollywood Steampunk cosplay, features bright colors, handmade jewelry, and a pair of Hot Rod Burningman Goggles from SteampunkGoggles.com. With her new look complete she shared some details and some photos of her newest creation with us.
“This look differs from my first one in so many ways. With my first Bollywood Steampunk look I wanted the jewelry to stand out the most so the clothing ended up being very simple. This time I focused less on the jewelry and more on clothing detail. I also wanted to use a bold color this time around, something more uplifting than the normal Steampunk colors. Red is a very popular color in Indian clothing so I revolved my whole look to complement that color.”
Her first look, which went viral back in 2013, was inspired by Makeup Siren’s love of Indian culture and fashion. This cosplay, meant to be the same character, continues the character’s story. “It’s a new version of my character’s travel clothing. I call this look the Sand Rider. For me the sari is one of the most important pieces of my costume. The sari from my last look was plain and didn’t stand out as much and I wanted this sari to have more detail. The fabric needed to be the perfect red color and have the right finish to match. I finally found it and it happened to be the kind of fabric used to make bathing suits.”
Makeup Siren is known for putting intricate details in her cosplays and this look was no exception. “I added a small flower to the end of the sari (called the Pallava) and studded each flower with gold studs. Then I hand-sewed each flower in place. I sewed about 60 flowers in all. It was very time consuming but well worth the look. I also decide to add brown leather gloves, a brown leather belt to hold my gun, and keys to the look give it that industrial feel.”
Her jewelry, which was featured in our special sneak peek, has gone through some changes and evolved along with the rest of the costume. “I added two arm bracelets and a hair clip to my jewelry set. I used the same bronze colored gears as the rest of the jewelry, but I found an industrial plate charm that I used as the foundation for them. I also create a charm out of gears to hang from the plate charm.”
When we first approached Makeup Siren about her first Bollywood Steampunk look she had mentioned that a pair of goggles on the site had caught her eye. Those goggles now feature prominently in the design. “The goggles have a flower-like design on the side that goes well with my jewelry, The color of the goggles themselve are similar to the main color of the costume, and they have a leather strap which i incorporated as well. These goggles was meant for me! I’m very happy with how the look came out overall!”
Get a pair of Hot Rod Burningman Goggles here