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Lord Sesshomaru Costume: Part II

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Make-Up, Claws, Hair, Eyes, & Ears

This is the continuing tutorial on how to make a Lord Sesshomaru Costume. While Part I focused on Sesshomaru's wardrobe, Part II focuses on his Make-Up, Claws, Hair, Eyes, & Ears and how to transform yourself into a Youkai.

If you are coming to this page first, than I suggest that you click on the picture below, to go back to page one of this costume how to.

Click Here To Go Back To Page One:

The Silver Haired Warrior

Here is an interesting challenge for the CosPlayer: Lord Sesshomaru's hair. Now, not knowing how tall he is, it is a bit difficult to say exactly how long his hair is, however knowing that his hair comes to about 3 inches above his ankles (nearly to the ground!) and assuming that his is 5'7" - 5'9" (he is very tall for a Japanese man, and stands 2 or 4 inches taller than any of the other characters in the series), we can come to a rough estimate of the fact that his hair is approximately a whopping 65 inches long!

Long White Vampiress Wig

To realize just how long 65" of hair is, consider this: when you see a woman with long hair, usually her hair will be 15 - 18 inches long, or falling to just above her elbows. Lord Sesshomaru's hair reaches down to his ankles and nearly sweeps the ground as he walks. This guy has got a lot of pretty silver hair to manage. Speaking as a woman with 20-inch long hair myself, I can tell you, that it takes a lot of care to manage long hair, and the longer it gets, the harder it is to care for.

For the CosPlayer who likes to really get into character, here is something to consider: Lord Sesshomaru is a warrior. He fights battles. He can fly. He does a lot of flying. He does a lot of fighting. All that jumping around in battle and than all that flying around in clouds (and clouds are humid), is complete and utter total murder on your hair, and yet, this guy has got the shiniest, smoothest, most perfect, silky smooth, untangled glossy hair the world has ever seen! There's only one answer to that: this guy spends A LOT of time combing, brushing, and washing those lovely silver locks of his, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot, we're talking 4 or 5 hours a day here. Sure, we don't see that in the show or in the books, that'd be boring, but think about it: we've seen him standing there bored out of his mind, twiddling with his hair, while he rolls his eyes as he listens to InuYasha yelling at him, than he flicks his hair in a very Cher-like manner, pulls out his sword, chops everyone up, flicks his hair again, puts his sword away, and than walks away like nothing happened. Uhm . . . how many other warriors in the show, do you see stopping to flick their hair between chopping people up? None, Sesshy is the only one who does that.

Hair & Wigs for the Stage:
Step by Step

And let's take this notion one step farther. Who here is a major fan of his? All hands raised? Good. Now I ask you, which one of you doesn't know what a pompous peacock he is? Oh I know, fan girls don't want to admit it, but come on, just listen to how this guy talks! I mean, he not only is the best looking most powerful demon, he knows it and he'll tell you so while stomping you into the ground, because you are so far below his social standing. How many times have we heard him complain about half-breeds and low-lifes and his favorite phrase: "pathetic humans"? The first time we ever see him, he's commenting on what a waste of his time it is to bother with anyone below him. This guy thinks way too much of himself, which ultimately becomes his downfall and results in the death of the only person he ever did care about.

Well, knowing how vain and smug he is to begin with and than combining that, with the fact that he's got this mega-long ultra perfect hair . . . that sure spins a new light on his already undying vanity!

But how does all this affect you the CosPlayer?

The World of Wigs, Weaves, and Extensions

Well, for starters, it affects how you would act while you are CosPlaying. The best CosPlayers not only look the part they are playing, but they act the part convincingly as well. Lord Sesshomaru's hair is just yet another sign, in a long row of other signs, that this guy has a major vanity problem.

Moving on.

Playing Lord Sesshomaru is a role of many problems. From a difficult costume, to a difficult personality, there is no problem harder for the CosPlayer to overcome than finding a wig that actually looks like Lord Sesshomaru's amazing 65-inch silver hair.

Have you ever gone shopping for a wig? I have. If you are someone who wears wigs often, than you know that the longer the wig is, the harder it is to wear.

I was 12 when I got my first wig. About 15 when I got my second, third, and forth ones. My teen years I lived in them. A curly brown Tom Baker wig (Yes I'm also a mega Doctor Who fan, thank you.); a neon blue wig (later replaced with blue hair dye); a frosted Tina Turner wig, which btw was whopping 32 inches long and I wore it every day!); and my least worn wig: a Lily Munster wig, at a near Sesshomaru length of 40 inches long.

The Lily Munster wig was my least worn wig for a reason: it was hell, absolute and complete total hell to try to go outside wearing a wig that long. All it took was a breeze so tiny you didn't feel it, to fill every strand with a million and one knots, and it was murder trying to brush them out of such an amazingly long wig.

Now that Lily Munster wig, is still a good 20 inches shorter than the wig you will need for an accurate Lord Sesshomaru costume, and believe me, finding a 65 inch long wig is not going to be easy. I mean, have you ever even tried finding a 65" long wig? I have, and it's not an easy task, and unless you are Crystal Gale, chances are you don't have naturally 65" long hair to dye silver, so you really do have to buy a wig to pull the effect off.

5' Godiva Wig
$90.00

Your best bet will be to search for what is called a Lady Godiva wig or a Rapunzal wig, but even than these are hard to come by. Unfortunately these almost always come in only one color: a very fake looking golden-honey yellow, and for Lord Sesshomaru THAT JUST WON'T DO, NOT AT ALL, NOT AT ALL!

Never fear though, all is not lost. You will just have to settle for drastically shortening Lord Sesshomaru's hair, that's all. . . and than pray he doesn't bite your head off because of it! LOL!

Finding a 30 - 40 inch long wig is not very difficult. You may have to do a bit of Googleing to find one, but they are common enough to find after only a couple of searches.

Here's the thing: You may have a difficult time finding the right color. And what color do you need? A pale silver-blue-whisper-white. His hair is not white. His hair is not blue. His hair is not grey. His hair is pale silver. Have you ever tried to find a wig this color? I have searched and searched and searched and I have yet to find one. Don't use a grey wig, cause you'll just end up looking like an old man, and even though he is 250 years old, he did stop ageing at around 19 or 20 years old and so still looks very young, which he is, considering he has a lifespan of a few thousand years.

60" Adult Blonde Lady Godiva Wig

And even though his hair is silver, NEVER EVER use a silver tinsel wig! You don't want to make him look like a Cyberman out to get Doctor Who!

Most CosPlayers opt for a white wig, and that is what I would recommend. If you can find one a white glow in the dark wig, would look even better, unless of course you can find a whisper blue one, which would be more accurate.

Another option is to dye the wig yourself. Get a white wig and some brush-in pale blue hair dye, and lightly brush in streaks of pale blue into the bangs and around the tips.

A nice finishing touch would be to add some silver glitter flakes, thus making his hair look silver, without looking like tinsel.

Finding, Buying, and Costumizing a Lord Sesshomaru Wig:

Where to buy mega-long white wigs and how to customize them to match his silver-blue tint.

Searching for mega long wigs is a pain. Since I'm doing that kind of searching, I'll show you what I found, so that you won't have to spend countless long hours searching high and low for the near impossible.

While working with wigs you will discover they have many problems and frustrations; nothing big, just lots of little things. When working with a Lord Sesshomaru wig you well run into 2 rather nasty problems, that you would not have come across had you chosen to play some other character.

1.)

2.)

Both of these problems can be cured in one quick and easy step: buy 2 wigs and sew them together. Simple turn the upper wig inside out, and without cutting the hairs, cut the netting/lace along the weft lines. Now placing this wig over the other wig, hand sew through both layers, attaching the cut stripes to the netting of the lower wig. Finally, pull several of the wefts from the bottom wig, up though the hairs of the top wig, and brush them together.

This well make the wig much thicker, fuller, and give it a much more realistic appearance, and being thicker, the light does not go through it as well, either, thus curing both the problem of thinning hair and light go-through at the same time.

The links below, will take you to professional wig dealers, all of whom sell at least one wig suitable for use with a Lord Sesshomaru costume.

CosWorx by Cosplay.com: CosWorx by Cosplay.com wigs, cosplay supplies, fabric, photos and more:

Note: I recommend buying two wigs: one Ivy in white, and one Amanda in white. Sew the Ivy wig on top of the Amanda wig. This will give you the mega length of the Amanda wig, and the bangs of the Ivy wig. By doing this you will not need to cut either wig.
High-Quality wigs for cosplay, Halloween, clubbing or just for fun.: High-Quality wigs for cosplay (manga and anime), Halloween, clubbing or just for fun!

NOTE: I recommend using their Enchantment wig, but buying 2 of them, both in white, and than sewing the two together one on top of the other, than cutting bangs into the wig.
CosWorx Wig: Amanda: COSWORX EXCLUSIVE!
48" wig with skin top, made of the finest quality Kanekalon fibers. This is by far the best extra-long wig you can buy in party colors (red, blue, white, green, purple, etc) and it is only available here at CosWorx!
We had this wig specially made to our specifications, with cosplayers in mind!

NOTE: This wig does not have bangs, if you choose to use this one, you will have to cut it and style it to create Lord Sesshomaru's spiky bangs.
CosWorx Wig: Ivy: COSWORX EXCLUSIVE In Stock! 37" long from top of scalp. Cosplay.com wigs, cosplay supplies, fabric, photos and more.

NOTE: A bit on the short side, for Lord Sesshomaru, by a good 20 inches, however, the long bangs on this one are perfect for styling to match Sesshy's. This would make a great topper wig if you plan to sew 2 wigs together, using a much longer wig underneath it.
Luxury Long Black wig: Luxury Long Black wig - really really long black and straight).

There is one time when Rumiko drew a picture of a black-haired Sesshomaru for promotional art. If you are wanting to make a costume to match this rare black haired version of Sesshomaru, than this is the wig you are going to want to use!

Some Notes on The Rare Black Haired Sesshomaru

There is one time when Rumiko drew a picture of a black-haired Sesshomaru for promotional art. The idea behind the picture was, "What if, somehow Lord Sesshomaru was to lose his demonic powers and become human?". Though it is not from any story or tv episode, it was done by Ruminko which makes it a cannon picture, and therefor, another option you have as a CosPlayer, playing Lord Sesshomaru.

If you are wanting to make a costume to match this rare black haired version of Sesshomaru, than you are going to want to use a black wig instead of a white one.

There will be a few other changes to your costume as well. Being a human, the Black Haired Sesshomaru, lacks the pointed elf-ears and the long claws. Additionally, the Black Haired Sesshomaru has dark brown eyes, instead of yellow or red.

One interesting feature to note is that though he has lost his demon powers he still has his Youkai Markings on his face and arms.

...and what do I plan to do?

I'm still researching Sesshy's wig, so I'm not entirely certain what I will do in the end, and I still have a year to go before I need to decide, however as it stands right now, here is what I plan on doing:

Well, I'm not planning to buy a wig at all, rather I'm planning to make one, using a mixed method of wefting and hand tieing. Why? Well, because I like tedious projects and I would rather make my entire costume from scratch, including the wig.

The following links are sites (including live chat message boards) where you can get advice, info, and help in customizing your wig:

Common Questions About Wig Styling - Cosplay.com: Common Questions About Wig Styling Costume Discussion: Wigs and Hair
Amphigory: Customer Wig gallery!: Gallery of our customer's custom wig creations! With brief info on how they created their costum wigs
Wig Styling with Ishida Uryuu by *behindinfinity on deviantART: Not specifically for any InuYasha characters, but a blog post about creating custom CosPlay wigs
Tutorial: Putting on a wig. - Cosplay.com: Tutorial: Putting on a wig. Costume Discussion: Wigs and Hair.
CosWorx Wigs in Action! - Cosplay.com: CosWorx Wigs in Action! Costume Discussion: Wigs and Hair.
CosWorx Wig Color Photos - IVY - Cosplay.com: CosWorx Wig Color Photos - IVY Costume Discussion: Wigs and Hair.
How to Cut Bangs Video Tutorial - Cosplay.com: How to Cut Bangs Video Tutorial Costume Discussion: Wigs and Hair.
Dyeing w/ Sharpies - Cosplay.com: Dyeing w/ Sharpies Costume Discussion: Wigs and Hair.

Wigs Too Fake For You? Taking Drastic Measures

Living with Lord Sesshomaru's Hair Everyday

If you are a life actor (one who lives in character, 24/7) you may want to go for the most drastic means possible: transforming your real head of hair into Lord Sesshomaru's Rapunzal-like locks.

The best looking thing you could do, if you want your hair to look real, is to not wear a wig and have you natural hair altered to look like Lord Sesshomaru's hair. (I am seriously considering doing this, by the way, as I totally love his hair and would love it if my hair was like his.) If by chance you decide to go without a wig and use you own hair, you will have to go through some drastic changes to your hair, which I would not recommend being done at home. Head to a salon that specializes in Gothic, EMO, or Punk hairstyles, taking along with you several pictures of Lord Sesshomaru, especially ones that show his hair from good angles.

eXtensions:
The Official Guide to Hair Extensions
(Hairdressing and Beauty Industry Authority/Thomson Learning)

What they will do is a series of bleach washes, you may only need one if your hair is light, but several will be needed if you have darker or black hair. This can result in serious damage (including 100% hair loss) to your hair if done incorrectly, so be sure that you are dealing with a salon that dose this kind of this on a regular basis, as a salon that does not, may very well do it wrong. It can not be over stated that you MUST find a salon that specializes in Gothic hairstyles as they do this sort of thing every day.

Once your hair is completely and totally stark white, they will next build up you hair length through the use of hair extensions. The next step will be the coloring, dyeing your hair in varying shades of silver-grey and whisper-blue. Finally it is time to actually style it.

Once you have transformed you hair, this look should last most people three month before you have to have the roots retouched and the extensions reattached.

If you know what you are doing and willing to take the risk, you can bleach your hair at home, however I would not recommend it unless you have enough experience is hair styling and dyeing to make such a drastic change to you hair on your own.

Manic Panic: Bleach

NOTE: This will only lighten your hair, not turn it white; you will need to use a whitener after bleaching.

Manic Panic/Funky Colors - Hair Bleach

Amazon Price: (as of 02/15/2012)
List Price:
Used Price:

Release Date: 12/31/1969

ManicPanic: Whitener

Use to whiten your hair AFTER bleaching.

Manic Panic Amplified Virgin Snow 4oz

Amazon Price: $12.66 (as of 02/15/2012)
List Price:
Used Price:

Manic Panic presents semi-permanent hair dye, with the Amplified formula for a longer-lasting color! For best results, pre-lighten hair. Use latex gloves. Made in the USA.

Customer Review:

Manic Panic's Virgin Snow needs to be sold in larger jars because it is so awesome! I was waiting for this kind of product forever. Like all toners, however, care must be made to ensure color is long-lasting. This means that this product is not permanent and will fade. I bleached my hair to a pale yellow and used this product as a toner. My hair is finally white- I love it!

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Want to grow ankle length hair like Lord Sesshomaru?

Than check out these lenses!

Take a look at the girls on this lens! Some of them have hair so long they have to stand on chairs and it still trails along behind them! Find out how they got their hair to grow so long.

These lens were not created by me.

White CosPlay Wigs on eBay

Note: eBay randomly updates these items every hour, what you see here now will likely not be here next time you visit this page. Additionally, eBay relies on seller keywords to find items matching the keywords I placed here, and therefor the items may or may not match what I had intended eBay to place here. ~Wendy

More Info On Wigs

Here is what other Squidoo lensmasters have to say:

Note these lenses were not created by me. I found them while researching info for this lens.

Any One Have Any Suggestions?

Well, I searched for info on Sakura Wigs, but all that came back was wigs for a character named Sakura and nothing about the wig company called: Sakura Wigs, so I'm starting this post here to ask about them in case any one reading my lens may know the answer. If you have any info on this, please leave a comment in the guestbook at the bottom of this page. Thanks!

I was thinking of buying a Sakura Wigs unstyled wig and styling it myself. I was wondering, though, before I do this, has anyone here ever bought an unstyled wig from this company? If so, what could you tell me about them?

How does the fiber quality compare to other wig companies? Are they any easier or harder to style than other companies?

I'm planning to buy two or possibly three of their wigs (each a different color: B05, B06, W01) and using one as a "base wig", and the second and third wig I'll be cutting the fibers out of, and using to blend with the fibers of the first wig. In other words I'm essentially taking the two wigs apart and making one wig out of them, more or less making my own wig from scratch, so to speak. Has anyone ever tried using one of these wigs do do anything like this before? If so, how did that work out?

Or, I may just totally disassemble all three of them and make my own wefts and build the whole wig from scratch, not using any of these as a base at all.

If anyone has bought any wigs from this company, could you share any experiences you had with the company? (Good or bad.) Fast shipping? Slow shipping? Customer service? Communication? Can you think of anything else to tell me about this company and their wigs, that I didn't think to ask?

I want a super pale nearly white, icy blue wig, and I think I can make the look I want by using the three wig color blend they sell. I have looked and looked, but I just can't find 50" long wafts in the shades of blue I want, except for in these wigs here, which is why I plan to buy the wigs and disassemble them, unless of course anyone knows where I can find wefts in those colors that are long enough. (This wig is for my Lord Sesshomaru costume and his hair is 50" - 60" long... so far the longest wefts I've seen are 48", so I'll have to settle for making his hair shorter.)

Here is what I am making, and thus the color mix I'm trying to achieve:

This one shows how long it needs to be, or as close to as possible:

Also has anyone ever made a super long wig? If anyone has any advice on making long wigs like this, or on making Sesshomaru's big pouffy bangs, I'd love to hear that too.

Great Wigs on eBay

Platinum Haired CosPlay on Flickr Photos

curated content from Flickr

Where I Bought Mine:

I finally did find a wig and this is the store I bought it from:

Sesshomaru's Top 10 Attacks

Sesshoumaru TO10: by zxcvn168 | video info

47 ratings | 37,843 views

curated content from YouTube

Beware the Demon with the Venom Claws!

When Sesshomaru first arrives in the series one of the first things we hear said about him was: "Watch out for his claws! They drip deadly poison!"

Ouch! Even for a one-hand demon, Sesshomaru's hand is not one to take lightly.

Sesshomaru is not one to waste his magic powers on an inferior opponent, and he likes to say so whenever challenged by such a person. He'll scoff at your foolishness and walk away. If you had any common sense at all, you would do best to let him walk away and count your blessings. However, anyone foolish enough to challenge Lord Sesshomaru to a duel is usually also foolish enough to not just let Lord Sesshomaru walk away. Instead they will follow him and insist that he accept their challenge.

The beautiful and deadly Lord Sesshomaru, however, will only draw his sword if the challenger is what he considers to be a worthy opponent, all others fall prey to his venom claws.

Milady's Art and Science of Nail Technology

The fool who challenged him, never got a warning and never stood a chance, because by the time they saw him start to move, he will have already driven his hand through their chest and out their back, pulling their heart out along the way. That alone is enough to kill them, however that alone is not all they get, for Lord Sesshomaru's long talon-like claws are filled with a venomous acid, and if by chance they survive the blow through their chest, they don't survive for very long, as their body quickly dissolves into a liquefied bloody mass.

When you have claws like that, it makes you wonder why one would need to carry a sword as well.

Of course, there are those who think that keeping their distance will keep them safe from Sesshomaru's deadly venom claws. We must pity the fool, because they forgot all about the lightening whip. Not a whip in actuality, but rather Sesshomaru's ability to shoot the acid venom from his fingertips and manipulate it like a whip, so as to wrap it around your body and send your now mushy remains flying in countless pieces in all direction.

It's best to just not get this guy mad at you, and leave him alone, but there always comes along those who think they can beat him.

Now, for the CosPlayer, it is very unlikely that you will have been able to grow your fingernails out to such long lengths or have them filed down to knife like points, so what do you do? Why, fake fingernails, of course!

You can not just run down to Wal-Mart and buy a package of fake venom claws however, so it may take some searching on your part to find them . . . no wait, I've done that for you. It seems that making Sesshomaru and InuYasha costumes is in such big demand, that they have risen up, nail saloons that specialize in creating InuYasha's blood claws and Sesshomaru's venom claws, especially for CosPlayers. (see link below)

Another option you have is to go to your local nail saloon and see if they make custom commissioned fake nails. If they do, than tell them you want them to resemble dog or cat claws, with point files tips extending from ½ to 2 inches long (depending on how long you are comfortable wearing them, keeping in mind that the longer they are the harder it well be for you to do ordinary things like button your coat or typing on a keyboard.) For the color you want them to be a milky opaline white, preferably glow in the dark if possible.

Lord Sesshomaru Venom Claws

Cosplay Nails and Shrine Supplies: Inuyasha CLAWS: Cosplay Nails and Shrine Supplies: Inuyasha cosplay nails claws - Lord Sesshoumaru cosplay CLAWS Inuyasha costume nails, Lord Sesshomaru cosplay claws Inuyasha costume nails, cosplay costume CLAWS sharp pointy nails - all at low prices

Great Sesshomaru Claws on eBay

Lenses to help you with your fake claws

... and your real ones!

Note these lenses were not created by me. I found them while researching info for this lens.

Dog Ears

Lord Sesshomaru is a dog. The humanoid form we see is just an enchantment or illusion. When turned from dog to humanoid though, he retains some of his natural dogness. The fluffy tail-mane mokomoko we already discussed. We've looked at his claws and in a moment we'll look at his eyes, but right now we'll look at his ears.

InuYasha, being half demon, has no control over what he looks like and thus has a pair of fluffy dog ears on top of head. Sesshomaru, however, being full demon, has dog ears which, do not look at all like dog ears, but rather look an awful lot like the ears of a Tolkien style elf. I love those pointed elf like ears of his, it's one of things that makes him so cute.

And What Am I Going To Do?

Okay, so I sew. I work with fabric. I can make most any article of clothen, from looking at a picture of it and than sewing it up.

But that's fabric and cloths, and this . . . this is, well, mask making. So I'm not even going to try to make a pair of ears. Me, I'm going to buy some already made. If you want to go the making them yourself road, than more power to you, but I'm afraid I can offer no advice on how to do it. Sorry.

I can however, provide you with a list of links to places that either sell fake elf ears and/or the supplies to make your own.

Fake Ears, Supplies, Info, and Tips.

These sites either sell fake ears, tell how to create fake ears, or sell the supplies needed to create them.

Woochie: Ears, horns, noses, and more.
# Over 150 Different Designs
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High Tower Crafts: ears: Hand-made costume props and accessories - Fantasy, historical or Science Fiction - made to order to your design.
Elf Ears - Elven Ear Tips - Aradani Costumes: Prosthetics and Masks, Elf Ears, Horns, Fangs, Masks, Wounds, Misc, Jewelry and Accessories, Ear Cuffs, Earrings, Necklaces, Geek Chic, Adhesives and Removers, Makeup, Costumes, Lord of the Rings, Vampire / Gothic, LARP, Art and Apparel, Pictures, Renaissance
Backstage Prosthetics Inc. : Ears and Horns : Prosthetics: Ears and Horns
Ear Tips BKS-401
Large Pointed Ears BKS-403
Devil Horns BKS-404
Large Horns BKS-405
Beast Horns BKS-406
Foam Latex prosthetics, masks & ears: Foam latex prosthetics & other Halloween masks for those who want top quality. Devils, gargoyles, demons & even some pre-painted creature prosthetics in foam latex, latex prosthetics. These movie quality foam latex appliances make special effect makeup easy and effective.
The Monster Makers: The Monster Makers - 886-521-(SPFX) 7739 Toll Free - Halloween Mask Making, Complete Halloween Latex Mask Making Supplies and Kits, Theatrical Fang Kits, Lifecasting Kits, Special Effects Supplies, Foam Latex Kits for Halloween and more.

Youkai Facial Markings

The crescent moon and stripes are natural facial markings, found on White Dog Demons. All demons of this type have them. It is not certain why only the White Dog Demons have them, while no other type of demon in the InuYasha series has any markings at all. Like the fluffy Mokomoko, it is assumed that these markings are there as a warning to others that this is a higher level and thus more powerful, demon.

Stage Makeup:
The Actor's Complete Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials

Guyliner: The art of guys wearing eyeliner.

Never let it be said I do not like guys in eyeliner. I think all of my favorite guys wear eyeliner, I can't think of a single one who doesn't, and Sesshy is no exception. The guy not only wears eyeliner, he also wears pretty pink eyeshadow too.

Lord Sesshomaru is a Youkai. The word Youkai when translated into English has several different meanings, but the most commonly accepted translation is that it means demon. However, in the InuYasha series, when the word Youkai is used for the dog demon family (Inu-no-Tasho, SesshyMom, and Lord Sesshomaru) is is translated to mean "all-powerful-phantom-demon".

The series used the words demon and Youkai and implies that a demon is a lesser being than a Youkai. The Phantom Dog Clan as easily identified by the markings on their bodies: A Prussian Blue Crescent Moon on their forehead and a pair of magenta pink-purple stripes on their cheeks and wrists.

Virgin White Pressed Powder Compact

Ignoring the Youkai markings he was born with (blue crescent moon on his forehead and purple stripes on his cheeks and wrists), this guy is wearing makeup. I've only noticed three men in the InuYasha series who wear eyeliner and eyeshadow: Naraku, Jakotsu, and Lord Sesshomaru. Naraku wears blue, Jakotsu wears purple, and Lord Sesshomaru wears a shocking shade of neon pink.

To create these markings on your own face is not difficult, and should require very little training to get right.

Step #1: White Face Powder

Use on face, neck, chest, hands, and arms to whiten your skin.

Sesshy has really pale, almost ghastly, white skin. Other characters in the series often refer to him as "the white demon". While there are a few other pale skinned characters in the series, none of them are as pale skinned as our Lord Sesshomaru is.

Even a naturally pale skinned person, like myself, is going to need some help to pull off the deathly paleness of Lord Seshomaru. I recemmend so good quality theatrical white face powder, and to put it on every inch of skin that is going to show.

Manic Panic "Goth White" Powder Cream Foundation

Amazon Price: $10.95 (as of 02/15/2012)
List Price:
Used Price:

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Step #2: Prusian Blue Youkai Cresent Moon

Build up with a dark shade as a base, than a lighter shade on top.

The most noticeable of the Youkai markings Sesshy has is the blue crescent moon on his forehead. Why he has it is unknown, some fans speculate that it is because the Phantom Dog Clan is somehow controlled by the moon, seeing how they are more active at night and considering the fact that Lord Sesshomaru is most often seen at night with the moon looming over head.

Whatever reason he has it, it's there, and you are going to need it on your forehead if you want to play him convincingly. When drawing designs on my own face I prefer to use Avon eyeshadow or Ben Nye Stage Make-up.

Could not locate item B000P51R7U. Please try again.Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

Step #3: Magenta Youkai Stripes

Apply a lighter shade fist, blending a darker shade on top.

NYX 3 Color Eyeshadow Trio #6 PURPLE/Deep PURPLE/PRUNE

Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 02/15/2012)
List Price: $9.00
Used Price:

Release Date: 12/31/1969

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Ben Nye Stage Make-Up

This make up comes in loads of colors and they are always adding more to their list. Clicking the link here will take you a page with the current color charts.

For Sesshy's Crescent Moon use: Cosmic Blue

For Sesshy's Youkai Stripes use: Royal Purple

For Sesshy's EyeShadow use: Ultra Violet and Rose

Lumiere Grande Colour

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Release Date: 12/31/1969

Ben Nye Stage Eyeshadow

Pearl Sheen Eye Accents

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Release Date: 12/31/1969

I Love Guys In Eyeliner!

Sesshy's eyeliner if applied thick and heavy on the upper lid and very thin on the lower lid. It also appears to be done in layers, with a different color for each layer. To achieve the correct look I would recommend using two shades of cake eyeliner applied wet, in the following order:

Outline the entire eye, upper and lower lids, with a thin layer of: Charcoal

Apply a second layer of Charcoal to the upper lid, in a thinker layer.

Let set.

Finally apply a very heavy, very think layer of Eggplant (Plum).

Cake Eye Liner

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Release Date: 12/31/1969

Ack! Help I Cried My Make Up Off! Eeeek! It's Raining! I'm Dripping Paint! Or How To Prevent the Nightmare of Running Make-Up.

Ben Nye's LiquiSet Final Seal is a make up artist's best friend. Used by professional make up artists for stage, tv, and movie sets, nothing will prevent your carefully applied make up from smudging, smearing, and melting like this stuff does. For a heavily make-upped character like Lord Sesshomaru, this is an absolute MUST, that you simply can not do without. It is the only way you are going to keep your make up from coming off before you are ready to take it off.

Final Seal 1oz.

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Apply over any completed makeup for a smudge and water-resistant finish. Final Seal keeps makeup in place even on performers who perspire heavily. Add to Liqui Paints (about 10%) for greater durability. Airbrush artist, Mark Frazier, used Final Seal as a base coat before airbrushing "Patriot" with MagiColor Liquid Paint. Take precaution around the eye area and on sensitive skin. Remove with Hydra Cleanse. Mint fragrance.

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Sesshy's Pretty Pink Eyeliner

Lord Sesshomaru and the Tang Dynasty

Lord Sesshomaru's make up, while it may seem a bit outlandish today, was at one time rather fashionable and a very real style worn by women every day. Note here, that men did not wear this style make-up, only women did. (See the link below to my essay, for more info on Sesshomaru and his habit of following after women's fashions.)

Lord Sesshomaru's make-up comes from the Tang Dynasty of China (circa 627 - 907). Women of the Tang Dynasty wore elaborate facial make up. They started out by powdering their faces white.

On their foreheads were painted crescent moons or flower petals. These crescents were made out of feathers, seashells, fish bones, pure gold, or painted on dye. This was called Shouyang or Plum Blossom Make-Up.

At the sides of their eyes were painted red stripes, extending to the cheeks. This was called Morning Sun Make Up because the stripes were the color of a rose sunrise. This type of make up was done by women who sought to mimic the look of Xue Yelai, Emperor Coa Pi's favorite imperial concubine, who had a red scar on her face.

It has already be determined that Sesshomaru lived in China during the 800's putting him in the Tang Dynasty at the hieght of this fashion. For more info on Lord Sesshomaru and historical accuracy see my essay here:

Some Info on Maiko, Geisha, Kumadori, Noh, and Kabuki Make Up

Though Sesshomaru's make up is more Chinese than Japanese, and a women's fashion rather than a men's fashion, both men and women of Japan did wear make up of a similar nature, though not the same as what Sesshomaru wears, it should still be looked into.

Historically, to whiten their faces, medieval Japanese not use makeup, they used rice powder. You can get it at any small local "Asian Grocer" type shop, that sells Asian foods. An alternative is also tapioca powder or corn starch.

Those will whiten your face, without turning you "circus clown white", because they are translucent and allow your natural skin color to glow through under neath. I have tried all three, but found that corn starch dries my skin terribly so stopped using it.

To find more make up for sale or how to tutorials on applying it,I would suggest you try searching Google for the following keywords:

maiko cosmetics, maiko make up, geisha cosmetics, geisha make up, kabuki cosmetics, kabuki cosmetics

To find even more, add the phrase "how to" or "how to apply" to the beginning of any one of those.

Japanese Geisha Make Up: How To Apply: This site should help you out with applying Sesshomaru's makeup correctly. It is for Maiko, Geisha, and Kabuki which are very theatrical and may be a bit more extreme than the look you are going for, however, the same techniques used for these, will produce the same look you want to achieve for Lord Sesshomaru, all you have to do is use more natural looking colors: Pale cream instead of white, petal pink instead of red, grey instead of black.

Remember, that you do not want to go "clown white". His skin is very, very, pale, but it is not stark white. Since his father and InuYasha both have much darker (though still pale) skin than Sesshomaru, we must assume that Sesshomaru wears rice powder on his face. Either that or he does not go out in the sun very often, which is also true. We know that Lord Sesshomaru is nocturnal, traveling mostly at night and resting under the shade of large forest trees during the day.

Here are some links that may be helpful:
Immortal Geisha - Make-Up of Geisha and Maiko: Immortal Geisha website is devoted to the lives, history, beauty and tradition of Japanese Geisha, Geiko and Maiko.
Make-up Essentials - Fascinating Geisha Makeup: The Geisha makeup of the Japanese is a fascinating one. Endeavour to create this oriental look with a few simple steps.
MAIKO COSMETICS: COMPLETE KIT: MAIKO COSMETICS: COMPLETE KIT
Pink Beloved: ~ COSPLAY MAKE UP TUTORIAL : China Doll ~
Incandescent: How to be an Ulzzang - makeup magic - Asian Beauty Blog: Asian Beauty Blog is a site dedicated to providing makeup/cosmetics tips and product recommendations with a focus on Asian-oriented products.

An Alternative to Makeup

You may have decided that Sesshomaru is wearing just a bit too much make up for you to want to wear it yourself. For someone not used to plastering your entire face with make up, you may find it uncomfortable to wear so much make up for a long enough time to wear your costume. Playing Sesshomaru without the make up, will likely have fans questioning why. What can you do? You do have another option: tattoos.

While permanent tattoos are an extreme way to go, that only the most devoted fans will take, temporary tattoos are an options that can be worn by any one.

Tattoos, wither permanent or temporary, are going to look more authentic than makeup will, when used for the Youkai markings (the moon and stripes). Permanent tattoos are easier enough to get as tattoo artists do costume artwork all the time, however, finding temporary tattoos are going to be a bit tricky. To date I have not yet seen any company that sells a temporary tattoo that will serve this purpose, and to use temporary tattoos for your costume, you are going to have to make them yourself. This is not as hard as it may sound, can be done by anyone who owns a printer.

Make Your Own Temporary Tattoo Kits

Temporary Tattoo Kit: Make Your Own Temporary Tattoos: Make Your Own Temporary Tattoo Kits: Create your own temporary tattoos for school projects, profit or just for fun.

The Eyes of a Demon

Seeing the World Through the Eyes of a Demon

...or how to really get into character.

In his humanoid form, Lord Sesshomaru's eyes are a bright yellow with very thin, cat-like pupils. It seems however, that his eye color is constantly changing with his mood.

In a calm, relaxed, peaceful state, we see his eyes as a very pale icy yellow, the color they usually are while he is talking to Rin.

In his more alert state, such as when sniffing out Naraku or challenging InuYasha, his eyes are a brilliant, almost glowing bright yellow.

For the CosPlayer who wants to really look like Sesshomaru, you will want to invest in some special effects theatrical contact lenses. The design commonly called "Yellow Cat's Eye" is the one you'll will want to look for.

Seeing the World Through the Eyes of an Angry Demon

...or how to look positivly prime evil.

As Jarkan once said, don't let Sesshomaru's cool deminur fool you, inside he is seething boiling, demon, always looking for fresh blood and looking for a kill.

We have already looked at his eye colors when in a calmer mood, now let's look at the colors seen when he is not quite so calm.

When angered they darken to an orangish, redish, yellow. We see this color often, especially while he is locked in a duel against InuYasha.

If you want to go for this fiercer, but not quite evil look, you will want to buy contact lenses in the design commonly known as "Red Wolf" or "Fire Wolf" or "Devil" or "Banshee". These names are used for yellow eyes with red or orange outer edges. These often come in either round or cats-eye pupils. You will want the cats-eye pupil for Lord Sesshomaru.

However...

...if you get him really, really mad at you, say if you took his sword or threatened Rin's life, Lord Sesshomaru's eyes turn a bright bloody red, the pupils shink to near invisable pin-prics, and the whites of his eyes disapear entirly. This is your warning sign to run like lightening, for he is about to transform into his true form: a firece, blood thirsty 40 foot tall giant white dog-like creature. Once you have gotten him mad enough for him to transform back to his true demon form, you would be lucky to live, as he'd likly eat you.

If you want to go for Sesshomaru's most demonic, blood-thirsty look, than you will want to buy contacts in the design commonly known as "Vampire Red". These come in several styles, but the one you will want to look for is the style that changes not only your iris to red, but also your whites as well; for this you'll need a "Blackout" style in red.

It is an interesting thing to note, that while CosPlayers commonly use yellow cats-eye contact lenses to achieve Sesshomaru's calmer yellow-eyed self, you never see a CosPlayer go for his more evil demonic red-eyed self.

Lord Sesshomaru the Dog Demon

More Things You Should Know

Sites to Read Before You Buy Theatrical Contacts

FDA WARNING:

It should be noted here that in the USA it is illegal to buy theatrical contact lenses without a prescription, even if you do not wear glasses or contacts normally. This law went into effect in 2005, after several incidents of misuse of these items, which in turn resulted in serious medical conditions, including blindness. It is recomended that you order them directly through an eye doctor.

Most companies require your eye doctor to fax them proof of a medical exam and/or a prescription form, before they will allow you to place an order. BEWARE of any company whom does not ask for your eye doctor's info!

Change Your Eye Color with Colored Contact Lenses - AllAboutVision.com: A guide to color contacts, including types of color contact lenses and how to choose the right colors for you.
Halloween, Special Effect, Costume and Theatrical Contact Lenses (Crazy Lenses and Wild Eyes) - AllAboutVision.com: What special effects designs are available for contact lenses? Do I need a prescription? Where should I buy? What are Wild Eyes? We have your answers!

Where to Buy Theatrical Contact Lenses

All of the sites listed here, sell either or both the yellow cat-eye, red-yellow wolf-eye, or red demon-eye style contact lenses.

Most offer them in both prescription and non-prescription. Some do custom one-of-a-kind color patterns.

FX Contact Lenses: The largest selection of factory direct lenses online. Vampfangs special FX lenses come in various designs and both prescription and non-prescription.
Custom Color Contacts - Lenses for Special Effects - Order Lenses for Film, Television or just for fun.: Custom Color Contacts for custom soft contact lenses for prosthetic, cosmetic and special effects in motion pictures. Including prosthetic eyes, artificial eyes, special effect contact lenses, movie lenses, Halloween contacts, color contacts and natural hand painted lenses.
9mm SFX : Custom Contact Lenses: Your source for theatrical and special effects contact lenses.
Cosplay Lab - Idol Eyes Theatrical Contact Lenses: Halloween like you've never seen. Character costumes come to life year-round at Cosplay Lab. Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and tons more for you to explore.
Cosplay Lab - Immortal Eyes Theatrical Contact Lenses: Halloween like you've never seen. Character costumes come to life year-round at Cosplay Lab. Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and tons more for you to explore.
Vision Direct - Contact Lenses: Order Discount Contact Lenses Acuvue, Acuvue 2, Focus, Freshlook Online: Product: Yellow Cat 1 lens per vial
9mm SFX : Custom Contact Lenses: Your source for theatrical and special effects contact lenses.
Colored Contacts: Costume: Colored Contacts: Costume Contact Lenses for Halloween, Parties, Theatrical Use or Just for Fun! All Costume lenses are $59 Per Pair!
Power Zero 0.00 Plano, BC: 8.6, Diameter 14mm, Non-Corrective Only, Lasts 3 months with occasional use.