Her world isn’t black and white… it’s grey with maybe a smattering of purple.
Jessica Jones stands in the forefront of my mind when it comes to favorite heroines from the Marvel Universe. She is far from perfect; her closet has a few skeletons, she doesn’t shy away from the gritty details or getting her hands dirty when there is work to be done, and she is full of believable humanity. She tells it like it is and I admire her for her brutal honesty —even if she does occasionally hide behind a bottle, but let’s face it… everyone has a coping mechanism some way or another.
With Season 2 of Jessica Jones recently released last month on Netflix and the awesome news of the green light for Season 3, I figured what better time to put together a little Jessica Jones cosplay for you lovely dah’lings.
If you think about all of the characters within the Marvel Universe, most characters have intricate costumes, but not Jessica. She doesn’t hide behind a mask. (And before you start, don’t get me started on Jewel. We are just going to skip over that.) She fights crime in her everyday clothes, and that’s pretty awesome.
Cosplays like hers are easy to pull together straight out of your closet with a few key items: a leather (*or pleather) moto jacket, fingerless gloves, distressed jeans and some very worn in makeup. Simple and grungy, two of my favorite things…. Let’s do this!
NOTE: You do not need the specific products that I use in this tutorial. If you have other products that you are comfortable with that will give a similar look use those. If you get stuck and need some makeup or cosplay pointers, feel free to ask me in the comments and I’ll be happy to assist you… just like Spidey.
Makeup Used
Milk Makeup Blur Stick, Cover FX Calming Primer, Milk Makeup Flex Concealer and Blur Foundation, Nudestix Gel Cheek and Lip Cream in Pulse, Becca Hydramist Setting Powder, NYX Black Eyebrow Pencil, Urban Decay Primer Potion, Nudestix Brow Gel, Nudestix Smoke Eye Pencil, Japonesque Black Eyeliner Pencil, Milk Makeup Ubame Mascara, Bite Beauty Lip Pencil in 010, and Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray.
Jessica’s makeup is very minimalistic. Think just rolled out of bed chic. Relatively no foundation with a natural flush to her cheeks, maybe a touch of lip balm, and some intense, smudgy black eyeliner.
Like all cosplays, you are the master of your universe and can do as little or as much makeup as you’d like.
Personally, if I were wearing this to a convention (*which may happen at some point this year), I will spend more time contouring my face to better match my face shape to hers. Alas, to keep this tutorial short, feisty, and to the point – I skipped it entirely and just went with the quick and dirty version, which felt very fitting given the character.
After you’ve finished with the makeup, all you need is some props and the right pieces of clothing to complete the look. Oh and don’t feel like you need to spend all the money in Hell’s Kitchen to make this cosplay work for you – visit your local thrift store to see if they have the pieces you need.
Clothes that make a Jessica Jones cosplay
- A black, shoulder-length wig. If you have dark, DARK brown hair or wig that will work as well. When it comes to cosplays that you will revisit time and time again – invest in a good wig. Trust me.
- A black moto jacket… no stealing necessary.
- A worn-in t-shirt or tank top, preferably either black, grey, or stained white.
- A knitted grey scarf – for those chilly overnight stakeouts or for when Murdoc forgets his mask.
- Distressed light denim jeans – be sure that they are a little roomy for when you need to jump off of buildings or tackle baddies.
- Black fingerless gloves – the better to text Hogarth.
- Motorcycle or combat boots – for stomping on bad guys and their faces or kicking down doors.
Jones approved props
- Alias Investigations business cards. They will send your Jessica Jones cosplay over the top if you hand them out during conventions. Remember: it’s the little things.
- A DSLR Camera. Prop cameras are relatively easy to find on the internet. If you are having a hard time finding one, try putting out a call for broken cameras on Craigslist or Freecycle.
- A flask or bottle of whiskey. Note: don’t bring real whiskey to a convention. That’s a big no-no even if it’s screen accurate. Instead, pull the tried and true theater trick by replacing the alcohol with your preferred flavor of tea.
- (Optional but a good convention essential) A grey-ish messenger bag. Function and cosplay all in one… that way you can stash away your con goodies all while remaining in character.
If you want to take a deep dive and get into character, I find that making playlists inspired by that character help. There is nothing better than to rock out as you get ready. Speaking of, here is my Jessica Jones inspired playlist via Spotify:
BONUS ROUND
If you are more of a subtle cosplayer and don’t want to toss in all the way, pick up the “Don’t Tell Me to Smile” shirt from Jordandené (if it’s still available) and see how many people get the reference. You’d be surprised AND it makes for a very applicable feminist shirt.
And like all proper investigations, this post must come to a close. Before you go, I want to know who you relate to most in the comic book multiverse? If not that, then which character do you think is the most believable or human?
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jaeCHAOS
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jaeCHAOS is not your average alter-ego superhero. Some say Jae was born in the back of a bumper car, but we will leave that for you to decide. As a newly transplanted Philadelphian, she rocks her spoonie life as a content creator and master pixel-overlord but is still waiting on her gorram letter from Hogwarts which may be lost in the spare wardrobe. Her favorite pastimes include reciting LOTR (books and trilogy, by heart), wrangling her two adorkable dog-children, turning her face into someone else’s face, having late night Labyrinth sing-a-longs, and drinking way too much espresso.
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