Deciding to get into cosplay at age 26 is easily one of the choices I regret least from the past couple of years. Starting last summer, I finally stopped pouring all my off-work hours into meaningless anxiety, instead rolling up my sleeves to craft props, study makeup techniques, and scout locations for photoshoots. In the blink of an eye, half of 2026 has already passed. Looking back over the photos from these past six months, I realize I've experimented with a wide variety of styles and navigated plenty of trial and error.
When I first started doing outdoor shoots, just putting on a wig and applying eyelid tape could eat up over an hour, and the makeup often looked muddy or failed to give my facial features enough dimension on camera. Through more than half a year of exploring, I gradually discovered makeup techniques that suit me—like using eyeshadow blending to enlarge my eyes, sculpting contours with highlights and contouring, and learning to coordinate colored contact lenses with different wig shades. Many of the looks in these photos were documented after practicing makeup repeatedly at home, sometimes drawing and wiping away eyeliner until the middle of the night just to get a single wing right. But seeing those finished photos with transformations I'd never reach in everyday life brings an immense sense of accomplishment.
Over these six months, I explored character designs across various titles including Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Wuthering Waves, and Steins;Gate. Whether it was a dark, opulent aesthetic with pearl necklaces and custom horn ornaments, a dreamy pink vibe with halos and layered tulle skirts, or a grounded everyday style in a uniform and tie, every costume change felt like stepping into an entirely different life. What makes me happiest is gradually overcoming my fear of the camera—from only knowing how to strike a stiff peace sign at the start, to now facing the lens naturally and conveying emotion in harmony with diverse lighting and backdrops. Whether basking in sunlight inside a car, sitting in a restaurant, walking down a street, or working in a photography studio, I can now find flattering shooting angles. Of course, there were plenty of times I walked around public spaces with messy hair and heavy stage makeup, but I gradually got used to it; that's probably the confidence and passion that ACG culture grants us.
Friends around me have been constantly encouraging, helping me style wigs, accompanying me to conventions, and offering photography advice. As a corporate worker commuting early every morning, sustaining continuous creative output in this space is admittedly exhausting, but every time someone recognizes a character in the comments or compliments the makeup, it feels entirely worthwhile. Moving forward, I will keep dedicating myself to ACG, setting no limits, cosplaying more beloved franchises and characters, and refining both my styling and photography skills. I hope to present an even stronger body of work in the second-half collection.