[Japan Cosplay Year-End Summary] From Makeup Novice to Advanced Wig Styling

Looking back carefully at the past year, almost every weekend was spent rushing between photography studios and various outdoor locations around Tokyo. Seeing so many sets of photos I took, and then piecing them into a long image for my year-end summary, I truly felt that this year was incredibly high-yielding, and I have genuinely grown stronger.

When I first started doing cosplay in Japan, I really knew nothing. Faced with a dazzling array of character wigs, I would just buy ready-made ones, only for them to turn out frizzy on my head or with a shiny, fake-looking hairline. Later, I slowly began to figure out the proper use of hair wax, matte spray, and hairnets, and even learned layered teasing and trimming bangs. Now, the wigs I style at least won't look out of place in front of the lens. Although I'm still a way off from the "individual strand-level" craftsmanship of the masters, for me, it is already a significant leap in my wig styling skills.

My progress in makeup is also visible to the naked eye. From initially only knowing how to draw flat eyebrows with a flat look that ignored blush and eyeshadow, I've now learned to adjust the intensity of eye makeup according to the studio lighting, and I intentionally use highlighters and contours to reshape facial dimensions. I also paid special attention to the longevity of the base makeup, because outdoor shoots during a Japanese summer are a true makeup killer. Now, it can withstand at least three hours of shooting under the blazing sun without turning into a messy face.

This collage covers almost every genre I experimented with over the past year. There are playful and cute red-and-white combinations, as well as steady and elegant stage outfits. Quite a few outdoor shoots were done in the seaside sunset; the sea breeze was freezing cold back then, and I wore very little, but the photographer captured an excellent sense of light and shadow—at that moment, everything felt worth it.

The photography atmosphere in Japan is somewhat different from that back home; photographers and makeup artists here place immense focus on division of labor and details. Before every photoshoot output, a lot of time is spent communicating on composition, lighting, and prop placement to share photography insights. This set also contains several group shoots, which highly tested everyone's chemistry. Merging the temperaments of different characters into a single frame while ensuring nobody blocks the light or steals the spotlight requires repeated fine-tuning. Seeing the group photos look so organized yet distinct gives an absolute explosion of achievement.

Many of the photos are studio shoots because precise studio lighting can showcase those gorgeous and intricate costume details in a way that is hard to achieve outdoors. However, I did try some outdoor locations as well, such as scenes with natural light, woods, and watersides. Under natural light, skin texture appears very realistic, allowing post-processing to retain more of the skin's true texture.

When organizing these photos at the end of the year, I couldn't help but smile while editing them. From initially being stiff and not knowing where to put my hands and feet in front of the lens, to now confidently giving looks and grasping the camera presence, I feel that this year has brought progress not only in my craftsmanship but also a much more relaxed and natural presence in front of the camera.

Looking back at every photoshoot, each was a new challenge. Some costumes were heavy and extremely troublesome to put on and take off; some photo poses were physically demanding and required a long time to capture a touch of flowing elegance. Yet all this hardship was completely healed the moment the final photos came out. For next year, I want to try some styles I haven't touched before, such as themes that lean towards storytelling or a darker style, advancing my makeup and styling once again. I'll stay true to my original passion and keep pushing boundaries on this roleplay path. I hope to maintain this annual output next year, shoot more photos, and leave behind more beautiful memories.