[Furina cosplay] Genshin Impact Birthday Gathering: The Hydro Archon's Cake Time

Preparing for this Genshin Impact Furina birthday-themed cosplay shoot took about two weeks from styling tests to the final photos. The outfit looks breezy and ethereal, but wearing it was actually quite heavy. In particular, the feathered wings on my back and the feather headdress—both supported by internal wireframes—along with the multi-tiered skirt structure, put a substantial strain on my shoulders. The wig featured a light silver to ice-blue gradient hairpiece, requiring careful styling to keep its curls intact.

The photoshoot took place at a comic convention where background light spots were cluttered, crowds were packed, and the lighting was rather chaotic. To bypass the crowds, we mostly had to shoot low-angle upward compositions or rely on wide-aperture background blur. I posed in several different ways during the shoot, intentionally designing a pose with one arm held high, which is the shot I chose for the cover. That gesture was mainly meant to flare the skirt out, revealing elongated leg lines and making my posture look tall and slender, while also highlighting the ruffled blouse details and layered feathered wings.

In post-processing, water splash and star effects were added to the first photo to match the birthday celebration atmosphere and give it a dreamy feel; the rest preserved the more natural ambient lighting of the venue. During retouching, the main focus was harmonizing my skin tone with the warm and cool ambient lights to ensure skin texture looked clear and translucent. The transparent orb held in my hands was a physical prop; we bounced light onto it using reflectors during the shoot and enhanced its luminescence in post.

For hair and makeup, blue circle contacts and soft pink blush were chosen to channel the character's demeanor. Because it coincided with my birthday, the overarching palette was set around a blue-and-white gradient. Some of the inner blue tulle and pearl chain accents tended to shift awkwardly while walking, but fortunately the photographer had impeccable timing for catching the right moments. Additionally, a Focalors transformation shoot is currently in the works, and there are still plenty of material and design details in this outfit that can be refined. Sorting through them up to now, I felt the third photo best captures the costume's overall texture and structural silhouette, so I picked it as the cover. Happy birthday to me—I certainly ate my fair share of little cakes!