[Komeiji Koishi cosplay] Touhou Project: Palace of the Earth Spirits sisters Spotted

The theme for this convention shoot was the Palace of the Earth Spirits sisters from Touhou Project—I cosplayed Komeiji Koishi, while Taotao Guagua did Komeiji Satori cosplay. We prepared well in advance for this photo release. For makeup, I used red contact lenses to echo the character's traits, and gave the pink wig a layered trim with front bangs and side curls to align the silhouette as closely as possible with the original design. For eye makeup, to achieve a wider eye effect, false eyelashes were carefully applied, eyeliner was adjusted, and highlighters brightened the inner corners. The base makeup was kept lightweight to maintain skin texture under harsh convention hall lighting. The costume craftsmanship was intricate, with tiered pink ruffles and lace borders, plus an inner lining added to enhance fabric structure. The giant red-eye prop on the chest was handcrafted—putting immense thought from the fabric base to surface finishing, even adding glossy accents to the sclera for greater three-dimensional depth on camera. This outfit was quite heavy, and internal structural tweaks were made so moving around all day at the convention ensured the prop stayed stable while remaining breathable.

Taotao Guagua's Komeiji Satori costume featured a green-and-black palette with a black hat trimmed in wavy green piping. Her makeup incorporated green contact lenses, creating a vivid warm-and-cool contrast with my red contacts. Her handcrafted blue flower orb prop was also exquisitely detailed with ribbons and bead floral accents. Standing together, the visual contrast between warm and cool palettes was striking, blending an opulent and slightly Gothic style. Shooting alongside my sister Taotao Guagua was wonderful; we navigated the crowded exhibition hall in search of evenly lit backdrops while dodging background clutter. Our choice of location was straightforward, prioritizing character presence and costume intricacies. Because we were holding props amid heavy foot traffic, snapshots mainly focused on medium close-ups and half-body shots. We selected this two-person selfie for the cover as its composition was balanced without cutting off borders, boasting high sharpness.

In post-processing, the primary focus was correcting indoor color casts to restore natural skin tones while preserving original costume textures and prop nuances. The Palace of the Earth Spirits sisters feature many intricate details worth exploring in their lore, which we strived to capture in our garments. From makeup application to shooting and de-makeup, the entire session took nearly three hours. Though long, the shoot went smoothly, and we loved the final outcome. Looking back, the hardest part of convention cosplay was wearing and taking off such complex garments, as accommodating fixed prop placements restricted movement, making drinking water or restroom visits tricky. Yet capturing these photos made every effort worthwhile—investing such energy for beloved characters is pure joy. If given another chance, we might explore more dynamic action poses or specific atmospheric effects to bring out character traits even more vividly. Although exhausting, this outfit was unique and drew plenty of glances at the convention. We hope sharing this provides helpful insights for others cosplaying these characters.