[Cerydra cosplay & Helektra cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail: Daily Duo cosplay Moments in Omphalos

We finally managed to complete a full photoshoot for the duo styling of Cerydra cosplay and Helektra cosplay. As a highly memorable partner duo in Omphalos, we picked this post-convention downtime to head into a studio specifically to capture a set of high-texture photos.

The "Hai-Ke" mentioned in discussions is actually the portmanteau nickname for Helektra plus Cerydra; simultaneously bringing both of these Honkai: Star Rail characters to life required immense effort from wig styling to costumes and props. On the left, Cerydra's styling centers around black hair and purple heterochromia eyes; the white crown-like headpiece and the small blue side clip were hand-assembled and adjusted, while the oversized pearl strand and pink shell-shaped pendant at the neck cast a distinct, lustrous sheen under the lights. On the right, Helektra's design leans toward a blue-and-white palette—featuring a straight-bang white wig, light-blue diamond markings on the forehead, elongated white ear-like headwear, and ice-blue contact lenses, which instantly brought the entire atmospheric aura to life.

The costumes of the two feature many symmetrical yet differently colored tailoring details—such as Cerydra's armor-like silver-white and navy spliced chest piece, and Helektra's textured vambraces in blue, black, and gold. Combined with subtle jacquard patterns and reflective fabrics, even a slight shift in studio lighting produced distinct, vibrant color refractions. Aside from the garments, the props were another major hurdle. The diamond-shaped geometric prop featuring black, white, and gold color-blocking held in Photo 2 is not only the visual centerpiece of the composition, but also an essential lore element for the characters. Crafted from lightweight composite materials with reflective film, it was light in hand, yet striking a naturally cradled posture while coordinating our dual presence before the camera took considerable trial and error.

When capturing the pose in Photo 2, the photographer specifically instructed us to keep our hand gestures relaxed, emulating the unspoken tacit understanding flowing naturally in daily interactions rather than rigid staging. To achieve that effortless, unhurried ease in this Duo cosplay, we spent a long time fine-tuning our body angles—ensuring the prop sat harmoniously in the framing while our gaze and facial expressions aligned precisely with the lens. The framing of Photo 2 is tightly structured, clearly highlighting our facial close-ups and neck/shoulder lines without awkward edge cropping, making it ideal as the cover image for this series.

Regarding makeup, I gave both characters a luminous bare-skin finish aligned with the game's art style—toning down heavy eyeshadows to focus on elongated eyeliner and layered top-and-bottom false lashes. Paired with naturally blended blush, this granted the characters a doll-like porcelain delicacy on camera without looking artificial from heavy layering. When portraying characters with distinctive artistic styles in Honkai: Star Rail, subtraction in makeup is vital; over-contouring would instead disrupt the cool, independent aura inherent to these characters.

From initially purchasing fabrics, pattern drafting, and prop assembly, to on-site wig styling, lens adjustments, shooting, and photo selection, the entire journey was elaborate, yet seeing the final texture rendered on screen made every bit of investment truly worthwhile. Especially as the Omphalos storyline in Honkai: Star Rail comes into the spotlight, participating in this universe through cosplay has been an exceptionally rewarding experience. The composition and expressive power of Photo 2 turned out wonderfully, which is why we selected it as our featured cover!