[Maomao cosplay] The Apothecary Diaries, a freeze-frame of greenery and profile

This shoot mainly aimed to showcase the character's sense of tranquility. Starting with the styling of the wig: the deep green long hair easily looks rigid under natural light, so layering and thinning were intentionally done during styling, with slight adjustments along the direction of hair growth. The updo structure on top of the head is quite complex; to securely support those metal hair accessories, the inner part underwent a back-combing base treatment, and the stray hairs intentionally left on both sides were clipped with miniature styling clips so they wouldn't deform easily when walking.

For the eye makeup, a low-saturation orange-red gradient was tried, elongated slightly outward along the eye shape, which creates a more contoured look when paired with the profile angle. The layers of the clothing were more cumbersome than expected; the edge of the inner light green tube top features delicate hidden-pattern embroidery, and the outer cross-collar wide-sleeved robe has multiple pleats at the cuffs. The most patience-testing part is the overlapping at the waist—three layers of blue, gray, and green fabrics interlaced and tied with a long red dangling ribbon. Position adjustments must be made at any time during wear to ensure a waist-cinching effect without looking bulky. The black folded fan held in hand is in a closed state, which is great for guiding hand movements and making the body look less stiff.

The scene was chosen to be a veranda with red wooden railings, where the background leaves can form beautiful blurred bokeh. To capture natural rim lighting, several different orientations were tested for metering. During color grading, the clear and translucent sense of the green tones in the frame was preserved without over-darkening. During the shoot, to make the jawline of the profile clearer, the chin was tucked in slightly, and the gaze was fixed on a focal point slightly to the outside. Going on location is indeed quite physically demanding; the oversized outer robe easily wrinkles, requiring constant use of a garment steamer or smoothing by hand. Overall, from preparing the makeup and styling to the final photos, polishing every single detail was all to make the character look more realistic within the frame.