The convention photos from the Shenzhen Circular Universe anime convention are finally organized! As a series of photos for the Qingming Festival special, today I'm sharing this completed Castorice cosplay set with everyone. Preparing this grayish-purple styled look presented its primary difficulty in styling the wig. This color easily looks artificial under poor lighting, so a lot of time was spent during setting to create fluffy bangs and twintails, which, paired with long pointed elf ears, sculpted the character's side profile. The dress details are remarkably rich; the white strapless base paired with purple floral elements not only provides distinct visual layering, but also gives the entire look an ethereal fairy-like elegance. The two pinkish-purple flower ornaments on the chest and the ring-like thorn headpiece serve as the primary visual focal points of the upper body.
For makeup this time, I intentionally expanded the eyeshadow blending area, paired with purple contact lenses to make my gaze appear clearer and more expressive. Lip color was chosen not as an overly vibrant red, but a warm tone echoing the costume palette, making the overall look more coordinated and natural. Shooting coincided with the Qingming holiday, and there were indeed quite a lot of people at Shenzhen Circular Universe; to capture relatively clean ambient light, we found several corners with slightly deeper depth of field. Especially for those reclining poses, several angles were adjusted to capture the waistline, neck and shoulder lines, and glove details—the photographer's candid captures were spot-on.
Actually, what I'm most satisfied with is the full-body standing photo lifting my skirt—the short white pleated skirt, patterned tights integrated into a sleek White thigh-highs outfit aesthetic, paired with platform shoes—displaying the highest completeness of the look from that angle. The purple fabric on the skirt hem floated naturally while walking, creating an illusion of built-in wind effects. The garment fabric selected carried a degree of structured crispness, so it maintained that bell-shaped silhouette even without a petticoat.
During the convention, being recognized and greeted by many passing friends was truly a wonderful feeling. Recreating the outfit fidelity is important, but what I value even more is embodying the soul of the character while wearing these clothes. The wig, garments, makeup, and even specific body tension points during photos—such as straightening my back or angling sideways slightly—accumulate to strengthen visual immersion. Shooting this cool-toned yet bright photo set during the special timing of Qingming Festival served as a unique memory. The venue lighting at Shenzhen Circular Universe was very friendly, and the purple carpet on the floor unified the color palette of the finished shots remarkably well.
Especially when moving around the Shenzhen Circular Universe exhibition hall, the skirt movement was more pronounced than usual, making the capture of dynamic beauty heavily reliant on the photographer's shutter timing. Presenting perfect posture required great tacit chemistry with the photographer. Because my waist and shoulders were exposed, although Shenzhen isn't cold this season, gusts of breeze still made me shiver a bit—yet I had to hold my expression steady before the lens. In this photo set, some were top-down perspectives emphasizing headpiece and makeup details, while others were low-angle shots showcasing leg lines and footwear coordination. Varied perspectives brought different sensory experiences to the exact same look, making this Castorice cosplay work present in a more three-dimensional way.
It was very crowded on the day of the shoot, but fortunately we had good luck finding a shooting spot outside the subway station at a small plaza with soft light and a clean background, where yellow warning lines on the floor created an interesting color collision with the purple ground. Although running around the convention was physically exhausting, looking back at these raw camera files in the evening made all the effort feel like a concrete achievement. That's probably the greatest joy cosplay brings me—not merely putting on clothes, but immersively aligning with a character's disposition. The completeness of this set does justice to the time invested beforehand, and I hope this look leaves a wonderful impression on everyone.