[Castorice Cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail, the Photoset for the New Skin "Phantasmal Dream" is Finally Out!

For this set of Castorice's Phantasmal Dream skin from Honkai: Star Rail, I chose to do a real-scene shoot under the blooming cherry blossom trees this time. Though it's called the fastest on the entire web, I actually went to do a trial shoot impatiently right after getting the wig and outfit, making use of the good weather to turn this idea into photos quickly.

Let's start with the core of this hair and makeup style—the taro purple short hair is one of the souls of this look. To recreate the fluffy, lightweight texture of the hair, the tips were intentionally thinned out and lightly curled during styling, paired with light-colored contact lenses and soft eye makeup, hoping to present the character's slightly ethereal, otherworldly temperament. The dark blue bowknot hair accessory on the hair served as an excellent embellishment, adorned with white pearls, keeping all detailed textures top-tier.

In terms of the costume, the upper body features a dark blue gradient tube top with fabric that carries a subtle shimmer, creating a glistening effect under outdoor natural light. The neckline is paired with a black lace choker and a small flower decoration right in front of the chest, which avoids overly grand clutter while breaking up the dullness brought by large areas of blue. The pair of detached long sleeves is also a highlight, with a flared design at the wrists, a half-palm coverage styling that makes it easier for me to hold the transparent butterfly prop matched this time, offering great freedom of movement.

The most complex part of this dress lies in the layered design of the lower body. The waist is tightened with a wide black leather belt featuring a metal buckle, creating a sharp waistline. The skirt hem is a multi-piece patchwork; the outer layer is a stiff dark blue fabric with stitched edges and inlaid with tiny silver beads, which presents a three-dimensional folding effect like butterfly wings whenever the wind blows. The inner layer is a white ruffled lining of varying lengths, making the whole look more flowing and elegant. Long blue streamers trail behind the skirt hem, beautifully extending the vertical lines of the frame during outdoor photography.

For the shooting location, we chose a park where both hydrangeas and cherry blossoms coexist. The first set was shot inside the hydrangea bushes; surrounded by lush green leaves, the blue costume looked exceptionally fresh and natural, giving off an elf-in-the-deep-forest vibe. The other set was under the cherry blossom trees, and it was quite a coincidence that the low-hanging cherry branches perfectly formed the foreground frame of the image. As for the shooting technique, a 70-200mm telephoto lens was used throughout the session, utilizing a large aperture and a longer focal length to blur the background cherry blossoms and distant environment. This not only highlighted the main figure but also filled the frame with dreamy bokeh spots. The light source during the shoot was very soft, avoiding overexposure caused by hard light hitting the blue reflective fabric.

In designing the standing poses and movements, I tried to choose more stretched and elegant postures as much as possible. For instance, interacting with eyes while holding the butterfly prop, looking back with a turned body, or doing a full-body stance with one leg touching the ground. The large area of white lining forms a great color contrast with the dark blue outer skirt, making it highly eye-catching in the frame. Although putting on, taking off, and adjusting this complex costume was indeed time-consuming, it was still an extremely pleasant process to leave behind such a set of lighthearted photos amidst the sunshine and sea of flowers.