[Xiao Qiao Cosplay] Shooting the Honor of Kings Hello Kitty Star Skin Summer swimsuit Was So Much Fun

Summer and swimsuits are truly a perfect match. The original intention behind this shoot was to capture a refreshing and gorgeous summer look, keeping Xiao Qiao's signature cuteness at the core while infusing tropical poolside vibes. The preparation and makeup testing took quite a while; since we were shooting poolside with such a large novelty kickboard float, the range of motion was substantial. To prevent the hair ornaments from falling off or the wig from getting messy, I secured multiple hairpins tightly inside the wig.

The weather on the day of the shoot was fantastic. The soft evening light shimmered across the pool, matching our vision perfectly. The prop team's giant Hello Kitty float had an excellent texture—despite reflecting light, it complemented my skin tone beautifully. As for the costume, the pink-and-white ruffled design is quite demanding on posture. To faithfully recreate the character design, I wore a well-fitted base swimsuit underneath so it wouldn't slip or become see-through once wet. The skirt hem grew heavy after soaking up water, so to capture a lightweight and dynamic feel, I had to continuously adjust my stance. For instance, in the shots where I lifted one leg, my core was working hard to keep balance while maintaining facial expression control—looking relaxed, natural, and genuinely playful in the water.

The transparent swim ring prop refracted vibrant colors under sunlight and water ripples, feeling great to hold. The photographer guided me on avoiding harsh direct sunlight and using reflectors for fill light, which kept facial contours soft and gave the skin a luminous, translucent texture.

Whenever shooting a cosplay with such a distinctive theme, makeup requires the most effort. To highlight the 2D aesthetic, eye makeup was applied with great detail: eyelashes were lengthened, and prominent pink eye shadow was chosen to harmonize with the overall color scheme. Despite the hot weather, extensive setting was done before stepping in front of the camera to avoid smudging. Under-eye makeup can easily run from sweat or water splashes, so plenty of setting spray was used to maintain the delicate look shown in the photos.

Speaking of the shoot concept: when I first saw this theme, I kept thinking about how to convey that refreshing, vibrant summer feeling. For an outfit rich in color, shooting only front-facing poses would feel monotonous, so I experimented with diverse compositions and poses—such as looking down at the water, tilting my head back while holding the prop, and lifting one leg in the pool.

I scheduled the shoot near sunset. The evening golden glow casting onto the deep blue water created gorgeous light bokeh; the lighting was soft and produced lovely backlit silhouettes. Because the poolside was slick, I had to be careful not to slip while keeping track of props so they wouldn't block my face or awkward joints—all fine-tuned over countless test shots. Holding such a massive float meant an accidental slip could easily obscure my face or throw off my balance.

During post-processing, I retained plenty of natural skin texture rather than overly smoothing it, creating a lively and authentic photographic feel. In terms of color grading, background greenery was slightly subdued while brightening the water and the pink outfit, adding depth between highlights and shadows to emphasize the subject.

I believe truly captivating cosplay works rely not only on faithful costumes and makeup, but also on the emotion and atmosphere conveyed, allowing viewers to feel that effortless summer joy and relaxation. I hope next summer brings even more joyful creations like this.