Nailing the exact demeanor for this Shigure Ui "Loli Kami Requiem" look was quite a challenge. When applying the eye makeup, I intentionally enlarged the eye contours and selected large-diameter Green colored contact lenses to recreate that doll-like blankness combined with a tsundere attitude. The wig featured Blonde twin tails; after testing out many materials for the white pom-poms on both sides, I finally settled on a fluffier style, fixing them to the sides of the buns.
For the costume styling, there was a white shirt underneath and a dark blue pinafore dress over it, paired with an oversized red bow, red backpack straps, and metallic buckles—the texture of these accessories was crucial. The cuffs of the white shirt had to be smoothed out cleanly without any wrinkles to highlight the overall refinement of the outfit.
During the shoot, in order to capture that condescending contempt of saying "zako, zako" (small fry), I had to practice controlling the focal points of my facial expression. My eyes had to stare straight into the lens while keeping my gaze slightly vacant. With lips slightly parted and eyebrows pressed down, I continuously adjusted the angle. The photographer set up great artificial lighting from the front-side, making the skin look flatter and fairer while giving the wig a translucent luster.
In post-processing, liquify was mainly used to capture that sculpted anime facial texture, the skin was given a matte finish, and the lip color was dialed down slightly to match the character's signature aesthetic. The red, blue, and white color palette stands out vividly in the frame, keeping the visual focus concentrated on the upper body and face.
Because there was only one finished shot, quite a few failed takes were taken while experimenting with expressions. This time, I also reflected on how to make a still photograph more dynamic through makeup and posing. Portraying a character with tsundere and sharp-tongued traits requires letting go of personal reservations and completely immersing oneself in the character's persona. I added some subtle touches to the highlights on the eyes and the tip of the nose to give the facial features more dimensional depth.
Overall, this was an experience filled with detail-oriented challenges and a process of continuously refining my expressive skills. Given the opportunity in the future, I definitely want to try more distinctively styled looks like this one.