This time, I took on the challenge of cosplaying Robin from Honkai: Star Rail, shooting by the pool under the blazing sun all afternoon. Let me share this experience and the gear details. The most crucial gear piece this time is this pair of blue colored contacts—as you can tell from the post description, I absolutely adore them. Their diameter and pattern match Robin's original design perfectly; once worn, the eyes look exceptionally bright and translucent, as if filled with stars. Moreover, the lenses are extremely comfortable; shooting for hours in this high-contrast, harsh-light poolside photoshoot environment, my eyes didn't feel dry or irritated at all. This was vital for me, since I had to keep my eyes wide open and gaze steadily into the lens.
The wig chosen was ice blue, a cool shade that easily glares in the sunlight, so I did a lot of pre-styling with hair wax. In particular, the bangs were trimmed into a curvature that closely framed my face, and the wing accessories on both sides were secured to the wig to ensure they wouldn't wobble. The halo on top was fixed with a support bracket; although it blocked a little light during shooting, it looked very faithful to the original. The makeup utilized bright eyeshadow and blush to echo the wig color for complete Anime-style makeup and styling. The outfit featured a white and orange color-blocked crop top paired with an orange miniskirt; the waist-baring design felt wonderfully refreshing by the summer pool. The white pearl chain bag and the blue choker around the neck also added rich layers of detail.
The biggest challenge during shooting was the transparent swim ring prop. While it looks pretty, it is quite heavy on water and reflects harsh glare, requiring constant angle adjustments to avoid messy glare spots. The clear material was also tricky to focus on against the water background, demanding great patience from the photographer. Photo 3 was shot on the clear swim ring, which required keeping my core engaged while still projecting a relaxed, effortless state. Extending the legs gracefully to flatter the silhouette took considerable physical effort. The orange beverage can served as a great pop of bright color, keeping the palette dynamic.
The shooting location was a standard outdoor swimming pool, where water ripples paired with natural sunlight created an incredible texture. In post-processing, no excessive visual effects were applied; we mainly enhanced the overall clarity and skin tone so the blue eyes and hair would pop, delivering a truly refreshing summer feel. For poses, natural expression was key—we tried half-body close-ups, full-body standing shots, and reclining poses. My favorite remains the one lying on the swim ring, which not only showcased body lines completely but also offered comfortable perspective lines. Overall, this was a summer styling experience deeply faithful to the source material, blending the character's agility with the refreshing poolside ambiance perfectly.