This time, I chose to present the Saint Graph styling of Ishtar (Rinshtar) in Fate/Grand Order. The experience of preparing and shooting this outfit felt distinctly different from casual everyday selfies.
Starting with hair and makeup, Rinshtar's eye makeup is the soul of the entire look. To recreate her iconic red pupils, I selected a pair of translucent red colored contacts, making her gaze more spirited in front of the lens while revealing a hint of the goddess's sharp elegance. For the eyeliner, I crafted a distinct, sharp upward wing, combined with softly blended pinkish eyeshadow around the eyes and noticeable highlighters, giving the gaze both divinity and a unique tsundere charm. For the base makeup, I chose a semi-matte finish to accentuate facial dimensionality without looking oily, finished with a berry-toned lipstick that perfectly balanced the intensity of the eyes, keeping the entire makeup clean and refined.
Styling the wig was another time-consuming step. Rinshtar's blunt bangs need to cover the forehead without being too thick and stiff, so I thinned the bangs slightly and added subtle layers. The voluminous twin-tails on both sides needed sufficient fluffiness to maintain dynamic tension; paired with the two oversized glossy navy ribbon bows, the character's recognizability shot up instantly. The ribbon fabric features a subtle satin sheen, complemented by golden outer piping, offering great texture that fits the opulent luxury of the Uruk goddess from TYPE-MOON.
The outfit is predominantly navy blue and white, featuring a classic white stand-up collar at the neckline that looks crisp and neat. The large bow on the chest serves as the most prominent visual center, requiring repeated adjustments to achieve a crisp and symmetrical structure. The gold trims and detailed accents below the chest heighten the design sense of the combat attire. Although this shoot was done in a home environment rather than a professional studio, I still tried my best by adjusting the light source and high-angle shot perspectives to capture the feel closest to the character's atmosphere. In the background, my cluttered bookshelves and corner ornaments are visible, but this authentic everyday environment actually added a cozy sense of ease to this set of selfies.
Regarding shooting angles, though both photos were taken in the same setting, the frontal close-up in Photo 2 has a more centered composition and more even lighting, so I chose it as the cover. Photo 1, with a slight head tilt and downcast gaze, brought out a calm, slightly aloof stare, which is also part of expressing the character's personality. Naturally, wearing this outfit during shooting posed a few challenges—for instance, repeatedly adjusting the ribbon bows to ensure they didn't tilt as my head moved. The enormous twin-tails could easily spill outside the frame, requiring constant fine-tuning of the smartphone camera angle to achieve the perfect balance.
For a character like Rinshtar, Ishtar Cosplay is not merely about putting on an outfit, but pondering her expressions and demeanor. That aloof yet not entirely unapproachable feeling needs to flow naturally in front of the lens. In this shoot, I intentionally avoided complex post-production effects, mainly wanting to showcase the raw texture of the makeup, styling, and costume. Looking at these raw photos reveals an even more authentic 2D-inspired beauty. The vibe matches the composed confidence of leaving things in one's hands described in the post, and through this endeavor, I gained a deeper understanding of the character. Overall, from wardrobe selection to capturing her demeanor, today's selfie set was a truly rewarding experience. Given future opportunities, I will strive to create even more complete works with rich scene storytelling to expand this character's expressiveness in Fate/Grand Order and TYPE-MOON works.