Halloween is just around the corner, and there's no shortage of costume options: a cat, a witch, or anything that references pop culture is a winner. But before you pick up the makeup brush to create a sugar skull look, you should know that this type of makeup should be reserved for observing Día de los Muertos (“Day of the Dead” in English), a Mexican holiday that's entirely separate from Halloween.
Below, we talked to Mexican American makeup artist and face-painter Judith Bautista (aka Kahlovera) about the cultural significance of Day of the Dead makeup — also known traditionally as La Catrina — and what donning a sugar skull really means.
What is Day of the Dead?
Contrary to popular belief, Day of the Dead is an entirely separate holiday from Halloween. It's a holiday that dates back thousands of years in Mexican culture, and which is reserved for celebrating the lives of loved ones who passed away.
"It's a tradition that's been going on for over 3,000 years," says Bautista. "It was celebrated originally by the Aztecs and the Mayans. It's a tradition to honor our ancestors to celebrate everybody who's passed on to the next realm. And we do it in celebration of them, telling stories and sharing music and food, and just memories and creating altars with pictures. And we ‘invite’ them back by lighting candles in their honor and bringing around marigolds. The scent is supposed to draw them back to their home."
Bautista also notes that this holiday really doesn't share anything relatable to Halloween other than the fact that there are skulls — they're not even on the same day. "Halloween is a pagan holiday and the history is so much different than what Día de los Muertos is," she says. "Día de los Muertos is not about being scary or gory. It's about honoring anyone you love, and anybody who has had somebody passed away and wants to honor it. Somebody would never think of honoring them by wearing scary makeup or a unicorn costume."
What Is Day of the Dead Makeup?
The most common form of Day of the Dead makeup is La Catrina, a skeletal figure that's reminiscent of sugar skulls, a tasty and colorful skull-shaped treat made on this holiday. According to urban legend, La Catrina's roots come from Aztec death goddess Mictecacihuatl, who served to honor and protect those who have passed and to symbolize the relationship Mexicans have with death. Bautista says that La Catrina makeup is entirely separate from gory Halloween skull makeup.
"If you're dressing up for Halloween and you're making a skull, typically it would be scary," she says. "So people want to add blood, a spider web, stuff of that nature. For sugar skulls, it's not about being scary at all. It's about having a festive resemblance, something that reminds you of your loved one. When the purpose is to scare, it's not the same as what we're doing when we're honoring our ancestors for Day of the Dead. It's just one thing to scare and the other thing is to honor, and they don't really mix if you get the message."
How to Create Day of the Dead Makeup
If you're reading this to create a skull look for Halloween, stop reading and head here instead. However, if you want to create a proper variation of La Catrina makeup for Day of the Dead, Bautista has a few tips.
"Once you apply your white base, you can start contouring with powders of color of your preference," she says. "I recommend to people that they should start out by contouring their faces with powder as they would with makeup. That's the way to follow the pattern of your face that's already there: the cheekbones, the eye sockets, the temples, etc. It's actually very similar to traditional contouring."
After that, Bautista suggests creating the eyes. "You want to start making the circle around the eyes, through the nose socket," she says. "Not too large, I would advise. Not too large and not too small."
Her final tip: Relax! "I take it little by little because people that don't have experience painting and have a hard time keeping their hands steady," she says. "That's why it's good to kind of lay out the foundation by contouring first. Once you contour, you kind of get an idea of where your line should be going."
Below, check out our favorite Day of the Dead makeup ideas, and shop the makeup essentials you'll need to create each look.
The Half-Faced Look
Create the Look:
Snazaroo Snazaroo Classic Face and Body Paint
L'Oreal Paris L'Oreal Paris Makeup Rouge Signature Matte Lip Stain in Red
Giselle Cosmetics Giselle Cosmetics Mineral Eyeshadow in Ganja Green
Elandy Elandy 1Sheet Self-Adhesive Craft Jewels
Black and White
Create the Look:
Snazaroo Snazaroo Classic Face and Body Paint in Black
Mehron Mehron Makeup Fantasy F/X Face & Body Paint in White
NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP NYX Epic Ink Liner in Black
Maybelline New York Maybelline SuperStay 24 Liquid Lipstick Makeup in Keep It Red
Pop of Orange
Create the Look:
Maybelline New York Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Orange Obsession
misslamode Misslamode 3D Faux Mink Lashes False Eyelash Demi Wispies
Blue Tones
Create the Look:
Mehron Mehron Makeup AQ Face & Body Paint in Lagoon Blue
essence cosmetics essence WATER Eyeshadow Palette
NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP NYX Lip Lingerie Matte Liquid Lipstick in Bedtime Flirt
Punky Purple
Create the Look:
Mehron Mehron Makeup CreamBlend Stick in Purple
COVERGIRL Covergirl Defining Moment Eyeliner in Deep Purple
COVERGIRL COVERGIRL Perfect Blend Eyeliner Pencil in Basic Black
Iman Cosmetics IMAN Cosmetics Moisturizing Lipstick in Taboo
Heart Eyes
Create the Look:
stila stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black
Maybelline New York Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in 30 Romantic
Keeping it Simple
Create the Look:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina False Lashes
Haus Laboratories Haus Laboratories Liquid Eye-Lie-Ner in Punk
stila stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso
Read More:
Group Halloween Costumes That Are Guaranteed Crowd-Pleasers
How to Channel Marilyn Monroe This Halloween
Last-Minute Halloween Costumes to DIY in a Flash
Follow BestProducts.com on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!
Jennifer is the former beauty editor for BestProducts.com, where she’s testing out everything from the latest lip gloss to the craziest skincare trend sweeping the online beauty-verse. Her work has been featured in Allure, Byrdie, HelloGiggles, and more. When she’s not swatching eyeshadow all over her arms, you can find the NYC-based editor scouring for hours on end for vintage finds, eating pad thai, and hanging out with her cat, Chunks.
