Day of the Dead sugar skulls are trending more and more as a popular Halloween look. From the opening scene of James Bond’s latest movie, Spectre, to the animated movie Coco, we find Hollywood loving this look.

Originating in Mexico, The Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) is a Mexican celebration of loved ones that have passed. Starting on the 31st of October it lasts over a few days and is regarded as a time of celebration and reflection with family and friends. A man named Jose Guadalupe Prosade created a print of a figure called La Calavera Catrina. The image depicted a woman with a skull for a face and was originally made as a mockery to the upper-class, however this “sugar skull” has evolved to become a cultural phenomenon. People from all over the world now paint their faces as calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls). These skulls are hauntingly beautiful and with so many colour options available the only limitation is your imagination.

The sugar skull look is all about following the contours of your face. You already know how to highlight and contour, so use those techniques in a new way to create your best Halloween look ever! Follow our step by step guide below to get a basic sugar skull and if you are feeling adventurous then let this only be the beginning.

You will need:
· Creative Glamour Aqua Paints (remember that as long as you have the primary colours you can create any colour on the colour wheel)
· Foundation 
· Foundation brush (New! Pink Dot 12)
· Oval foundation sponge
· Oval tipped brush (New! Orange Dot 19)
· Lip brush (New! Orange Dot 16)
· Cotton bud
· Glitter 
· Setting spray / petroleum Jelly

Step 1

As with any look, start by applying foundation to your face, but avoid the eye socket area. After your application, wet your sponge/brush with water and swirl it in Creative Glamour’s white aqua colours pot. Blend it into the foundation to create a lighter (skull-like) skin tone.

Step 2

Apply black aqua colours around the eyes using a dampened oval foundation sponge. The shape of the sponge helps you to keep to the shape of your eye socket. Once the shape is created you can fill in the colour with a brush where needed.

Step 3

Select the two colours that you want to use by mixing the primary colours (blue, yellow and red). Apply your first colour with an oval tipped brush (we chose aqua colours red as our first colour). Dip the wet brush in the paint, place it flat on the face, then lift it off. Allow the shape of the brush to create the shapes. The most challenging part is just placing your brush straight. Depending on which brush you used, the shape will resemble small petals or leaves.

Step 4

Using a different colour (we mixed blue and yellow) dip the tip of a moist cotton bud into the paint. Place the tip directly onto the skin and give it a slight swirl to deposit the colour. Lift carefully to prevent smudging.

Step 5

Mix some glitter with your setting spray (we used Glitters 19) and apply it to the black painted area for a haunted glow. You can even use your finger for this part. If you don’t have setting spray, hold the glitter in place with some petroleum jelly.

Step 6

For the nose, dip your wet brush in the black aqua paint and colour the tip of your nose. The shape should resemble an upside-down heart.

Step 7

Take a lip brush and fill in the inside portion of your lips (where your lips meet) with the black aqua paint. Make sure you leave the outer lip your lightened skull skin tone. Once again using your lip brush, draw a black line from the corners of your mouth about 2 cm long roughly towards the middle of your ear. Start in the middle of the lips and make vertical lines across your line about 1.5 cm long and 1.5 cm apart. If this look is too intense then just choose a lip colour to compliment your accent colours.

Now that you have a basic sugar skull design you can stop here or add as many colourful and elaborate designs and colours as you desire. The options are endless.

For those that struggle with symmetry and are worried about matching both sides up perfectly, do not panic! Have only half of your face painted and the other half glamorous…this is all about having fun so create the rules to suit your skills. Before the night ends, don’t forget to send us some awesome photos!