Day of the Dead Halloween makeup: How to do sugar skull face paint

Year after year, Day of the Dead proves to be a fool-proof favourite Halloween look.

The Mexican festival inspired 21 per cent of our Halloween costumes last year, according to a survey by mobile network giffgaff.

The festival, which takes place on November 2 this year, is believed to have Aztec origins. It is heavy on symbolism, with skulls and skeletons the signature emblems.

The Standard visited the giffgaff transformation studio, located in Soho’s WAH nail salon, to be transformed into the so-called grande dame of death, Calavera Catrina. Make-up artist Brooke Stanley, 22, spent more than an hour creating the look. She first used colourful eyeshadow to create a background before using liquid eyeliner to pick out details and draw patterns. She then applied glitter and gems, false eye lashes and a flower headpiece as a finishing touch.

Ms Stanley suggested 2015 Bond film Spectre, the opening of which features a masked Daniel Craig walking through a fictional celebration in Mexico City, may have influenced the trend. She added: “It has been so popular over the past couple of years, it is definitely more mainstream now. Halloween is always mad busy, people still love dressing up. Adults don’t get much opportunity to. It is quite empowering, looking like you but not like you. You can be someone or something else for the night.”