31/10/2026
10 years ago today, I became La Catrina. 💀🌹
In 2016 I was in Mexico City as a makeup artist with Global Hair and Makeup, working at the Amber Lounge for the Formula One Grand Prix.
When our work was done, we went exploring, and the streets were full of Day of the Dead celebrations.
Street artists were painting faces everywhere, so I asked one of them to make me up as La Catrina, the elegant skeleton lady who is the queen of the Day of the Dead.
My makeup team stood watching in horror. The brushes hadn’t seen soap in years, the paint pots were shared by everyone, and the lashes sat in an open tray. They were sure I’d go home with a dreaded skin disease! (I didn’t, thank goodness.)
I finished the look with a pink wig and the skeleton dress I’d packed, and from then on I felt like royalty. Families stopped me all day to have their photo taken with me standing in the middle. The artists laughed and said I’d be on the front page of the newspaper.
It’s one of my happiest memories, and a good reminder why I’m so fussy about clean brushes and fresh products in my studio. Your skin deserves it.
Happy Halloween, and to my friends in Mexico, feliz Día de Mu***os. 🎃👻💀