Catrina Makeup AI: Preview Yourself with Day of the Dead Makeup

Upload a single selfie and receive a 2K portrait showing you with complete Catrina sugar skull makeup, crowned with red roses and holding a lit candle. Your facial features remain yours. A Catrín version for men and a marigold field option are available with one tap.

The original Catrina Makeup reel by @vanessa_mart04

Original reel

1 photo you add
2K photo you can turn into a video
9:16 for TikTok, Reels, Shorts
No watermark

No prompt to write: Add your photo and tap once

Create your own

Ready in a few minutes · From 3 credits

Catrina makeup, known in Spanish as maquillaje de Catrina, is the iconic sugar skull face paint worn during Mexico's Day of the Dead: a skull painted with dark eye sockets, floral designs and delicate lines, typically crowned with flowers. This tool eliminates the need for brushes. Upload a single clear selfie, choose your preferred style, and Smew AI applies the Catrina design to your face in a single 2K portrait.

Also called La Catrina makeup · Sugar skull makeup · Maquillaje de Catrina · Dia de los muertos makeup · Dia de muertos makeup · Calavera makeup · Catrina face paint · Catrin makeup

Example

What your Catrina Makeup photo will look like

This is the original reel that launched the trend. Your video will be a new clip created from your own photo in this style, not a duplicate of these frames. Each run produces unique results.

Original reel by @vanessa_mart04, 15 s

The original reel from @vanessa_mart04: Catrina portraits generated by Gemini from her photo, using the prompts she posted in her comments. The first portrait, featuring the skull and marigold crown, matches the Skull crown look available here.

Use this reference

Step by step

How to create your Catrina Makeup photo on Smew AI

Everything happens in your browser. No editing app needed, no prompt writing, no watermark added.

Upload your photo
Press "Create your own" and upload a photo of yourself with a clear face view. Capture it with your camera or select one from your library.
Press Generate
The button displays the price. Nano Banana 2.1 applies the Catrina makeup scene to your photo and creates one 2K photo. No prompt writing required.
Download or share
Your photo renders in a few minutes as a 9:16 2K image. Download it, share directly from your phone, convert it to video, or retrieve it later from your Library.

What type of photo works best?

Upload a single sharp selfie or chest-up photo, facing the camera. The prompt overlays a skull design on your face, so the model requires clear visibility of your actual features to preserve them beneath the paint.

Natural daylight on your face, eyes open, no sunglasses, no hat and no beauty filter.
A neutral, relaxed expression works best: these are serene portraits, not smiling shots.
Your clothing and background don't matter: each style adds its own outfit, crown and candlelit or marigold setting.
One person per photo. Multiple faces may confuse the model.
Skull crown, Catrina and Marigold field are designed for women, following the original prompts. For men, choose Catrín.
Use your own photo, or one of an adult who has given permission. Never use celebrity images.

Where did the Catrina Makeup trend begin?

La Catrina is the elegant skeletal figure central to Mexico's Day of the Dead. She originated in a satirical etching by José Guadalupe Posada, first published in 1913, and Diego Rivera featured her in his 1946-47 mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park. Painting your face as La Catrina, or her male counterpart the Catrín, has become a traditional look for 1 and 2 November and Halloween: in October 2025, US Google searches for "catrina makeup" reached approximately 60,500 and "day of the dead makeup" about 49,500.

The AI Day of the Dead photo trend launched in Mexico during October 2025, after Google's Gemini app gained the ability to edit photos while preserving faces. Creators shared their Catrina prompts on TikTok, and on 9 and 11 October TV Azteca and Milenio published step-by-step tutorials with copy-paste prompts. In September 2026 it returned as CapCut AI templates, and on 8 October 2026 the Dreamina app introduced three Day of the Dead templates.

1913
José Guadalupe Posada's skeleton lady, typically dated 1910 to 1912, appears in print with certainty for the first time, in a satirical broadside. The name Calavera Catrina becomes associated with it in 1930. Wikipedia
1947
Diego Rivera finishes his mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park (1946-47), featuring the Catrina among its characters. Wikipedia
2025-10-09
TV Azteca releases a step-by-step tutorial for creating a Catrina photo with AI, including a Gemini prompt for sugar skull makeup in a marigold field that concludes "do not change my face". TV Azteca
2025-10-17
@angusporras shares a Gemini tutorial where she transforms her selfie into a Catrina with painted bones and a red rose crown; it reaches 35,700 plays by 12 October 2026. TikTok
2025-11-01
@vanessa_mart04 shares a slideshow of her Gemini Catrina portraits and posts the prompts in her comments; it reaches 10,300 plays and 98 comments by 12 October 2026. TikTok
2026-09-23
A CapCut AI template video showing a Catrina in a black rose-embroidered dress in a candlelit cemetery reaches 100,900 plays and 4,576 likes by 12 October 2026. TikTok
2026-10-08
Dreamina introduces three Day of the Dead templates to its Trends Studio: an underworld checkpoint story, a pet running down a marigold path and a face swap video. Dreamina

Copy and paste

The Catrina Makeup prompts

You don't need this: the one-tap process handles it for you. The photo prompt integrates your photo into the scene. Want to modify it? Copy and edit it in AI Photo.

Skull crown

1 photo: you, face clearNano Banana 2.1Photo · 2K · 9:163 credits

Photo prompt

Usa mi foto subida como base. Crea una imagen muy detallada y vívida de una mujer maquillada como una Catrina o una figura asociada al Día de Muertos mexicano, ambientada con una iluminación cálida. La mujer tiene la cara maquillada en el estilo tradicional de calavera de azúcar (calavera). El área de los ojos está rodeada por grandes círculos de color naranja brillante u oro pálido, con un delineado oscuro. Hay detalles florales o de encaje sobre las cejas y en la parte superior de la frente. En el centro de la frente, tiene un adorno que parece una joya roja y dorada, con patrones de pétalos que se extienden hacia las sienes. La nariz está maquillada de negro en forma de un triángulo invertido, imitando la cavidad nasal de un cráneo. Los labios son de un color naranja suave o terracota. Alrededor de la boca, tiene dibujados los dientes de la calavera con líneas finas y curvas negras, que se extienden en una sonrisa elaborada. En las mejillas y la barbilla, hay detalles ornamentales de color dorado, que simulan filigranas o joyas. Los ojos de la mujer son de un color verde o avellana y miran directamente al frente con una expresión seria e intensa. El Tocado y Adornos: Lleva un impresionante tocado o corona en la cabeza. El elemento central del tocado es un cráneo humano (calavera) de color blanco o hueso, ubicado en la parte superior de la cabeza. Alrededor de la calavera y la cabeza, hay una abundancia de rosas de color naranja intenso o cempasúchil, que enmarcan su rostro. Detrás de las flores, hay una estructura dorada que irradia hacia arriba, como una aureola o resplandor con puntas afiladas. Vestimenta y Joyería: Lleva múltiples collares, incluyendo varias vueltas de perlas blancas y varias cadenas de oro grueso con diseños intrincados. Viste una prenda en la parte superior que tiene detalles de encaje blanco o bordado en los hombros. Lleva unos pendientes colgantes grandes y elaborados de color dorado, posiblemente con perlas o gemas colgantes. El fondo está desenfocado (bokeh), pero se aprecian varias velas encendidas que proyectan una luz cálida, dorada y difusa, lo que contribuye a una atmósfera mística y ceremonial, muy acorde con la temática. No cambies mi rostro. Formato vertical 9:16. Una sola persona. Sin texto, sin logotipos, sin marca de agua, sin marcos ni superposiciones.

2333 characters

Make it in one tap

Catrina

1 photo: you, face clearNano Banana 2.1Photo · 2K · 9:163 credits

Photo prompt

Usa mi foto subida como base. Crea un retrato (sin cambiar rasgos de mi rostro) de una mujer con maquillaje artístico de calavera inspirado en el Día de Muertos, con pintura detallada que simula huesos en el rostro, cuello y brazos, con tonos blancos, negros y matices morados iluminados por una luz violeta tenue. Lleva una corona de grandes rosas rojas con hojas verdes y unos pendientes colgantes dorados con forma ornamental. Su vestido negro de terciopelo tiene bordados florales coloridos en tonos rojo, amarillo, verde y morado, representando flores tradicionales mexicanas. Sostiene una vela encendida entre sus manos, cuya luz blanca ilumina suavemente su rostro. Fondo oscuro, estilo de estudio fotográfico, con contraste de luces cálidas y frías que resaltan la textura del maquillaje y los detalles del vestuario. Imagen hiperrealista, en alta resolución 8K, con enfoque nítido y atmósfera mística y cultural. En el fondo se ven velas blancas pequeñas encendidas. Formato vertical 9:16. Una sola persona, con cinco dedos en cada mano. Sin texto, sin logotipos, sin marca de agua, sin marcos ni superposiciones.

1122 characters

Make it in one tap

What's the credit cost?

You pay per photo using credits, and the create page displays the exact price on the Generate button before you commit. The one-tap price covers a single 2K photo, billed once. One photo costs 3 credits, so the smallest one-time pack that covers it is $9.99 for 100 credits, no subscription required. A smaller 1K photo costs less if you run the prompt manually in AI Photo.

Model	Settings	Credits
Nano Banana 2.1 (this template)	2K photo, 9:16, one tap	3
Nano Banana 2.1 (by hand in AI Photo)	1K photo, 9:16, same prompt	2

One-time packs and plans are on the pricing page. A failed video gives its credits back.

Four Catrina styles, each from a prompt creators actually shared

Each style here uses a prompt shared in October or November 2025, reproduced word for word in the original Spanish. We only added a few opening words to make your photo the base, plus a closing line requesting one person and a clean vertical 9:16 image without text or logos. Select a style before pressing Generate:

Look	What you get	Where the prompt comes from
Skull crown (default)	Sugar-skull makeup with large orange and pale gold eye circles, a red forehead jewel and gold filigree on the cheeks, a crown of orange marigolds surrounding a bone-white skull with gold rays behind it, pearls and gold chains, plus candles in the background	The prompts @vanessa_mart04 posted in her comments alongside her Catrina portraits (1 November 2025), the first portrait in the reel shown above
Catrina	Skull makeup with painted bones on the face, neck and arms in white, black and purple beneath soft violet lighting, a crown of large red roses, gold drop earrings, a black velvet dress with colorful Mexican floral embroidery, and a lit candle held in your hands	The Gemini tutorial from @angusporras (17 October 2025, 35,700 plays), the most-viewed Catrina makeup tutorial with a complete prompt that we located
Catrín (for men)	A stylized skull face with large orange eye sockets trimmed in gold, pearls and white resembling marigold petals, a black heart-shaped nose, gold filigree and small gold butterflies on the cheeks, a short fitted jacket, a vest and a wide bow tie, with two candles visible behind	The prompt @ivanls26 shared on 29 October 2025 (21,400 plays)
Marigold field	Pale Catrina makeup with dark eye sockets and floral patterns, a wide hat decorated with yellow sunflowers and a dark outfit featuring sunflower motifs, shown in profile in a field of orange marigolds	The prompt published by TV Azteca (9 October 2025) and Milenio (11 October 2025) as the method for creating a Catrina photo with Gemini; Eje Central listed this same style on 31 October

Each run produces one 2K photo, and each run generates a slightly different design, so try a style two or three times and select your favorite.

Catrina makeup ideas: preview Day of the Dead makeup before painting it

Most people searching for Catrina makeup intend to paint it themselves. In October 2025, US Google searches reached approximately 60,500 for "catrina makeup", 49,500 for "sugar skull makeup", 27,100 for "day of the dead face paint" and 6,600 for "day of the dead makeup men" (Google Ads data). A complete Catrina requires skill and patience, so previewing a design on your face first is helpful. This isn't a Day of the Dead makeup tutorial, but it displays the design on your face before you follow one.

Each style provides Day of the Dead makeup ideas on your own face, suitable for a party or Día de los Muertos on 1 and 2 November: a sugar skull with marigolds and gold filigree (Skull crown), painted bones with red roses (Catrina), orange and gold on natural skin (Catrín, also spelled Catrin) or a pale base with sunflowers (Marigold field). Want Catrina makeup simple enough for home application? Begin with the Catrín style, which applies design over your natural skin rather than covering your entire face.

Use the AI portrait as your guide:

Choose the style. Full face paint with painted bones (Catrina), a lighter design on natural skin (Catrín), or a pale base with flowers (Marigold field).
Choose the colors. The default style uses white, black and purple with red roses; the Catrín style uses orange and gold, like marigold petals.
Show it. Save the photo and present it to a makeup artist, or replicate the shapes at home: the eye sockets, the nose, the lines above the lips and the flowers on the forehead and cheeks.

The photo displays a design, not how actual paint will behave on skin. For real application, use face paint formulated for skin.

Day of the Dead makeup for men and women

Each style paints a skull over your actual face; what differs is the outfit, the color palette and the atmosphere.

For a man, choose Catrín. La Catrina's male counterpart is the traditional masculine style of Día de los Muertos. The face paint features orange eye sockets trimmed in gold, a black heart-shaped nose and gold filigree, paired with a short fitted jacket, a vest and a wide bow tie. The other three styles include a dress, as in the original prompts, so men seeking Catrina or calavera makeup should choose Catrín.
For a woman, choose Skull crown, Catrina or Marigold field. All three are feminine styles, as the original prompts specify them, each with distinct sugar skull makeup and color schemes: gold and orange with a marigold crown, violet and red with a red rose crown, or pale with a yellow sunflower hat. Skull crown and Catrina replicate the Day of the Dead makeup women created on their selfies using Gemini; Marigold field comes from the prompt published by TV Azteca.

For a couple, create one portrait each, the Catrín and a Catrina, and display them side by side.

Catrina makeup in Spanish

La Catrina originates from Mexico, as does this trend, so much discussion happens in Spanish. Maquillaje de Catrina means Catrina makeup, and maquillaje Día de Muertos refers to Day of the Dead makeup generally. Maquillaje Día de Muertos hombre is the men's version, which here is the Catrín, and maquillaje Día de Muertos mujer is the women's version, the other three styles.

IA is the Spanish abbreviation for AI, so maquillaje de Catrina con IA means Catrina makeup created with AI. That's what this page creates: one foto de Catrina of your face, from a prompt shared by a creator or news outlet in Spanish, word for word.

A filtro de Catrina para fotos is a Catrina photo filter. This page isn't a live camera filter like a TikTok effect: it creates a portrait from your uploaded photo, which you can share on TikTok or Instagram like any photo.

What can go wrong with an AI Catrina photo, and how do you fix it?

Heavy face paint challenges any image model, because it obscures the features that define your face. These are the typical issues, and how to address them:

What goes wrong	Why	What to do
The face doesn't look like you	The paint conceals your features. Each original prompt instructs the model to preserve your face, and ours retain that instruction	Upload a sharp, front-facing selfie in daylight, then try again
A man receives a dress	The Catrina and Marigold field prompts specify a woman, as the originals do	Choose Catrín
Your hair changes	The Marigold field prompt requests long, wavy hair, as the original does	Choose Catrina or Catrín, which don't specify hair
The fingers holding the candle look strange	Hands holding small objects challenge image models	Try again: the prompt specifies five fingers per hand
The makeup appears lighter than desired	The Catrín style applies paint over your natural skin, as its original prompt specifies	Choose Catrina for complete face paint

If a run fails, your credits are refunded.

Which hashtags and audio work with a Catrina photo?

Your Smew AI portrait contains no audio, so add audio in TikTok or Instagram when posting. Several Catrina AI posts we reviewed used a version of the Mexican song "La Llorona". Want movement? Use Make it a video on the result screen to animate your portrait.

A popular format is a carousel: your actual selfie first, followed by the Catrina portrait, or two or three styles in sequence. Hashtags (TikTok, 12 October 2026): #diademuertos (4.4 million videos), #catrina (510,822 videos), #dayofthedead (239,323 videos) and #catrinamakeup (148,083 videos). Retain the platform's AI label.

FAQ

Catrina Makeup trend questions

What is Catrina makeup?

It's the skull face paint of La Catrina, the elegant skeleton figure of Mexico's Day of the Dead: a painted skull with dark eye sockets, a dark nose, lines above the lips and flowers or filigree on the forehead and cheeks, typically crowned with flowers. Men wear the same skull makeup as the Catrín.

How do I preview Catrina makeup on my photo with AI?

Press "Create your own", upload a single clear selfie and select a style: Skull crown, Catrina, Catrín or Marigold field. Press Generate. Nano Banana 2.1 applies the Catrina style to your face and delivers one 2K portrait, typically within a few minutes, and it appears in your Library.

What is the Catrina AI prompt?

The prompts behind the Catrina AI trend, which went viral in Mexico in October 2025, were created for Google's Gemini app, in Spanish. This page runs four of them word for word, in the original Spanish: the skull crown prompt @vanessa_mart04 posted in her comments, the one from the most-viewed Catrina makeup tutorial we found (@angusporras), a Catrín prompt for men (@ivanls26) and the marigold field prompt published by TV Azteca and Milenio. On this page each is a style: select it, upload your photo and press Generate.

Is this the same as the Gemini Catrina trend?

Yes, using the same prompts: each style runs a Catrina Gemini prompt shared by a creator or news outlet. The 2025 posts used Google's Gemini app; Smew AI runs those prompts on Nano Banana 2.1, Google's image model, with the vertical 9:16 format pre-configured. You upload your photo and press one button.

Can men use the Catrina makeup trend?

Yes. Choose Catrín, the male counterpart of La Catrina. The prompt paints a stylized skull with orange eye sockets trimmed in gold, a black heart-shaped nose and gold filigree, and dresses you in a short fitted jacket, a vest and a wide bow tie, with two candles visible behind you.

Will the AI preserve my face under the makeup?

Every prompt instructs the model to preserve your facial features, but complete skull paint covers much of them, so some runs may resemble you less. A sharp, front-facing selfie in daylight helps most. Try again if it misses: each run produces slightly different results.

Is this a Catrina filter or a Day of the Dead filter?

Not a live one. A sugar skull filter in a camera app overlays a mask on your face; here Nano Banana 2.1, an AI image model, creates a new 2K portrait from your selfie, similar to a photo filter that preserves your face.

Can I use it to plan my actual Day of the Dead makeup?

Yes. Save the portrait and use it as a guide for the shapes and colors, or present it to a makeup artist. It displays a design on your face, not how actual paint will behave on skin, so test your face paint beforehand.

When is the Day of the Dead?

Día de Muertos is observed on 1 and 2 November, immediately following Halloween. In the US, searches for Catrina makeup peak in October, when people plan their looks.

Can I convert my Catrina photo into a video?

Yes. Once your portrait is ready, use Make it a video on the result screen to animate it. The photo itself contains no audio.

Does it require credits?

Yes, a few credits per photo. The create page displays the exact price on the Generate button before you spend anything, and if a run fails, your credits are refunded.

Can I share the photo on Instagram or TikTok?

Yes. The result has no watermark. Retain the platform's AI label, and only use your own photo or the photo of an adult who has given permission.

Can I use it with a photo of my child or my pet?

This template is designed for adults: the prompts specify a woman or a man. For a pet, try the [AI pet Halloween costume](/templates/ai-pet-halloween-costume) template instead.

Is my photo kept private?

Yes. Smew AI doesn't post your photo or the result anywhere or display it to other users. The result goes to your private Library, and you can delete it there anytime.

More trends

Create your own Catrina Makeup photo

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Catrina Makeup AI: Preview Yourself with Day of the Dead Makeup

What your Catrina Makeup photo will look like

How to create your Catrina Makeup photo on Smew AI

Upload your photo

Press Generate

Download or share

What type of photo works best?

Where did the Catrina Makeup trend begin?

The Catrina Makeup prompts

Skull crown

Catrina

What's the credit cost?

Four Catrina styles, each from a prompt creators actually shared

Catrina makeup ideas: preview Day of the Dead makeup before painting it

Day of the Dead makeup for men and women

Catrina makeup in Spanish

What can go wrong with an AI Catrina photo, and how do you fix it?

Which hashtags and audio work with a Catrina photo?

Catrina Makeup trend questions

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