Catrina Makeup AI: See Yourself in Day of the Dead Makeup

Add one selfie and get a 2K portrait of you in full Catrina sugar skull makeup, with a crown of red roses and a lit candle in your hands. Your face stays yours. A Catrín look for men and a marigold field look are one tap away.

The original Catrina Makeup reel by @vanessa_mart04Original 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 1 to 3 minutes · Photo · 3 credits

Catrina makeup is the sugar skull face paint of Mexico's Day of the Dead: a painted skull with dark eye sockets, flowers and fine lines, often with a flower crown. Here you skip the brushes. Add one clear selfie, pick a look, and MakeViral paints the Catrina on your own face in one 2K portrait.

Example

What the Catrina Makeup photo looks like

This is the original reel that started the trend. Your video is a new clip made from your photo in the same style, not a copy of these shots. No two runs come out the same.

Original reel by @vanessa_mart04, 15 s

The original reel by @vanessa_mart04: Catrina portraits that Gemini made from her own photo, with the prompts she shared in her comments. The first one, with the skull and marigold crown, is the Skull crown look on this page.

Step by step

How to make the Catrina Makeup photo on MakeViral

Everything runs in the browser. No editing app, no prompt to write, no watermark.

  1. Add your photo

    Press "Create your own" and add you, face clear. Take it with the camera or pick it from your library.

  2. Press Generate

    The button shows the price. Nano Banana 2 puts your photo into the Catrina makeup scene and makes one 2K photo. You write no prompt.

  3. Download or share

    The photo is ready in 1 to 3 minutes as a 9:16 2K image. Download it, share it from your phone, turn it into a video, or find it later in your Library.

Which photo works best?

Use one sharp selfie or a photo from the chest up, face to the camera. The prompt paints a skull over your face, so the model needs to see your real features clearly to keep them under the paint.

  • Soft daylight on the face, eyes open, no sunglasses, no hat and no beauty filter.
  • A calm, neutral face works best: the looks are serene portraits, not smiles.
  • Your clothes and background do not matter: each look adds its own outfit, crown and candlelit or marigold setting.
  • One person per photo. With two faces, the model may mix them.
  • Skull crown, Catrina and Marigold field describe a woman, as the original prompts do. For a man, pick Catrín.
  • Use your own face, or the face of an adult who agreed. Never a celebrity.

Where did the Catrina Makeup trend start?

La Catrina is the elegant skeleton lady of Mexico's Day of the Dead. She began as a satirical etching by José Guadalupe Posada, first printed in 1913, and Diego Rivera put her into his 1946-47 mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park. Painting your face as a Catrina, or as her partner the Catrín, is now a classic look for 1 and 2 November and for Halloween: in October 2025, US Google searches for "catrina makeup" reached about 60,500 and "day of the dead makeup" about 49,500.

The AI version took off in Mexico in October 2025, after Google's Gemini app learned to edit a photo and keep the face. Creators posted their Catrina prompts on TikTok, and on 9 and 11 October TV Azteca and Milenio printed step-by-step guides with a prompt to copy. In September 2026 it came back as CapCut AI templates, and on 8 October 2026 the Dreamina app added three Day of the Dead templates of its own.

  1. José Guadalupe Posada's skeleton lady, usually dated 1910 to 1912, appears in print for the first certain time, in a satirical broadside. The name Calavera Catrina is attached to it in 1930. Wikipedia

  2. Diego Rivera completes his mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park (1946-47), with the Catrina among its figures. Wikipedia

  3. TV Azteca publishes a step-by-step guide to a Catrina photo with AI, with a Gemini prompt for sugar skull makeup in a marigold field that ends "do not change my face". TV Azteca

  4. @angusporras posts a Gemini tutorial in which she turns her own selfie into a Catrina with painted bones and a crown of red roses; it has 35,700 plays on 12 October 2026. TikTok

  5. @vanessa_mart04 posts a slideshow of her own Gemini Catrina portraits and shares the prompts in her comments; it has 10,300 plays and 98 comments on 12 October 2026. TikTok

  6. A CapCut AI template video of a Catrina in a black rose-embroidered dress in a candlelit cemetery has 100,900 plays and 4,576 likes by 12 October 2026. TikTok

  7. Dreamina adds 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 do not need this: the one-tap flow runs it for you. The photo prompt puts your photo into the scene. Want to change it? Copy it and edit it in AI Photo.

Skull crown

1 photo: you, face clearNano Banana 2Photo · 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.

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Catrina

1 photo: you, face clearNano Banana 2Photo · 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

Catrín (for men)

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

Usa mi foto subida como base. Crea una imagen hiperrealista (manteniendo los detalles de la imagen correctamente) con mis rasgos faciales idénticos con características. Esta imagen es un retrato impactante de un hombre cuyo maquillaje está inspirado en las tradiciones del Día de Muertos, específicamente la Calavera Catrina. Descripción Detallada El Maquillaje (Calavera/Cráneo de Azúcar): El rostro del hombre está pintado para parecerse a un cráneo estilizado. Las cuencas de los ojos están dramáticamente agrandadas y pintadas de un vibrante naranja con intrincados detalles en oro, diamantes, perlas y blanco alrededor de los bordes, sugiriendo pétalos de cempasúchil. La nariz está pintada de negro en forma de corazón invertido o nariz de cráneo. El color natural de la piel sirve como base para el resto de su rostro, contrastando con el color oscuro de sus labios. Intrincados diseños de filigrana en oro y blanco adornan su frente, mejillas y barbilla, imitando encaje delicado o joyería. Pequeños diseños dorados en forma de mariposa están pintados en sus mejillas. Atuendo: Chaquetilla: Una chaqueta corta y ajustada. Camisa: Una camisa formal de manga larga debajo. Chaleco: Un chaleco a juego. Moño: Una corbata de lazo de ala ancha. Fondo y Ambiente: El fondo es suave, oscuro y ligeramente difuminado, sugiriendo un entorno interior, quizás histórico o con poca luz. Dos velas blancas encendidas son visibles en el lado izquierdo, añadiendo un cálido y suave resplandor a la composición general y resaltando la naturaleza dramática de su retrato. La iluminación está enfocada en su rostro, haciendo que los acentos dorados y los colores ricos realmente brillen. El ambiente general es de una belleza majestuosa, solemne y reverencia cultural. Formato vertical 9:16. Una sola persona. Sin texto, sin logotipos, sin marca de agua, sin marcos ni superposiciones.

1875 characters

Marigold field

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

Usa mi foto subida como base. Como un experto en fotografía de estudio crea esta fotografía de una mujer con maquillaje de Catrina, o calavera de azúcar, se encuentra de pie en medio de un vasto campo de cempasúchil o flores de un tono anaranjado intenso. Su rostro, con la piel pálida, presenta un maquillaje elaborado con cuencas oculares oscuras, intrincados patrones florales en la frente y mejillas, y una sutil delineación de los dientes. Ella esta de perfil y su mirada está directamente dirigida al espectador, con una expresión serena y enigmática. Lleva un gran sombrero de ala ancha adornado con múltiples girasoles de color amarillo brillante, que enmarcan su rostro y se extienden por el ala. Su vestimenta consiste en un atuendo de manga larga, predominantemente oscuro (posiblemente negro), decorado con motivos florales de girasoles en tonos amarillos, que se asemejan a los girasoles del sombrero y a los cempasúchiles del campo. Los detalles del vestuario sugieren un estilo tradicional, quizás con elementos bordados. El cabello de la mujer es largo y ondulado, cayendo sobre sus hombros. El entorno es un campo abierto, donde abundan las flores de cempasúchil en primer plano y se extienden hasta el horizonte. El fondo es ligeramente borroso, mostrando árboles y vegetación con un matiz otoñal o crepuscular, en tonos apagados de naranja, amarillo y verde oliva, bajo un cielo nublado o difuso. La iluminación es suave y difusa, con un ligero toque dramático que resalta el maquillaje y los colores vibrantes del sombrero y las flores, creando una atmósfera melancólica pero hermosa, muy acorde con la temática del Día de Muertos. La composición enfoca a la mujer en el tercio medio de la imagen, con el campo floral ocupando gran parte del encuadre. RESPETA MIS RASGOS FISICOS Y NO ME CAMBIES LA CARA Formato vertical 9:16. Una sola persona. Sin texto, sin logotipos, sin marca de agua, sin marcos ni superposiciones.

1939 characters

How many credits does it cost?

You pay per photo in credits, and the create page shows the exact price on the Generate button before you spend anything. The one-tap price covers one 2K photo, charged once. One photo is 3 credits, so the smallest one-time pack that covers it is $9.99 for 100 credits, with no subscription. A smaller 1K photo costs less if you run the prompt by hand in AI Photo.

ModelSettingsCredits
Nano Banana 2 (this template)2K photo, 9:16, one tap3
Nano Banana 2 (by hand in AI Photo)1K photo, 9:16, same prompt2

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

Four Catrina looks, each from a prompt creators really shared

Every look on this page runs a prompt that was shared in October or November 2025, word for word in the original Spanish. We added only a few words at the start that make your photo the base, and a line at the end that asks for one person and a clean vertical 9:16 image with no text or logos. Pick a look before you press Generate:

LookWhat you getWhere the prompt comes from
Skull crown (default)Sugar-skull makeup with big orange and pale gold eye circles, a red jewel on the forehead and gold filigree on the cheeks, a crown of orange marigolds around a bone-white skull with gold rays behind it, pearls and gold chains, and candles behind youThe prompts @vanessa_mart04 shared in her comments with her Catrina portraits (1 November 2025), the first portrait in the reel above
CatrinaSkull makeup with painted bones on the face, neck and arms in white, black and purple under a soft violet light, a crown of big red roses, gold drop earrings, a black velvet dress with colorful Mexican flower embroidery, and a lit candle in your handsThe Gemini tutorial by @angusporras (17 October 2025, 35,700 plays), the most played Catrina makeup tutorial with a full prompt that we found
Catrín (for men)A stylized skull face with big orange eye sockets edged in gold, pearls and white like 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 behindThe prompt @ivanls26 posted on 29 October 2025 (21,400 plays)
Marigold fieldPale Catrina makeup with dark eye sockets and floral patterns, a wide hat covered in yellow sunflowers and a dark outfit with sunflower motifs, in profile in a field of orange marigoldsThe prompt that TV Azteca (9 October 2025) and Milenio (11 October 2025) printed as the way to make a Catrina photo with Gemini; Eje Central listed the same look on 31 October

Each run is one 2K photo, and each run paints a slightly different design, so run a look two or three times and keep the one you like.

Try Catrina makeup before you paint it

Most people who search for Catrina makeup want to paint it for real. In October 2025, US Google searches reached about 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 full Catrina takes a steady hand and a lot of time, so it helps to see a design on your own face first.

Use the AI portrait as a plan:

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

The photo shows a design, not how real paint behaves on skin. For the real thing, use face paint made for skin.

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

Heavy face paint is hard for any image model, because it covers the features that make a face yours. These are the usual weak points, and what to do about them:

What goes wrongWhyWhat to do
The face looks like someone elseThe paint hides your features. Each original prompt asks the model not to change your face, and ours keep that lineUse a sharp, front-facing selfie in daylight, then run it again
A man gets a dressThe Catrina and Marigold field prompts describe a woman, as the originals doPick Catrín
Your hair changesThe Marigold field prompt asks for long, wavy hair, as the original doesPick Catrina or Catrín, which say nothing about the hair
The fingers around the candle look oddHands that hold a small object are hard for image modelsRun it again: the prompt asks for five fingers on each hand
The makeup is lighter than you wantedThe Catrín look paints on your natural skin, as its original prompt saysPick Catrina for full face paint

If a run fails, the credits come back.

Which hashtags and sound go with a Catrina photo?

Your MakeViral portrait has no sound, so add a sound in TikTok or Instagram when you post. Several of the Catrina AI posts we checked used a version of the Mexican song "La Llorona". Want motion? Use Make it a video on the result screen to animate your portrait.

A common format is a carousel: your real selfie first, then the Catrina portrait, or two or three looks in a row. Hashtags (TikTok, 12 October 2026): #diademuertos (4.4 million videos), #catrina (510,822 videos), #dayofthedead (239,323 videos) and #catrinamakeup (148,083 videos). Keep the platform's AI label on.

FAQ

Catrina Makeup trend questions

What is Catrina makeup?
It is the skull face paint of La Catrina, the elegant skeleton lady of Mexico's Day of the Dead: a painted skull with dark eye sockets, a dark nose, lines over the lips and flowers or filigree on the forehead and cheeks, often with a flower crown. Men wear the same skull makeup as the Catrín.
How do I try Catrina makeup on my photo with AI?
Press "Create your own", add one clear selfie and pick a look: Skull crown, Catrina, Catrín or Marigold field. Press Generate. Nano Banana 2 paints the Catrina look on your face and returns one 2K portrait, usually in one to three minutes, and it lands in your Library.
What is the Catrina AI prompt?
The prompts that went viral in Mexico in October 2025 were written 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 shared in her comments, the one from the most played Catrina makeup tutorial we found (@angusporras), a Catrín prompt for men (@ivanls26) and the marigold field prompt that TV Azteca and Milenio printed. On this page each one is a look: pick it, add your photo and press Generate.
Is this the same as the Gemini Catrina trend?
Yes, with the same prompts. The 2025 posts used Google's Gemini app; MakeViral runs those prompts on Nano Banana 2, Google's image model, with the vertical 9:16 format already set. You add your photo and press one button.
Can men do the Catrina makeup trend?
Yes. Pick Catrín, the male partner of La Catrina. The prompt paints a stylized skull with orange eye sockets edged 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 behind you.
Will the AI keep my face under the makeup?
Every prompt asks the model to keep your facial features, but full skull paint covers a lot of them, so some runs look less like you. A sharp, front-facing selfie in daylight helps most. Run it again if it misses: each run is a little different.
Can I use it to plan my real Day of the Dead makeup?
Yes. Save the portrait and use it as a reference for the shapes and colors, or show it to a makeup artist. It shows a design on your face, not how real paint behaves on skin, so test your face paint before the night.
When is the Day of the Dead?
Día de Muertos is celebrated on 1 and 2 November, right after Halloween. In the US, searches for Catrina makeup are highest in October, when people plan their look.
Can I turn my Catrina photo into a video?
Yes. When your portrait is ready, use Make it a video on the result screen to animate it. The photo itself has no sound.
Does it cost credits?
Yes, a few credits per photo. The create page shows the exact price on the Generate button before you spend anything, and if a run fails, the credits come back.
Can I post the photo on Instagram or TikTok?
Yes. There is no watermark on the result. Keep the platform's AI label on, and use only your own photo or the photo of an adult who agreed.
Can I do it with a photo of my child or my pet?
This template is made for adults: the prompts describe a woman or a man. For a pet, try the [AI pet Halloween costume](/templates/ai-pet-halloween-costume) template instead.
Is my photo private?
Yes. MakeViral does not post your photo or the result anywhere or show it to other users. The result goes to your private Library, and you can delete it there at any time.

Make your own Catrina Makeup photo

Add one photo and tap once. No prompt to write. 3 credits.

No watermark. A failed video gives its credits back. Secure checkout by Stripe.