Community members learn 'Catrina' style makeup for Día de los Muertos parade

WQAD — Mercado on Fifth hosted a Día de los Muertos makeup tutorial Monday night focused on the art behind "Catrina" style makeup.

The organization's Executive Director, Anamaria Rocha hosted the lesson, which was the first makeup tutorial the organization has offered.

"So, Catrina makeup represents that, the fact that we are all the same within. It's a representation of our bones within our core. And it is in celebration of Day of the Dead," Rocha said.

But this style of makeup is far from Halloween or costume makeup. Halloween makeup is mostly oil-based, a formula that Rocha said isn't ideal for stacking.

"You can certainly try to do it with ordinary costume makeup. But in order to get those fine details, it needs to be body paint professional makeup."

The meaning behind the makeup holds more than regular traditional Halloween makeup as well.

"Our loved ones, when they pass, it's just a skeleton that remains, and this is just a representation to show that," Rocha said. That -- this is kind of what it looks like, and that everyone has their own unique style to it. You can add details, make it all beautiful, because celebrating our loved ones is beautiful to us. We don't want it to be gory. It's not Halloween makeup. So it's a lot different. It's just to show the beauty within."

This was the only class Mercado will be hosting. Their Día de los Muertos parade will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22nd.