Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a festive celebration that originates from ancient Mexico in which families honor their deceased relatives.
An iconic symbol of this holiday is a calavera, a representation of a human skull or skeleton. The term is often applied to edible or decorative skulls made from either sugar or clay.
In honor of the occasion, we asked San Antonio, Texas-based nail artist Jasmine Allen to share her Día de los Muertos nail art tutorial, featuring calavera nail art. Follow the step-by-step tutorial to bring this gorgeous look to life.
How-To:
The first half of the steps of Jasmine Allen's nail art tutorial.
- Apply two coats of gel polish, then cure.
- Lightly dip a double-sided eyeshadow sponge in white gel paint, then lightly pat onto the nail into the shape of a skull. Cure. Outline the skull using white gel paint, and cure once more.
- Apply large black dots for the eye sockets. Apply two smaller black dots below, leaving some space between for the nose. Don't cure just yet.
- Paint the nose and jawline using a liner brush. Add small lines around the eyes, forehead and nose using a thin striper brush and black gel paint.
- Paint side-by-side ovals for the teeth using a thin striper brush. Cure. For thin and precise lines, Allen recommends applying less paint with minimum pressure.
A colorful crown of roses completes the nail art. - Outline the underside of the teeth with black gel paint, and add small lines around the mouth to form the chin. Cure.
- Add large red dots near the top of the skull. Cure. Outline the red dots with black gel paint, then add small swirls inside the dots. Cure once more.
- Add more white gel paint sporadically onto the entire skull using a liner brush. Avoid any black details. Add small dots directly onto the teeth using a small dotting tool and white gel paint. Cure.
- Apply an assortment of colors to the skull using a double-sided eyeshadow sponge. Cure.
- Finish with a non-wipe matte top coat, then cure.
All images courtesy of Jasmine Allen.
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