A big part of all Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico involves face painting. People paint their faces to look like skulls as a way to honor a deceased loved one or as an expression of themselves. For our Day of the Dead Tween Party I knew I wanted to incorporate this type of face painting and since this party is for tweens and teens, I thought it would be a fun party activity! My 13-year-old niece and her friends absolutely love trying different makeup tutorials and application techniques so this was the perfect activity for them.
Start by using the white face paint from the Snazaroo Unisex Assorted Colors Face Painting Kit. After dampening the sponge provided, apply white all over the face as a base. Clean the sponge for the next step.
With a clean sponge apply a small amount of purple face paint under the cheek bones. Apply the same purple paint in a triangular shape on the forehead.
Using a clean sponge again, apply pink face paint as an accent directly over top of the purple from Step 2. This will give the shading and contouring a bit more depth. Apply a small amount of pink on the chin as well.
Now it's time to work on the eyes! The eyes are such a focal point of this Day of the Dead look. Dampen a paintbrush then dip it in black face paint. Start at the top of the eyebrow and create a circle around the entire eye. Blend red and pink face paint together and fill in the eye circle. While the paint is still wet, smudge the edges of the black, creating a softer, more blended look. Optional: Apply liquid eyeliner around each eye.
With the paintbrush, apply purple face paint in scallops around the outer perimeter of the black line encircling the eye. Add small yellow dots as accents on the far left and right sides of the purple scallops, closest to the ear.
Now it's time to add the spider web! Using the paintbrush and black face paint, make a "V" shape in the center of the forehead. Next, add two other vertical lines, meeting at the point of the "V" then connect the lines together with scallops, creating the look of a spider web.
Using the paintbrush and black face paint, make a curved line stretching from the corners of the mouth to each ear. Paint a thin line on the lower lip to connect these lines. Next, apply several vertical lines on the lips to look like teeth.
Paint the nose and two small vertical points on the top using the paintbrush and black face paint.
Using pink and purple face paint, create a small flower accent on the chin with the paintbrush. First, paint the pink and then add the purple details.
Lastly, fill in any other open spaces with swirls and dots using the paintbrush or Snazaroo Girl's Assorted Colors Face Paint Sticks. To complete the look, add a Floral Frida Headband and attach Fiesta Flower Hair Clips. Beautiful! Now you are ready for the Day of the Dead Tween Party!
If you're looking for even more Day of the Dead fun be sure to check out our Day of the Dead Painted Skeleton tutorial and download all of our Day of the Dead FREE party printables!