FASHION Magazine

See the El Catrin launch photos »

Last week, Toronto launched its newest dining hotspot with a margartia-fuelled patio party. El Catrin, named for the dapper Mexican skeleton-in-a-suit icon, is a mix of family-friendly dining and stylish fiesta, located in an expansive space in the Distillery District.

Aside from its name, the decor at El Catrin features many takes on Day of the Dead imagery, from miniature shadowboxes to an impressive multi-dimensional mural. Created by Mexican street artist Oscar Flores, the vibrant work was photographed by party-goers throughout the night just as frequently as the food. (We were so enamoured with the mural we wanted to take it home with us!) Equally impressive was the rest of the restaurant’s design: oversized, laser-cut lampshades, rustic tiling and fluoro-bright tables and chairs make El Catrin stand out from the rest.

The clock is ticking, and if you’re still scrambling to create a Halloween costume it may be time to switch efforts over to your nails. Halloween nail art is an ideal, last-minute way to dress up for this candy-filled holiday and there are plenty of options that take almost no time or effort to do. (Seriously!) First option: do-it-yourself decals. Sally Hansen has a complete series of Halloween-themed Salon Effects nail polish strips, meaning in less than ten minutes your fingers can go from plain to patterned. For those who are more comfortable with nail art, dress up each nail with a Day of the Dead skull, Jack-O-Lantern face or black cat. This week Nail Corner combined Halloween decals with nail art for a somewhat spooky and definitely festive manicure.

See how this Halloween nail art is done! »

Halloween might be over, but there’s still good reason to do something special with your beauty routine this morning: November 2 is Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead—the Mexican holiday that celebrates the departed. Bright flowers, sugar skulls, and colourful costumed skeletons are all iconic symbols of this holiday, and are gaining traction across mainstream culture. Both Elettra Wiedemann and Debra Messing showed up at the Hulaween Benefit Gala this weekend dressed like a skeleton à la Day of the Dead. Of course, not every office will appreciate a full painted-skull get up on your face, so here’s a few subtle ways to adjust your look.

Let’s get dead! »