Last look: Drop dead gorgeous

Tokyo: First impressions last a lifetime, this is what we get to hear all the time.

But for make-up artist Kotoko Sato, who has specialised in making the dead look alive, the last impression is the final impression – and you’ve got to look great when your time comes.

"The bereaved families remember the faces of the departed for a long time. So I want them to look good," explains Sato.

"I am pleased when the family of the deceased says the person looks like they are sleeping."

With this idea in mind, Sato has teamed up with Japanese cosmetics firm Falf Inc to market Delfino (Italian for "dolphin"), a line of beauty products specially designed for the dead.

Delfino cosmetics differ from standard make-up. They contain silver compounds and titanium dioxide, chemicals that have antibacterial properties which is a critical factor when dealing with the dead.

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According to Taro Koumi, spokesman of Falf Inc, Delfino is the first product of its kind to protect people from infection when they touch corpses.

The company has so far sold around 300 sets of Delfino cosmetics at 65,000 yen (Dh23,00) per set, with most of the buyers being morticians.

Sato developed the cosmetic line in 2006 and since then has been conducting seminars to teach clients, mostly morticians, how to use her products.

The Delfino cosmetic line includes a lotion that moistens the skin and an antibacterial foaming soap that cleans and deodorises the body and hair of corpses.

Because skin colour changes to a darker tone after death, the Delfino foundations use darker tones to match what is underneath, Sato explains.

Sato says she has seen a number of corpses whose heavily applied make-up makes them appear as if they were wearing a mask. Rather than have the make-up conceal the original appearance of the departed, she wanted to find ways to bring out the natural beauty of the faces of the dead.

On the job

Funeral directors arrange the details and handle the logistics of funerals. They interview the family to learn their wishes about the funeral, the clergy or other people who will officiate, and the final disposition of the remains

Funeral directors are also called morticians or undertakers

(Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labour Statistics)