Actor Ngahuia Piripi from Shortland Street gets made up as Na'Vi from Cirque du Soleil to promote the show 'Toruk: The First Flight' coming to NZ.
Shortland Street star Ngahuia Piripi is used to spending an hour a day in the make-up chair.
But instead of getting done up in her character Esther's understated style, this week she opted for a much more theatrical look.
Ahead of Cirque du Soleil's New Zealand tour of Toruk: the first flight circus performer Guillaume Paquin used three shades of blue creme make-up to transform Piripi into a Na'Vi - a native of the fantastical planet of Pandora where the show is set.
Inspired by James Cameron's groundbreaking 3D film Avatar, Toruk: the first flight features intricate costumes and visual effects.
The New Zealand leg of the tour will kick off at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch on Friday before moving on to Auckland's Spark Arena later next month.
Its stars are "generalists", who can perform the gruelling dance, acrobatic and aerial routines for which the Quebecois circus has become renowned.
All 41 performers also do their own make-up and after more than 400 performances in two years Paquin, who plays one of the main characters, has mastered it to an art.
It generally takes him about 40 minutes to do his make-up for the show and he's finished Piripi's in an hour.
Ngahuia Piripi before her make over. Photo / Dean Purcell
Ngahuia Piripi after she became Na'Vi. Photo / Dean Purcell
Piripi told the Herald on Sunday she was "stoked" to get made over as a Na'Vi for the afternoon.
"I was like a little kid. Everyone wants to play dress-ups. When I get to wear make-up I just say, 'give me something that's something' because Esther always gets nothing."
She was surprised the heavy, custom-made Mac make-up didn't feel like paint on her skin, but instead was just like ordinary foundation.
Although it wasn't the kind of look she'd wear often, Piripi said she'd love to get made up as a Na'Vi - or a Nga-Vi, the play on words she'd made on the characters and her name - again for a birthday or Halloween party.
"Or even show up to one of the shows and make people think I'm going to be on stage," she said, laughing.
A huge fan of Cirque du Soleil, Piripi had been to previous shows and was "blown away".
"The talent is phenomenal. It's epic. It's like a whole other world."
Shortland Street actor Ngahuia Piripi as a Na'Vi from Cirque du Soleil, on the Shorty set with performer Kristi Wade. Photo / Dean Purcell
