The history of makeup and mascara

At school, we learned that the main function of eyelashes is to protect the eyes from particles of dust, dirt, sand and even small insects. But with age, every girl understood that eyelashes are also an irreplaceable attribute of visual appeal. The longer and thicker they are, the more expressive the look. And the eyes are the window to the soul. In general, there is nowhere without beautiful eyelashes.

Let’s see how the fashion for eyelashes changed from 3500 BC, when there was no cosmetics, to the present day.

Androgynous eyelashes. In ancient Egypt, eyelashes were painted not only by women, but also by men. And at first they did it not for beauty, but to drive away evil spirits. Only then did the warriors apply oils and ointment to their eyelashes to protect their eyes from the sun, and the weaker sex to look more attractive.

The paint was made in an improvised way – using antimony. According to some sources, the resulting black pigment was applied generously to the eyelashes and inner eyelids using a stick.

Lush eyelashes. In ancient Rome, a woman was considered beautiful with black thick long eyelashes. To achieve this effect, the fair sex went out of her way. They say that together with antimony for resistance, they applied a mixture of water and crushed lead to their eyelashes, thereby depriving themselves of one hundred percent vision.

But that was not the worst thing that could happen. The ancient Roman writer Plinnius the Elder wrote that an eyelash that fell to the floor was considered a great shame for girls. The Romans were convinced that hair fell out of the eyes only after immaculate behavior.

No eyelashes. In the Middle Ages, the forehead was considered the most attractive part of a woman’s face. And in order not to distract attention from him, eyebrows, eyelashes and hair were completely removed almost to the crown of the head.

Such a very strange fashion for you and me now.

First ink. During the era of romanticism, cosmetics began to appear. True, homemade paints and mascaras still did not go into the shadows. But it was at this time that the world’s first mascara appeared. It was created by an English merchant of French origin, Eugene Rimmel (yes, the one who founded the now popular Rimmel brand).

The world’s first mascara was formulated to include a pigment made from coal dust and petroleum jelly, patented several years earlier. In general, the composition was not important for everyone. The main thing is the effect. This beauty novelty then became a real sensation!

Artificial eyelashes. False eyelashes were first invented in 1916 by American filmmaker David W. Griffith. This miracle creation was used in silent films, in real life it became popular only in the late 30s.

New mascara. In 1917, chemist Terry L. Williams created an improved mascara formula to which he added oils to make lashes shine. He first tested his find on a sister named Mabel. She was delighted, and after a while he founded his own company Maybelline (now known to everyone!). The name was not chosen by chance – the first part is the name of Mabel, and the second is the name of the main ingredient of Vaseline.

Super curled eyelashes. In the 20s, women dreamed of eyelashes like actresses in a movie. The waybills were not yet very developed for real life. It was then that a new invention appeared – the eyelash curler!

It is still unknown who came up with these tongs. Unofficially, it was William Madonel. Then they were not much different from modern ones – they were also made of stainless steel, they looked like scissors, and it took only a couple of seconds to get the “wow” effect.

Waterproof mascara. In the early 40s, Elena Rubinstein (the founder of the cosmetic campaign of the same name) managed to refine what she had begun and create a waterproof mascara by adding turpentine to its composition.

Then the mascara got a package, and in 1958 a metal brush-applicator. In general, she began to take the form to which you and I have long been accustomed.

Several trends at once. In the early 60s, the Revlon brand launched the first colored mascaras – lilac and dark green. Then other tones appeared – blue, lavender, gold and many others.

In the mid-60s, thanks to the Twiggy model, a new trend appeared – thick eyelashes. Moreover, they began to pay special attention to the hairs on the lower eyelid.

It should be noted also the year 1971, when the iconic Great Lash mascara, Maybelline, based on water, appeared on the market. She is a hit these days.

For every taste. Now there is no single trend for eyelashes. Do whatever your heart desires with them. In stores, you can find a variety of shades, bottles and brushes.

Don’t want to dye your eyelashes? Do not need! At the fashion shows of the spring-summer 2015 season, makeup artists did not paint their eyes at all.

And if you dream, on the contrary, to surprise the audience, then feel free to lighten your eyelashes and eyebrows. This kind of makeup was also often seen among girls from the catwalk.