History of False Eyelashes - Who Inventd False Eyelashes?

August 10, 2021 Eyelashes Views: 1569

The human standard of beauty has always been that longer eyelashes are better. But if you are born with sparse, short, thin, or crooked eyelashes, your eyes will never look beautiful even if they are round and big.

Long and curly eyelashes will not only magnify the eyes but also make eye type more perfect. When you blink your eyes, it will also add more charm to your eyes, making you look spirited, attractive, delicate...

That’s why women's love for the beauty of eyelashes has never changed from ancient times to the present. But do you know how the history of false eyelashes has evolved? Today, we will introduce the history of false eyelashes and tell you why false eyelashes are so popular these days.

400 B.C. – Egypt

In ancient Egypt in 400 BC, the local women's ability to pursue beauty had already "awakened" and began to try eye makeup. But they didn't have eyeliner or eye shadow, so what can they do? The resourceful women used burnt almonds and lead to coat their eyelashes to make them black, and then mixed crocodile poo and honey and apply them to prevent lashes from fading. But neither smell nor comfort is good.

100 B.C. - Rome

In ancient Rome, young girls regarded dark eyelashes as a sign of chastity because they believed that excessive sex would cause them to fall off. Therefore, to prove their chastity, girls in ancient Rome used burnt rose petals and date kernels to mix with coal ash and antimony powder, and then applied them to their eyelashes.

900 A.D. - Ziryab

The godfather of fashion, Ziryab, together with a Persian writer, opened a beauty school as the first official professional beauty school to teach women how to use mascara and other cosmetics derived from antimony and coal ash.

Middle Ages - Renaissance

The dark Middle Ages were characterized by severe religious strictures of the Church and social statutes that restricted the perception of beauty. The Catholic Church considered that decorating hair is an erotic temptation. So, the hairstyle with the forehead exposed was all the rage in the Middle Ages, and even the eyebrows had to be lightened. That’s why we can see many portraits of people without eyebrows in medieval paintings. Beautifying eyelashes were even less allowed.

Simonetta Vespucci style of makeup

Despite the church's obstruction, the women of the Renaissance pursued beauty and demonstrated that eyelashes could be more beautiful with their real and extremely crazy actions. The Simonetta Vespucci style of makeup (pictured above) was popular. One of the most sought-after products was the walnut shell. Women used crushed walnut shell powder to make their eyelashes look darker.

The world's first mascara in 1913

"Maybelline".

Tom Lyle Williams, an American chemist, invented Maybelline Mascara for his sister. It was intended to help his sister Mabel win the heart of her boyfriend, who at the time has a crush on another woman. Williams mixed Vaseline gel and charcoal powder to create a cream that would make lashes dark and thick. And this is the first mascara in the world!

Maybelline Cake Mascara was the first modern eye cosmetic intended for everyday use, which needed to be applied with a brush like a toothbrush.

The world's first false eyelashes in 1911

On June 6, 1911, Canadian inventor Anna Taylor received a U.S. patent for “artificial eyelashes”, similar to those used in today's cosmetics. However, most people didn't accept it at that time.

One well-known story is that false eyelashes were invented by D.W. Griffith, a film director in 1916. False lashes were applied to a film actress, Seena Owen’s eyes during the production of the 1916 film Intolerance. But false lashes were later popularized by the British model Twiggy.

The picture is her AD for Yardley.

By 1921, more and more actors were wearing false eyelashes. Some even said that wearing false lashes protected their eyes from fluorescent lights, so women flocked to salons to get them applied.

One columnist later wrote, “When a fair young thing looks at you mistily through her long, curling lashes, do not fall for it until you investigate. The long, curling eyelashes may not be hers, except by right of purchase.”

In the 1930s

By the 1930s, false eyelashes became ubiquitous and varied, ranging in color from black to brown to gold, and the invention of the eyelash curler by William Joseph Beldue in 1923 contributed to the further spread of false eyelashes, as it allowed false lashes to blend with real lashes for a more realistic look, as praised by Vogue, “False eyelashes give women a seductive twinkle.”

In the 1950s

The 1950s saw the advent of eyelash extensions, which were not much different from modern ones. It also used a very strong adhesive to attach individual lashes to natural lashes with tweezers. And it lasted a long time after it was done.

As time went on, the variety of false eyelashes grew, and synthetic lashes were used instead of real ones.

From the 1970s to the 1990s

False lashes declined in popularity and usage between the 1970s and 1990s. No one knew the reason, but it seemed that a new fashion trend pushed false lashes into the background. However, some women still used eyelashes to enhance their appearance. One of them is Madonna, who wore a $10,000 pair of diamond-studded mink eyelashes in the 1990s.

Now false eyelashes are making a comeback and are expected to continue in popularity for years to come. Unlike the past, lengths, thicknesses, and even colors of false lashes were various. People have more choices to pursue beauty. And modern technology and innovation have also had a positive impact on the development of false eyelashes.

lash extensions

Compared to the history of eyelashes, every girl's youth is very short, and when it comes to eye makeup that you like, there are no more rituals or worldly constraints, so at this moment, all you should do is choose false lashes you like and get them!

Do you know the history of false lashes? What kind of false eyelashes do you prefer? Comment below and share your options with us!