ah, the good ol' liner. Where should I start? Well, there's no denying that eyeliner is one of the most used makeup products in beauty. It's one of the easiest ways to add a lil somethin' somethin' to one's makeup look and tends to be the first thing makeup 'babies' use to kick start their great makeup adventure! [Why do I make it sound such as olden medieval quest-like action? lol]. It helps elongate and enhance the eyes, make them look cute and round like a puppy's or sharp and edgy like a siren. Any style, you name it, eyeliner has definitely established a great position for itself in most ladies' [or gentlemen's] makeup arsenal. So, how did this wonderful invention to man come about?
Eyeliner apparently was first used in Mesopotamia and the Ancient Middle East and was drawn around the eyes. Eyeliners were produced from a variety of materials including lead, copper ore and antimony. Egyptians made use of various cosmetic products not just for simple aesthetics but rather, to protect their skin and eyes from the harsh desert sun as early as 10, 000 B.C.!!! Not only that, it is also said that the eyeliner served as a formed of protection from the 'evil eye' for the wearer. Hence, as seen in pictures, Egyptians seem to bear the characteristic of sporting heavily lined eyes. For the Egyptians, eyeliners represented not only fashion accessory but also as a connection to their religion and gods. [aint this so cool?!]
The eyeliner was then introduced into the Western world after its discovery in Tutankhamun's [an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty] tomb in the 1920s. Women had already abandoned the fashion of the Victorian Era and had begun embracing the new fashion that was coming their way. The Ballet, Classic Hollywood, Musicians, Photography, Arts, and Theatre. So many avenues of influence and all with their own style! For the cosmetics companies, this meant a potential gold-mine market for the beauty industry. [evil cackle inserted here >:D]
The years between the 1920s and 1960s brought about moderate use of the eyeliner. Classy looks for the everyday lady to sport so as to look like their favourite Hollywood starlet. [timeless I must say so myself] Soon came the 1970s. Newer eyeliner styles began to emerge, with styles such as the edgy Punks and mysterious Goths. Emo subculture also popularised these babies within the male population [making them sport the all-so-awesome 'guyliner'] [ADAM LAMBERT OMG <3] (lol excuse the fan-girl moment) Today, as all us beauty junkies are fully aware, the eyeliner is still one of the most buzzed about and most used beauty arsenal items. The various brands and companies, styles and colours, formulas and prices are just enough to make us go crazy, excited and full-on hyperventilate!
Who knew this little babe that is lying in our makeup bag or vanity top had soooo much history and influence in the beauty industry?! Talk about 'little thing big oomph'! Will definitely never look at an eyeliner the same way again! Today, look at how 'far' this little thing which we tend to take for granted in our daily makeup rountine has come?! Really, amazing imo. Hoped you guys liked this little fun-fact post and do share with me which are some are your favourite eyeliners/ eyeliner styles! I would love to know! Stay tuned for another Time-Bound Tuesday post next week!!
Stay happy and healthy [and keep rockin' that eyeliner!]
References:
http://www.historyofcosmetics.net/history-of-makeup/history-of-eye-liner/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_liner
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