Next up in this little “History of Makeup” series is mascara. As this has been around since ancient Egypt starting around 3500 BC to 2500 BC. And like most of makeup’s history it wasn’t always safe. We’re just going to focusing in on mascara though false lashes might be a topic I dive into another day. Currently, I don’t have it on my list for this series but let me know if you would be interested in that. In Ancient Egypt, men and women used kohl and ointments to darken their lashes to serve as protection from the sun. It wasn’t just for protection from the sun. They believed the eyes were the windows to the soul, so the application of mascara would ward off any evil spirits and bad energy. Women also used malachite on their lashes as an aphrodisiac. Ancient drawings of Cleopatra suggest that mascara and body painting were widely used for both protection, celebration,war and death practices. This technique was continued to be used in Ancient Rome. It wasn’t until the Victorian Era (1837-1901) where the first true mascara made an appearance. It was developed by Eugène Rimmel, who was a perfumer for Queen Victoria. The new mascara formula was made from coal dust and Vaseline jelly. Eugéne’s product was widely used across Europe over homemade versions also using coal dust and berries, and soon the word “rimmel” became synonymous with”mascara.” It wasn’t in the form we’re used to using today instead it was a cake mascara, which you can still find today on the market. Though Rimmel had amass market in selling mascara, most women still made their own versions at home. It wasn’t until 1917 when Maybelline (a product from Maybell Labs)introduced the “cake mascara.” This was the first product that was presented with…
