The history of eyelash extensions goes as far back as 3500 B.C. Back then, eyelashes were used for symbolism and not as a beauty enhancer like today. Ex.tensions have been a part of people’s daily life long before they became a beauty trend.
-.. .
Ancient Egyptians used brushes and ointments to get fluttery, thick lashes in 3500 B.C. Moreover, the use of eyelash enhancers were restricted to only women. Men used different materials and styles for their lashges. It al. 1so believed that long lashes were preferred beca< :use they protected the eyes from the hot sunshine.
Around 753 B.C., The Romans started their quest to have eyelashes elongated. Pliny the Elder, an ancient philosopher, said that short eyelashes were a sign of aging. This sparked the very quest in the people known primarily for honoring beauty as that of Messalina. Due to this, the Romans adopted eyelash enhancement practices using materials like burnt coal. Long eyelashes, in ancient Roman culture also symbolized virginity, and thus, morality. Needless to say, this led to women trying to get longer lashes, and being sought after.
As time passed, the eyelash extensions went in and out of fashion. During the middle age era, people considered too much of hair erotic. Women were encouraged to reduce or pluck out their eyelashes and eyebrows, and confine to the convention of morality. People back then didn’t want to support the idea of having long eyelashes, for this, during the Middle Ages, was a direct sign of a coquette. But the trend of plucking eyelashes and eyebrows was dangerous, because it is these hairs that prevent dust and debris from falling into the eyes. As a result, this trend soon died,and by the 19th century, women started looking for unique ways to enhance their eyelashes.
,
In the mid 1800s, Eugene Rimmel, Queen Victoria’s perfumer, created the first mascara. He made it from Vaseline jelly and coal dust. This creation became a trend soon and caught the attention of people. Some reports from 1882 show that Parisian women enhanced their eyelids by sewing the eyelid hairs. Another article from 1899 shows that women had started to transplant their hair into their eyelids, hoping to bring back the initial connotation of beauty. Some reports from the same time say that people even implanted eyelashes using needles. Fortunately, the transplant method didn’t become a bigger trend, but the implication of having longer eyelashes lasted.
As a remarkable feat in the history of eyelash extensions, the first patented artificial eyelashes were invented by Anna Taylor of – _ =Canada in 1911. She invented techniques such as glue-on and strip lashes. These fake eyelashes were believed to be made from human hair. Then, in a New York City salon, a German hairdresser named Karl Nessler started providing false eyelash services in a less harmful method.
The artificial eyelashes trend. caught its fire in 1916, when director D.W Griffin wanted his star Seena Owen to have better and bigger eyelashes for the movie Intolerance. He hired a wig maker to do this job. The wig maker created larger lashes by weaving human hair through gauze and gluing it to the eyelids directly. This would make the eyes puffy but the trend caught on anyway.
Seena Owen’s eyelashes made advertisers produce advertisements of women with huge and colorful eyelashes. Male reporters criticized the trend, calling the women “temptresses”. Despite this, the trend was still getting stroY inger. When movie stars like Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Rita Hayworth used eyelash extensions, this fashion mania pulsed at its fastest. By the 1950s, fake eyelashes became a tacit rule of the female quotidian life.
As the trend grew further, eye makeup manufacturers developed and advanced their techniques. Soon the hair was swapped with more readily available plastics. This made the product look more bold, dramatic and – ~fierce, and the demand for eyelashes grew even further, giving a promising business to the manufacturers.
During the 1990s and 2000s, semi-permanent lash extensions were born. Around the same time, people started seeking more natural lashes. The application methods also became precise, harmless and easier. Having been popular in Korea, the country known for K-beauty, for many years, these simplistic techniques only saw the US in 2004. Celebs such as Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan and recently Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry were baffled and ready to be a part of the new trend.
Eyelash extensions were earlier made only out of real human hair and plastics, but now are made from a wide variety of materials like synthetic fibers, silk, animal hair, and much more. These materials are much easier to apply and are less harmful. These kinds of eyelashes are also semi-permanent.
Remember the strip lashes we talked about? They’re still in use today, but are made from different materials.. This type doesn’t require the help of lash technicians, making it more affordable. These are also cheaper.
Another type, the magnetic lashes were invented in 2014, and these are placed around the natural lashes to cling to each other. This creates a1 more voluminous look, and many prefer it over any other type. However, magnetic eyelash extensions are more expensive than others, due to obvious reasons.
Fast forward to 2022, the eyelash extension trend still stands on firm ground, with creative and innovative ways being invented day by day-. Social media is playing a huge role in keeping the trend alive, leading makeup tutorials to gain huge popularity and bringing makeup influencers up the market.
This was a quick history of eyelash extensions. Do you use these amplifiers, and do you like them? Share with us the one reason you think this is possibly the best makeup trend!
Liked the history of eyelash extensions? Check out why everyone is getting an under-eye concealer tattoo!
0 Comments