Eyeliner is a product widely used to enhance the eyes nowadays, but its origins are very ancient and come from the Egyptian people.
Eyeliner is one of the most used and loved makeup products today. Although many women still have some difficulty creating the famous “cat” eyeliner, this product is essential for a striking makeup look. Nowadays, there are several versions of the product, including liquid eyeliner, pen, pencil, among others. But do you know the origin and history of eyeliner?
The history of eyeliner is very old and has its origins in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. In other words, painting your eyes is an ancient trend that has overcome barriers of time and cultural traditions. Therefore, the eyeliner that is used to highlight the eyes today had its precursor long before makeup had that name.
Therefore, today we will go back in history to learn about the origin of eyeliner and also the famous cat eye that is so popular among makeup fans.
The history of eyeliner
As with most things, it is also difficult to know the exact origin of eyeliner. However, studies and research show that what we call eyeliner today already had its precursor approximately 10 thousand years BC in the regions of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
These studies show that both men and women wore a type of eye makeup as a way to protect themselves from the scorching desert sun. But also as a way to highlight the look, just like we do nowadays.
However, at that time it was not called eyeliner, the lines on the eyes were made with a type of pencil made of bone or wood that contained an ink known as Kohl, which is made from antimony and charcoal. Cleopatra was even one of the promoters of the use of Kohl at that time.
According to historians, the habit of making applications that marked the eyes was a way of evoking the style of the Egyptian gods. Then, with the Roman domination of Egypt, the use of Kohl ended up falling into disuse. This is due to the fact that the tradition of domination ends up cleaning up all traces that refer to the culture of the people who are dominated. Therefore, this custom ended up disappearing for a while.
O revival
And then, in the 1920s, the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was discovered, which when opened revealed records of the traces that made it possible to disseminate it to the modern world. With this, a connection was found between the use of eyeliner and the people of that time, both those from the aristocracy and those from a lower social class.
After this discovery, the whole world started talking about it. Everything revolved around this discovery, the songs, the dance performances, the films, books and everything else. Then, the cosmetics industry began to invest in launches that referred to Egyptian culture, and this included, of course, eyeliner. In this way, eyeliner was used again, now in more modern and practical versions.
Therefore, Egyptian aesthetics began to greatly influence the modern world, in every way, from fashion to aesthetics. In makeup, smoky eyes, as well as blush and a flushed mouth became the beauty standard of the time. And more than that, this new trend helped reinforce the idea of female liberation after years of puritanism that was passed on through music and cinema.
The eyeliner boom
However, like many trends of the time, the use of eyeliner soon fell out of favor again. But it didn’t take long for it to return even more strongly in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At that point, lined eyes were a sensation among fashionistas, pin-ups and rockers of the time. Therefore, eyeliner established itself as an important part of the style of that time.
And it continued like this until the 1970s and 1980s, when it began to be used by big names in music and icons of the punk and gothic movement. Among the main names who used and abused eyeliner, we can mention singers Boy George, Cindy Lauper, Madonna, Lou Reed and musicians from bands such as Siouxsie and The Banshees and New York Dolls.
A trend that is here to stay
After that, eyeliner established itself as an important part of makeup to this day. It is clear that during this period this trend went through phases, there was a more behaved and simplistic period, then there was striking makeup to highlight the eyes like no other.
Nowadays, eyeliner is loved by all makeup lovers. However, nowadays the product is more modern, and comes in different colors and versions, allowing for different types of outlines and demarcations. All of this thanks to the evolution of the cosmetics industry, which has provided many more composition options to better adapt to the skin and offer an even more beautiful result.
Furthermore, eyeliner allows each person to use it according to their own creativity. You don’t need to follow just one trend when there are several. After all, makeup is a form of expression for the individual and this must match their style and personality.
“kitten” outline
It’s impossible to talk about eyeliner and not remember the famous “cat” eyeliner, the one pulled into the corner. This eyeliner style is bloggers’ favorite, the most classic and also one of the most difficult to do. But that doesn’t take away the magic of the cat eye that gives the look extra charm. But do you know the origin and why it is called that?
As we have seen so far, eyeliner has its origins linked to the Egyptians, as does the cat-eye style. As is not news to anyone, the Egyptians had a strong connection with cats, which are even considered sacred animals to them. This is because in Ancient Egypt, cats were deified for chasing cats, and in a way protecting their owners and their crops.
And more than that, cats were also seen by Egyptian women as a symbol of beauty. So, from that point on, they started imitating the shape of their eyes in their makeup. Therefore, it was from this that what we now call cat eyeliner emerged.
The cat eye is nothing more than a line that starts on the upper eyelids, very close to the eyelashes and draws a line towards the outer corner of the eye. It can be a finer and more delicate line or a more full-bodied and marked one.
In addition to it, there are several other styles of eyeliner, simpler and more basic, but the cat eyeliner remains the most used to this day.
Anyway, what did you think of this article? In fact, take the opportunity to also check out Jeans – History of the wild piece that never goes out of style.
Sources: Chloé Gaya Retro Universe Déia Dietrich
Images: Glamor I Want More Fashion Discogs Secrets of the World Claudia Women’s Tips
