History of Fake Eyelashes

After you spend hours on a makeup look, your face may still look incomplete if you ignored a single component, your eyelashes! A pair of full, thick eyelashes can elevate your look in a matter of seconds and take your makeup to a whole new level. The longing to have thick, curled, and glamorous lashes has given root to multifarious, ever-evolving techniques that bring us closer to the desired look. When your eyelashes look long and fluttery, you instantly feel more confident, and there is a certain sensuality associated with it.

Most people use one of the many types of false available today eyelashes to enhance their eyes, and you can see varying looks of eyelashes everywhere you see. Whether you are looking at a celebrity on the red carpet or a chic selfie on Instagram posted by your favorite actress, the one thing that remains common is the use of false eyelashes. However, false eyelashes weren't always as simple as the modern glue-on lashes, and women have gone through multiple trials getting to this stage.
Have you ever stopped to wonder what made someone want to glue on fake hair on their eyes to look attractive in the first place? There is a long and torturous history of fake eyelashes that took place before we got where we are, and today I want to take you through history to see the evolution of false eyelashes. Let’s begin!

The ancient Egyptians were the first civilization that invented makeup to beautify and enhance themselves. However, this is not surprising because their Queen Cleopatra is still looked at as a symbol of elegance and beauty. Cleopatra is famous for her makeup, and she would heavily emphasize her eyes to get the favorite glittery look. Her eyes were always adorned with bright colors, gold dots, and a heavy lining on kohl. She used kohl not only to outline the eyes but also to make her lashes look thicker and longer. When applied to the eyelashes, the thick, black paste worked as mascara and is probably the earliest example of eyelash enhancement in history. False eyelashes weren’t a thing in Cleopatra’s time, but she sure utilized what was available to elevate her appearance! She was seen as a Goddess in her time, Isis specifically; and so nothing was to extravagant when it came to adding to her appearance.
Now let’s talk about the Ancient Romans who were famous for their love of beauty. Women would spend hours every day to enhance how they look. They even had special servants called ornatrices to help them adorn themselves with makeup and jewelry. Roman women believed that eyelashes were an essential part of a women's face, and they saw long, thick eyelashes as a symbol of magnificence. It is also said that Romans believed that long eyelashes proved a women's virtue, and eyelashes fell out if a woman was involved in immoral activities.

Romans used kohl and burnt charcoal to highlight the eyelashes, and they sometimes used saffron to give the appearance of thicker lashes. The kohl was applied using ivory sticks as applicants, and women wanted their lashes to be as long as possible.

When Queen Elizabeth the first took the throne, she was looked upon as the symbol of splendor, and most women tried to imitate her style. She had a mane of red hair that became the masses' desire, and ladies would dye their hair and eyelashes to match her looks. The pigments used to color the eyelashes were very toxic, which resulted in hair loss and permanent damage.
In this era, eyelash enhancement was not found to be acceptable for noble ladies. Still, they found a workaround by using soot and crushed berries to make eyelashes look thicker and darker.

In the late nineteenth century, cosmetic products were popularized, and most women now had access to makeup. Even though the homemade makeup tricks were still prevalent, the influential ladies leaned towards commercially produced makeup for their everyday needs. In this era, the first mascara was invented by Eugene Rimmel, who was serving as the queen's personal perfumer at that time. This mascara came in a cake form, and it had to be moistened before you could apply it with a brush. Due to its non-toxic ingredients and ease-of-use, this mascara became widely popular as a way to enhance the eyelashes.
In the same era, fake eyelashes were first tried out; however, the process was not exactly pleasant! Where we now have the luxury of gluing on lashes in a minute and heading out the door, women in the 1800s had to go through a grueling process to get the lashes of their dreams. The process involved threading a human hair through the eyelids' edge using a needle, making small hair loops in the process. This hair was then cut and trimmed to match the length of the original lashes. But the story doesn't end here! The operator would then continue to curl the lashes using heated metallic tongs to give them the perfect curve before bandaging the eyes for a day. Ouch! I'm sure you have a newfound appreciation for your mink lashes now!

The 1910s were an important decade that marked a significant milestone for false lashes, as Anna Taylor patented this invention in 1911. Once the patent went through, fake eyelashes began to make their way in the market. In 1916, another milestone was achieved when D. W. Griffith used a pair of lashes on the actress Seena Owen, which was done for the first time in mainstream cinema. At that time, eyelash glue wasn't a thing, so Ms. Owen had to use spirit gum to keep the lashes in place. Needless to say, she must have nearly shut her eyes close many times in the pursuit of the perfect eyelashes!
In the coming decades, most celebrities were wearing false lashes, on-screen and off the camera. There were even claims by a few accredited actresses that eyelashes help to reduce the glare from harsh lights, though we know that this was not the only reason! During this time, fake eyelashes became widely available at salons and markets, and Charles Nestle’s hair perming salon is said to be among the first that offered false lashes.

There was no going back from fake eyelashes when vogue published an ad featuring models adorned with glamorous dense lashes in the 30s.
As time marched on so did the trend of false eyelashes. The Hollywood starlets just couldn't live without a pair of fluttery long lashes. Much credit should be given to Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth. They were always seen wearing false lashes during photo shoots and public appearances so that their eyes were always on point!

In the next few years, lash manufacturers started using plastics instead of human hair, which made eyelashes widely available to the crowds. Synthetic lashes were either hard to obtain or obviously poor in quality, but this changed with plastic. Not only did the plastic fibers last longer, but a good quality synthetic lash could hold a curl and stay gorgeous through a long day. Yet still, only the influential women could afford high-quality mink or human hair lashes which always looked best.

Models like Twiggy, Penelope Tree, and Jean Shrimpton were often seen on the pages of Harper’s Bazar and Vogue wearing a set of false eyelashes. This made women all over the world swoon over their eyes, and most women invested in false lashes to achieve the same full and dramatic look.

In the 1970s, some women were swayed more towards the natural look, but most women still relied on lashes to elevate their look.. Celebrities like Cher were still seen rocking on a pair of fake lashes and looking absolutely gorgeous! The creative years for makeup of the 80’s saw amazing looks with lashes!
In terms of performance false lashes had become a main stay of the makeup kit. A professional stage dancer of any kind now had to have several pairs of lashes for runs of shows, the same could be said for the rest of Broadway, and anyone doing modeling shoots. Makeup artist kept them in their kits for use on clients.
When we talk about the 2000s, we can’t forget Madonna’s $10,000 pair of fake eyelashes crafted from mink fur and, well, diamonds!

The 2000s were the decade when eyelashes peaked in popularity, and pretty much all girls owned a few pairs for special occasions. Much of this credit goes to actresses like Pamela Anderson, Cindy Crawford, and Anna Nicole Smith, who used fake eyelashes to class up their looks. Their use of false eyelashes in the retro glamour looks helped popularize them among the masses, and women began to rely on them to spice up their makeup.

These days, the latest revolution are the semi-permanent lash extensions that started from Korea, but it has now spread throughout the world. We have come a long way when it comes to eyelash extensions, and you can get gorgeous fluffy eyelashes that last for up to 2-3 weeks using this technique. Endorsements from mainstream celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan have played a massive role in popularizing eyelash extensions. The general population has followed their footsteps, and warmly embraced this procedure.
Even though lash extensions are wildly popular these days, they are in no way a replacement for conventional strip lashes. Where a set of quality lash extensions will cost you up to $300, you can get false eyelashes for a fraction of the price and get similar (or even better!) results. A pair of high-quality, hand-made lashes of either siberian mink, silk, or higher end synthetic mink is designed to lash for up to 25 wears with proper care. They are much gentler on the eyes compared to lash extensions, which may cause your natural lashes to fall out after extensive use, leaving you to have to wait sometimes 6 months or longer for them to grow back properly.

The modern era or false eyelashes couldn’t be more different from the previous centuries, and there are improvements happening with each passing day. We now have magnetic lashes, which are amazing for women who want to avoid the trouble of using glue on lashes. You can find magnetic lashes in lots of shapes and sizes to suit your style, and they look just as elegant as a pair of traditional lashes!

False eyelashes continue to be the first choice for women who want to look put together and elegant without going through the hassle of a semi-permanent process. You can get false eyelashes in hundreds of different styles and materials, so your choices will never be limited! We now have countless varieties of fibers, bands, and glues. The innovations show no sign of slowing down.
Eyelashes have come a long way from their inception, and the modern-day lashes are a significant step up from the previous decades (Remember the Victorian needle lashes?). There is no doubt that celebrities and actresses have played a considerable role in bringing fake eyelashes to the mainstream, and now most women can't imagine living without them!

The intent behind writing this blog post was to give you a better understanding of the past of lashes, as we at Halcyon Now are committed to bring you the best in the market. We aim to empower everyone to really enjoy the creative, fun side of enhancing with lashes to feel their absolute best self. This laid the very foundation of our brand. It was only after studying the history of lashes and understanding the process that we started production on our first pair of lashes, and our collections are growing ever since!