You probably have noticed women with thicker and darker eyelashes; don’t they look good with that? Those of you who do not know how they get their eyelashes to look that way, the answer is simple, it is because of Mascara.
Those of you who are still not privy to what mascara is, it is a mixture of polymer, and various black pigments made thicker in texture with the use of oils and different waxes. Applying mascara makes your eyes look naturally beautiful.
There are two ways to make mascara. The first process is the anhydrous method; this method does not involve the use of water. The other technique is the emulsion method; this method is best when mascara requires a base with lotion.
Waterproof Mascara History Of MascaraMascara In Ancient EgyptThe Decline Of Mascara In EuropeVictorian Era RevivalModern-Day MascaraHow Does Mascara Work?Basic Ingredients Of MascaraOilsPigmentsPreservativesHow Does Mascara Become Waterproof?DIY Waterproof MascaraPros And Cons Of Waterproof MascaraProsConsRemoving Waterproof MascaraCommercial Vs. DIYConclusionHistory Of Mascara
In the early days, women used to color their lashes by applying the dye. The juice of elderberry and ashes were also combined to make the color have a natural touch. This method was renowned until the 1830s.
But after that, the change was on the horizon. It all began when a perfume maker from France migrated to the city of London with hopes to make and sell cosmetic products, and he started his work with perfumes.
After some time, the son of this French man had the ingenious idea of using the combination of petroleum jelly and coal dust; this was the origin of Mascara. Mascara gained popularity all over the world, especially Europe and came to be known as Rimmel over there because Eugene Rimmel was the name of the French perfume makers son who invented the mascara.
The word Mascara is Spanish in origin, and it means "mask." People caught up with the phrase mascara relatively recently. In the earlier days, mascara popular as cakes and creams. Cake mascara was introduced in 1917 by Mabel Labs. It was the inaugural product that also came along with pigments, soap and a small brush as well.
Women in 1933 used eyebrow dye and lashed lure. But it proved to be dangerous later on as Lash lure was causing them to go completely blind. The suggested reason for blindness given by most people was that there was a toxic dying agent that went into the eyes of women causing them permanent blindness.
So, after a large number of unfortunate incidents, eyelashes got banned in many states and then finally a cosmetic act law was passed, and superficial drugs got popular.
Mascara In Ancient Egypt
In the 2500 B.C the use of mascara was prevalent in ancient Egypt and not only did the women use mascara, but men also used it. Different ointments were applied to make the eyelashes have a darker appearance and also as a shield to protect the eyes from dangerous sun rays.
The belief that malachite was an aphrodisiac made women apply it on their eyelashes to get the effect of mascara. Egyptians also believed that mascara was helpful in keeping away evils which is explains why almost everyone wore mascara back then.
Keeping long, thick and dark eyelashes was a priority for every Egyptian, and they went through a lot of trouble to make sure that their eyes looked perfect. Because at that time mascara was not introduced, a lot of kohl was applied to the eyes to get the desired effect.
The Decline Of Mascara In Europe
Even though mascara is commonly used in Europe these days, there also used to be a time when it started to lose its popularity. The reason for the gradual loss was that there were numerous incidents where women got permanently blind, and there were even reports that a few women passed away due to its use.
The governments of most of the European countries took notice of this and banned the production of mascara. After some time, governments enacted laws for the production and distribution of mascara. Even after it was available in the markets of Europe, sales were down as people did not have faith in the safety of using mascara.
The companies made desperate attempts to win their trusts back by promoting their mascaras through many advertising gains. Strict guidelines were to be followed by the companies to make sure that their mascaras were practical as well as safe. Chemicals with little to no amount of toxicity were present in the production of mascaras instead of harmful ones.
Gradually as time went by, people started using mascaras again, and when they found out that they weren't harmful like used to be. They started recommending it to more people and just like that the European mascara producers won their trust back and are now available in every household for women to use.
Victorian Era Revival
You would be surprised to find out that the inventor of mascaras Eugene Rimmel was Queen Victoria’s perfumer. The production of mascaras was on a small-scale as not many people knew about mascara at that time. The ingredients were mainly composed of petroleum jelly, ashes, and coal dust.
Even though it was the Egyptians who were responsible for the fame that mascaras accumulated, the people of the Victorian era took it to the next level. They made the mascaras have a more vibrant look, better texture and made them safer as compared to the older incarnations of the mascara.
The women of the Victorian era were very particular about choosing what to wear and what to put on, spending hours to find the perfect combination of clothes and makeup. They were famous for spending hours even a day at times to look their best and tried almost every ointment and eyeliners they could.
Victorian ladies were partially responsible for bringing the revival of mascaras in their eras as they had learned a lot from their time spent in making them as beautiful and as elaborate as they possibly could, as a result of which they made makeup creations of their own.
These creations were not for sale, but for personal use, hence they were not marketed for the regular citizens. You could never go wrong with Queen Victoria endorsing mascara indirectly whenever she went somewhere.
Whenever people laid their eyes on her, they wanted more and more to achieve her look. So you can say that Queen Victoria is partially responsible for mascaras fame.
Modern-Day Mascara
Mascaras have a vibrant and storied history, and it has had its fair share of ups and downs. However, there have been far more ups than downs otherwise they wouldn't have been the worldwide make up phenomenon they are today.
It has been an exciting evolution for mascaras, dating back to thousands of years ago where only a couple of things were present in the production process.
There were health hazards and a variety of dangers along the way, but manufacturers rectified them as time went by. Now you can easily find mascaras on the corner shops of every street, that is how much popular they are. In the old days, they were homemade, or only a couple of companies produced them.
Mass production of mascara is leading to severe competition between companies and the race to stay one step ahead of the other seems to be never-ending. The way we can tell how mascaras have changed for the better in these modern times is just by comparing how safer they are from the old times.
You can look everywhere you want, and you will not be able to find any cases of permanent or temporary blindness caused by mascaras, whereas in the old days there were almost daily cases of damages caused by mascaras. Another thing that you can prominently notice is the better packaging of mascaras; they are infinitely better than they were before.
A lot of methods were used to package mascara to make sure that they can sustain for a more extended period. Modern mascaras have convenient and sustainable packaging; it is straightforward to pour out the exact amount of mascara you want without the risk of it falling or coming out in additional quantities. It is possible with the help of a tube or a small glass bottle.
People made use of their fingers to apply mascara o their eyes in the old times; this was potentially dangerous as there were risks of getting your eyes scratched by your nails with harmful chemicals and a lot of unwanted chemicals on fingers which were not easy to wash.
It caused people to unknowingly digest their food with chemicals which were potentially poisonous and life-threatening.
These things aren't a matter of concern in the modern era as the mascaras come with brush wands that make it significantly simple to apply without any damage. More than one type of brushes are available to the people depending on their convenience. Some of the models are as follows
- Fat brush
- Corkscrew brush
-
Tapered comb
- Ball tip brush
These are just a few of the examples of the brushes that come along with mascaras as there are many more.
Only a single type of mascara was used back in the day as compared to the different varieties we have available now, for example, the eyebrow mascara, mascara with zero lumps, curling mascara, mascara for lengthening, mascara for lash definition and last but not the least, waterproof mascara.
How Does Mascara Work?
You should not fret about applying mascara as the process is relatively simple. The way mascara works are pretty straightforward as it should be. You have to squeeze the tube a little bit with your fingers for the mascara to come out. While the mascara has come out, place your wand or brush, precisely above or below the tube.
The opening of the container as soon as the desired amount of mascara has come out on your brush, close the bottle and you are then ready for its application. Once the mascara is on your brush, start stroking it on your eyelashes so that you can apply the whole quantity on every small fiber of hair.
Using it will create a thick coating of wax, which is due to the high amount of concentrated wax present in it. Don't think that the layer of wax is a bad thing though; it is beneficial as it helps in protecting from bleeding and smudging. In addition to that, your eyes stand out as well.
As discussed earlier there is a wide variety of mascaras available, and all of them have different uses. Some are for lengthening the eyelashes; some are for thickening the eyelashes while some are for giving the eyelashes a defined look. For every different purpose, there are different brushes as well, so there is nothing but a lot of conveniences available for mascara users.
Some important things to understand how mascara works are that you should always make sure to decide whether you are going to apply any other makeup like eyeshade. If you do choose to wear eyeshade, then we strongly suggest you use that before putting on your mascara.
It is advisable to put on full face makeup before the application of mascara. Another thing to keep in mind to make sure that you can apply the mascara in a trouble-free manner is always to curl your eyelashes with the help of a curler so that it is easier to use the mascara. Otherwise, there are chances of it spreading making your eyes look like a complete mess.
Basic Ingredients Of Mascara
Mascara has gone through many ingredient changes since its beginnings and is still experimented with other ingredients every once in a while. But three mainstay ingredients have always been around and will not be changing any time soon. They are as follows.
- Oils
- Pigments
- Preservatives
Oils
Oils have been ever-present in mascaras. Many different types of oily substances are present in mascaras. The variety of oils varies with different brands as each brand has their preference. To figure out which mascara brand is of superior quality, you can always check which type of oils are present in the ingredients.
If there is the presence of essential oils, then it is a positive sign as oils not only make the mascaras readily applicable, but they also promote healthy hair growth and are safe for the eyes. Following are some examples of excellent essential oils.
- Rosemary oil
- Tea tree oil
-
Lavender oil
- Cedarwood oil
Pigments
In the earlier days carbon black and coal tar were used in the making of mascaras. Things are a little different now as dyes with a dark and rich color is used as one of the key ingredients.
Preservatives
A critical quality that every customer looks for when buying mascaras is how long do they last. The longer the mascara lasts, the better it proves its worth for money. It is why companies make sure that they add preservatives to the mascara so that they are usable for an extended period.
When adding chemicals was a relatively new concept, the quality of the mascaras was greatly sacrificed but with discoveries and better quality preservatives the mascaras last for ages while still maintaining their quality. To make sure that the mascara you are planning to buy is not harmful, be on the lookout for the following preservatives.
- Synthetic Dyes
- Aluminum powder
-
Propylparaben
-
Formaldehyde
- Thimerosal
Everybody wants to look their level best all the time, and they go to great lengths to achieve their goal. But no effort is worth going to if there is danger paved in its way. Mascara with toxic preservatives should be avoided at all costs as they will do you no favors when they cause your body harm.
How Does Mascara Become Waterproof?
Waterproof mascaras have been the rage as of late. With regular mascaras, sweat, rain, water, etc. made the mascara-wearing off a virtual guarantee. No one wants to get the hideous look when mascara is dripping from all over their face.
It is why everyone was so grateful when waterproof mascaras came on the market. The quality of being waterproof is what people look for when looking for mascaras. Otherwise, it is a big no-no. With all that, everybody must be wondering how mascara becomes waterproof.
The reason how mascara becomes waterproof is straightforward. Most waterproof mascaras incorporate dimethicone in their ingredients; it is a chemical that makes the mascara forms an even layer.
Some mascaras are based on silicones as well they also develop a stable layer which doesn't easily get removed with water or sweat. Some mascara companies also use wax; a lot of wax is helpful in making sure that the mascara is waterproof.
DIY Waterproof Mascara
There are a lot of people who love to do tests and experiments at home. Some have tried these experimentations with mascara as well. Some have succeeded, and some have failed. But to make the perfect mascara at home, all you will need is a teaspoon of bee wax, a couple of teaspoons of coconut oil, around four teaspoons of Aloe vera gel.
If you are looking for a mascara that is brown, you couldn't go wrong with some cocoa powder, and if you're looking for black, then a couple of black activated charcoal capsules will do the trick. To make sure that your mascara is waterproof and can even endure fountains of water, be sure to add some extra beeswax. It will help in giving your mascara some much-needed hold.
Pros And Cons Of Waterproof Mascara
Let's take a look on some notable pros and cons of this product:
Pros
- Waterproof mascara sticks quickly and does not remove from your eyelashes unless you want them to
- You don’t have to worry about the mascara getting smudged all over your face
- Natural waterproof mascaras that contain essential oils help promote eyelash hair growth and keeps them healthy
Cons
- Even though waterproof mascaras seem to be like a godsend but there are a few downsides to it as well. The major one being that if applied regularly, your eyelashes miss out on some much-required moisturization
- Any suitable waterproof mascara is hard to remove as a little bit of it is always left, and I takes multiple washes to get off completely
There is no difference between the application of regular mascara and waterproof mascara; both of them are the same when it comes to applying.
Removing Waterproof Mascara
Removing waterproof mascara is difficult when compared to regular mascara as it washes off easily. Waterproof mascara requires multiple washes. You can apply cotton ball with oil on the area where the mascara is present after that it is advisable to make use of a mascara remover with water and dry your face off very gently afterward.
Commercial Vs. DIY
There are a few differences between commercial and DIY waterproof mascaras and. The main difference is that DIY mascaras are considerably cheaper and safer as compared to commercial mascaras, as commercial mascaras make use of some dangerous chemicals. However, business mascaras come with infinitely better packaging.
Conclusion
Mascaras are an essential item for every makeup enthusiast and has become a must-have. Its popular demand has proved that water proved that waterproof mascaras are better than the regular mascaras. Safety should be a priority before buying mascaras and products with harmful chemicals should always be avoided.
It was a complete blueprint to educate you about the uses of mascaras. We have provided you with a comprehensive buying guide to make sure that you get the type of mascara that you desire most.
Resources:
