All About ... Eyeliner

Hey Beauty Lovers! I am going to start doing a fun series which will be posted at least once a month. It will be called the All About series. In these posts, I will take you on a beauty journey. You will learn all about a certain type of product and the history behind each product. I think it is awesome to be informed on what products we use. I will give a brief historical background and information about what the product entails. I will then talk about all the different product forms and give a few tutorials on how to use the products. So without further ado, let’s get onto the first All About post. First up is…EYELINER!

History:

So where did eyeliner begin?

National Geographic Kids

It all began over 12,000 years ago (early 10,000 BC) in Egypt and Mesopotamia. In ancient Egypt, both males and females wore eyeliner. These individuals were very wealthy and wore eyeliner to define the eyes as well as ward off wrinkles. Eventually, eyeliner was worn by lower class Egyptians too. Eyeliner became a symbol and honor to Egyptian gods. With the fall of Egypt came the fall of eyeliner. It was still used in Asia, but not in high proportions. (1)

Flash forward to the 1920s. Victorian fashion was dead and females were beginning to express themselves. Hollywood was booming and women wanted to try anything that made them look similar to their favorite actresses. In 1922, Howard Carter and George Herbert discovered King Tut’s tomb. The findings spread, were accepted, and modern eyeliner was born (1).

Enter in the 1970s. In the 1970s, eyeliner became a fashion statement and winged eyeliner because famous. With punk and Gothic styles, came even more ways to wear eyeliner. Today, eyeliner is used in so many ways and many people continue to experiment with ways to wear this amazing cosmetic product.

Eyeliner Through The Years:

Here is a look of eyeliner through the years and my take on these eyeliner trends.

Ancient Egypt:

Ancient Egypt is all about that dramatic wing. 

My Take

1920’s:

Eyeliner is more concentrated on the outer part of the eye. This gives a smoky eye effect.

 

My Take

1930’s:

Eyeliner is more simple and just used to enhance the eyes.

My Take

1940’s:

Eyeliner frames the eyes while eye shadow gives a sunken eye effect. 

 

1950’s:

Enter in winged eyeliner again!

My Take

1960’s:

Twiggy revolutionized eyeliner. Dramatic wings became popular and eyeliner was used on the lower lash line as well (creates the illusion of thick bottom lashes). 

My Take

 

1970’s:

Enter in the Disco Era. Eyeliner was dramatic and bright colors were everywhere!

My Take

1980’s:

Black and White time. On one end is simple eyeliner and the other end…PUNK! 

 

Image source: Like Totally 80’s

My Take

 

1990’s:

Smoky Eyes and smoked out eyeliner was popular in the 90’s. 

Image Source: bbeautiful4u

My Take

NOW:

Today eyeliner has no limits! It is all about expressing yourself and doing whatever you want. Play around because there are no rules.

Above Eyeliners from various YouTube and Google Images.

My Take

 

Eyeliner Forms:

Now that you have learned a little about the history of eyeliner and saw how eyeliner has changed throughout the years; we will take a look at the different eyeliner forms. Eyeliner takes on many different forms and everyone has their own personal favorite. The different forms can serve different purposes and can be used in a variety of ways.

Powder-Based Eye Pencil:

 

A powder-based eye pencil is usually made out of wood. It is similar to to a pencil you write with, but the product is made for your eyes. Eyeliners of this type are generally dark matte shades. They are sharpened with a pencil sharper and are generally harder to apply. They are not as creamy, but can be long-lasting.

Wax-Based Eye Pencil:

 

Wax-based pencils are softer pencils that contain wax in the formula. They come in a large variety of shades. They are easily smudgeable and can create gorgeous smoky eyes. They can be sharpened with a pencil sharpener or simply be twisted up. They can be long lasting or used as a base for eye shadow.

Kohl Eyeliner:

 

Kohl Eyeliners are usually larger eyeliners that are made of soft powders. They generally come in dark matte colors and are meant for smudging. You can create dark smoky eyes easily with Kohl eyeliners.

Gel Eyeliner:

 

Gel eyeliners are very soft and have a gel-like consistency. They are easily applied with an eyeliner brush. Gel eyeliners can be used for creating very precise lines. Think…cat eye!

Liquid Eyeliner-Brush:

Liquid Eyeliner in brush form is a liquid consistency. The brush is usually included in the tube. Liquid eyeliner comes in many different colors and even glitters. The brush helps create very fine lines as well as thick lines. However, this type of liner can be tricky for beginners because it is very wet. It takes a while to dry before it is smudge resistant. Once mastered, tons of different eye looks can be accomplish with this type of eyeliner.

Liquid Eyeliner-Felt Tip:

 

Liquid Eyeliner in felt tip form is a great eyeliner for beginners. The liquid is contained in the tube and is deposited on the felt tip. It is easy to get a mess free application with this type of eyeliner. Dark shades are most commonly found in this eyeliner form. However, colored eyeliner can also be found. I definitely recommend starting with this type of liquid eyeliner because it is user friendly. The felt tip is stiff and doesn’t move everywhere like brushes can.