A Brief History of Mascara
Mascara has been around since the early ages of 3400 B.C. Ancient Egyptians used bones as mascara wands and crocodile feces mixed with honey and water as the first mascara. Back then, not only did they wear mascara as a way to improve their appearance but as a method to shield themselves from evil spirits because they thought that the eyes were the windows of the soul.
5,000 years later, the love for mascara was reborn in the Victorian era. Victorian women cared deeply about their physical appearance, so they made their own mascaras with ashes and elderberry but never put their products on the market.
In 1872, the first and most important ingredient in mascara was petroleum. In 1917, the first coal dust and petroleum mascara were invented and put in the cosmetic market by Eugene Rimmel. This was known as the cake mascara.
The formula for waterproof mascara was created in 1938. Initially, there were downsides to the formula.–it caused a lot of allergic reactions because it contained turpentine and also had an unpleasant odor. The first safe, fragrant, and waterproof mascara hit the makeup market in the 60s.
My Reviews
My favorite step in my makeup routine is definitely mascara. I have been blessed with beautiful, long eyelashes so when it comes to mascara, I like to think of myself as a professional. There are many different types of ways to style eyelashes. If you want a full, bold, puffy look, I would suggest buying mascara with a thick wand. However, it may look clumpy and messy. For an every-day, simple, yet cute look, you could buy a thin mascara to make your lashes appear skinny and well put together.
After going through many tubes of different mascaras, below, I have ranked four mascaras.
- Ilia Limitless Macara
I unfortunately spent $13 on this mascara that made my lashes appear longer but then started to droop downwards instead of elevating them like the brand promised. Thankfully, I only got the mini version, because the full version is $30, a really high price for an unsatisfactory mascara. 3/10
After 10 hours of wear, this mascara made my eyes look like a raccoon’s eyes. When I was applying the mascara, I had to scrape some of the excess mascara off the wand because there was an unnecessary amount of formula. At first, there definitely was a lot of lengthening but it was too heavy on my eyelashes, causing my lashes to point downwards. The smell of new tires is apparent as soon as you open the tube. The small spikes on the wand make the lashes scarce but clumpy. I paid $20, which was not bad for a full tube but a waste since I will never wear it again. 2/10
This is a very popular and loved mascara that’s very dear to my heart. Usually, waterproof mascaras have pretty bad formulas and are clumpy, but this mascara is better than its non waterproof counterpart/version.. It does a good job at staying still after crying, naps, and swimming, and doesn’t give you raccoon eyes. It’s a blessing and a curse that this mascara is incredibly hard to wipe off. It works extremely well when combined with other mascaras. It’s thin, simple, and cheap! 9/10
I saved the best for last. This mascara applies so easily and evenly among the lashes. It successfully makes your eyelashes fuller but not clumpy and long and straight. This mascara demonstrates everything the brand promises on the packaging, lengthening and volumizing. but ten times better. A little formula goes a long way–even when the tube is practically empty, it still works well. Every time I apply this mascara, I am amazed. Although this mascara is more expensive, $16 for the mini version and $30 for the full version, it’s definitely worth the money. 10/10
