Get ready to be whisked away into the glamorous world of eyelash extensions! From the moment they first surfaced in the 1800s, false lashes have come a long way to become the luxurious, high-quality creations that we know and love today. 🤩
But before we dive into the history of these amazing extensions, let us take a look at what the lash game looked like back in the day. Unsatisfactory ingredients such as human hair and harsh, synthetic alternatives, coupled with irritating adhesives, were the norm - a far cry from the synthetic faux-mink strips and premium Korean silk fibers of our prema lashes. 🤯
At the time, it was believed that long lashes were related to the purity of a woman, driving up the demand for an easier and more convenient way to get those long lashes. 🤔
So, buckle up and join us as we take a journey through time to uncover the evolution of eyelash extensions and the amazing journey it has been! 🔮
IT BEGAN WITH PLINY THE ELDER…
The lash industry has come a long way since Pliny the Elder's famous Naturalist Historia. Pliny, an author and natural philosopher in ancient Rome, wrote that "lashes were bestowed by nature for another purpose [aside from beautification], as a sort of fence [against] … things accidentally falling into them."
But the real kicker was his next assertion - that sexual excess causes them to drop off, not undeservedly. 🙈
However, the root of longer lashes grew from the idea that they got shorter with age. People in Ancient Rome used various remedies to try to lengthen their lashes - from famous kohl eyeliner, to the mythical use of bat droppings. 🦇
LASHES TOOK A TURN IN THE MIDDLE AGES
After Pliny, the beauty standards of the time took a drastic shift! 🤩 It was during the Middle Ages that the Church viewed long lashes as a sign of eroticism. And in an attempt to appear more “modest”, some women resorted to the most extreme solution—plucking their lashes off! 🤯
But then, Queen Elizabeth I set a new trend of large foreheads being the beauty standard. In order to get a large forehead, people would pluck out their lashes, eyebrows, and hairline. Of course, her subjects followed suit. And so began a world of people walking around with no edges or lashes. 🤦♀️
Nowadays, we’re all about creating full, beautiful lashes and edges.
20TH CENTURY UNTIL TODAY
Fast-forward to the 19th century, and the idea of long lashes had a fierce resurgence. Women were desperate for longer lashes, and would do just about anything to achieve them. They turned to extreme methods such as using household items like coal dust, soot, and
– even resorting to implanting lash hairs with needles! 🤯 😱 Talk about dedication!
As we step into the 20th century, modern lash extensions were just beginning to materialise, having some successes and some setbacks. But who was the original inventor behind the strip lash that we know today? 🤔
The first patent for a ‘strip lash’ was attributed to Canadian woman Anna Taylor in 1911, which was a thin fabric with synthetic hairs sewn in to replicate lashes. However, some credit this invention to hairdresser Karl Nessler, who opened a salon in New York in 1915, offering artificial lash services. 🤩
It wasn't until director D. W. Griffith saw actress Seena Owens in 1916, whilst filming 'Intolerance', that lash extensions started to become the luxury beauty treatment we know today! 💅
It is no wonder that lash enhancement have come a long way from the harsh, synthetic alternatives and irritating adhesives of the past. Today, women everywhere can enjoy long natural feeling lashes thanks to the journey of innovation that brought us to this moment. Lashes have been a staple throughout the ages, and established women everywhere can now appreciate the convenience and glamour of having longer darker curlier lashes. So bask in the luxury of eyelash extensions and let them take your beauty and confidence to the next level!
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