Eye Shadow History.

Those who where eye makeup, especially women, have made Herculean efforts to create attractive sultry eyes. Eye shadow is an extremely important component in the over all effort to create gorgeous, noticeable eyes. Shadow is a makeup that is used at the eye lids and under the eye brows. The application of such a cosmetic is done to accent the eyes to add dimension, create a greater level of depth, and yes to become more attractive over all. During the chapters of human history, the peoples of the world would use eye shadows to express religious beliefs, exude looks of power, and create separation of the classes. In more modern times, eye makeup is quite common among all financial groups, and is used primarily for fashionable cosmetic purposes.

The first evidence that we have of the use of eye shadow, dates back about twelve thousand years. Eye shadows appear to have been used during Egyptian burials as far back as ten thousand BC. One of the first cosmetics was a substance named kohl.

Kohl was a blend of lead, ochre, copper, ash, antimony, malachite, charred almonds, and the ore from chrysocolla. Not only was this complex mixture used to create a makeup for cosmetic use, they used kohl to block out glare from the sun, and also as a topical powder to protect injuries from becoming infected. Kohl, as well as crushed gem stones, were used as makeup during religious ceremonies, and during religious enactments to create god like looks among those playing the roles. The sparkling gems stones dust would also be put on the lips, and a make shift lip stick of sorts.

Once makeups, including eye shadows, traveled from ancient Egypt to places like Rome and Greece, the substances were becoming used more and more in the arena of beauty, and less for the purposes of religious expression. As the centuries passed, the Babylonians and the people of India began to see the upper classes wear high cost eye shadows, and they were only available to those who could pay the heavy cost. The Romans, after a while,became quite prolific in makeup creation, and invented many eye shadow products from plant pigments, flower pigments, pulverized minerals, and herbal sources. These days, our chemists seem to have perfected processes needed to remove unwanted draw backs to old world makeups. We are quite spoiled with the softness and smoothness of modern cosmetics, as opposed to the grainy granular, and yes quite irritating ancient mineral makeups.

Modern eye shadow is used to improve one’s over all facial looks, and often to offset the look of fatigue in our very busied lives. Women and Men put is use these days, simply to look good. The cosmetics industry has something for everyone, regardless of income, and there are no longer class stigmas associated with makeup whatsoever. Try what ever suits your fancy. You always have a chance of finding a new twist in eye makeup.