by Luka Watabe

History of Vintage Eye Makeup

How Cleopatra Influences Us today

Our makeup is fundamental to the vintage style of fashion. It allows us to be creative, express ourselves, and provides extra colours to complete our perfect look. We enjoy the power of transformation; it makes us feel sexy and confident. Vintage beauty is timeless, and some of this quality comes from the history surrounding these classic styles and techniques.

Our obsession with beauty goes back 5,000 years to ancient Egyptian culture. Most people are familiar with the fashionable leader of Egypt, Cleopatra the 7th, and her exotic eye makeup. Her look was recreated in the film “Cleopatra”, starring Elizabeth Taylor, and is the perfect example of iconic Egyptian style with a 1960s twist. This beautiful, bold design still looks modern even after 60 years.

To create this look, Egyptian men and women used kohl, a mixture of burnt almond and carbon, to produce a black powder. This was then mixed with water and oil and applied with a thin stick to draw the complicated pattern. They also combined kohl with antimony to fashion a silver pigment, and with malachite for a green pigment. Cleopatra herself knew the power of colour; she used different colours on the top and bottom of her eyes. The result is expressive and powerful, and draws attention to the face.

This focus on the eyes comes from their religious and spiritual significance in Egyptian society. They believed that evil spirits entered through the orifices of the body, and to protect themselves they darkened their eyes and wore accessories on the nose and ears. Their importance can also be seen in Egyptian art and symbols such as the Eye of Ra. Makeup served the dual purpose of protecting the eyes from the strong sunlight and dust of the desert as well. This classic look perfectly blended together with their hair and fashion, beautiful and practical at the same time.

The Egyptian style fell out of favour, however, until the early 20th Century when major archaeology discoveries, such as the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, brought Ancient Egypt back into fashion. Before Taylor’s own portrayal, Theda Bara was cast as Cleopatra in 1917, and had her own unique style. The dramatic combination of her pale skin and the dark smokey kohl makeup made her stand out in the black and white world of the early film industry. Her mysterious vampish look made her a household name.

However, heavy eye makeup would still belong to the stage and Hollywood until after the Second World War. Between the 1920s and 1950s, much more attention was placed on the lips with lipstick being the most popular cosmetic. This would change with Christian Dior’s first haute couture collection in 1947: the “New Look”. The contrast between the glamourous bust line and a cinched waist, along with a full A line skirt and a lot of fabric, created a luxurious and feminine style that had been missing from the simple and conservative fashion of the 1940s.

As Dior launched new lines, there were signs of changing eye makeup in Paris. Sales of mascara, eyeliner and shadows increased dramatically, and women started matching the colour of their eyes, hair, and their fashion. The balance of the face changed as hair styles became shorter, making the eyes more pronounced. This led to eyes being drawn in a more elegant and flattering way. New products, such as Helena Rubinstein’s “Mascara Matic”, were released, which became the origin of the mascaras we use today.

The 1960s pushed this trend further with an increasing use of colour, and many cosmetics brands started selling brightly-coloured eye shadows. In 1961, Revlon launched a new liquid eyeshadow in a tube called “Eye Velvet”, which came in 12 colour shades. They all had romantic names such as “Blue Snow Drop”, “Turquoise Petal” and “Flesh Emerald”. When Taylor’s depiction of Cleopatra premiered a few years later, Revlon did not miss the opportunity to market a new cosmetic inspired by the look; advertisements began a year before the film released. All of these, the exotic mystery of Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor’s lifestyle, and the growing cosmetics industry, came together to produce a style perfectly in tune with the 1960s vibe of colour, creativity and experimentation.

Cleopatra’s legacy still influences women today. She is remembered as one of the most beautiful women in history, and a lot of that comes from her knowledge of makeup and its ability to transform. She was a very smart woman to recognise this power and use it to enhance her own image and natural strengths. Today, cosmetics companies sell dreams to women, of a flawless face and a beautiful package, but makeup is simply a tool. Without knowing who we are and what brings us joy, makeup is powerless. The key is to become attractive inside and out, and to use our style to express our creativity and beauty.


Luka Watabe recreates the look

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