Eyeliner. It’s like the cherry on top of a makeup look, right? But have you ever stopped mid-wing and thought, “Wait, when was this invented?” (Okay, probably not in the middle of a cat-eye, because let’s be real, eyeliner requires ALL your focus.) But seriously! It’s been around forever, and it’s kind of wild how something that now feels so everyday was once a revolutionary beauty move.
So, grab your favorite gel liner—or pencil, liquid, whatever your vibe is—because we’re about to spill the tea on the history of eyeliner, but make it fun!
Eyeliner in Ancient Egypt: Where it All Began
You know we have to talk about the OG beauty influencers: the Egyptians. Yup, way back in ancient Egypt around 4000 B.C., eyeliner was already making a major statement. These people were really living in the future. Cleopatra’s iconic black kohl-rimmed eyes? She wasn’t just serving looks; Egyptians believed their bold eye makeup could ward off evil spirits and evil eyes literally! Makeup = protection? Love that for them.
So how’d they make it without Sephora or Ulta? These talented queens and kings used a mixture of lead, copper, and other minerals to create kohl, which they applied to their upper and lower eyelids. Fun (but also slightly concerning) fact: the lead in their kohl wasn’t exactly “FDA approved,” but it worked for them… some of the time.
Flash-forward thousands of years later: and here we are, still rocking those smoky looks with a bit more… safety in the product department.
Egyptians believed that eyeliner wasn’t just a beauty thing—it was their protection from the spiritual frauds out there!
That Mesmerizing Charm: Eyeliner Out of Egypt
Now, just because eyeliner started with the Egyptians doesn’t mean it stayed in their lane. Makeup trends spread! After ancient Egypt, eyeliner became a thing in places like India and Mesopotamia. Yeah, we’re talkin’ global inspo and before TikTok made trends go viral in .2 seconds.
In India, like in Egypt, kohl was an absolute staple in their beauty routines, for both men and women. Cultural shifts might have happened, but kohl stuck around again, not just for looks. People from India believed it could protect against the evil eye and even protect eyesight. (As a girl who gets eyeliner in her eyes at least once a week, I’m kinda side-eyeing that theory).
Kohl wasn’t just a global trend, it was also believed to have magical, protective powers!
Basically, eyeliner has always been both a fashion and function thing.
Eyeliner Takes a Bow: Enter the Middle Ages & Beyond
Look, eyeliner might have taken a tiny break after its long run dominating the ancient world. (For a hot minute people weren’t doing much with makeup. It was all about being ~natural~ for a while.) Still, it made a fabulous comeback later, especially in Middle Eastern countries where kohl continued to be all the rage.
Time sped forward, and by the 1900s actresses in black-and-white movies were killing the new eye look. This was a time when makeup’s power in performance was major. Hollywood stars, like Theda Bara and Mae Murray, took that thick, bold liner and made it super glam—perfect for film noir vibes. Their eyes said “drama” before you even heard the dramatic music. 😎
The Swingin’ 20s: Let’s Get Breezy
Okay, real talk: the 1920s were WILD, like the eyeliner equivalent of turning up at Coachella. If eyeliner had its own first major-style festival, the Roaring 20s would’ve been the main stage headliner.
Back when jazz age vibes and flapper dresses were IT, heavy makeup experienced a rebirth, and my personal fave: THE WINGED LINER was born. Women started using black liners to get that sultry, smoky eye effect because they wanted to look like dramatic movie stills just kinda walking around. The idea back then was that the eyes were just these deep pools of mystery (LOL), and eyeliner delivered the look.
Fun fact: In the 1920s, makeup started becoming more accessible—which meant we were all invited to the eyeliner party!
With more companies getting into makeup, there was no stopping the eyeliner trend. Brands were advertising liners left, right, and center. Also, cool tip: THIS was when makeup moguls like Elizabeth Arden started their rise. Yup, Queen Elizabeth Arden herself helped make makeup lines more glamorous. 💅
WWII Eyeliner Drama: Less is More?
Remember when that whole “No makeup is brave” thing was trendy for a second? (Don’t worry, it was brief LOL.) During World War II, people didn’t have as much access to makeup, which meant eyeliner looks got toned down. Weird vibe for eyeliner lovers, right? But even though it was limited, lots of ladies still rocked the thin-pencil-liner look.
Gel liners? Not yet invented. Liquid liner? Not wildly popular. But what did girls do? They mastered the “less-is-more” look by focusing on their eyes with a teeny, precise pencil line. The cat-eye, however, wasn’t gone forever… it was just on vacation.
The 1960s: Twiggy’s Lashes and THE Cat-Eye Comeback
Name a more iconic eyeliner look than the 60s wing. Right?!
By now, our good sis liquid eyeliner had made her debut, and it was everything. People were sporting dramatic, bold wings that practically reached the sky—like so big you’d wonder how girls back then didn’t flick everyone by turning around too quickly 😂. But hey, it SLAYED!
Twiggy, bless her heart, was all about that graphic, playful liner, with heavy fake lashes drawn on her waterline. She probably spent more time on that look than I spend getting ready for a night out. Me? I’m 99% dry shampoo by the end of most days, but I digress. Anyways, that sleek, cat-eye liner? Total perfection.
The cat-eye look blew up after seeing and copying what everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Audrey Hepburn was doing with their eyeliner.
The Bold and Edgy 80s: More is More
Fast-forward to the 80s, and WOW. The energy around eyeliner was a mix of bold and unpredictable. That’s the best way to describe it. We’re talking huge hair, bright colors, AND fiercely-lined eyes. Your eyes had to live up to the eyeliner, NOT the other way around.
Gothic, punk, and glam rock trends all had their little moment. If you could look like an extra in a David Bowie concert or like Prince had just invited you backstage, then you were NAILING the look. Smudged liner wasn’t just cool, it was THE vibe. It was dramatic. Honestly, the liner alone made it look like you were living your absolute best rockstar life even if, uh… you were just hiding in your room rocking out privately with your boombox.
90s Grunge: I Love You, Smudged Eyeliner
Message: eyeliner doesn’t have to be perfect. If the 90s taught us that anything counts as trendy, it was this. And, hello, smudged eyeliner = grunge queen! Courtney Love had us fully embracing that low-effort black liner look (and I’m HERE for low-effort beauty hacks. Aren’t we all?)
Smudged eyeliner’s peak just made it cooler to look a little undone. The “IDGAF” makeup attitude was the ultimate mood, and it came with a heaping side of attitude.
The 2010s: Back to Slick Perfection
Jumping straight to the 2010s, things have been QUICKLY changing. Look at any Insta feed from this time, and there’s no doubt that influencers were basically responsible for making eyeliner into a ~spiritual~ cat eye experience.
From YouTube beauty vloggers to Instagram’s finest MUAs, liquid eyeliner became the gold standard for precision again. Eyeliner was getting sharper than your favorite knife—think Ariana Grande’s FIERCE cat-eyes or Zendaya’s killer sharp flicks. People were achieving that perfect liner that was DARK, precise, and clean, but very experimental at the same time. Colors? Pastels? Glitter? Double winged liner? YES. More and more YES. 🌈✨
Now and the Future of Eyeliner
And now? Lash glue included in eyeliner? Colored pencils, brush tips vs. felt tips, and SO many ways to drop eye looks it’s like you have endless options for expressing yourself. Blue, white, golden liner?? It’s all here! Not to mention liners are formulated safer, easier to use, and last ALL day. We’ve come a long way from smudging lead on our faces (ew), but there’s still one thing that hasn’t changed: eyeliner is and always will be FIERCE.
Wings, bold strokes, dramatic under-eyes, or just a simple lined look—eyeliner’s here to stay, and who knows what wild trends we’ll see next!
Ready for your next fave wing technique? Keep an eye out for more posts in the Eyeliner subcategory 😉
