Fake Lashes were invented in 1927 by Max Factor for the actress Phyllis Haver for her appearance in the musical „Chicago“. These first artificial eyelashes had such an excellent effect that they established themselves with rapid speed in the film world of the time, quickly becoming a major trend.
Who was Max Factor?
Max Factor was a Polish-American cosmetics entrepreneur of the 20th century. He worked with wigs and cosmetics as a child and was thus able to build up a very large expert knowledge at a young age, which he later perfected through his training as a wigmaker and cosmetician. Due to his great skill and impressive talent, he was eventually appointed official cosmetic advisor to the Tsar’s family and the Royal Opera.
In 1908 he founded the cosmetics company „Max Factor „in New York in the USA, which still exists today. From 1914 onwards, he and his company developed cosmetic products and make-up for the Hollywood film industry of the time, quickly becoming famous as the „cosmetician to the stars“. The term make-up originated with Max Factor and was not in common use before that.
How did Max Factor produce the first Fake Lashes?
Max Factor developed the first Fake Lashes for the actress Phyllis Haver for her appearance in the musical „Chicago“. For these first Fake Lashes, Max Factor used fringes, which he glued onto a very thin thread, and attached them to the lash line in this way. Due to the elaborate manufacturing process, Fake Lashes were initially reserved for celebrities, movie stars or actors and actresses on set or on stage.
How did Fake Lashes become mainstream?
As recently as the 1950s, artificial eyelashes were reserved exclusively for the film industry. It wasn’t until the 21st century that this changed, when constant advancements in eyelash technology made Fake Lashes significantly cheaper and easier to use.
The great advantage of these new Fake Lashes, which were developed in the 21st century, was that they were visually almost indistinguishable from real eyelashes, as they were just as soft and delicate. The change in technique for applying the lashes also contributed to their breakthrough as a product of mainstream cosmetics. This technique made it possible for multiple lash strands to be attached at one point, rather than having to attach each hair individually.
This made it easier to apply the lashes and allowed them to be worn much longer than Max Factor’s prototype. After most beauty salons finally had artificial eyelashes in their repertoire, it also soon became possible to buy fake lashes to glue on yourself in drugstores. Today, this is possible in most drugstores and many women have uncomplicated access to Fake Lashes.
What are Fake Lashes used for today?
Nowadays, anyone can wear Fake Lashes if he or she wants to. Fake Lashes give the eyes a more dramatic look and make you wear less makeup. With fake lashes from the beauty salon, on top of that, there is no need to glue on and remove the lashes in the evening and you wake up with perfectly styled eyes, so to speak. Eyelashes that can be glued on by yourself, on the other hand, are particularly suitable if you want to create a particularly dramatic look for a festive or special occasion.
What types of Fake Lashes are there today?
Nowadays, Fake Lashes are available in a variety of materials, some of which vary greatly in price and effort. The materials used for Fake Lashes can be human hair, synthetic hair, mink hair or synthetic mink hair. Eyelashes made of real hair are made from human head hair. For this purpose, it is first cleaned and then dyed. The advantage of eyelashes made of human hair is their very natural look and high quality.
Fake lashes made of synthetic hair, on the other hand, are made of artificial materials such as nylon or acrylic. These Fake Lashes are therefore cheaper both in sale and production, and they can be produced in many colors and shapes. Furthermore, artificial eyelashes can also be made from mink hair. Fake lashes made of mink hair convince with a very fine structure and a feathery shape.
Fake Lashes made of mink hair also shine very beautifully and are therefore often called silk lashes or silk lashes. Since they are made of real animal hair, they are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. This is different with Fake Lashes made of synthetic mink hair, of course. They resemble real silk lashes in shine and lightness, but are made from artificial fibers.