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Mascara

Mascara

Mascara is a type of makeup used to make eyelashes appear longer, fuller and thicker. It typically comes in one of three forms (liquid, cream, or cake) and is applied with a brush or a rod. While there are a few variations, most mascaras contain the same pigments, oils, waxes, and preservatives.

Top Questions Asked on ChaCha.com for Mascara

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Day | Week | Month

  1. Is mascara made out of bat poop?

    Mascara contains guanine, which is a nitrogenous base found i...

  2. What is mascara made out of?

    Mascaras were a combination of colouring and grease. In the 1...

  3. What brands of mascara are made with bat guano?

    Guanine, a synthetic by product of bat guano, can be found in...

  4. What mascara is best?

    Maybelline's Great Lash is rated as the best mascara by sever...

  5. Does mascara have bat poop in it?

    A derivative of bat guano called guanine is used in mascara, ...

  1. Is mascara made out of bat poop?

    Mascara contains guanine, which is a nitrogenous base found i...

  2. What is mascara made out of?

    Mascaras were a combination of colouring and grease. In the 1...

  3. What is the best kind of mascara for curling and length for eyelashes?

    Dior Diorshow is a super volumizing, lengthening, and curling...

  4. What kind of mascara does Brittani Taylor use?

    Brittani Taylor idolizes Kate Winslet, Russel Crowe, and Kate...

  5. How does mascara make your eyelashes look longer?

    Yes, the purpose of mascara is to make eyelashes look darker ...

  1. Does illegal length mascara work?

    Maybelline Illegal Lengths Mascara has gotten 4 stars out of ...

  2. How do you get mascara out of clothing?

    There are a few option you could try. The Tide to Go pen work...

  3. What is the brand of hypoallergenic mascara?

    L'Oreal makes a Hypo-Allergenic Mascara called Sensitique for...

  4. What brand has neon mascara colors?

    Max Factor has a line of Neon colored Mascara.

  5. How to take out mascara carefully?? <333333 :)?

    The best way to remove waterproof mascara is with a waterproo...

Top Questions Asked on ChaCha Mobile for Mascara

In the Last:
Day | Week | Month

  1. What is mascara made out of?

    Mascaras were a combination of colouring and grease. In the 1...

  2. Is mascara made out of bat poop?

    Mascara contains guanine, which is a nitrogenous base found i...

  3. Does mascara have bat poop in it?

    A derivative of bat guano called guanine is used in mascara, ...

  4. What is the best reviewed mascara?

    According to the reviews on consumersearch.com, the best drug...

  5. How do you take mascara off?

    Eye make-up remover is the best way to remove mascara. Have a...

  1. What is mascara made out of?

    Mascaras were a combination of colouring and grease. In the 1...

  2. Is mascara made out of bat poop?

    Mascara contains guanine, which is a nitrogenous base found i...

  3. Is mascara made of bat poop?

    The common, primary ingredients in mascaras are pigments, oil...

  4. Does mascara have bat poop in it?

    A derivative of bat guano called guanine is used in mascara, ...

  5. What is the best reviewed mascara?

    According to the reviews on consumersearch.com, the best drug...

  1. What is mascara made out of?

    Mascaras were a combination of colouring and grease. In the 1...

  2. Is mascara made out of bat poop?

    Mascara contains guanine, which is a nitrogenous base found i...

  3. How do you remove waterproof mascara?

    Eye makeup remover found at CVS or Walmart, or just try a lit...

  4. What is in mascara?

    All mascaras are different but some contain deionized Water, ...

  5. What is a good mascara?

    Recommended by Shape.com: CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof Masc...

About Mascara

In its sleek bottles and trendy advertisements, mascara may seem like a modern beauty marvel. But the popular morning regiment staple has nearly 6,000 year old roots, starting in ancient Egypt.

Around 4000 B.C., Egyptians used mascara, as well as kohl eyeliner, to both protect their eyes and make them stand out, using crocodile feces and honey to make the mascara formula stick to the lashes. Things cleaned up a bit when the ancient Romans tried their hand at the eye-enhancing goop, using charred rose petals and date pits to make their lashes darker, a sign of chastity. During the Renaissance, some women used powdered walnut shells to tint their lashes, and in the mid 19th century, women took much more strongly to mascara, using soot from oil lamps to highlight their eyes.

Mascara as we know it today was invented and popularized in the 20th century by Eugene Rimmel (namesake of Rimmel London) and T.L. Williams, who mixed coal dust and Vaseline in his formula, crafted for his sister Maybel (''Maybe It’s Maybelline''). In the 1930s, dangerous ingredients, like turpentine, kohl with lead elements and hair-dye agents, were added to mascaras. These additives have since been strictly regulated.

Thankfully, we’ve come a long way from feces, dirt and poison. The ingredients of today’s eye makeup do the same but are much safer. The dark tubes are now filled with carbon black or iron oxide pigment as a darkening agent, a polymer to coat the lashes, as well as preservatives and thickening waxes or oils. Some versions contain water, while others don’t (like waterproof formulas, which are harder to remove).

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Mascara