Get the dreamy look this season:
Ruwini Jayawardana
Did you know....?
* Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy’s Jack
Sparrow wears kohl around his eyes
* Film actress Theda Bara highlighted her eyes
with kajal throughout her career
* Lead singer for the Dutch rock group
‘Shocking Blue’, Mariska Veres, wore kohl around her eyes to accentuate
her exotic beauty
Indian actresses like Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai,
Bipasha Basu and many more have this little make up wonder at hand in
their handbag wherever they go. Apply a bit of kajal on the inner rim of
of the lower eye lids with a dash of lip gloss and you are all set for a
simple and clean look which sets your natural beauty ablaze.
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Kajal eye make up |
This thick black ointment, made using ground lead sulfide or antimony
sulfide, is a wonder in creating small eyes look bigger. Used for
centuries by women kajal (also known as kohl) embodies medicinal value
because it is believed to to cure the eye of ailment. Once a child is
six days old, the child’s mother applies to her eyes along with a small
black dot known as the pottu on her forehead to mar her beauty. This
imperfection will keep the evil eye at bay as well as improve the
vision. It is also believed that the darkening of the eyes will protect
one from sun’s harsh rays.
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Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean |
This beauty product is known as kol, kehal or kohal in the Arab
world. Its history dates back to as far back as the Bronze Age by
Egyptian queens. Cleopatra was well know for her stunning black kohl
lined eyes. It was also widely used in the Middle East. Parts of Africa
and the South Asian region.
The beauty product is prepared from a plant called ‘Monosha’ which is
similar to a cactus. You apply oil to the leaf of the plant and keep it
above a burning mud lamp filled with castor oil. Later sooth gathers on
top of the leaf and this is considered sterile and safe enough to be
applied on infants.
Apart from enhancing the size of the eyes, kajal also acts as a
coolant. It is available in small boxes or as pencils today. There
are many products in a variety of hues which are termed as kohl. Some
are prepared differently but use the term to describe the product rather
than its actual ingredients. Customers need to clarify if the kohl is
lead free before purchasing the product. |
