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Maybelline turns 100, shares old print ads

Maybe she’s born with it? Well, maybe, but it’s probably Maybelline—and this has been the case for the past century.

The cosmetics brand started out in 1915 when Mabel Williams combined coal dust with Vaseline to create a more dramatic eye, according to a release issued by Maybelline.

The Maybelline New York history spans decades of different styles and it was always on-hand to facilitate the means by which fashionistas of each generation could attain their desired style.

And this is evolution of style clearly evident in the print ads that have been released over the years.    

While many of the ads are standard beauty pieces featuring beautiful women and products, there are also a few that stand out as being a little off-beat. The clearest example of this is an ad for Ultra Lash (seventh in the gallery), which could easily be confused for the cover of a 1980s horror video if viewed from afar. The combination of red typeface with the image of a woman lurking behind a door gives the phrase ‘see your lashes become long… longer… longest…’ a slightly eerie connotation.   

Another ad features Hedy Lamarr scriblling a message to Maybelline across her chest on a poster—because, you know, beautiful women can’t help but write a letter to their beauty product provider upon realising how good they look. 

And for the Moisture Whip ad, a woman is shown standing in a pool with lipstick. And although it’s clearly a visual play on lipstick ‘colour so moist it licks your lips’, it’s still hilarious to see someone casually hanging out in a swimming pool with some lipstick. But those were clearly different times.  

The ‘70s and ‘80s saw Maybelline expand in to face, lips and nails with help from its first super-powered spokeswoman, Lynda Carter. And what would the ‘90s have been without those Christy Turlington ads? They were part of the launch of one of the most powerful slogans of all time: Maybe She’s Born With It, Maybe It’s Maybelline.

The brand has been fronted by many famous faces including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Josie Moran and Kristen Davis. 

“Today’s spokeswomen include Christy Turlington, as a global brand ambassador and a diverse group of women that includes Emily DiDonato, Jourdan Dunn, Kemp Muhl, Marloes Horst and most recently, the return of Adriana Lima,” the release says.

In 2009, Maybelline New York became the official makeup sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. Today, it sponsors eleven additional fashion weeks worldwide, most recently including MADE Fashion Week in New York and London Fashion Week.

Maybelline is now available in over 100 countries.

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