The Old-School Eye Makeup Trick From The '20s That Went Viral 100 Years Later

As a longtime makeup artist, I always find it fascinating when a cool beauty tidbit from the past pops up. Early in March, celebrity makeup artist Erin Parsons shared a video on YouTube explaining how folks from the 1920s would place tiny red dots in the inner corners of their eyes. "I always thought it was just to recreate that natural pink inner corner," she stated. Parsons then showed a book from 1930 that detailed just what those dots were for. "They used this technique if your eyes were very far apart, or to make it bigger and more luminous," she explained. After demonstrating the trick on herself, the makeup guru shared, "It does make the eyes look a little brighter somehow ... so I think I finally understand this 1920s trend," Parsons declared.

After Parsons' video, the old-school beauty trend surged in popularity again. Instagram user @maiden.egg tried the trick, only she made hers a lot bigger, sharing, "In the 1920s, dots of red would be applied to the inner corner of the eye to make them appear larger, brighter, or closer together. I made mine nice and noticeable — red is one of my favorite colors!" While larger dots might have been less conspicuous from a theater stage with harsh lights, I suggest using smaller pinpricks if you want to try this trick. In person, the red would look too harsh, especially if you have no other colors on your face. And for those opposed to having crimson in that area, there are other tricks to brighten your eyes and play with dimension.

Many want to make their eyes look wide-set, as it captures an image of innocence, but if you want to bring them closer together, there are other makeup tips available. Try the bold inner corner eyeliner trick to spice up your look and elongate that area. You can also encircle your whole eyes with dark liner, being sure not to wing it out or place any highlighter on the inner corners. Instead, use a dark brown shadow along the inner crease, blending it onto the sides of your nose for contour. Place a light shimmer on the middle part of your upper lids to open them up a bit, and focus the mascara there as well, rather than flaring out your lashes on the outer ends.

To make eyes appear more luminous, after concealer, try under-eye brightening powders to make dark circles disappear. For even more oomph, apply a nude-colored eyeliner on your bottom waterline, but make sure it's not too white, as it tends to look unnatural. As always, don't forget the power of shimmer. Extending a warm iridescent shadow slightly above the crease really opens them up, especially if you have hooded eyes. And if you want to add a pair of small red dots in the inner corners, I fully encourage you to channel your inner 1920s siren.