有多少迷恋彩妆的小仙女？你可知道，彩妆中最让人着迷的是什么？得票最多的一定会是色彩斑斓的眼影。眼影最早起源于古埃及，古埃及人用云母或者宝石压碎形成颜料涂抹在眼睛周围，制作出最早的眼影。他们利用云母和宝石的化学特性，抵御风沙和刺眼的阳光，同时保佑他们受到神灵庇护。

How many makeup-obsessed girls are there? Do you know what the most fascinating thing about makeup is? The colorful eyeshadow would be more preferable to all girls. Eye shadow originated in Ancient Egypt, where the ancient Egyptians used crushed mica or gemstones to form pigments that were applied around the eyes to create a beautifying effect. They utilized the chemical properties of mica and gemstones to protect against sand and harsh sunlight, while blessing them with divine protection.

随着化学科学的发展，人们发现越来越多化学成分的特性，这些发现让眼影的颜色越来越多，质地也越来越丰富。眼影已经成为化妆过程中最有创造力的材料，而这个创造力的背后蕴含着丰富的化学奥秘。    

With the development of science, people have discovered more and more chemical properties, and these discoveries have led to more and more colors and textures of eyeshadow. Eyeshadow has become the most creative material in the makeup process, and there are rich chemical secrets behind this creativity.

从功能上讲，眼影主要是颜料、粘合剂和填料组成。颜料是提供颜色的关键成分，通常是金属氧化物或有机颜料。粘合剂负责将颜料粘在一起，通常使用的是合成树脂或植物油脂。填料则是用来增加体积，通常使用的是云母、二氧化硅等。大多数眼影配方还包含乙二醇或生育酚，有防腐和防止有害细菌生长作用。

Functionally speaking, eyeshadow is mainly composed of pigments, adhesives and fillers. Pigments are the key ingredients that provide color, usually metal oxides or organic pigments. Adhesives are responsible for holding the pigments together, usually using synthetic resins or vegetable oils. Fillers are used to increase the volume, usually using mica, silica, and so on. Most eyeshadow formulas also contain glycol or tocopherol, which is antiseptic and prevents the growth of harmful bacteria.

1.眼影是颜色的魔法(Eyeshadow is color magic)

眼影的魔力源自于色彩的变幻，而这一切源于化学元素和化合物的精妙配合。颜料是眼影中色彩的载体，它们的选择和配比决定了眼影的色泽。金属氧化物是眼影中最常使用的颜料。

The magic of eyeshadow comes from the change of color, which is achieved through the subtle combination of chemical elements and compounds. Pigments are the carriers of color in eyeshadow, and their choice and ratio determine the color of eyeshadow. Metal oxide is the most commonly used pigment in eyeshadow.    

三氧化二铁：常用的红色、黄色和棕色着色剂；

氧化铁：可以为眼影提供黑色、白色、蓝色等；

二氧化钛：是一种常用的白色着色剂，能够提高眼影的遮盖力和色彩鲜艳度，在眼影中常被用于调整颜色的明亮度和遮盖力。

这些金属氧化物能够在眼皮上形成微小的颗粒，反射不同波长的光，呈现出各种各样的颜色。这就是为什么同一个眼影在阳光下和室内灯光中呈现出不同色调的原因。

Iron trioxide: a common red, yellow and brown colorant;

Iron oxide: can provide black, white and blue colors for eye shadow;

Titanium dioxide: a commonly used white colorant that improves the coverage and color vibrancy of eyeshadows and is often used in eyeshadows to adjust the brightness and coverage of colors.

These metal oxides can form tiny particles on the eyelids that reflect different wavelengths of light, giving a wide range of colors. This is why the same eyeshadow appears in different shades in sunlight and indoor lighting.

2.不同质地的眼影各有妙用(Different textures of eyeshadows are good for different purposes)

眼影不仅仅是色彩的艺术品，不同的质地直接影响了眼影使用的感觉和效果。主要的眼影质地有蜜粉类和啫喱类。

Eyeshadow is not only a work of art because of its color, different textures directly affect the feeling and effect of eyeshadow use. The main eyeshadow textures are powder and gel.    

蜜粉眼影：云母是此类眼影的主要填料。云母是一种层状结构的硅酸盐矿物，属于单斜晶系。它的是由氧化铝（Al2O3）、氧化钾（K2O）、氧化镁（MgO）和二氧化硅（SiO2）等化学成分组成。它是一种闪光粉末，赋予眼影晶莹的光泽和自然的亮度效果。由于其轻盈的质地，蜜粉眼影很容易附着在眼皮上，呈现出柔和的妆感。

Honey Powder Eye Shadow: Mica is the main filler in this type of eye shadow. Mica is a silicate mineral with a layered structure and belongs to the monoclinic crystal system. It is chemically composed of Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3), Potassium Oxide (K2O), Magnesium Oxide (MgO) and Silicon Dioxide (SiO2). It is a shimmering powder that gives eyeshadow a crystalline sheen and a natural luminous effect. Due to its light texture, the powder eyeshadow adheres easily to the eyelid, giving a soft finish.

啫喱眼影：将蜂蜡，硅树脂，乳木果油，蓖麻油和霍霍巴油作为粘合剂，添加到填料中，就成为膏状的啫喱眼影。这些原料可以让啫喱眼影成膜并且更久地附着于眼皮上。相比之下，啫喱眼影更注重于色彩的浓郁和持久性。同时，其质地的丰富也使得眼影在涂抹时更加顺滑，易于晕染出独特的眼妆效果。

Gel eyeshadow: Beeswax, silicone, shea butter, castor oil, and Jojoba oil are used as adhesives and added to fillers to create a paste of gel eyeshadow. These ingredients allow the gel eyeshadow to form a film and stay on the eyelid longer. Gel eyeshadow, by contrast, focuses more on the intensity and persistence of color. At the same time, its rich texture also makes the eyeshadow smoother when applied, easy to blur out a unique eye makeup effect.

3.化学奇迹成就了眼影的BLING BLING (The chemical miracle that makes eyeshadow glitter)    

眼影中的闪粉或珠光成分赋予了眼妆迷人的光泽。闪粉通常由硅酸盐或者合成材料制成。硅酸盐是一种常见的闪粉成分。硅酸盐的大小、形状和颜色都不同，因此可以制作出各种闪亮颜色的眼影。闪粉的合成材料中，最常见的是聚酯，聚酯是一种聚合物，可以制成各种闪亮颜色的粒子。在这些粒子的表面涂覆金属氧化物，形成微小的反射颗粒。这些微小的颗粒能够在不同角度下反射光线，创造出迷人的闪烁效果。这就是为什么我们在眼影盘上能够看到各种各样亮片的原因，它们为眼妆增色不少的同时也展现了化学的微妙之处。

The glitter or pearlescent component of eye shadow gives eye makeup a glamorous sheen. Glitter is usually made from silicates or synthetic materials. Silicates are a common glitter ingredient. Silicates come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, thus making it possible to create eye shadows in a variety of shimmering colors. The most common synthetic material used in glitter is polyester, which is a polymer that can be made into particles of various glitter colors. Metal oxides are coated on the surface of these particles to form tiny reflective particles. These tiny particles are able to reflect light at different angles, creating a mesmerizing shimmering effect. This is why we see a wide variety of sequins in eyeshadow palettes, which adds color to eye makeup and demonstrate the subtleties of chemistry.

在探索眼影装饰之美的同时，我们还发现眼影其实是化学与艺术的完美结合。通过对金属氧化物、云母、硅酸盐等化学成分的巧妙运用，眼影不仅成为了彩妆的必备品，更成为科学与美学交汇的绝佳范例。

While exploring the decorative beauty of eyeshadow, we also discovered that eyeshadow is actually a perfect combination of chemistry and art. Through the clever use of chemical components, such as metal oxides, mica and silicate, eyeshadow has not only become a must-have in makeup, but also a great example of the intersection of science and aesthetics.