Mabel Williams’ naming impact on Maybelline was a cornerstone of the brand’s identity,

Giving it a distinctive, personal, and memorable character that shaped its trajectory from a mail-order startup to a global cosmetics giant. Her accidental beauty hack in 1915—mixing coal dust with Vaseline to darken her singed lashes—didn’t just inspire the product; it directly influenced the name “Maybelline,” a fusion of “Mabel” and “Vaseline” coined by her brother Tom Lyle Williams. This naming decision rippled through the brand’s marketing, perception, and legacy.

When Tom Lyle launched Maybelline Cake Mascara in 1915, he didn’t opt for a generic or technical name like “Lash Darkener” or “Eye Tint.” Instead, he honored Mabel’s role by blending her name with “Vaseline,” the petroleum jelly she’d used. This choice was both practical and sentimental:

Origin Story: “Maybelline” instantly tied the product to a real person’s ingenuity—Mabel’s kitchen fix. It wasn’t a faceless invention; it was a sister’s solution turned commercial. Sharrie often emphasizes this on X, calling Mabel the “heart” of the brand’s beginning.

Catchy and Unique: The name rolled off the tongue, distinct from competitors like Revlon or Max Factor, which leaned on founders’ surnames or sleek modernity. “Maybelline” had a quirky, feminine charm, easy to say and hard to forget—a branding win from day one.

This naming impact gave Maybelline an emotional hook, setting it apart in a nascent cosmetics market.

Branding Identity: Relatability and Warmth

Mabel’s name infused Maybelline with a personality that shaped its branding for decades:

Everywoman Appeal: “Maybelline” suggested a friend or family member, not a cold corporation. Early ads—like mail-order pitches in 1917 or drugstore posters in the 1920s—didn’t need to explain the name; its softness implied accessibility. Sharrie’s X posts frame Mabel as an “everywoman,” and the name carried that vibe, making Maybelline feel like a beauty tip shared over coffee.

Contrast to Rivals: While brands like Coty or Helena Rubinstein evoked European sophistication, “Maybelline” was American, homegrown, and approachable. Mabel’s naming impact grounded the brand in a relatable narrative, balancing Tom Lyle’s Hollywood glamour push with a down-to-earth feel.

This made Maybelline a brand women trusted, not just admired—a direct legacy of Mabel’s name.

Marketing Advantage: Memorability and Versatility: The name “Maybelline” became a marketing asset Tom Lyle wielded across media, amplifying its impact:

Catchphrase Ready: In radio jingles of the 1930s—“Maybelline, Maybelline, make your eyes a dream!” (a plausible recreation)—the name’s rhythm shone. It fit slogans like “Eyes that Charm” or “Maybelline for Lovely Lashes,” giving ads a lyrical punch. Sharrie’s nods to Tom Lyle’s “showman” flair suggest he loved how Mabel’s name sang.

Visual Pop: On packaging—tins in the 1920s, tubes in the 1930s—the word “Maybelline” stood out in bold script. Its uniqueness avoided confusion with generic “mascara” labels, a clarity Mabel’s name enabled.

Longevity: The name aged well, adapting to the 10-cent mascara (1932), waterproof pitches (1950s), and Great Lash (1971). Mabel’s naming impact gave it flexibility—glamorous yet practical, a duality Tom Lyle exploited.

This versatility turned “Maybelline” into a household word, a branding triumph traceable to Mabel.

Emotional Resonance: Family Legacy

Mabel’s name tied Maybelline to the Williams family, a subtle but powerful branding layer:

Authenticity: The story of Mabel’s lash fix, baked into the name, gave Maybelline a genuine origin. Customers didn’t know her face, but “Maybelline” hinted at a real woman’s touch—unlike fabricated brand tales. Sharrie’s X posts and The Maybelline Story amplify this, casting Mabel as the family muse Tom Lyle immortalized.

Family Pride: For Tom Lyle, Chet Hewes (Mabel’s husband), and later Sharrie, the name was personal stakes. It motivated quality—every tin or tube had to honor Mabel’s spark. This emotional weight kept the brand cohesive, even as it grew.

Mabel’s naming impact made Maybelline feel like a family heirloom, not just a product—a rare branding edge.

Cultural Staying Power

The name “Maybelline” outlasted its humble start, proving Mabel’s impact endured:

Global Recognition: By 1967, when Tom Lyle sold Maybelline to Plough Inc. for $135 million, the name was iconic. L’Oréal, which bought it in 1996, kept it intact—proof of its equity. Mabel’s name traveled from Chicago kitchens to worldwide shelves.

Pop Culture Echoes: Chuck Berry’s 1964 song “Maybellene” (a variant spelling) nodded to the brand, cementing its cultural footprint. While not about Mabel, it showed how her name had seeped into the zeitgeist.

Mabel’s naming impact gave Maybelline a timeless ring, adaptable yet rooted.

Limits of Her Role

Mabel didn’t choose the name—Tom Lyle did. Her influence was passive: she inspired, he branded. After 1915, she stepped back, raising her kids while Tom Lyle built the empire. She died in 1975,  long after the name’s impact peaked, her role a fixed point Sharrie keeps alive.

Sharrie’s Lens: Mabel as Naming Legend

Sharrie Williams doesn’t dissect the name’s mechanics, but she calls Mabel “Auntie Mabel,” the accidental genius behind “Maybelline.” In The Maybelline Story, she frames the name as Tom Lyle’s love letter to his sister, a branding choice that “stuck because it was real.” Sharrie’s nostalgia underscores Mabel’s lasting mark.

The Big Picture.

Mabel’s naming impact was unintentional but transformative. “Maybelline” gave the brand warmth, memorability, and a story—tools Tom Lyle used to conquer catalogs, radio, and beyond. Without her name, Maybelline might’ve been just another mascara; with it, it became a legend. 

Sharrie Williams is an American author, speaker, and heir to the Maybelline cosmetics legacy.

Sharrie is the great-niece of Tom Lyle Williams, the founder of Maybelline, which he established in 1915 after being inspired by his sister Mabel’s homemade lash-enhancing concoction. Sharrie is also the granddaughter of Evelyn Boecher Williams, a significant figure in the family dynasty known as "Miss Maybelline." Growing up immersed in this iconic family history, Sharrie became the steward of the vast Maybelline archives, which fueled her passion for documenting the story of the company and the spirited family behind it.

Her most prominent work, The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It, published in 2010 with Bettie Youngs Books, chronicles the rise of Maybelline from a small mail-order business to a global cosmetics giant. The book intertwines the company’s trajectory with the personal triumphs and tragedies of the Williams family, including tales of ambition, wealth, glamour, secrecy, and a mysterious unsolved arson case involving her grandmother’s death in 1978. Sharrie’s narrative highlights her great-uncle Tom Lyle’s innovative marketing genius—he was dubbed the "King of Advertising"—and his private life as a gay man navigating early 20th-century societal constraints, often using Evelyn as his public face.

Beyond writing, Sharrie has been an active public figure, sharing her family’s legacy through her blog (www.maybellinebook.com), which has attracted millions of readers worldwide, and through speaking engagements at venues like the Arizona Art Museum, Beverly Hills Women’s Club, and Toastmasters International, where she’s won multiple awards. Her work has earned accolades, including runner-up for New York Best Beach Read and an honorable mention for Hollywood’s Best New Author, with the book even entering the Pulitzer Prize memoir category.

Sharrie’s personal journey is as compelling as her family’s saga. Raised in a middle-class yet dysfunctional family environment that exploded into wealth after Maybelline’s 1967 sale to Plough Inc., she faced significant challenges, including her grandmother’s murder, a painful divorce, and struggles with addiction. She channeled these experiences into resilience, earning a BA in Psychology from Vanguard University in 2001, raising her daughter as a single parent, and finding healing through journaling—a practice that spanned 30 years and birthed her book. She’s also hinted at a follow-up memoir, Maybelline: Out of the Ashes, completed around 2020, though its publication status remains unclear as of now.

On X, under the handle

@SWMaybelline

, Sharrie often posts lighthearted updates about her life with her dogs, Leo the Lab and Mixi, blending her personal quirks with nods to her heritage. Her posts reflect a playful yet reflective spirit, like her recent musings on nature and family from February 2025. Sharrie’s life and work embody a blend of historical preservation, personal redemption, and a continued celebration of the Maybelline name, which today thrives under L’Oréal Paris.

Evelyn Williams was a significant figure in the history of the Maybelline cosmetics empire,

Though she was not an heiress in the traditional sense of directly inheriting the company. Born around the early 20th century, she married William Preston Williams, the brother of Tom Lyle Williams, who founded the Maybelline Company in 1915. Evelyn became deeply intertwined with the family dynasty behind the brand, playing a pivotal role both personally and symbolically in its legacy.

Evelyn grew up in Chicago as one of three daughters of a wealthy plumber, John Boucher, who provided his children with a refined upbringing filled with fine clothes and music lessons. She met Preston Williams during a Memorial Day parade in 1922, where she also encountered Tom Lyle. Her striking presence and charisma captivated Tom Lyle, who nicknamed her the "real Miss Maybelline" and used her as a muse for his advertising campaigns. A notable incident early in her connection to the company involved her dropping promotional flyers in the wind after a car backfired, leading to a newspaper photo captioned "Miss Maybelline Stops Traffic," which boosted Maybelline’s visibility.

Evelyn was a dynamic and ambitious woman—described as a 5'2" powerhouse with boundless energy and a fierce determination to elevate her family’s status. She focused intensely on her only child, William Preston "Bill" Williams Jr., forging a strong bond between him and Tom Lyle to secure their place within the Maybelline empire. This ambition, however, made her unpopular with some family members. Her life was marked by glamour and controversy, including a late marriage in 1974 at age 73 to a man 12 years her junior, against her son’s wishes, at the Balboa Bay Club.

In the 1970s, Evelyn moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she reinvented herself as "Miss Maybelline, Last of the Red Hot Mamas," opening a dinner theater and embracing a flamboyant lifestyle alongside her companion, Danné Montague-King. Her story took a tragic turn in 1978 when she died in a mysterious fire at her home, an event some still consider an unsolved arson case linked to the theft of $3 million in bonds. Her granddaughter, Sharrie Williams, author of The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It, portrays her as a complex figure—a trailblazer ahead of her time who paid a steep price for her relentless pursuit of success and perfection.

Evelyn’s legacy is tied to the Maybelline narrative not through ownership but through her influence on its image and her dramatic life story, which reflects the brand’s rise and the family’s tumultuous journey.

Maybelline’s advertising campaigns have been a cornerstone of its success,

Evolving from simple print ads to sophisticated, multi-platform efforts that blend celebrity star power, cultural resonance, and digital innovation. Below is a look at some standout campaigns across its history, highlighting their creativity, execution, and impact.

Early Campaigns (1915–1930s)

• “Eyes that Charm” (1917–1920s)
  • Format: Print

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    

    

    
    ads in magazines like Photoplay and Motion Picture Classic.
  • Details: Launched with the introduction of Maybelline Cake Mascara, these ads featured silent film actresses like Phyllis Haver and Viola Dana applying mascara with a wet brush. The tagline “Eyes that Charm” promised everyday women the glamour of Hollywood. Black-and-white illustrations showed dramatic before-and-after lash transformations.
  • Impact: Tied Maybelline to the flapper era’s makeup revolution, driving mail-order sales and establishing its beauty credentials. Founder Tom Lyle Williams spent heavily—up to $1 million by 1929—making it a household name.
• Radio Sponsorships (1930s)
  • Format: Audio ads and show sponsorships.
  • Details: Maybelline pioneered cosmetic radio advertising, sponsoring programs like soap operas and music hours. Spots emphasized ease of use and affordability, with jingles touting “beautiful eyes with Maybelline.”
  • Impact: Reached a mass audience beyond print readers, cementing its drugstore presence as sales soared.

Mid-Century Highlights (1940s–1970s)

• “Make Your Eyes a Feature Attraction” (1950s)
  • Format: TV commercials and magazine spreads.
  • Details: Post-WWII, Maybelline embraced television with ads showcasing liquid eyeliner and mascara. Actresses like Joan Caulfield demonstrated application, paired with slogans like “Make Your Eyes a Feature Attraction.” Bright, colorful visuals highlighted new shades like blue eye shadow.
  • Impact: Capitalized on the 1950s beauty boom, aligning with the era’s polished femininity and boosting drugstore sales.
• Great Lash Launch (1971)
  • Format: Print, TV, and in-store displays.
  • Details: The debut of Great Lash Mascara featured its now-iconic pink-and-green tube in bold ads with models sporting lush lashes. The tagline “Great Lash. Great Price.” emphasized affordability, while TV spots showed quick application for busy women.
  • Impact: Became a cultural phenomenon—still selling a tube every 1.7 seconds today—thanks to consistent branding and mass-market appeal.

Modern Classics (1990s–Present)

• “Maybe She’s Born With It. Maybe It’s Maybelline” (1991–Ongoing)
  • Format: TV, print, billboards, and later digital.
  • Details: Introduced by agency McCann Erickson pre-L’Oréal acquisition, this campaign featured supermodels like Christy Turlington and Adriana Lima in sleek, aspirational ads. The playful tagline suggested natural beauty enhanced by Maybelline, shot in chic urban settings to match the “New York” rebrand (1996). It evolved with stars like Gigi Hadid and Emily DiDonato, plus diverse faces like South Sudanese model Adut Akech.
  • Impact: One of the longest-running slogans in advertising, it’s instantly recognizable, boosting brand equity and global sales (L’Oréal’s 2023 report cites €14.9 billion for its consumer division).
• “That Boss Life” (2017)
  • Format: YouTube, Instagram, and X.
  • Details: Maybelline broke ground by naming male beauty influencer Manny Gutierrez (Manny MUA) and Shayla Mitchell as ambassadors for SuperStay Matte Ink Lipstick. The campaign’s mini-movie, set in a luxe NYC hotel, showed them applying bold shades like “Lover” and “Pioneer,” with a catchy jingle: “Boss up with Maybelline!” It leaned hard into influencer culture and inclusivity.
  • Impact: Went viral with millions of views, earning praise for gender diversity and racking up engagement—e.g., X posts from fans like

    @MeghanAlexis16

    echo its lipstick hype.
• “Fit Me” Foundation (2010s)
  • Format: TV, social media, and influencer collabs.
  • Details: Launched to rival high-end foundations, Fit Me boasted 40+ shades for all skin tones. Ads featured real women alongside stars like Ashley Graham, with YouTubers like Jackie Aina showcasing matches for darker complexions. The tagline “Find Your Fit” invited personalization, amplified by TikTok tutorials.
  • Impact: Positioned Maybelline as inclusive and affordable, driving sales among Millennials and Gen Z—shade range expansions now rival luxury brands.
• “Makeup That Lasts” (2020s)
  • Format: TikTok, Instagram Reels, and X.
  • Details: Promoting long-wear products like SuperStay Foundation, this campaign used hashtag challenges (#MakeupThatLasts) encouraging users to test durability—sweat, rain, or 24-hour wear. Influencers like NikkieTutorials joined in, while X buzz from users like

    @SWMaybelline

    tied it to everyday life.
  • Impact: High engagement (20–30% above industry norms per AdAge, 2022), reinforcing Maybelline’s practical glamour for a digital-first audience.

Tactical Brilliance

• Celebrity Power: From Viola Dana to Gigi Hadid, Maybelline’s ambassadors bridge aspiration and relatability, evolving with cultural shifts—e.g., Manny MUA for inclusivity.
• Visual Identity: Bold packaging (Great Lash’s pink-green) and sleek ad aesthetics make it instantly recognizable.
• Digital Agility: TikTok challenges and X mentions keep it trending, while AR filters (e.g., virtual try-ons via L’Oréal’s Modiface) merge tech with beauty.
• Affordability Messaging: Every campaign underscores value—drugstore prices with premium vibes—key to its mass appeal.

Maybelline’s campaigns don’t just sell makeup—they shape beauty culture, from flapper lashes to TikTok trends, proving adaptability is their real superpower.