CULT OF BEAUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 123, 26 May 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

CULT OF BEAUTY.

CHANCE FOR THE PLAIN GIRL. VALUE OF EXPRESSION. (By A PARIS BEAUTY SPECIALIST.) Not so many years ago it was almost universally believed that for a woman to make a success of her life beauty was the first and practically the only asset. Wo have progressed far since then, however. The "type" has arrived in our midst, and now the plain girl of a certain kind has as good a chance as her pretty sister. Mere prettiness is now despised. This is the day of the bizarre, even the weird. To be ordinary—that is the one unpardonable thing. The sallow-skinned debutante, with lank, black locks, who would have been the despair of her Victorian predecessors, may to-day take heart. With her eyebVow plucked to airy pencilled lines, her skin dead-white her straight hair shingled a la garconne, beneath which barbaric earrings dangle, she yet may be the sensation of the' season. A current illusion is that a successful artist's model is necessarily also a beauty. As a fact, many of the bestknown models of to-day would probably be considered plain, if not actually ugly, by most people. An interesting type, plus personality and intelligence, counts for more with the artist than outward beauty 1 of feature and colouring. The face which the revue producer hails as a rare find will probably be dismissed by a painter as "obvious" or "chocolateboxy."

A Paintable Girl is Seldom a ■ Pretty One.

A "paintable" girl is seldom a pretty one to the undiscerning eye, but for the artist she may possess an intriguing charm far in excess of ordinary good looks. Her wide mouth, with its humorous curve, her quaintly set eyes, beneath arresting brows, her straight hair and far from classical nose may attract her employer infinitely more than many beauties of the "chocolate-boxy" kind. Many of the greatest painters in Paris have realised the charm of the ugly woman, and a saunter through the Salon d'Autumne will give one a strong proof of this fact. The Importance of Being Definite. The most important point is to be definite. Having selected her type, a girl should abide by that decision, cultivate it, dress in accordance with it—in fact, live up to it—and she is certain to achieve the distinction of being noticed, which is the first move towards success. There is no lack of styles from which to choose. One may be picturesque, exotic, Latin, fluffy, boyish, or demure, given a moderately good figure and no decided drawbacks (such as a squint or projecting teeth) to hamper oqe's ambitions. How often one hears at a club or at a theatre, as some extraordinary person enters, ashen of face, Eton cropped, with greenish eyes and orange-vermillion lips, 'How marvellous! Isn't she thrilling?" Beauty and its Accessories.

Trifles are the important things we cannot neglect if we wish to achieve beauty. In some realms success may be achieved by considering only great results by losing sight of details. Beauty means the perfection of detail. Rouge, that streaks the cheek is far less of a beautifier than no rouge at all. Lipe that are coloured to excess are better when not coloured at all, or only very lightly touched up. As for eyes that are thickly blackened, they are too horrible for words! Over make-up ages a woman far more than no make-up at all. Remember this, readers: Do women realise, I wonder, that the world views them from the side and from the back quite as frequently as from a direct front view? Too often women are particular about how they look from the front, and give not a glance to themselves from any other point of view. I Is your hair straight? Don't curl it. Let it remain the way Nature wanted it Ito be. Every day I see thousands of artificial curlings on heads that were I meant to be straight. Straight hair,; immaculately clean and tastefully arranged, is usually more attractive than "made" waves. Faces meant for waved hair are usually accompanied by hair that is naturally waved. Straight hair' jis usually accompanied by features meant for straight hair. Give your natural beauty a chance before applying ithe curling iron.

Do you know what to do with your hands when you are out? Many women don't. There is but one rule for hands. Let them lie quietly and gracefully while you are talking or listening. If I Were You. As to personal beautvTp-if I were you 1 would try to remember that one of the things in the cultivation of personal beauty is expression. It doesn't matter if you have a freckle or two, if your nose does tilt up just a little too much, if your profile is anything but classic — if you have a bright, jolly face people will call you pretty. Good nature is a splendid beautifier. It brightens the eye, discourages wrinkles, and brings natural rolriuv to your cheeks. And if T were you I would keep my i mind active. There is nothing that will make an exprp-iKionless face like a brain 1 that, is not made to get up and hustle. , Remember, that life is too short to lose ■ any of its precious moments. Study is mental development — and mental development usually means a bright, pleasing expression. , If I were you, L would remember that = there are three great rules for beauty— i diet, bathing and exercise. All are combined in one word—health.

Don t expect a jar of cold cream will' work a miracle, when the trouble is probably due to bad digestion, impure blood, or lack of vitality. Cold cream powd.-rs, lotions and rouges are godsends to women, but they cannot do everything. But give them the benefit of scrupulous cleanliness of skin and perfect health, and what wonders they will work •