CULT OF BEAUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 4 (Supplement)

CULT OF BEAUTY.

A BEAUTIFUL MOUTH. DIET AND COMPLEXION. ..(By..A PARIS BEAUTY SPECIALIST.) Have you ever despaired of tho shape of your mouth? Have you often wished you could change it? Then you must remember that your mouth is what you make it. In a fashionable girls' school there is a slogan, "Use your lips when you talk." The object-of its insistence is, of course, to produce clear enunciation in place, of the slipshod, hard-to-understand, murdered sounds that so often escape the mouths of certain persons. What it also accomplishes is beautiful lips, a by-product" quite as much in evidence as if it were looked for and expected. Well exercised lips arc naturally so full of colour that the lipstick .may lie unused in miladi's boudoir. They, are also mobile, thereby giving great charni and interest, and they keep youthful. Fine lines of the upper. lip ; that doom the possessor to loss of youth may be held in abeyance, if not altogether banished by a well exercised upper lip. This does not mean a grimace with every word. It does mean sufficient use of the muscles of tho lips to keep them well nourished by exercise. Actresses usually have youthful mouths, though the calendar may tell another tale. It is because, in an effort to enunciate clearly, the lip muscles are much used. Voices often become strident in an effort to be.heard. Much less nerve force is expended by the woman who enunciates clearly. She is heard with a modicum of effort, and the result is much more pleasing. To the deaf, lip-reading is a great boon. Talk with nearly mobile lips and you may be in training for a ventriloquist, but you will not be an asset to a drawing room. , Modern Dentistry Does Wonders. Modern dentistry does wonders in correcting mouth defects. No lips stretched over protruding teeth can be attractive, and lips covering crowded teeth are Hot likely to be well formed, although that is not. always the case. One man was heard to remark that he never knew whether a girl Was pretty or not until he saw her laugh. ■ Surgery often plays a part, for the removal of adenoids ,in time ' should halt the unhealthy mouth:bfeathing habit, with its concomitant, ugly, fish-shaped mouth. • , As a guide to the physician in diagnosis and as an index to character, the lips reveal much. The drooping, petulant mouth of a very young and pretty, girl may have an appeal, but add a few years and nothing is more The physician says "internal disorder," the. reader of character says "a morose and pessimistic outlook on life." The philosopher may speculate how much one is responsible for the other. Lips More Truly Reveal the Character. Because the lips are so indicative, the woman that is generous and sympathetic, yet merry withal, has lips of inviting contour. The sweet-lipped girl nearly always has a sweet disposition. Jliips more truly reveal the real self than any other feature. The only legitimate remedy for an unattractive mouth lies" in" the /reform of the habit .that caused it. A' beautiful face ca'n be spoiled by an unlovely expression of the mouth. Examples of this are seen every day in the people we meet on the street. Habitual pouting will cause tho lips to become enlarged and coarsened. Lifting the ; lips in a scornful upward curve towards the nose has a tendency to raise one side of the mouth higher than the other. Twisting the mouth is another of those common tricks that detract from its beauty. Pursing the lips, as if to whistle is quite as fatal to the loveliness of the mouth. . .• You have probably observed other facial mannerisms,, just as curious and just as absurd. When you begin to cultivate a critical faculty of observation you will be amazed by their variety and frequenoy. Such habits are actually contagious, both from conscious and unconscious imitation. For this reason you must guard against imitating the mannerisms of others. Because of the infinite sympathy between the controlling nerve fibres of the mouth and the brain, it is important to be on your guard 'o keep any unpleasant thoughts from being revealed on your face. If You Want a Pretty Complexion. Your diet plays a.great part in your complexion. If you want to have a pretty skin you must eat plenty of green vegetables and fresh fruit, and drink at least six glasses of water daily. Avoid greasy foods, pastries and excessively rich foods of every kind. Wash your face carefully at night with warm water and soap, or cleanse it with cream or oil. Then put on witch hazel, or a good astringent to close the pores afterAvards. Here is another good hint: Buy a jar of cream, and to one teaspoouful of this add enough almond meal to make a veiy thick mixture. Then thin it to a paste with a little hot water. Cut two squai-es of cheesecloth large .enough to cover the face, and make a place for the nose. Dampen both squares, spreading . paste on one and cover with the other. Having bathed the face in hot water, massage with hands dipped in hot water with this paste before applying the pack. Then press it gently to the face and pat it down all over »o that it lies close to the skin. Place two small Turkish towels over the pack to., keep in the heat, replacing them as they cool. Keep this up for fifteen minutes, then remove the pack, wash the face with; warm water, then cool water, and finally cold. Do this twice a week for six weeks, and you will have a line white skin. Remedy for a Cola. As a remedy for a cold, few things are better than lemon juice and sugar.' Very few of the disease germs that cause us the most annoyance are able to survive the contact with the juice of this fruit. If, after coming in from a dusty street or after mingling with the unwashed and unkempt crowds in ivhich we sometimes find ourselves, we would rinse.the mouth and throat with clear lemon juice many ailments that now affect us would be kept at a proper distance. .