ON PERSONALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 291, 9 December 1933, Page 3 (Supplement)

ON PERSONALITY.

BETTER THAN GOOD LOOKS THE CHARM OF NELL GWYN. There was a time when little girls •who preened themselves in front of look-ing-glasses were informed that»"beauty was skin deep/' that "handsome is as handsome does," and that no one would ever love a vain little girl.

These maxims were half truths. But in the modern anxiety for beauty of face and form there is a tendency to forget that all the advice on the physical care of skin, hair and figure are half truths, too. Tho whole truth is made up of this practical advice, given by the various well-known and highly experienced cosmeticians, linked up with the old-fashioned teaching on character and personality as being important ingredients in tho fashioning of true beauty.

How many famous women have lodged forever in the heart of succeeding generations not so much on account of their beauty as of their charm'/ Look at Nell Gwyn's portrait by Sir Peter Lely in the National Portrait Gallery. "Pretty, witty Nell" is depicted not so much as a beauty but as a wit. Her charm lies in those mischievous but intelligent eyes, and in the amused curve of tho mouth. Imagine that same picture with the life and expression taken away, and you would have merely the portrait of a very ordinary young woman. Power of Mind. Mona Lisa could have had no pretensions to beauty. She must have been an almost plain woman, yet her face is remembered by reason of the personality behind that queer enigmatic smile. Unhappiness may temporarily rob a beautiful face of its loveliness, and happiness—sudden and unexpected —will make a plain woman radiant. But in their extreme form neither of these states of mind lasts for very long, and their effect for good or ill is short-lived. There is one state of mind, however, that will age a face and make it unbeautiful more quickly and permanently than any other, and that is lack of interest. *

It is surprising how often a woman who seems to have been endowed with all the good things life has to offer presents a lifeless and dully unexpressive face to the world." The woman less 'blessed —who has for some reason or another something of a struggle with life—has the best of it when it comes to the reaction on her looks. She must be for ever alert; she" must make physical and mental effort; and the result is the compensation of a keen mind that showe itself in her face. Sho is immediately interesting; she looks as if she had something to say that would be worth hearing, and, apart from this, the intensity with which she muet live her life has its physical effect as well. Force of Cultivated Minds.

Just as hard exercise will whip the blood into activity, and send it coursing through the veins to nourish the ekin and bring health and brightness to eyes and hair, so too docs mental stimulation have the same effect. If the mind is allowed to remain idle there follows a physical lethargy that works havoc with the appearance. Apart from the necessity for a keen and cultivated mind, and an intelligent and appreciative outlook on life, there are certain marring expressions that are the result of some habit. A cigarette holder constantly held in one corner of the mouth will bring lines on that side. An habitual frown is equally harmful. It may be the result of eye strain, and this should "be corrected at once, or it may be simply a. "raised eyebrow" or a scowling habit. Double chins come' quite as much through the bad trick of sitting and standing with the head thrust down or forward as from actual fat, and this way of carrying the head thrust forward is responsible too for the "dowager's hump," which destroys a good carriage of the head and shoulders.

Merely Habit. A downward droop to the mouth is only attractive when a very beautiful mouth made in that way is in question. Properly the lips should lie tilted slightly at the corners, and the lack of this in so many people ie simply a matter of habit. As a result there is a mournful or a bad-tempered expression that is not by any means always true to the owner's temperament. And the shape of the mouth; too, is distorted by this droop of the lipe. She is a wise woman who remembers that the old-fashioned maxims were very sound. These, combined with modern rules of health and beauty culture, cannot fail to make for a high standard of pleasing and attractive looks.