CULT OF BEAUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 230, 28 September 1935, Page 3 (Supplement)

CULT OF BEAUTY.

THE "COPPERY" LOOK. SKIN CARE IN SUMMER. (By A SPECIALIST.) Each one of us has to answer the burning question of the sun, individually. Our grandmothers all preferred to be lily-white. They stayed indoors most of the day, or, if compelled to go out in the sun, went forth armed with parasols, veils, gloves and general swathings. To-day we are a free people, and we like the great out-of-doors. But we like our beauty also. And well we may, for the wholo world smiles more happily at us when we are looking our best. So. for the past several seasons, we women ha've been contemplating this question of sunburn, or, rather, the warm brown or rosy tans, which are so delightfully becoming to most of us. The question has arrived at a definite answer. Yes, it is smart to look "coppery." Yes, every smart girl from sixteen to sixty wants to look as though she has just come from one or other of the smart resorts, marked by the rich colour of exposure to the sun.

The sun and wind are both very powerful agents in attacking your complexion, and if you seek them recklessly there is nothing you can expect but natural results. However, the simple way —as everyone knows —is to smear yourself from head tp foot in oil, get into your bathing suit, and sit in the sun until you're as brown as a bun. But there are many preparations that tan one artificially. Soipe women need the coppery tones, some want the yellow tan, others the deep brown. They are all lovely and attractive, and can be had for the asking at your pet beauty parlour. The fashion experts are all bending towards this sun tan idea of complexions —-we see sunburn shades of stockings and accessories; and "bisque" royale shoes are playing a stella role in the summer ensemble. No, it is not a fad. It's an established fashion. Now, what will you have this summer? You may have a fair complexion, if you will be faithful in protecting it; you may burn quite as brown as you please and be fashionable for the season (though you may regret it by the dancing days of October), or you may keep your skin fair, but give it the appearance of having freckled in the sun and wind all through the happy days of summer. ' What Few People Realise. Few people to-day realise that although beauty culture has Ijecome a regular science, it must definitely be divided into two classes. First of all conies the comparatively simple problem of the woman who has plenty of leisure for various treatments, and second, the far more difficult question of the professional woman, who has very little time to spare for beautifying herself, and whose complexion can receive very little attention from the tune she starts out in the morning until she returns home again in the evening. Now that so many women are taking up a profession this problem is becoming increasingly urgent.

The important fact that a business woman has to face is how to achieve a successful all-dav complexion. This fact has been grasped by the majority of girls who work in oilices, and they are crying out to be told of a way to make the most of their looks in difficult eir euinstances. As a rule their one idea is to cover any deficiencies by a lavish use of make-up. It is quite impossible in these days to condemn cosmetics as they did in the time of our mothers and viand mothers. The harassing conditions oi modern life in a big city make their use imperative. Apart from any im-

provement in the appearance, the complexion must be protected against the smoke and dust which is floating about in the air. Some women imagine that they have just to dab powder and rouge on anywhere and look beautiful. They do not realise that powder is useless unless it is used on a surface cleaned by cream, vanishing or otherwise. The whole secret of success in make-up lies in its being applied directly on to a skn that has been cream-cleansed first, but, notez bien, the cream must be taken off first, every bit of it. Powdering the face that has not been creamed ruins the skin and gives a dried-up, shrivelled appearance. What is to be Done? A good plan for a woman who is out all day is to provide herself with paper towels and wads of cotton-wool. Every girl should beep either a good cleansing lotion or cream in her washing bag at her ofliee and make a determined attempt to cleanse her skin thoroughly before adding fresh make-up. Another method is, of course, to use one of the combinations of face cream and powder, the advantage of which being that its use involves a great saving of time to the busy woman whose object is to achieve as far as possible an all-day complexion. The girl who has to be out all day must remember this all the time if she is to compete successfully with her more leisured sister. I am sure that if business girls keep this point in mind we

shall hear considerably less condemnation of cosmetics, for if make-up is well done none of those self-appointed critics is conscious of its presence.

This is an affliction that is prevalent all the world over. It proceeds from a variety of causes, and it is therefore impossible to suggest a universal remedy. If it is caused by poor circulation, an erysipelas tendency, or dyspepsia, a doctor should be consulted. If caused by too close-fitting abdominal belts, tight-fitting shoes or other garments, or intemperate eating or drinking, the f.rst thing to do is to remove the cause. Any chemist or doctor will suggest a long list of remedies for red nose, and one may or may not be as good as another in your particular case—you will have to experiment for yourself should you be the unfortunate possessor of such an unbeautiful feature.

What is sauce for the goose is not always sauce for the gander. Perhaps zinc ointment with a slight admixture of benzoin will be good in the majority of cases. Always it appears to be the most popular. Apply it thickly at night, covering it with a bit of thin muslin or linen, and in the morning wash it off with hot water, which is always better than cold for the affliction of red nose.