THE CULT OF BEAUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1936, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE CULT OF BEAUTY.

Charm Will Win Where "Looks" Fail.

IF YOU WANT TO BE SLIM, DON'T OVEREAT.

(By A SPECIALIST.)

THE real secret of being beautiful is to be charming. If you arc not

it a gift of the gods, whether we puritanically condemn all accessories and artificial aids as becoming only to those of the demi-monde, or whether we take the idea of the modern woman that she is bound to make herself as attractive as possible, whatever our stand may be, the whole raison d'etre of dress, cosmetics, bobbed hair, or short skirts, is for sex attraction, the biological reason for beauty. Starve, Starve, Starve. When every other person is reducing for some reason or other, it is well to know that dates make a splendid luncheon, or even more, they are nourishing, but not fattening, palatable and satisfying as well. Some women who want to reduce, though, don't go in for quite such spartan methods. A lamb chop and a little fruit in the middle of the day, with a glass of wine and a cigarette in the evening certainly helps to keep flesh down. And then there are rubber slim-quicks that rub away your fat as you use them, so to write. A yeast cake is said to be a beautifier, while marron glaces and other bonbons of that ilk lead to Embonpoint Land. Starve, those of you who wish for willowy beauty, eat yeast cakes, swallow families of vitamins —don't be weary in well-doing! You don't want your figure to spread, do you? You don't want the time to come when you won't even be able to see your poor little toes when you look from above? No, you want to look like a nice thin pencil, no shape anywhere, as flat as a pancake, but with beautiful limbs, prettv feet and exquisite arms and neck. Is this a difficult problem? Certainly not—starve, starve, starve. Talcum Powder. Few women realise the value of talcum powder —but if you stop to think that it is used freely on the skins of infants, you must know how cooling and healing it is. Use it freely after the bath, and if you are tired and your skin is irritated, it will feel refreshed in a few moments. Try talcum powder on your hands before putting on new gloves, and on your feet before slipping on your silk stockings, and see how easily they will draw on. Use it under your arms after you have used an astringent. There are foot powders prepared especially for the feet when overtired or painful. And there are deodorant powders on the market for keeping the body free from the odours of perspiration.

looking as pretty or feeling as witty as usual, you must make up for it by being all the more charming. Charm people into forgetting that you are looking somewhat lined or tired. Laugh merrily whenever you are given the opportunity, and you will be more sought after than the most platinum of blondes. But do not, of course, let your laughter resemble the metal referred to. The modern woman has neither laughs nor manners enough to compel admiration when she lacks orthodox beauty. Manners have gone by the board. We have no time for them nowadays. Yet no woman can be wholly charming without good manners. If.You Want to Keep Young. A gracious, charming woman need not be strictly beautiful, -for however plain she is, no one will pass her by. But no woman, however beautiful, can afford to neglect her manners or to cultivate charm even to-day unless she wishes to miss all the joys of youth, and spend a lonely old age. If you want to keep young—well, my dear, it is not all in creams, rouges and face powders, although they are splendid in their places. To live rightly and to think rightly is the great thing in keeping youthful. Plenty of outdoor exercises, plenty of sleep and wide-open windows. A healthful diet, good grooming, an active mind and an absorbing interest in life. The busiest people arc the happiest —and really happy people do not worry about keeping young — they are young, eternally. What Physical Attraction Depends Upon. Physical attraction depends upon the anatomy as a whole, the style of dress and upon colours and perfumes. A psychologist once said that if some people could not attract attention any other way, they would wear red neckties. We are more tolerant to-day in the use of cosmetics than for many a year previous. The boudoir cabinet vies in importance with the family medicine chest. It is no longer an act to be censored when a woman applies a little harmless powder or a touch of rouge to her face to improve her appearance. Nojare the powders, paints and perfumes considered as harmful as they once were. As a matter of fact, most of the toilette accessories, powders, rouges, creams, etc., are simple in composition, and seldom contain anything harmful to the skin or complexion. The danger lies in the failure of the user to remove the application before retiring, or before applying it again. With plenty of good cold cream the user of these accessories need have no fear. Whether, with Byron, we sing of the fatal gift of beauty, or, with Aristotle, we consider