THE CULT OF BEAUTY

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 72, 27 March 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE CULT OF BEAUTY

Make-up To Match Your Clothes.

FOODS TO EAT FOR THE COMPLEXION.

(By A SPECIALIST.)

WOMEN to-day have literally as many complexions as frocks, for their make-up depends entirely upon what colour they are wearing. With the pale, pastel tulle or lace dresses, most women prefer a slightly sunburnt appearance, and, as a matter of fact, nothing goes quite so well with pale beige and white as a tanned skin. With darker gowns, tints more delicate are chosen, and a black, dark-blue, or purple gown, will each need a make-up, which not only blends well with that particular shade, but at the same time suits the wearer. The modern process of making-up, in fact, is a very carefully studied affair, or should be, and needs an artistic and expert hand if it is to be a success.

It is all the more difficult because the rage for obviously artificial complexions is passed, and much greater care is needed to imitate the natural colouring fashionable to-day.

It is only necessary to observe how many women there , are to-day with exquisite complexions to realise how clever they have become in the art of applying rouge and powder, since, even to the expert eye, the effect often appears to be perfectly natural.

All sorts of tricks a-e resorted to in modern make-up. A thin face is made to appear full, and a full face thinner, by a skilful application of rouge. A slight touch of it over each eyebrow imparts a youthful freshness which is remarkable, and a little rouge on the chin gives a look of roundness to an oval face. Not one, but two, or even three powders may be used during a make-up. One is dusted on beneath the eyes, another round the mouth, and a third is applied over the rouge on the cheeks. For a brunette of the Spanish type, apricot powder first, and then tangerine, may be used —a blending which looks exquisite. The eyes are carefully attended to; first, two or three drops of a lotion' to brighten them and to remove any tiredness, then a touch of mascara is put on, but a touch only.

There are pastes of every colour for the eyelids—mauve, brown, blue and green. The mauve paste gives intensity to the eyes, but it is not every woman who can use it.. In any case, whatever make-up you decide to use, remember that it must be a "soupcon" only; a blatantly made-up skin is vulgar, while a woman who has learned the art of diiscreet make-up can deceive even her dearest friend. There are too many pale people about these days. This fetish of being a sylph has brought in its wake anaemia —lifeless-looking skin, pallid lips, lank hair. All around us we see girls who look too emaciated to live. And that's bad. It's better to have a bit of embonpoint, and lots of response to life, than it is to be slender, but numb. Only you don't need to be either. Take the rifrht kind of exercise, and eat the right kind of food, and you can be both slim and

eager and red-lipped in your own right. Drink milk. Eat vegetables, and try to be happy. Life is such glorious fun when you get the hang of it!

And change your diet! No fried things, no heavy meats, plenty of grape juice and orange juice and orange fruit. Honey with your breakfast. All the fresh sliced tomatoes you can eat. Put lemon juice in your salad instead of vinegar, and you can add some sliced raw carrots to it if you like. Watch your colour clear, especially if you add raw carrots to your daily menu. Take care to chew each morsel thoroughly. This greatly aids digestion. Avoid irritating condiments and spices. Use salt sparingly. Many persons are benefited by discarding salt altogether. Use sugar sparingly or not at all. Eat some fresh fruit at bedtime and an orange or an apple between times. Make fresh vegetables the staple of the diet. Eat more potatoes and less bread. Cereals, like meats, tend towards acidosis. Eat some uncooked food daily, such as fresh fruit, lettuce, heart of cabbage or fresh cucumbers. Drink four to six pints of water a dav.

Who lias forgotten the brimstone and treacle treatment of great-grandmama ? Those old-fashioned recipes should be carefully remembered. Onions are sedative for the nerves because of the essential oils that they contain, therefore eat onions, and " don't forget that "nerves ' are the heralds of wrinkles!

For the anemic there's nothing to rival spinach. Full of iron, it makes new rich blood and puts colour into pale faces.

Turnip-tops are excellent for clearing the skin, and derangements of the liver, which make people look so yellow and derail the whole system, can be restored to order by uncooked tomatoes and raw apples.

For those who prefer rounded curves, beetroot is invaluable. Thin people usually suffer from cold. Beetroot has fat-forming as well as heat-producing properties. Then lettuce, famed for its thinning properties, is also a great cure for sleeplessness. Is there anv greater beauty destroyer than a denial of Nature's sweet restorer? Moreover, lettuce contains, like spinach, a good deal of iron. Carrots cleanse the blood. They are as useful for refining the skin as they are for increasing the shine of a horse's coat. Grapes fill up hollows and produce a rejuvenating effect. A good circulation is essential for beauty. There are several kinds of stimulation to choose from—the kind that electricity gives, the kind that slapping gives, or a brisk rub with a loofah. The point is to bring the blood up gradually, but strongly into the face, to renew the tissues, carry off any little yellow tinge that the tense, swift living of to-day has brought, and to firm up j the whole contour. Get a tapper, tap [ your face briskly, round the contours especially. Tap the neck on each side using always a lateral movement, an-l smack yourself well all over the body after your morning bath.