Cosmetic Skills

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30937, 18 December 1965, Page 4

Cosmetic Skills

My Life For Beauty. By Helena Rubinstein. Bodley Head. 272 pp.

Princess Gourielli-Tchkonlj, better known as Helena Rubinstein, was a female captain of industry—an. industry, moreover, which in good times and bad can be always counted on to flourish. The art of beauty-culture is as old as Eve, who was probably trying to protect her complexion from the sun in the shade of an apple-tree when she had her celebrated encounter with the serpent. Madame Rubinstein devotes only 112 pages of her book to straight autobiography, the remaining 160 being given to a comprehensive list of instructions to women on how to exploit their glamour possibilities. By taking up her pen at the age of 95 to reveal the secret of 70 years experience in her specialised field, this remarkable woman bestowed on her sex what amounts to a bonus issue in her carefully built-up business, and she might well have added to her behests a new Commandment “Thou shalt at all times Look Thy Best.”

Her personal history is both interesting and instructive, but in the interests of her greater purpose, she has kept it as factual as possible- Born in Cracow, the eldest of the eight daughters of a prosperous business man, she decided after an unfortunate love affair when just out of her teens to emigrate to Australia, where she had a relation.

One of her mother’s parting gifts consisted of 12 pots of face-cream, the invention of a Hungarian chemist. In Melbourne the girl’s fine skin was the envy of the local beauties, and she thereupon set up a shop where she made and sold the famous cream. Among her customers was Nellie Melba. Helena soon amassed enough money from her enterprise to visit Europe, and having sent for one of her sisters from Poland, to whom she entrusted the management of her affairs in Melbourne, she set out to establish branches of her business in London and Paris. By this time she was married to Edward Titus, a Polish compatriot, by whom she had two sons, but having become a slave to her profession she was distressed to find that she could not hold her husband’s fidelity, and they parted. Extensive travel, and growing prosperity from a multiplicity of new beauty preparations, made Helena a citizen of the world, but she spent most of her advancing years in America where she married for the second time, her husband being a Russian prince to whom she remained devoted. His death in 1956, followed shortly by that of her eldest son crushed her for a time, but her indomitable spirit eventually reasserted itself, and she resumed her role of the competent director of her world-wide undertakings. A true matriarch, Madame Rubinstein ruled a vast army of relations and dependents and like Queen Elizabeth 1, directed their business operations from her bedroom, as age and physical infirmity took hold on her.

For the benefit of women readers here are some of the chapter headings of this vade mecum of beauty culture:— “Beauty begins with your skin.” Twenty seven pages are devoted to this important subject. “Eat your way to beauty.” (Having studied some of the menus necessary to bring about this desirable achievement the impenitent male might decide to stick to less healthy but more satisfying diets.) “Delightful new ways to exercise,” recommends unobtrusive gymnastics which can be carried out easily while at the telephone or office desk. “How to manage your hair . . . and glorify it" gives some useful hints, and “Finger tips to toe tips” should not be neglected either. The book contains many photographs at the author, and the reader can see in this vigorous and intelligent face the rewards of a lifetime of cosmetic skill.