HOW TO PRESERVE BEAUTY.

Evening Star, Issue 12409, 24 January 1905, Page 8

HOW TO PRESERVE BEAUTY.

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By Mababth De Lvoommns, Author of ‘The Ideal Figure,’ Etc.

The belief that “ beauty is a curse ” is as lead as are the Puritans who originated it. Beauty is a delightful gilt, for which its possessor has every cause to be grateful, for it is not only pleasure to her, but to all who see her, and it is for the latter reason that it is aa much our bounden -duty to cultivate our personal attractions, and to conceal all defects from the eyes of those around us, as it is to refrain from any unkind or discourteous word that might offend their ears or hurt their feelings. This is especially the case with married women, some of whom, after a few years’ marriage, neglect the care of their appearance, become unattractive in face and figure, and look years older than they need. This is not honorable treatment of the men who married them as young and attractive girls, for these have a right to expect that the charms that were made the most of for them aa lovers should be preserved for them as husbands. These, seeing their wives at all times, and without the illusions incidental to the pre-nuptial condition, are far more difficult to please; their admiration is therefore an infinitely higher compliment to the woman who has had the intelligence and the tact to have retained it than that of a score of casual acquaintances who only see her at her best.

I follow my little lecture on one of every woman's duties, to herself and to others, by telling how to fulfil it, for it is a subject I have studied for years, and on which I have hundreds of consultants, among whom are many women celebrated in the English and foreign Courts for their beauty of face and figure and the retention of t’heir attractions and their youthful appearance long beyond fie usual time. I am not going to advocate the use of “ make ups ” or the practice of any deceit—simply the adoption of a few precautions and. entirely hygienic observances, not only to prevent the deterioration that “ all flesh is heir to,” and to retard the signs of age, but to improve the whole appearance, and to retain not only the outward semblance of youth, but its graces and powers, —How to Lie in Bed. Most women see with regret that as they get older their waists enlarge and lose their suppleness, the figure below increase in all directions, their shoulders bend forward, their backs curve, their chins form deep lines, and their cheeks become pendulous ; but probably not ono in a thousand knows that these deformities and signs of decadence are not the inevitable result of advancing age, but are due to their own carelessness in the positions they adopt, especially during the night. This should he a. term of complete repose for every part of the body, and each limb must be in a position that rests the bones and muscles, not strains and distorts them. Nature demands that through the long hours of sleep the whole body should be in a relaxed conch don, to allow it to recover from the fatigues of the day, and from any strain caused by being too long in any position—a. position harmless in itself, if adopted for a short time only. The assumption of strained and distorted attitudes for any length of time cause lasting disfigurement, end permanent injury of the muscles and tendons.

Many women and girls sleep—especially in winter—with their knees drawn up to their waists, their backs curved, their elbows brought forward, the arms bent upwards, and their heads drooping towards their cheats. One hour spent in this position every night would suffice to give all the parts mentioned a tendency to retain these contortions. What then must be the effects of whole nights passed doubled up in this manner? not to mention the danger attending the forcing of the internal organs out of their proper positions. Q To keep the entire body in shape, health, strength, and grace, the arms and legs should lie straight but quite loosely in bed,, the back _ straight or nearly so, the head leaning slightly backward on a pillow too low to press it forward, the chin turned upward-, but not stiff. This is a thoroughly restful and hygienic position, and the night’s repose so passed will relax all the strained tendons, recuperate the wasted tissues, and restore the figure to its proper conformation, and give a real “ beauty sleep,” by which the sleeper will be refreshed and rejuvenated. —How to Sit at Work.— Young girls, and even children, should be taught to sleep in this restful position. It is never too soon to commence the preservation of health, strength, and grace. “ Prevention is better than cure” is a trite saying, but the whole world knows no truer one. Similar precautions to keep the figure in graceful proportions and in a healthy condition should be adopted in the daytime, though the repeated changes of position during the hours of a more or less active life, prevent any bad pose having so lasting an effect, as If continued for hours; still, the bending low with curved back and rounded shoulders when writing, reading, or at needlework is injurious both to health and appearance, and the sitting forward on the front of a chair and leaning back is simply ruinous to the figure; it spreads the hips, curves the spine, and presses the abdominal regions upwards. To prevent these evil effects, sit quite back in your chair, the body loose above the waist, then the bending a little forward when Writing is not injurious; for reading or needlework it is not necessary. This pose will soon be found far less fatiguing than the “bunching” up and stooping forward, and the improvement in shape and carriage of the figure will approximate the dignified bearing of onr great-grandmothers, who were all trained to sit in this way. I do not, for a moment suggest that no -one should ever “ lounge,” simply, that a sitting position for any length of time should be on the foregoing lines. Tho importance of not sleeping with the head hanging forward and the arms bent upwards is easily tested—bend your arm, your hand on your chest, and see how so doing at once defines the line of the mnsclo. Continuance in this position cannot fail to mark it more and more, and not only is tho shape of the arm spoiled by this indentation, but it is alware looked on as a sign of advancing age. With most women it commences at forty, though. I am glad to say, 1 know many, much older than that, who have followed my advice for some years, and whose arms are as well shaped and as young as they were at twenty-five. —The Care of the Pace.— How experiment with the chin. Stand facing a mirror, hang your head down, lusting your chin on your throat. What is the effect? Your cheeks are widened, the flesh on the lower jaw-bone is pressed upwards, forming furrows and rolls of fat, and a deep line below the chin, and a roll of fat pushed upwards, forming the double chin which is so destructive to the beauty and the youth of a face. If you see these disfigurements and signs of advancing age in the simple once taking of the attitude I have described, what must be its effect repeated night after night, and continued for aoura?

Let me warn you also—and this is very important, for neglect of it may give others Unite a fake and unpleasant opinion of your jharacter and disposition—never go to sleep with an unhappy or unamiable expression »n yonr face. If 'worried or anxious daring the day, discard the facial expression ol those feelings during the night, for the muscles and lines of the face will soon adopt and retain the unhappy or disagreeable look yon went to sleep with, which will age and disfigure you, and distress or annoy those around you. In grief or worry, above all in a bad temper, all the lines of the face ran downwards—at peace with yourself and the world at large all the lines curve upwards. Your mirror will show you the truth of this in an instant. Look cross or worried, then look amiable and pleased, you will find the expression of the latter feelings makes you look at least ten years younger, and adds a charm for the absence of which no beauty of feature or complexion can possibly compensate.

Having devoted, the first part of my paper to the prevention of various disfigurements, 1 will give the second to the cure, or at lasafrtte-aJlwiatkut. of any- atreadv unwnt

When & doable chin has formed, or is commencing, jt may he mucli reduced, if not quite banished, by the following treatment two or three times during the day. Place the finger tips of the two hands meeting under the chin, the backs towards it, and tap the superabundant, fat lightly, but sharply, the touch should be like that of ‘1 staccato” notes on a piano, and the taps should be taken from the chin point, urnlor the whole jaw., They serve to flatten vim fat globules, and so assist in their dispersion. The fat can also be stroked with the back of the fingers in an upward direction from the front of the chin along the. jaw-bone to under the ears. This simple massaging must be performed every day, even when special toilet preparations are employed for the reduction of fat With regard to toilet preparations, for this and other and beautifying purposes, f can only say in this paper that some arc absolutely injurious, others simply harmless, their principal effect being to fill the pockets of their makers, and a small minority are not only perfectly innocuous, but have been tested in every way, and found really efficacious for their special purposes. —Face Massage.—

To prevent formation of the lines and wrinkles that age the face and spoil its beauty, and to decrease them if already visible, a little gentle rubbing of all parts where they occur should be practised daily. The fingers—moistened with some simple lubricant, to facilitate friction and prevent irritating the skin—should first stroke gently, then rub, each with a soft and gentle pressure in the opposite direction to that of the lines. For those on the forehead, the movement should be an upward curve towards the temples with a firm but gentle pres-uire; at the corners of the eyes, the touch must be very delicate, as there is but little fat there, and on the eyelids and below the eyes, the very lightest and gentlest stroking only must be employed. The drooping cheeks and furrows between these and the mouth and nose, caused by the slipping down of the subcutaneous fat by its own weight, and consequent stretching of the skin, may be more or less rectified by the gentle stroking upward from the sides of the nose and mouth, towards the ears. This must be done with the balls of the fingers, the wrists raised towards the ears, and the strokes commencing at the jawbone, and being taken to the ears, one stroke above another. This will go some way to restore the tone of the small organs of the skin, as well as to restore the fat to its proper place. The hygienic treatment for restoring the youthful shape of the face and firm texture of the skin is, firstly, the replacement of the subcutaneous fat in its normal position, or supplying where deficient—for it is the subsidence or the drying up of the fat which, by depriving the skin of its natural food, causes it to wrinkle, as a glove does on a hand it is too large for—and, secondly, to give tone and vigor to the skin itself, and so enable it to regain its elasticity, and shrink to the size required to smoothly cover the flesh. The explanation of how this can be achieved, hygienically and in accordance with the processes of nature itself, is not, however, within the limits of this article.

—The Use and Abuse of Water.—

To prevent the dropping of .the subcutaneous fat and its various disfiguring effects, the face should always be washes and dried in an upward direction. Tj*;s method, though difficult- at first, will soon be found as easy as the usual rubbing downwards. It should, bo commenced even in the nnrsery; nurses will probably call it a “ silly fad,” but all really scientific skin specialists agree as to its value in the preservation of the youthful shape of the face. The beauty of color and texture of tinskin depends on the general health, and the cleanliness and freedom of its myriad pores, but the repeated washing of the face in a large quantity of water is a mistake. The face requires thoroughly cleansing morning and night; during the day the most that is required is wiping it with a little water in which is a little good toilet water, or the latter by itself omy. No water should be used without having been previously boiled, and if required cola left to become so. It is then equivalent in softness to rain water. In ordinary cases the water should be of much the same temperature as the air of the room, but if the skin is becoming flabby and requires tone and strength, the face should be washed in hot water, using the purest soap—if any—and this only once a day, and at night in preference; then well rinsed in tepid water, and finally in cold. This gradation of temperature gives vitality to the skin, and preserves it from injury by the sudden variations of this changeable climate. If the cheeks are hollow, or becoming so, they should, while web with the cold water, be rubbed with a soft curly towel, round end round in the hollow part, and deeply, so as to affect tho muscles, not the skin only. This brings fresh red blood to feed the muscles, and by strengthening and rendering them firm causes them to fill out the sunken cheeks.

Space only permits me to give these general directions, but they are the absolutely necessary ABC of the art of preserving rt.e youth and beauty of the face and figure, and of assisting their recovery when, already deteriorating.