TOILET HINTS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1508, 24 January 1901, Page 26

TOILET HINTS

Oatmeal 'bags used as bath-sponges are very refreshing and soothing, and may be highly recommended for giving a velvety softness and whiteness to the skin. Take two and a half pounds of oatmeal, ground very finely, a quarter of a pound of pure Castile soap, in powder,- and half-a-pound of powdered orris-root. Cut some 'thin cheese cloth into bags 'about 4in square, sewing them with the machine, and talcing cai~« that no untied ends of thread be left, where a break . may let the contents ooze out. Mix the soap, oatmeal, and orris-root thoroughly, and fill the bags loosely. Sew up the opening in each bag, and! lay away to use as required. These bags are useql as a sponge ; when dipped in the warm bath water and rubbed on the skin they make a thick, velvety lather, and impart a delicious clinging odour of violets for hours altev- • wards. The following plan gives very satisfactory results When the neck has become very much tanned or discoloured, and it is desired to remove the discolouration.. Make a paste of one ounce of honey, one teaspooniful of lemon juice, six drops of oil of bitter almonds, and enough toilet oatmeal to make a smooth and rather soft paste. Spread some- of this upon a piece of lint, bind it round the neck at night, just before retiring, and keep it on until morning, then Wash off with soft water. Repeat the process every night for a week. It is a consoling thought to know that even the very best of mirrors does not flatter you. The reflection you see -there does not accurately portray your likeness. The hair is wrong in tone, the eyes are not quite correct in eolour, and the skin always has a more grey or pallid shade in the glass than it has in reality. You may be certain that, however plain your face seems, it is by no tmeans so plain as it appears in the telltale* mirror. Secondly 7, you cannot assume your natural expression while peering in the looking-glass. The eye must be in a- certain position before you can see at all, and the e3 7 e, so far as expression is concerned, governs the face. The consequence is that you can see only one of yeur expressions in the glass, and that expression is one of attentive examination. All the other expressions by which your friend's know y'ou, favourable or unfavourable, you larve never seen. Of course, it is quite possible to stimulate different expressions. such as surprise, pleasure, aston_ ishment, delight, inquiry, and so on, when standing before the glass, but you cannot really judge of their effect upon your features in this way, for the expressions are all studied: it is when your gestures are unconscious, when you are “off your guard/’ that the real light and shade of facial expression comes in, and some girls who, when looking in the glass, imagine themselves to be hopelessly plain have moments when to onlookers they are, if not positively beautiful, at least attractive and charm-'-ing. If you wish to keep your teeth in perfect order, cleanse them thoroughly morning and evening with a little pure camphorated chalk or other harmless preparation. Avoid all tooth powders which contain cuttlefish bone or other substances likely to scratch and injure the enamel. A leaf of common green sage rubbed on the teeth night and morning cleanses and polishes them beautifully. A most refreshing antiseptic dentifrice. useful when the teeth are decayed, may -be made from the following recipe : —Tincture of quillaia bark two ounces ; pur© carbolic acid, twenty drops; pure glycerine, one ounce ; oil of winterjgreen, ten drops; oil of cinnamon, two drops; essence of cochineal, twenty .•drops; water, twelve ounces. Mix •well together. A teaspoonful of this xnixture should be added to half a tumblerful of water to clean the teeth and riiitfe the mouth. ffVlhen the gums are spongy and receding’, an astringent wash is gener*’ally necessary, otherwise the teeth are apt to become loose. .Here is a recipe which will he found to be both pleasant

and efficacious: —Tincture of orris-root, six drachms; lavendar water, two drachms; tincture of cinnamon, four drachms ; tincture of cinchona bark, four drachms; eau de Cologne, two ounces. Add half a teaspoonful to a tumblerful of water *to rinse out the mouth twice a day. This gives a fragrant odour to the breath. —The -"Lady.”