Ladies May Paint.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 73

Ladies May Paint.

— Modem Face Paints Nearly All HJarm« less. —

Ladies may paint- their faceß "with impunity nowadays, according to the wellknown French chemist, Professor Annand Gautier.

Formerly poisonous substances were often used iosr " making-up," and accidents happened. Rouge, in particular, frequently contained mercury, and its action on the system through the skin was slow, but deadly. White was often a compound of lead, equally dangerous. Modern face paintts are nearly all harmless. " Eosine " and carmine, of which rouge is now generally made, could not! hurt a baby. White containing lead is supposed to be brighter and more lasting tKan any other, but every sensible actress or actor uses instead whites made from zinc oxide or bismuth, both of which are harmless.

Among blacks and greys for the eyes, nothing better has yet been found than kohl, already known to the women of ancient Babylon and Nineveh, which is innocuous. But certain pastes, used by Easterns for removing hairs from th« faoe, and containing salts of arsenic, ara poisonous. Will -Professor Gautier's information encourage ladies in making works of art oi their faces? , Two actresses, consulted on the subject^ will discourage them. Neither Madame Yvette Guilbert nci Madame Jeanne Grainer makes up off t^« stage.

The former paints very slightly, even foi the • footlights. "A pennyworth of fac< powder, a little powdered rouge on tlu cheeks, a stick of rouge passed over th« lips, a dash of red-brown powder on th« eyelids, and there I am." She never uses a " foundation," as many actresses do, and never pencils her eyes to make them seem larger. Brushing the face every morning is her recipe for the skin, anil she has never found painting injurious, due precautions being taken.

Madame Jeanne Grainer never by anyj chance makes up at all off the stage. Before -the glare of the footlights paint is necessary, but she uses as Hltle of it as possible, and only special preparation*, which are very expensive, but worth tbtf money. - •', Her only other recipe fa to "boil hef face witih vaseline and boiling water every evening for 20 minutes " after taking of? her war paint. "It is painful, but one must suffer a little in self-defence in one's Jife. lam a fighter-, and I try to carry out .my motto, which is ' Better to use one's eelf up than to rust.' " No one will say that- Madame Jeanne Grainer has rusted. — Paris correspondent, of the Telegraph.