WOMEN AND THE HOME

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17569, 20 June 1925, Page 18 (Supplement)

WOMEN AND THE HOME

THOSE BEAUTY DETAILS.

SAYS LADY NEISII. I Much of your attractiveness, perhaps more than you think, depends upon ■ the details of your appearance, j An important detail is the shape of | your eyebrows. Well-kept eyebrows j give a well-groomed look. Lovely eye- ' brows are a great attraction, j They should be kept in shape by j pulling out the little hairs that straggle away from the line you desire, for you can get your brows straight or arched exactly as you wish. Buy a pair of tweezers; cull out just a few hairs every day, and you will avoid the i-iainfui process of having them put into shape in one treatment —that some of the beauty specialists advocate—by pulling out a great many at a time, WHAT SHAPE EYEBROWS? Look at one cf your recent photographs—or, if you have not got one, study yourself carefully, at some distance, in the mirror. Which eyebrow suits your type best? Thin and arched, perhaps. Very well. If yours are not this, rub your eyej brows gently every night with almond | oil, cocoa-butter, or pure vaseline. This* j will darken the hair you have and | grow fresh hair. As it comes, pluck cut what is not J the shape you want. Keep the thin line dark and full, and after you havfe powdered your face and j you are finished and ready t 6 go downj stairs, take your little eyebrow brush | and, after putting a mere suggestion of guod home-made brilliantine on your third finger and passing it lightly over 1 your beautiful thin eyebrows, brush them once more (you have, of course, already brushed off any stray powder). ARE YOUR EYELASHES THICK AND CURLY? If not, vaseline them also. Break a little bit off one of your orange sticks (the little sticks that you buy at the chemists’s for cleaning your nails). Put a tiny piece of cotton-wool round it, dip it in vaseline and wipe your top eyelashes upwards and the lower eyelashes downwards. There are women—and not only the rich and fashionable, for I know a woman with a very small inI come who did it—who wear false eyelashes. I do not mean the expensive French process of sewing eyelashes (doesn’t it sound horrible?), but there are eyelashes sold for a few shillings. They are fastened on a thin skin, and when you wet it they stick to your eyelids. They are much too long and curly to be natural, and those on the girl I saw looked almost as though they were tiny bits of furl In stories you speak of long, furry lashes, but in real life they look ridiculous and unnatural. OVERDOING IT. Don t use an eyebrow pencil if you have no eyebrows. If you have plenty of hair, a very carefully applied pencil will darken and greatly improve them—but do not overdo them. On the bare, hairless skin, a pencil-mark show’s terribly. It is usually the women who have no eyebrows who make this mistake. A black line on skin shows; an accentuated colour on hair does not show. What is the poor woman with no eyelashes to do? tshe should make up her mind never to forget the vaseline and go patiently on; and gradually, very graduallv, the hair will begin to grow. Then she can use her darkening pencil, very carefully at first, please, madam, and a little more freely when the hair begins to grow. THE ARTIFICIAL LOOK. The great thing is to avoid looking artificial about the eyes. Women are barefaced in the way they use lip-sticks, but done-up eyes are a perfect horror, unless they are very carefully done. Remember, in trying to improve your eyelashes and eyebrows, that none of the expensive things you buy will be any better, and probably not half as good, as vaseline. In your own home you can make many little cheap and simple aids to beauty and you need never envy the women who spend large sums at their beauty specialists on tonics and astringents and cream and bath pow-

LOOKING-GLASS LUCK.

Supers tit ions have ever been rife about the magic of* one's mirror. The best known i.s undoubtedly the belief that seven years of ill-luck are your duo if you break a miror. This old !o!mtrv iirieS * u c^cronfc parts of the the Cornish have it that seven years ol sorrow arc the penalty, while in Yorkshire the belief is that *• seven years’ trouble, but no want” is one’s hie. In Scotland, the breaking of a • coking-glass is considered to foretell a death in the family—some people aver that it foretells the death of the master of the house. It lias been suggested that the popular horror of the breaking of a mirror lias its origin in the terror inspired in primitive peoples by the destruction of the reflection of the countenance in clear water —perhaps broken up by the ripples of the water. It is, however, certain that this superstition is to be found in nearly cverv couTi Iry in some form or the other. Swedish maidens will never look in their mirrors after dark, or by candlelight; they believe that if they dca man will ever love them. superstition that the girl who is overfond of looking at herself in the glass will be unhappily married. Ig is considered the height of bad luck to see the new moon reflected in a looking-glass, and it is also said that engaged lovers who look in the mirror together will never mavry. Many mother's have a- quaint belief that It foretells trouble if they allow their babies to see themselves in the Many of the old Cl ’* ceremonies for peeping into the future wore accomplished by means of a m»rasset of any so-called wise woman. Tiir- smell of cloves is very unpleasant to red ants, and if whole cloves are

AN ELABORATE EVENING GOWN.

WE SHALL WEAR

Pretty sash bodices, with fluffy skirts, for extra special dance wear. Net so very expensive, if one can “dressmake” at home. A very finelykilted ninon or georgette skirt with rows of ostrich suggests itself to go with these sash bodices, tightly draping the hips and falling in bows or long ends at one side. On black panne hats, bows or bands of white velvet, if such suit us. If we have pointed features and chins, the Spanish sailor with a square centre of fur, edged with stiff ribbon bows, will become us. And we can paint our leather hats with any kind of autumnal motif that seems good to us. Loosely swinging apron fronts to dance frocks; these panels will give that adorable “ mouveraent ’* which is so chic, even in a slinky gown. Plain long-waisted jumpers that own a hip belt slightly pleated, fastening with pearl buttons. Such jumpers are very becoming and most harmonious with kilted skirts. The form of neck outline that gives a good breadth to our shoulders; yet there is an eccentric mode of high collars on evening gowns! A thin sort of duvetyn mingled, according to our fancy, with embroider ed kid or suede. Or even plain, "gaudy” leather. Cunning little liand-pockets to our capes, especially to those nice big evening ones. Plain felt hats trimmed solely with bands of cut felt and important buckles. Jumper skirts with silk tops are profitable investments, for they afford an excellent opportunity for using the good pieces of evening frocks for their upper part. This top is easily renewed whereas the skirt requires a practised hand. Hatpins that arc certain of a revived popularity; it is well to be ready with some to do one credit. They need not pin, but they can adorn their respective hats. A velour coat worn over a one-piece chemise frock in crepe of a tenderer tone. By the way, silver or cut steel buttons are a good adjunct to a grey gown or coat. The new high hats with square crowns. Not universally becoming; but they can be softened immensely by the addition at one side of a. fluffy feather motif. When doing drawn thread work, frequently the threads are rather difficult to draw. This can be overcome by rubbing hard, dry, yellow soap on the threads to be drawn.

THE SHORT OF IT.

tl There is an epidemic of abbreviation.” —Petrie Townshend. Shorter sleeves and shorter frocks, Shorter gloves and shorter hair, Stockings giving place to socks, Shorter fashions everywhere. Shorter prices? Answer—Nay! This reduction would be rash. For the man who has to pay Only one thing's shorter—Cash !

Preparing the Crystals.—Put some of tho crystals into a clean, dry bottle pour over half a teaspoonful of the oil of verbena and a few drops of cochineal or carmine. Shake well at intervals of half an hour, then add u little moro of each ingredient and shake often. When the bottle is half full, cork it securely and leave until the next day, when the same procedure should bo followed until the bottle ; s full. It is important to mix the perfume thoroughly with the crystals by shaking often and not filling the bottle too full at first. The salts should be ‘■'dyed” rather highly as the colour fades a little after a short, while.

DO YOU WEAR GLASSES?

Many girls do, but they wear them in such a dowdy way. There is no need to! The girl who is obliged to wear glasses often resents the fact very bit terly, feeling that they do much to spoil her appearance. A prominent eye-specialist said that before long spectacles will be as comoon in England as they are in America, and that they will in time come to bo regarded as a normal adjunct to the human countenance, just as usual as a nose and eyebrow—but at present that is not much comfort. As a matter of fact, glasses are not always as disfiguring as their wearer imagines, but she should be careful to choose the typo which suits her face best. Horn rimmed spectacles, especially those of the more unobtrusive variety, can impart a. quaint, rather fascinating effect to some faces that without them would look quite ordinary. Other girls will look better in rimless spectacles, with very fine gold ear-pieces. The girl who is not obliged to wear thick lenses, and whose nose is nioe and thin where it joins the forehead, often prefers pince-nez, as they aro less noticeable. And a lucky few may be able to emulate Heather Thatcher, and wear the festive monocle ! But whatever type of glasses are worn, they must be kept scrupulously clean. Spotted, dusty lenses are as bad as unkept nails. The frames should be adjusted from time to time. Not only are crooked glasses a common cause of eyestrain, but they have a dowdy, and sometimes even a ludicrous, effect.

NERVOUS CHILDREN.

Nervousness in children is not a care occurrence. It is a well-recognised fact that in childhood there is very often a tendency towards instability of the nervous system. How readily they are moved to tears or to laughter ; hew easily their gastric regions are upset and the equilibrium of their temperature disturbed. Some children are more unstable than others—those, for instance, whose parents are in some way not quite normal. But it is a very simple matter to help the small folk to grow out of these defects, so that presently they will become masters of themselves. llow may baby be assured of tin? adequate amount of sleep? This is the first principle, to be studied and set in motion from the earliest days of infancy onwards. Baby at first will sleep all day, except. during feed and bath time, etc., smteen or seventeen hours not being in the least too much fo T ' him. With the omission of the con o'clock feed he should have twelve hours’ sleep until -he is six or seven years old, with a dinner hour siesta. THE QUALITY OF SLEEP. The kind of sleep which he has matters greatly. To be really sufficient baby should be in a quiet room. The bed should not be domiciled completely aga.nst the angle of a corner, and, while allowing no draughts, it is essential that there should be a continuous current. of fresh air. Do not pile too many clothes on the cot or bed, but see that the child is warm when sleeping. The correct temperature of the room should be about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not Ist him become greatly excited immediately before bedtime, nor indeed upon, any occasion if you can kelp it. If he is frightened of the dark, as so many youngsters are when the mechanism of thought becomes active in his sub-consciousness, deal gently with him. Ridicule should never be used as a means of correction. J. E.G.

VEGETARIAN DISHES.

Potato Pie.—Boil about one pound of potatoes, and mash them, adding two tablespoonfuls of milk, *oz of butter, •Joz of grated cheese and pepper. Butter a pie dish well, and sprinkle in seme breadcrumbs. Put in the potatoes and cheese and bake in a hot oven for thirty minutes. Lentil Curry—Soak Hb of lentils .ill night, drain tiiern well through a sieve, and let them get almost dry. Then put .hem into a saucepan with a large lump of butter and let them dissolve dowly while stirring. Have two onions sliced and fry them a nice brown; add pepper and salt, and turn them into the saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of curry-powder. Stir till all is well mixed and hot without boiling. Turn on to a dish, and serve with dry boiled rice. Vegetable Sausages—Three carrots, three onions, one turnip, one parsnip, half a pint of split peas, two eggs, 2oz butter, *lb breadcrumbs, a little stock, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley and a little sage. Soak peas overnight and boil them till soft. Boil the other vegetables till done, pound them with the peas', and stir in stock, also beaten egg, parsley, breadcrumbs and seasoning. When thoroughly mixed make the mixture into sausages. Dip each one in beaten egg and breadcrumbs and lry them till brown. Stuffed Baked Onions—This dish, served with baked potatoes, makes a good meal lor luncheon or supper. Choose as many large Spanish onions as necessary. Scoop as much out of the centre as possible, leaving hollow shells. Boil the .shells and centres in boiling salted water until tender, ('hop finely the portions which have been re- | moved, and brown in a pan with two tablespoonfuls of butter. Add to this ; half a cupful of fine breadcrumbs, a little salt and pepper six teasi : nfuls of grated or Parmesan cheese, and a 1 quarter cupful of chopped walnuts. Fill i the onion shells with this mixture, j sprinkle grated cheese over the top. i B3ke in a hot even for half an hour, j basting occasionally with a quarter cup- j fu! of hot water in which has been | melted one tablespoonful of butter. j A well-known Fendalton lady had an ardent ambition to shine m social circles, but could never make her “ A* Home ” a success until she hit upon a happy and successful experiment. One afternoon she served up Biplane Tea (China blend! to her guests, and they were so delighted with its refreshing ■ ragi ar ■ that they c< >uld n< t eas e talking for claws about the great eu< ce: f Mr B At Home. 1 S2