CULT OF BEAUTY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20280, 14 April 1934, Page 20 (Supplement)

CULT OF BEAUTY.

Caring for the Nails at Home. MANICURE TO TYPE. One hears many tales of black, gold, or silver lacquer for the nails, or even false nails of jewelled metal that are slipped on over one’s own, but, fortunately, most of us have not seen such wonders. They are freak styles that most women would do well to leave alone as both unlovely and unsuitable. A rather elaborate manicure, however, has become a part of every woman’s toilet, and there is no excuse for ill-cared-for hands nowadays. Whether you indulge in home manicuring or regularly visit your favourite beauty .shop, you should study the shape of your hands and nails so that you will know what shaping and colouring of nail suits you best, writes “ Clelia ” in the “ Sydney Morning Herald.” Nail shaping can improve or destroy the hand contour. No two pairs of hands are alike, and the shade of the polish you choose should depend on the shape of your nails and fingers. Of course, the occasion and what >'ou are wearing should be considered, too. Hands do not IcJok well if they are too “ dressy ”in the early morning. Do not choose a bright red enamel unless your hands are slender and have wellshaped nails. Short fingers and short nails demand more subdued colouring. The Slender Hand. Take the three principal types of hands. The one most generally admired is the slender hand with tapering fingers, and it is here that the manicurist may let herself go. How-

ever practical these hands may be, the girl who possesses them always looks delightfully decorative and useless. The nails may be shaped to an exaggerated point, and rosy red shades inclining to ruby will not look too artificial. For Plump Fingers. The short, plump hand with stubby fingers can have its own charm if the nail styling is in good taste. Long pointed nails should be avoided as they make the fingers look shorter, and bright shades of polish draw attention to the width of the nails. Much can be done to make the fingertips look more slender by keeping the skin well pushed back from the half moons, and applying only a rather pale enamel. The nails should be cut round. Large Hands. Then there are long broad hands which frequently belong to the woman who has somewhat over-developed them with sport or housework. These nails should neither be pointed nor rounded, but should be filed well away from the sides and follow more or less the line of the finger-tips. Avoid dark opaque enamels if your hands are large. You should consider your daily occupation when choosing your nail stides. Many nails break and split easily, and it is clearly both uncomfortable and unlovely to have them too long if you are engaged in housework, typing, or gardening, or such work. Home Manicure. And now for the manicure itself. There are several points about it that may seem trivial, but which are really important if perfection of hand beauty is to be attained. Do not attempt to manicure your hands until the cuticle is in perfect condition. This is best achieved by working it back gently with a cream, or better still, with ’ warm oil on a pad of cotton wool. Tiny loosened bits of cuticle can then be easily wiped away and no cutting is necessary. Cigarette or other stains must be completely removed with powdered pumice and lemon •juice. Before beginning the manicure the hands should, of course, be washed in warm water with a good superfatted soap. The *lather should be worked in with a not too stiff nailbrush, rubbing across the backs and fingers and not up and down. The up and down movement is inclined to loosen the skin and the knuckles and cause it to wrinkle. Moistening the hands and rubbing

them ■well with a spoonful of sugar is an excellent way of removing slight stains and the odour of housework. Although powdered polish has been superseded by the more modern liquid enamel, buffing should be an important part of the regular manicure. To begin with, it strengthens the nail fibre itself, removes any roughness round the edges, and makes a smooth basis for the enamel. Do not rub the nails too hard as it is apt to over heat them, and also mav cause them to become corrugated. A complete manicure twice a week is essential to every woman whose life holds more effort than that of the nursery rhyme maiden who “ sat on a cushion and sewed a fine seam.”