MATTERS FEMININE.

Waipa Post, Volume VII, Issue 342, 21 August 1914, Page 2

MATTERS FEMININE.

CARE OF THE COMPLEXION A very dainty cream for those who insist upon making their own cosmetics is as follows: —Four ounces rose water, four ounces almond oil, one ounce spermaceti, one ounce white wax, one dram tincture of benzoin. Work up the solid materials, gradually adding the liquids. In the morning wash the face with warm water and a mixture of benzoin and rose water. Finish this toilet of. the face by dashing on quantities of cold water, drying the skin and fluffing on some powder. The skin will then look soft and fair. TO IMPROVE THE NECK AND THROAT, An admirable exercise for expanding the chest and filling out the hollows of neck and throat is to rise upon the tips of the toes at the moment of inhalation, and hold the breath, throwing it forcibly against the muscles of throat and neck, while you can count fifteen; then exhale, iorcibly, and come down upon the heeis. Repeat ten times night and morning, when there are no constricting bands about the body. These exercises are no modern discovery. Thirteen hundred years B.C. the people of India practised full, deep breathing at regular intervals daily, using it as a healing remedy for disease; and it was no secret to the old Greek and Roman physicians, who also prescribed lung gymnastics as curative means. A severe cold can be greatly relieved and quickly cured by conscious breathing; and, if taken in the first stages, as soon as the usual symptoms of a cold are felt, it can be thrown off in a half-hour's time. Many cases of headache, especially when accompanied by nausea and congestion, are quickly relieved; and phthisis, when taken in the incipient stages, can always be greatly alleviated, and is often cured, by this simple means. THE PEARL BLOUSE. This new style shoulder blouse is suitable for any kind of muslin,'print, or silk goods, and is specially adapted for sprigs, checks, or spotted fabrics, The interior vest should be plain material, ornamented with very small

buttons. The fastening may be with' spring hooks. If made of black figured sponge cloth, with a white or mauve vest and collar and cuffs edged with a narrow black lace, it is a most becoming afternoon blouse to be worn with a black skirt by a matron.

HOW TO MAKE A BED. There is a correct way to make a bed, yet one has only'to travel to learn that this is not generally known. Upon rising the occupant of the bed should turn down all the covers, exposing the mattress to the air, place the pillows on a chair, and open the windows wide. After airing- the room, the mattress should be turned, a pad made of unbleached cotton and cotton batting placed upon it, and the lower sheet put in position. All sheets should be sufficiently long to tuck in well at the head and foot of the bed, so that no restless sleeper will be able to pull them out of place. Fold all corners neatly, and tuck side and ends under the mattress.

Now place the upper sheet so that the top edge comes to the very top of the bed, the lower portion of the sheet being securely tucked in at the bottom so that it is not easily pulled out. Over this lay the blankets or sheets. If a pair of blankets is used, place the folded edge at the bottom so that the occupants can turn down one, if the pair is too heavy or warm. A pair of blankets is so much easier handled if separated, yet there are housekeepers who would consider such a thing a desecration. But anyone who has used and washed the single blankets knows the difference. Blanket binding costs but a few pence a yard, and with it one can quickly and neatly finish off the raw edges of the cut blankets, if you prefer the finish instead of the blanket stitching with colored wool. To'be comfortable on a cold night your blankets or sheets must be well tucked in at the bottom, and if they are too short for this you can sew a strip of unbleached cotton across the end, and tuck this under the mattress. When blankets have become thin and worn, they may be covered with cheese-cloth, tufted with pink or blue wool, or with silkolene in some pretty pattern. This makes a warm, light covering, and prolongs the usefulness of the blanket indefinitely.

Turn the sheet down over the blankets at the top, and allow the sides to hang, or tuck them in, according to the style of the bed. Now put on the spread and the pillows, and if the lower sheet is securely tucked at the top, the upper clothes at the bottom, the bed .will be well made.