THE GENTLE ART OF BEAUTY

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 42, 17 October 1891, Page 494

THE GENTLE ART OF BEAUTY

•MAKE UP.’ HIS being the gay and festive season when amusements are plentiful, a jcI AAWiATJB?. . few words on the subject of ‘ beautifying ’ may not be amiss. It is an acknowledged fact that most of vS-x the notorious beauties who reign jiF 5 / AAA'’) A supreme and hold entire sway over Iwy /‘'Wwf J the heart of man, owe their triumph we S “ no measure to the mysw" teries of the dressing-room. This . was, however, more particularly the case ’ n the bygone ages. But, unfortunately for the beauties of ? ■ x. the present generation, the recipes and prescriptions were kept so profoundly secret that all trace of them was lost on the death of the possessor of the knowledge ; and although we know of them from hearsay—which is not infrequently both exaggerated and deceptive —still, judging from all accounts, when taken into comparison with the toilet mysteries of the present period, they seem crude and unfinished, the results presenting to the eye of the beholder in most cases an appearance precisely the reverse of that undoubtedly intended. Certainly our mode of procedure is less extravagant, and we rarely, if ever, hear of even the wealthiest of our sex indulging in a bath of mashed strawberries, and being afterwards sponged with perfumed milk, as did the famous Madame Tallien.

Indeed, speaking generally, I fancy we prefer the strawberries and milk applied internally rather than externally, and with no further perfume than the delicate aroma of the fruit itself ; but of course tastes differ. The powder, patches and head dresses of Madame de Pompadour were world-famed ; but, on the other hand, it is said that although Diana of Poitiers meddled with many cosmetics to enhance her wondrous loveliness, she preserved her complexion to a great extent by morning dew, which being freely translated, means really early rising. According to my mind, anything appertaining to ‘ makeup ’ which is directly perceivable, is quite unjustifiable, and nothing should be more readily nor more heartily descried and avoided. But I am one of those that hold that it is a duty woman owes, not only to herself, but to mankind generally, to make the best of the beauties God has given her and therefore to show herself off to the greatest advantage. An authority, whose name I-cannot for the moment recall, tells us that no woman *is ugly, each possessing some charm or other attribute, which in itself redeems her from being classed under the category of • things ugly; ’ and, given even one noticeably good feature, the woman of taste, knowing that she cannot entertain even the remotest hope of being designated a beauty, will still go carefully and artistically to work to add to her personal appearance, to literally make the best of herself, and, what is more, will rarely fail. The great |>oint, it seems to me, is that a woman who thinks that she is plain, or to use an expressive Americanism homely, is too apt, as a rule, to let herself go, to lapse into mediocrity, and actually, as it were, instead of buckling on

her armour, both literally and figuratively this time, and going forth to the fray with renewed vigour and an improved appearance, which is after all but the result of a little care and attention, becomes more and more discontented and consequently plainer. I trust my readers will not think by this that I am advocating the use of the innumerable preparations which can be classed under the heading of this column. What I wish to maintain is, that there are a few things which are really harmless improvements, to improvise a term for them, and although their number may be said to be limited, there will still be found sufficient for the ordinary use of the majority of us. For example, the possessor of a white face is occasionally in despair at her lack of colouring, more especially when on some particular occasion, such as a dinner or a ball, she is anxious to present a blooming countenance to such portion of her small world who will be present and, as any true woman naturally would, scorns the use of rouge, either in its many advertised forms, or even the pure powdered carmine, which is, in most cases, the basis of all such preparations. The juice of an ordinary beetroot can scarcely be called a toilette ‘ make up,’ but it is equally effective, and certainly less injurious to the skin. The face should be gently sponged with tepid water (if possible without soap, to which has been added a few drops of eau de Lubin, eau de Bully, or, best of all, Mason’s Essential Oil of Eau de Cologne (this giving a very desirable feeling of freshness), and then dried on a soft towel. Then damp the face again with a fairly strong solution of alum water, leaving it to dry on, and after some minutes use a nice powder, putting it on with a piece of chamois leather, instead of the ordinary puff, as it can be rubbed into the skin, and so remains on much longer. When this is done, dip a rather thick camel’s hair brush into the beetroot juice—which is prepared by simply cutting up the vegetable and leaving it to stand and drain for a while—and paint the cheek as desired, afterwards, when quite dry going over it again with the leather, in order to tone down too voyaiit colouring. The indiscriminate use of powder is not a thing to be admired ; indeed, it is absolutely disgusting, especially to men, to see a woman take out of her pocket a small puff, and proceed calmly to embellish (?) her face as is too frequently done in these degenerate days. On the occasion of a ball, however, where, after incessant dancing, one is apt to look flushed and slightly dishevelled, a short retirement to the seclusion of the ladies’ room will be beneficial to the outward appearance, and the powder-leather can then be brought into use with wonderful results. In such case the superiority of the piece of leather over the puff is proved by the fact that the powder dabbed on to a not naturally damped face is bound to show plainly ; whilst the face can be carefully wiped over with the leather, and the powder softly rubbed on afterwards, and, when this is carefully done, only the good effect, and not the cause of the effect, will be visible, the skin having a natural whiteness and delicacy, and the powder being indiscernible. Should, however, the conservatively inclined still hanker after the use of the old-fashioned puff, they will find it a capital thing to keep on the toilet table a small soft brush (such as is used for the head of a very young infant), and after putting on the powder to use the brush for going carefully over the face, so imparting a soft appearance to the skin. Let us now turn our attention to the eyebrows, which, frequently overlooked, are in reality an important feature. The use of the usual eyebrow pencil is perhaps more noticeable than any other ‘ make-up,’ and, if only for that reason, should be left alone, but the brows can be improved and trained into any desired shape. After washing the face, pass one finger covered with a good brilliantine over the eyebrow, and then with the thumb and first finger coax it into order, afterward touching it up gently with a fine comb. There is no need for any dye, the brilliantine itself keeping the hair several shades darker. Should the brows meet over the nose, the superfluous hairs can be plucked out with a pair of tweezers. The lips, too, can be improved on occasions by wetting the finger with scent and rubbing it on them, this causing them to become a lovely red tint, and afterwards, when the scent has dried, just touched with cold cream, which renders them soft and supple. The scent, however, must only be applied rarely, as, if used constantly, it would make the lips hard and dry. An important point in wearing evening dress is the appearance of arms and neck, which are not always so white as might be desired. They should be sponged with tepid water (perfumed, if desired), thoroughly dried, then sponged with a lotion composed of equal parts of glycerine and rosewater. Whilst this is still damp, add a thick coating of powder, applied with a puff this time, leaving it on until the last moment for putting on the bodice, and then rub it thoroughly, but very gently, into the skin until it is white, and the powder has disappeared. This will serve its turn for the evening, but it is hardly necessary to remark that it should be well washed off with hot water before retiring.— Gentlewoman.