PRICE OF GOOD LOOKS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1930, Page 6

PRICE OF GOOD LOOKS

WHAT WOMAN PAYS. “CHEAP AT £2OO A YEAR.” Figures given to the “Sunday Chronicle” reveal that hundreds of West End women must enter the sum of £2OO on the debit side of their bank balances every year as the price of beauty. And the plainer the woman the more she has to spend on making herself look charming!

It was disclosed in the Chancery Division the other day that a plastic surgeon specialising in face lifting was able to earn something like £2OOO a year. When information was sought from beauty establishments in the West End it was discovered that the cost of beauty is, very high indeed. The really beautiful woman has very little to worry about, but fate has not merely been unkind to her plainer sister; it rubs it in cruelly by making her if she want to compete, in the hea-uty stakes—spend a small fortune on various artificial aids to good looks. “Yes, the plain woman with ambition has a pretty tough time of it nowadays,” said the proprietor of a wellknown establishment which caters exclusively for women’s beauty needs. TO FACE-LIFTING—£3O. “At least once a year,” he added “the woman who is not too well blessed with good looks must have her face lifted to keep herself in trim. That costs her anything up to £3O. Then there is the upkeep—the running costs, so to speak—for once the face muscles have been livened up they must he kept in perfect order. “That means a weekly mud-pack and facial massage which will cost her a guinea.” And that is not all. The chronicle is only beginning. “Of course, the hair requires a certain amount of attention,” said tho specialist smoothly. “Every women who wants to keep herself really up to high-water mark must have a permanent wave every three months or so. Th§ fee is four guineas a sitting. Then, if she wants to keep the ravages of time in good repair she must have her hair tinted every now and then. “Usually we charge them 255. a month for this. ■ -Of course, in addition there is the usual hair routine—the singeing, shampooing, setting, and water-waving, and so on. ■ That will mean anything up to £1 a month. Perhaps if, in addition, she has n fortnightly salp friction at 3s 6d and a Turkish hath for the scalp once a month at a guinea the fashionable woman can congratulate herself on being reasonably well-groomed.” LTP-STTOK NECESSITIES. The specialist rubbed his hands and smiled. “Don’t go away yet,” he said “There’s lots more to come.” “Take the little matter of nails, for instance. Now, no really smart woman wants her nails to look ragged. To keep them in good order she must spend at least 5s a week in manicures. And then there are the eyebrows—a very important point. They want reshaping every other week, and the cost is half-a-crown—and cheap at the price.” “When going away on a holiday it is best to mb the skin with a speciallyprepared oil so that there will be no blistering from the sun. This can he obtained from any parlour for 10s. “The powder-puff and lip-stick are absolutely necessary, of course. The use of three different lip-sticks is usual —one for day use, one for night use. ail'd the n +l, ori for use whilst in the country. For these small items a modest 6s 6d should he sufficient. “All in. a woman who runs the whole gamut, lidriit manage to look passably beautiful on £2OO a year. And she can count herself lucky at that.”