Travellers’ 'Troubles

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 868, 11 January 1930, Page 24

Travellers ’ 'Troubles

COMFORT IS ESSENTIAL TO AN UNFATIGUED APPEARANCE AT JOURNEY S END. I J AVOID EYE-STRAIN Happy is the woman who can emerge from train, service car, or even owner-driven car at the end of a long journey and feel able to face the world in the knowledge that her appearance is fit for scrutiny. »■ No matter what your medium for travel, if you would be comfortable—and after all comfort is the first essential to ensure an unfatigued appearance at your journey’s end —you must consider your dress. The plainer and trimmer your attire the beter. A neu-tral-tinted garment that will not show dust is best, and it is a god plan to cover this with a light silk coat also of a shade that does not make dust too apparent. Remember that navy blue and black show dust more than any other colours. A small, well-fitting hat with a slight brim is the best choice of headgear. It will keep your hair tidy, the small brim will shade your eyes, and if you are in a train you can remove and it will not take up much space. If you have a wave that you wish to keep in order, set a net. securely over it before putting on vout hat and your hair will defy criticism at the journey's end. TO GUARD YOUR SKIN To ensure that your skin will take no harm from the dustiest, grimiest journey, thoroughly cleanse your face and neck before setting out. If you merely apply a smear of cold cream and a layer of powder to your face before beginning a long journey, you will find at its end that the dirt will be ingrained in your skin and be very difficult to remove. When your skin is thoroughly cleansed you may give it a generous application of cream. Leave it on for a few moments, then wipe oft' the superfluous cream and wash over the face with extract of witch-hazel. Pat this in with cottonwool or a clean linen pad and then apply your powder and whatever other cosmetics you use. Even those who are not addicted to the lipstick’should use a lip-salve when on a long journey; it will keep the lips from drying or cracking. A small toilet equipment is a happy possession, particularly on a long train journey. Have in it a small bottle of cleansing lotion, a little pot of cold cream, powder, lipstick, cotton wool, astringent lotion, an eyebath and lotion. It sounds quite a lot. but the lotions can be put in two 01even one-ounce medicine phials and thus take up a minimum of space. A splendid cleansing lotion can be made of two parts of rosewater to one part of glycerine and one part of lemon juice. Another is made of equal parts of peroxide and water. Of course, in using peroxide j’ou must be very careful to see that it does not go near eyebrows or lashes; should it do so your face would soon present a very bleached appearance. When you are nearing your journey's end, if you are in a train, you can retire with your little toilet box. Notv saturate a piece of cotton-wool with the cleansing lotion and go over all your face and neck with it. renewing the wool if it becomes too grimy. When you have cleansed your skin apply a little cream, and while this is penetrating use your eye-bath. The best eye-lotion, if you have not a favoured prescription, is boracic, made by dissolving a heaped teaspoon of boracic powder in a scant pint of boiling water. Very gently dab round the eyes with cotton wool to dry them, and, with the w’ool. remove the cream, then apply the astringent lotion. Pure witch-hazel is again recommended, or equal parts of eau de Cologne and distilled water. When this has dried or has been patted in, apply powder and use the lip-stick. If you use rouge put it on before you powder, and finally, with damp cotton-wool, remove from brows and lashes any powder that may have adhered to them. If you have discarded your hat set your hair in order and put the hat on again, and when the train pulls up at the station you will look as fresh as if you had just emerged from your boudoir. This programme can be carried out on a motor journey or in a private car if your driver is not too desperately hurried to slow down and idle by the roadside before coming into the populous part of the town you are visiting.

The all-night train traveller should add a face-washer, a small cake of good soap and a guest towel to the toilet equipment, but the tourist should not attempt to have too thorough a wash, as the water is usually hard and stale. Let your damped and soaped washer suffice until yon can get a bath and wash off travel stains and relieve travel aches. EYES NEED CONSIDERATION Your eyes need special consideration on a train journey. It is distinctly bad to use them for reading in a rapidly moving vehicle. After all, the country you are moving through should offer you as much interest as any book. If you can do so—some people cannot —sit with your* back to the engine. Seen from that viewpoint a flying landscape does not affect the eyes. If the country is familiar, close your eyes and rest sight and brain. The glasses which are usually worn to protect the eyes 011 a motor journey are to be recommended for the train.