THE LADIES

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 231, 14 February 1885, Page 14

THE LADIES

PEESERy, ATION} K QF- : HEALTH.

Cokt.g^uing ..my. rec9.mmendatio.ps.. on the subiect^oi tHe preservation ofiiealth :— . Some happy "people are born .beautiful, with, skins like milk, and cheeks like' chiria TOses,>anjcU Icarciely any aid fi's; needed from science 1 to 5 \keep 4his natural loveliness in repair. But .the? majofitylof ■Women are not so blessed, and some, even if they enjoy a tolerable 7endo\vinent of good looks during youth, B begin to : get actually plain when mature age sets in. It is, therefore, in the interests of the majority, and.not of the exceptionally fortunate, that chemistry and medicine are taxed to furnish the feminine world... with the means ,of sovereignty. of us is strong-minded enough to dispense with scientific assistance in regard to our toilette. I wish, you see, to be quite frank; and, moreover, in order to inspire you with the greater confidence, and to add weight to the suggestions made in these letters, I will justify my good faith by assuring you that I shall not recommend the use of any. wash or ungent which I have not either personally tried myself, or which is not for spund reasons entitled to confidence. And "here let me say, parenthetically, that, in my opinion, one of the raisons tVe'tre of the medically educated woman lies in the direction of the -valuable service -which her special knowledge enables her to render to the cultus of beauty.. No male physician can bo expected to sympathise, as does a woman, in the ardent .desire which all- of our sex have to be lovely and to arouse love in others. Even though his science may be equal to the task of supervising the toilette of his fair patients, he is- always prone to dismiss the topic of cosmetics and complexion lotions with a professional and somewhat disdainful " Pooh, pooh", my.' dear madam, what do you want with^such things? Take my advice and leavethem alone !" "Wherefore, anticipating some. "such response, ladies do not care to consult the family doctor on these very delicate . subjects ; and thus, wanting instructed guidance, they follow their own fancy in regard to the choice of "fards"or powders, soften -.thereby unwittingly ruining. or defacing the ; '-natiifal charms which it is their aim to' enhance.' •..•-.■•• All the masc.ulinQ..'sex,are. x aui enable to the effects of beauty, -Jbut they would rather not know its.. secrets, they feel that the 'fascination of a trick is gone for them when once they ; learn " how it's done." What if the -.slaves of .'the drawing-room nymph should be initiated into the mysteries of her- morning and evening devotions to Queen-Venus, should behold the jugs of distilled and pex-funied waters, the post oil cold -cream, the rose vinegar, the preparations for the Vapour bath; ana all f;he other insignia adjuncts; of-, the. sacred rites made ready by the 'attendant 1 priestess? Wo, we do not show- ; .these secrets of the "Bona Dea" to men ;.we do not even talk about them, but for the greater number of us they are, nevertheless, necessities,' if-we mean to reign, and t:> hold in the world a power and place that .shall sustain our moral influence upon it ; for if a bad woman, eiidowed with beauty, can yet command the hearts of men, what may not a good and noble woman do possessing the.same inestimable gift ? Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland, the^^ildest. and wickedest .of Charles the Second! s favourites; < was onee — at a time -when her rapacity and lavish expenditure were creating disturbances at Corirt, and disaffection in ' the,' whole country — stopped in her carriage, by a furious- mob, and assailed with maledictions, hootings, and hisses. "The people loudly' charged her with the burden of the. excessive taxations, which the nation then had' to bear, and threatened her with personal violence. But Barbara was no;.cowaf d, and she : knew- the power of tieauty. Opening, her' coach door, she stepped .out into the midst of the exasperated, crowd, -and looked proudly round on the sea of malignant .face's. Instantly the mood of her . assailants changed. Her beauty, .conquered : andt disarmed them. "Blessings on- your handsome face!" they cried, and a, . bupHt jo'f i; . cheers rang out from throats -outstretched > r to ;;i curse, and revile. ; '^i a sUf.u'^ : X^ i^,-ihay.e' a greater triumph than, that— to paralyse the wrath of a howling mob, wither the imprecations on the'vlipsTTofi de'spera'te'" ( meh,"'ahd J convert foes into friends by "the magic, ,o| '-a single glance? : ...,-..,. „., ,7^'-'. That is what beauty has done for bad women. But beauiy and goodness together — ah, that is the power of the angois.- What a pity it is, however, that -to' 'fnofials it is only permitted to bo faj^fpr^sp, brief :a span! Few women retain the", fulness of, their charmll^g^afteir-tfiirty.L/Al aiule, Time is Mnfter WbMndes^tHan to prunes, but he is gallant to none, anS •/foky>firids all : of us conjugating our past tenses with a- touch of sadness. \' It was, it has been) it " might liave 'be'ea l' 1 / Alack 'l; Why ,ca"niiijt.,we, like: the sjtpYy.-bppk princ.esses ; Ayho had fairy godmothers, remain young and .handsome for a hundred years ? . . - . - /You are.not fortjjr, r my. 'iady ;^readers, nor. even thirty-five; "-'but- ;& Way. ; perhaps. advan T . tage you, as the ,old / Engifsh ! writers woiiLd say, to know •bbforGh^^^hait' 'ydu { -Should 1 ' >dp to defendyo^jself against v^h© encroach-

ments of the enemy. For instance^ if you would prevent the formation, of wrinkles, and keep the skin of your face from falling into furrows and crows' feet, you. must use a coihplectiom tonic or "skin tightener." Any lotion containing myrrh, tannin, pomegranate root, vinegar or alum will conduce to prevent or to dissipate wrinkles. A few drops of myrrh, added to a wineglassful of distilled water, may be sponged over the face after bathing it. in hot rain .water in the morning ; decoction of oak bark, or of gallrivuts, containing tannic and gallic acid, ■may, he prepared by adding to an ounce or two ounces of the bruised bark or powdered gall-mits a pint of distilled Water. The mixture should then be boiled down aud strained. Decoction of pomegranate root is made by adding to an ounce and a-half or two ounces of the sliced root, either fresh or dried, forty fluid ounces of distilled water. Let this boil down to twenty fluid ounces, and then strain the decoction.

Fragrant' preparations of taunic and pomegranate root may be made by saturating the powdered oak-bark, galls, or root with aromatic vinegar. In cases where the face has a tendency to wrinkle very much through excessive flabbiness of the skin and absorption of the natural fat, it is preferable to apply the skin tonic at night, so that it may remain longer in contact with the cuticle. For this purpose, unguents may be made by mixing tannic or gallic acid with glycerine, in the proportion of one ounce of the acid to six of the glycerine. Rub the ingredients together in a mortar, then transfer the mixture to a porcelain dish, and apply a gentle heat until complete solution is effected. Annoint the face on going to bed, and then wipe gently over the surface of the skin with a soft toAvel, so as to remove excess of moisture. Ido not give directions for the use of alum, because few skins will bear, uninjured, the application of this metallic astringent. Of vinegars, I recommend as ; tho be st I know the vinaigre de toilette of the Society Hygienique. Vinegars for the complexion are frequently made with diluted acetic acid, in which are infused rose-leaves, lavender, verbena, or some other fragrant substance. Toilet vinegar should be used much diluted, and is best employed after the hot ablution in the morning, for the purpose of cooling the skin, of removing the tendency to greasiness, to which some sallow complexions are liable, and of bracing the epidermis. Vinegar must not, however, be used when soap has just been applied, because the acid of the vinegar Avill decompose the soap, and injury to the skin will result.

Isfever use any kind of liquid wash for the face containing metallic powder in solution, or earthy substances, such as chalk ; for such cosmetics, drying on the skin, cause it to contract, form a solid coating over, the cutaneous glands, and will, if frequeutly emploj^ed, prove a fruitful source of wrinkles and crows' feet. Under the influence of such applications the skin hardens, shrivels, and .becomes blotched and roughened.