BEAUTY OUT OF DOORS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 September 1938, Page 8

BEAUTY OUT OF DOORS

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE. THE TOLL OF THE SUN. The toll of being out of doors a great deal may be bleached, tow-like hair, reddened and coarsened skin, and of course, especially for gardeners, ruined cuticles and broken nails. However, fortunately, the simplest care will prevent all these bothers. A weekly shampoo and daily scalp massage with a good hair tonic is important to counteract the effect of sun and dust of the hair. A protective feeding cream at night or a sun preparation by day will help save your face from being burned or weatherbeaten: and please wear gloves when you are gardening! If you absolutely can’t some people put soap under their nails to keep the earth out; others rely on plenty of grease o’ nights. And one rather important aspect of the tough life is to remember the other side, and not forget how to be glamorous at night. Fifty-fifty at all times, please: toughness and delicacy always nicely mingled. A scented bath before dinner, a pretty house gown or pyjamas, will make your friends forget how Amazonian you looked in the potato patch. Certain beauty preparations you must have: here is a minimum list, the beauty of which is that most of the preparations will do several jobs. Permanganate of potash crystals. A pinch of these dissolved in your foot bath will tone and harden your feet be* fore hiking without “drawing” them, and will also do them good after a long day on the road. Eau de Cologne can be used as a perfume, as a refresher and, diluted with water, instead of a skin tonic if your skin is greasy or flushed. But it must be one of the good makes. Talc powder is for the bath as well as to prevent the feet becoming blistered by rubbing your feet with it or by sprinkling it inside your socks and shoes. Cold cream can do double duty as cleanser and lubricator: wipe off gently with tissues before applying a second application to lubricate the skin, which is bound to be a bit dried and roughened after long days in the open air. If you have a very dry skin you may need to take your usual special nourishing skin food with you as well. Sun oil or cream will keep arms, legs, and face free from wind-burn and sunburn. But, if you have a very greasy skin, do remember that the sun taken neat helps the skin to absorb the excess sebum (fatty matter) and to go without oil or make-up on your face over the weekend may prove to be a beauty treatment. The delicate skin, and the one that flushes easily, needs the lubrication and protection of the oil if it is to get the best out of the sun. If you use your sun oil as a powder base, pat it on, and wipe oil the surplus carefully with tissues.

In the country anwyhere, and specially walking, your rouge must look absolutely natural. And there you are. That brings us to: 2 flasks (sun oil and Cologne); 1 tiny bottle of permanganate crystals; 1 box powder —tin talc. Rouge and lipstick. The best way to pack these is in a little “hussif” rather than a box with corners which may stick into your back. You could make yourself one with a double strip of American cloth just wider than your biggest bottle, in the centre of which you stitch down a band of the cloth with loops to accommodate the bottles and boxes. In the pochette at one end go cotton wool and tissues. Or, if you prefer to carry your beauty preparations loose, you can buy very light-weight aluminium flasks and tins at most camp equipment places. In addition to the beauty preparations you will need soap not only to wash with but for rubbing on the feet before hiking. Take also a darning needle and natural wool and a few plasters with padded centres, ’to deal with possible blisters. Remember that the best way to prevent this trouble is to change into another pair of shoes directly there is friction. On a really long hike always change your shoes once to relieve the pressure. When you walk in light sandals or canvas shoes, an extra pair is no tax on your back.