WHILE THE KETTLE BOILS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 68, 11 October 1940, Page 36

WHILE THE KETTLE BOILS

Dear Friends, Envy, I realise, is one of the cardinal sins, but there is a woman I know who inspires me with despair, admira-tion-and envy! She is not very well off-but her home and her achievements

make her appear so. She does everything right-and everything in the right way. She is no longer young, but she is always so fresh, so spotless and so blooming, that she appears so, She confided to me that she pays a great deal of attention to her personal appear-ance-particularly in the care of her skin-which is smooth as a flower. "I don’t know how you do it," I said. "These beauty pursuits are exr pensive-facial treatments, cosmetics and the like." She looked surprised. " But it doesn’t cost me anything-at least as little as it takes me to"stock my kitchen shelf." As I had an hour to spare (I would hava spared it, anyway), she showed me her " cosmetics." She brought down a tin of oatmeal. This she always uses as a water softener. Soft water, she declared, is vital to a good skin. A tin of almond meal joined the oatmeal. These two she mixes together, and blends to creamy paste with equal parts of lemon juice and glycerine. Once a week she smoothes this pack on her face, allows it to dry for 15 minutes, then sponges it off. Down came a bag of lemons! Lemons, she avowed, possess many virtues. As a facial bleach for a muddy skin-to remove stains from fingers and discolorations from under the nails — and used in the final rinsing water for blonde hair, it brings out golden lights, and removes every trace of soap. A bowl of eggs joined the lemons. She advised me if ever I felt fagged outand my face felt it was falling down somewhere over my chin-to whip up the whites of one or two eggs, apply to face with a small brush in an outward and upward movement, allow to dry, then sponge off with warm water. Next appeared the sugar canister. Sugar, it appears, dissolved in hot water, and allowed to cool, makes an excellent setting lotion for the hair. The salt box followed, and its virtue lies in its brisk tonic activity in massaging the scalp when the hair is greasy and lank. To do this correctly, you must warm a little salt in a bowl, rub well into the scalp, then shampoo in the ordinary way. She reached for the milk bottle. Lovely and creamy and delicious, it looked-but it is also a valuable beauty aid. Bathing the face in milk, I was told, whitens and lubricates the skin, A honey jar was held up for my inspection. It is another skin beautifier. You wash face and neck well, then dip fingers in warm water and pat honey into the skin. Let remain on a few minutes, then wash off in cold water. A tin of clear mutton fat was now brought to my attention. This is a wonderful skin emollient-rubbed well into the skin, it will dispel all roughness and redness, Last of all came the vinegar bottle. As my lady is a brunette, she sets a particular store by vinegar. When added to rinsing water, it brings out unsuspected red lights in the hair. I departed-no longer enviousmerely admiring and wondering at woman’s ingenuity and acumen. Yours cordially,

Cynthia