Semi-weekly Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1871-1872, 1871-07-06
HOME CIRCLE.
SECRETS OF BEAUTY.

What is beautys A divine gift
that Providence bestows on woman
with which to gladden. the eye ani
heart of man. Have not poets sung
it from olden times? Do they moi
sing it still? Then be not callous
you who possess it, but hold it fast
while it is yours; once lost, it can
never be restored, for Nature pun
ishes those who neglect her
choicest boon by taking it from
them, often when most needed.
Again, what is beauty? Is it the
ha r, the eye, the teeth, the hand
1t is all that-and, more than all, it
is complexion. With a soft, peach
like complexion, whether fair or
dark, a women is always lovely: and
this may be preserved till q good
old age with very little trouble: to a
certain extent it may be acquired,
and it can always be improved.
How? I will tell you.
Skins, however, differ: some are
cold, soft, and moist; others are
warm, firm, and porous; some oily,
some dry. They equally vary in
thickness, color, and elasticity; but
in any case they should never come
i'll contact with animal grease. I'm
agine for yourselves, ladies, the
danger of stopping up the pores Of
your skin with the fat of animals
perhaps diseased! The idea is as
noisome as that of sleeping with
slices of uncooked beef on your
cheeks, with some misguided women
have been foolishly induced to try.
What are you to use if You may not
use cold cream? you say. There is
an answer to that question, as to all
others; Search Nature. Take the
oil and juice Of vegetables-they
never hurt. Indeed, fresh olive-oil
is the JUNCTION above all others to
soften the skin. Rub the face gent
ly every night with it and you will
soon find the skin become impervi-
Gus to storm and blast. The an
cient Greeks knew the value of oil
to the skin, and used it freely for
beauty to the skin and pliability to
the muscles. Naturally oily skins
should avoid ointments of all de-
scription. A few drops of camphor,
diluted in water, will be found more
effcacious and powdered fuller's-
earth pufed on the face after wash
ing. Exposure to the sun is very
beneficial to the skin, though ladies
object to the tanning it produces.
It was on this account that masks
used to be worn in the streets at one
time. Some ladies, it is, carried the
mask mania so far as to sleep in
masks. Marguerite de Navarro was
one Of these; Henry ~. expostu-
lated in vain, but Marguerite pre-
fered losing her husband to losing
her mask. Indeed it played not
unimportant part in their subse-
quent divorce. This shows the
folly of the whim; for a mask could
only check perspiration, and would
be most injurious to the wearer in
many ways. In fact, it only de-
serves mention to be condemned.
It was not to such tricks that Di-
ana of Poictiers, Duchess of Valen-
tinois, resorted to preserve her beau
ty to the age of three score years
and ten,-she who, at sixty-fye
rode on horseback like girl! This
remarkable woman was q celebrated
beauty in an age of beauties, yet,
strange to say, no historian has cv-
er given details of those wondrous
charms which captivsted two kings
ono of them fifteen years her junior
in age. We donot even know wheth-
er her eyes were blue or black,
whether her hair was light or dark;
we only know that she was the love-
iest woman at q court of lovely
women are, to say the least, some
what passe. People said she pos
sessed q secret that rendered her
thus impervious to the ravages of
time. Some went 80 far as to say,
in that superstitioas age, that she
had bought her secret from q very |
dark gentleman, indeed! What
vss the secret, then? Did che ever |
te.l T. Never. Did any one ever
kno IL Yes, her perfumer. Did
he never to.l its Not during her.
life. u q known. thenY Il IL. for,