Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-31
FINE COMPLICATIONS.
Proparafions Which should be Avoided
by Those Who Desire Smooth Skins.

Preparations which should be Avoided
by Those Who Desire Smooth Skins.
From Hrpers Baxsr.
OF all the gifts that 60 to the making up Of
beauty nothing catches the eye 80 distinctively
and instantaneously a. the clear red and white
tints that render the most ordinary face an At
tractive one. The lack Of at least good COM
plexion dims all other beauties, and with .
coarse or dingy skin the most perfect Grecian
profile excites NO admiration.
Therefore il IL that from the beginning Of
history women have resorted 10 all sorts of de-
vices for improving their complexions, from
the pleasant and luxurious milk bath TO the re-
pulsive application Of raw veal and the discom-
fort of masks and poultices. Many of these
devices sound anything but clearly, yet the end
to be attained was deemed worthy of any in
convenience or suffering.
The constant and persevering use Of water
only, had these ancient danes but known il,
would have effected the desired transformation
far more thoroughly; but a fxed article Of
belief with them in securing a good complex
ion was to abstain from washing the face. This
idea is said by a keen writer to have had some
grains Of sense in it, as, when the dogma pre-
vailed, bathing the body was not practiced to
any extent, and had the face alone been
favored with ablutions the unclogged pores
would speedily have brought to the surface the
impurities that should have escaped through
the numerous outlets kept in working order by
the daily bath.
This error prevailed a long time ago; but
even now q traditional woman, somebody's
grandmother or great-grandmother, who must
have had something feline in her nature, is
brought to the front with her bit Of flannel,
which she neuer even dampened, merely polish
ing off her pretty face with il every morning;
and because of this habit-sce Say in spite Of it
she had q complexion Of lilies and roses!
It is quite possible to go to the otheS ex-
treme, and utterly ruin the skin with soap and
water. A handsome brunette declared that
she owed her rich clear coloring and satin
texture to liberal use of common brown soap;
alkali preparations, nature had probably been
extra generous in this case. and given q COM
plexion that remained beautiful in spite of the
most ignorant attempts to spoil 1t. Twice Q
week is often enough for the use Of soap,
which should be Of the purest and most deli
cate kind; and just before retiring is the best
time to apply it.
A lady who retained her fine fresh complex
ion as long as she lived, which was some years
over seventy, always washed her face at night
with very warm water, using while CASTLE soap
once or twice a week. Her hands did the work
ks
a soft sponge. The complexion should never
be exposed to the outside air nor to the fire
within an hour after washing; and the same
time should elapse after a walk or drive before
applying water to the face. 1t should at all
times be protected from wind and sun by o
veil, the thicker the better, and green and gray
are the best colors to use, as blue draws the
sun and causes freckles.
Sleeping in mask can scarcely be called Q
comfortable proceeding, but it is said to be .
marvellous whitener Of the complexion, and
two or three hundred years ago it was in COM
mon use among the French court ladies. The
fashion has been revived in the cosmetic
masks so often advertised, and used with very
powerful applications. But soft water and a
closely fitted face-covering of quilted cotton
chamois-skin are more eficacious than these
elaborate and expensive appliances, and they
are certainly harmless.
A clear, fresh complexion gives look OF
cleanliness to the person possessing it, and the
practice of cleanliness will best accomplish
this result, as there is'no beautifier equal to a
daily tepid bath. But any water will not do,
and hard water is almost worse than none. II
not naturally soft, it should be made SO with
ammonia or borax. That wonderful old lady,
Diana of Poitiers, who persisted in being beau
tiful at such an unreasonable age, is said to
have used no cosmetic but daily bath of rain
water. This is wonderful preserver and
freshener of the complexion, but at the present
day it is a somewhat inaccessible remedy. A
handful of bran to a basin of water has a very
cleansing and softening effect, and oatmeal il
equally good
The ancient Egyptian women of the higher
class, whose compilations were of rose-leaf
texture and coloring, bathed not only daily,
but almost hourly, and never wore their linen a
second time without washing. As frequent q
change of underclothing as possible is q
decided beautifier of the complexion, and this
luxury, once INDUCED in. is not easily given
up. Diluted lotos-water was the favorite bath
in the land of the Pyramids, but our own
Florida and rose waters are considered even
better.
salt bath, too, is excellent; and it is not
necessary to 60 to the seashore for it, as q few
cents worth of rock-salt will supply the luxury
for a month. A good-sized lump dissolved in
a basin of water is all that is needed for q
single application. Besides invigorating the
system, this bath is said to freshen the COM
plexiOn and restore the appearance of youth
fulness. One certainly 'feels good" after it.
Many simple purifiers, greatly in vogue two
generations ago. when cosmetics were consid-
cred ''sinful," have lost none of their active
virtues. Among these old-fashioned remedies
tablespoonful Of sulphur, with as much
molasses as is needed to mix it. taken every
other morning for a week, and then, with an
interval of three days, resumed again for an
other week, has quite a magical effect on o
muddy or eruptive skin. Cream of tartar is
also good; milk, if it does not disagree with
the stomach, Is very beautlfylng beverages;
and grape juice, pure and simple, gives the
loveliest of tints, because it makes the purest
blood
A glass of hot water, as near to the boiling
point as can be tolerated, taken about an hour
before each meal, helps greatly to keep the
complexion in order; and half lemon may be
added if desired but no sugar. Powdered
charcoal is often eficacious. A teaspoonful
mixed with water should be taken three nights
in succession, and then followed by citrate Of
magnesia to remove it from the system.
Prevention, however, is always better than
cure; and proper or improper diet is sure to
tell upon the complexion.
Toni Biron, the Frenchman, of Niagara Falls,
who is under arrest charged with setting fire
to the Prospect Park house there, waived fur
ther examination Saturday, and was admitted
to bail in the sum of 81 500
William Carr, one Of Pittsburg's millionaire
business men, died Saturday.
A count Of noses in the Minnesota legisla-
ture shows the strength Of the candidates for
United States Senator to be about as follows:
Sabin, IS; Washburn, Is; Donnelly, z; the
Clapp-Rea combination, Is, and the rest scat
tering. There is talk of dark horse.
jackson, the Australian slugger, who de-
feated McAulife in San Francisco, has accepted
Kilrain's challenge to fight him.
Natural gas was struck at Greenwood, Steu-
ben county, N. Y, Saturday at depth of 700
feet. Experts who have inspected the well
pronounce it the best one in New York state.