Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-25
WAX-LIKE BEAUTY.
How It Is Derived from Various
Dangerous Grease-Paints.
Cosmetics Adopted by Ladies' in Beauti-
flying the Complexion-The Use of
Arsenic for the Toilet-How
Face Is Made Pretty.
INDIANAPOLIS Journal


What are coSmeticse That admirable
collection Of words compiled by the late
Mr.. Noah Webster, and to which numerous
valuable additions have been made by his
heirs and assigns, informs US that cos
metic is IAN external application that
helps to beautify and improve the COM
plexion." The sagacious and conscien-
tious physician will tell us that true COS
metics for identifying the complexion are
not the production of the chemist at ALL
nor are they exclusively external applica-
ton. Air and water externally applied
are excellent cosmetics, but wholesome
food, exercise and good digestion are eff
cient colleagues.
The least harmful of the preparations Of
art are the chalk powders, which are sold
under various euphonic and fanciful
names For the most part these tablets
are composed Of chalk finely levigated and
made into a mass by the addition of suffi-
Gent plaster of Paris to make the mass
hold together. Finer powders those with
smoother finish, have added to the chalk
a small quantity of talc-that is, soapstone
and perhaps few drops of oil are added
to heighten the gloss. Some Of the French
tablets have proportion Of bismuth. The
bismuth preparations are high-priced and
for that reason, not In popular demand.
Neither are these preparations as harmless
as those of pure chalk
The dangerous face preparations are, for
the most part, those which come in liquid
form. Many women have formulas for
making these whitewashes for the ply
20 70 ie
tanning flake-white. Said an apothecary to
the writer: 81 have sold fiake-white to
thousands Of women. 1t is nothing but re-
fined white lead. have sold it to certain
customers until have seen twitchings of
the facial muscles sufficient to indicate
premonitory symptoms Of paralysis"
A number of the liquid preparations pop
ular in the market are made of oxide of
zinc, suspended in perfumed water and
glycerine. This is usually put up in thick
Opaque bottles, and when exposed to tbs
action of strong light it will, in time be-
come dark brown or even black. Zinc
has slightly astringent properties, and as
it closes the pores reduces the exhalations
that nature demands.
The least harmful Of the preparations
sold in the shops and stores is prepared
chalk. The best prepared chalk in the
world is now made in the United States,
but as the chalk cliffs of old England have
the reputation, the American manufacture
ers compromise with the prejudice of
custom by furnishing their product embel-
Eshed with a British label The lady who
wishes to dry her face (the prevalent ex-
cuse for using cosmetics) can do SO with
carbonate of magnesia or starch, either of
which will 'kill' the glossy effect of soap
without serious obstruction to the pores
of the skin. Many of the powders, tablets
and liquid preparations sold are slightly
pinked, the coloring materials used being
rosaniline, or carmine.
At one time in this city it was suspected
that a number of women were using arse
mic internally as a means of identifying
the complexion, the use of this deadly
poison being credited with bringing about
a clear complexion and fair skin. A death
once occurred in Indianapolis due to an ac-
cidental overdose of the poison, taken by a
young lady who had begun the use of the
dangerous beautifier. Another woman,
noted for the transparency of her skin,
died victim of arsenical dropsy. The
long-continued use even of what are called
harmless cosmetics caused the veins of the
face to show more plainly, no matter how
smooth and velvety the skin may appear.
1t also makes wrinkles and doubtless many
d user of powder or whitewash, in prepar-
ing her face for the beautifier, when she
looks into the glass, is shocked at the fright
full ravageS of time, as shown in the fur
rows plowed about her eyes. Immediately,
with a trembling hand, she showers tn e
cosmetic on thick and fast and, with the
wrinkles hidden, she heaves sigh of re-
lief, and joy and pride again light her eye
number of cosmetics, particularly
those containing white lead, flake white,
oxide of zinc or calomel las some of the
liquids do can not come in contact with
certain gases likely to be in the atmosphere
without startling results. In a room in
which there may be escaping gas, for in
stance, largely composed of sulphuretted
hydrogen, parian beauty may in the
twinkling of an eye be changed to sickly
yellow and in second twinkle perhaps
turn to brown or black.
1t is told of Washington belle who had
acquired the habit of whitewashing herself
almost from the sOleS OF ner 1eet TO the
roots of her hair with cosmetics that she
one day took medicated bath, and on
coming out was Mortified to discover that
her arms had turned as black as an
Ethiopian. She sent for her physician in
great haste. On MS arrival, be examined
the once fair patient and, laughingly,
said:
Madam, you are not i'll You are simply
a chemical product You are simply q
sulphide, 1t is now only question of
chemical reaction. / shall prescribe bath
of sulphuric acid, largely diluted with
water. The acid will combine and take up
the sulphate, and we shall have, as the pre-
cipitate, very handsome woman" The
young lady took the bath, and emerged as
white, and bright, and glowing as Venus
rising from the wave. 1t would be well IL
the moral could be appended, that from
that time forth she abjured the use Of cos
metics But she did not She only
changed the brand of beautifier.