The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1889-02-02
BEAUTY NOT SKIN DEEP.
Results of Day Spent in "Beau-
tifying" Parlor.
Growing Use of Cosmetics Among Young
and Old FutiIity of Lotions and Pow
ders-About the Completion
The Surest Beautifier.

The Surest Beautifer.
Eight million dollars are spent an
nually by the women of America for
paints, powders and cosmetics.
This item has been going the rounds
of the press recently, and after had
read it for about the sixth time [ de-
termined to start on tour of lnvesti-
cation and to find out for myself if the
profits from the sales of cosmetics are
so enormous.
1t is not a difficult matter in New
York to find one of the establishments
where they promise to make a raving,
tearing blonde beauty of you, a radiant,
brilliant brunette-as you fancy-in
less than no time at all, if you will
only invest in the one and only balm,
or lotion, or powder which is there
manufactured on the premises.
The first place of this sort which
visited was presided over by blonde
young woman, who smiled sweetly and
assured me, if l was looking for
preparation which would impart the
flush of June rose to my cheeks and
the sunniest gold tint to my hair, l had
come to just the right place.
This preparation is the only toilet
article which is absolutely harmless;
it has stood the test of ninety-five
years, is known throughout the whole
world, and is composed of perfect
ly-"
At this point l interrupted her, or
she would still have been going on
about the merits of the cosmetic.
told her that my time was limited;
and if she had got started again on the
theme, | intended to intimate that |
had to catch train for some distant
town in the wilds of Jersey, and that
she might just as well spare her breath,
for what little complexion l have l
value too highly to spoil with any
paint or powder.
But if she would kindly give me
some idea of the amount of money an
nually expended for cosmetics in
America l would be much obliged to
her.
II should say that at least several
million dollars were spent every year.
Our sales alone are over half a million
boxes -" (mentioning the name of
their marvellous" preparation which
is so magical in its results).
''Our -- is harmless tonic which
,o,.fc, la1ioofo 10 h.
skin and youthful softness and deli
cacy. 1t is absolutely the only
Much as it grieved me to be rude, 1
interrupted her again with remark to
the effect that if l had no doubt if any
one would use -- it would speedily
make her as beautiful as Venus, as
Psyche, as Milton at the age of
twelve, and then l departed.
As wended my way down the stairs
it was with the reflection that if one
only one firm out of the thousand or
more-sold annually over half a
million boxes of a magic beautifier, or
whatever one chooses to call it, and
each box costs one dollar, the person
who had started the report about
the eight million would have to start
another one and substitute billion for
million.
Are there any more compilations,
left, / asked myself, or are they all
just compounds of liquid, powder and
paint? Is it possible any longer to find
"a woman's face with natures own
hand painted?"
As | walked down the avenue, |
scrutinized the faces | met, and | am
happy to say that to all appearances
the compilations of seven ladies-no, /
will say eight-out of ten were just as
nature had made them, or if not the
little red' had been ''stolen on" so
cunningly that one could easily be de-
ceived and mistake art for nature.
Woman is very clever individual,
we all know, but think it is seldom
that she resorts to the use of rouge de
something or other, or poudre de-
this or that, without showing that she
is ''whitewashed. >
The absolutely imperceptible" cos
metic may be extensively advertised
and more extensively used, but, excuse
the paradox, there isn't any such thing.
1t is just as plain, my dear madame,
that you ''artifcialize" as that you
have a nose on your face, and much
more unbecoming to you than your
nose, which by not taking just the
right curve has spoiled the symmetry
of your face.
Since starting out it had occurred to
me that if l could only spend a day or
two in an establishment where COS.
metics are sold, | might find much
amusement in watching the different