Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-22
FINE COMPILATIONS.
CONSIDERATION OF A MATTER IN.
 TERESTlNG TO LADIES.

Efforts, False and Correct, to Make tbe
 Do Moro Harm Than Good-Clear. Soft
 Water the Best of All.
 Of all the gifts that go to the making up of beauty, nothing catches the eye so distinct lively and instantaneously as the clear red and white tints that render the most ordinary face an attractive one The lack of at least . good complexion aims all other beauties, and with a coarse or dingy skin the most perfect Grecian profile excites no admiration.
 Therefore it is that from the beginning of history women have resorted to all sorts of devises for improving their complexions from the pleasant and luxurious milk bath to the repuldve application of raw veal, and the dis comfort of masks and poultices Many of these devices sound anything but cleanly yet the end to be attained was deemed worthy of any inconvenience or suffering
 The constant and persevering use of water only, had these ancient danes but known it, would have effected the desired transforma- ton far more thoroughly; but a fixed article of belief with them in securing good com plexion was to abstain from washing the face This idea is said by keen writer to have had some grains of sense in 1t, as, when the dogma prevailed, bathing the body was not practised
  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 work ing order by the daily bath.
 JUST A LrTTLN SOAP.
 This error prevailed long time ago; but even now @ traditional woman, somebody's grandmother or great grandmother, who must have had something feline In her ma ture, Is brought to the front with her bit of flannel, which she never even dampened, merely polishing off her pretty face with 1t every morning; and because of this habit we say in spite of it-she had O complexion of lilies and rosesl
 It is quite possible to go to the other 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; but as this soap Is the coarsest and strongest of alkali preparations, nature had probably been extra generous in this case and given a complexion that remained beautiful in spite of the most ignorant at ternpts to spoil it. Twice week is often enough for the use of soap, which should be of the purest and most delicate kind; and just before retiring is the best time to ap- ply it.
 A lady who retained her fine, fresh com plexion as long as she lived which was some years over 70, always washed her face at night with very warm water, using white Castile soap once or twice a week. Her hands did the work of a wash rag and the soap was rinsed of with a soft sponge. The complexion should never be exposed to the outside air nor to tho fire within an hour after washing, and the same time should elapse after a walk or drive before applying water to the face It should at all times be protected from wind and sun by 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 O mask can scarcely be called a comfortable proceeding, but it is said to be . marvellous whitener of the complexion, and two or three hundred years ago 1t was in common use among the French court ladies The fashion has been revived in the ''cos1netic | masks" so often advertised, and used with | very powerful applications. But soft water 1 and closely fitted face covering of quilted | cotton or channels skin are moro efficacious | than these elaborate and expensive apph- ances, and they are certainly harmless. EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL TREATMENTS. | A clear, fresh complexion gives a look of cleanliness to the person possessing it, and l the practice of cleanliness will best accom- | plish this result, as there Is no beautifer | equal to the daily tepid bath. But any water | win not do, and hard water Is almost worse than none. If not naturally soft, 1t should | be made so with ammonia or borax. That | wonderful old lady, Diana of Poihers, who persisted in being beautiful at such an un- | reasonable age, is said to have used no cos metic but daily bath of rain water. This | is wonderful preserver and freshener of the l complexion, but at the present day it Is @ l somewhat inaccessible remedy. A handful | of bran to basin of water has a very cleans ' l. | 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 1 a second time without washing AS frequent | change of underclothing as possible Is a | decided beautiaer of the complexion, and this 1 luxury, once indlllged in, is not easily given up. Diluted lotos water was the favorite 1 bath in the land of the pyramids, but our 1 own Florida and rose waters are considered even better. .- --l,e
 1 A salt bath, too, Is excellent; and it Is not I necessary to go to the sea shore for it, as a 1 few cents worth of rock salt will supply the luxury for a month. A good sized lump dis | solved in a basin of wateris all that Is needed for a single application Besides invigoratng | the system, this bath Is said to freshen the complexion and restore the appearance ot | youthfulness.s One certainly "feels good' after 1t. tt-~ -- -...
 Many simple purifiers, greatly in vogue two generations ago, when cosmetics were con- ndered 4tsinful :" have lost none of their active virtues. Among these old fashioned remedies a tablespoonful of sulphur, with as much I molasses as is needed to, mix 1t, taken every d other morning for 8 week, and then. with ar interval of three days, resumed again for an other week, has quite @ magical effect on c muddy or eruptivs akin. Cream of tartar is also good, milk, if 1t does not disagree with the stomach, Is a very beautifying beverage and grape juice, pure, and simple, gives the loyehest of tints, because 1t makes the pures1 blood. ...t
 A glass of hot water, as near the boiling point as can be tolerated, taken about an houl before each meal, helps greatly to keep thu complexion in order; and half lemon may
 be added if desired, but no sugar. Powdered ] charcoal Is often cfncacious. A teesp0onfu mixed with water should be taken thre' nights in succession, and then followed bJ citrate of magnesia to remove it from tho syytem. A2S -.->s <. --. ...,..
 Prevention, however, Is always better thar cure; and a proper or improper diet ts sure tt
 tell upon tho cornplexion.-Hafper's Bazar.