Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-30


 Orris-root Gin fine powder)-one and one-half ounces.
 Mix and pass the whole through fine sieve.
 Another excellent compound for whit ening and softening the hands is called honey paste. This requires no skill to make and is delicate end eiiicacious.
 Honey Paste.
 Rub together one pound Of honey and the yolks of eight eggs; then gradually add sweet almond oil one pound, during constant triuiration, and work in bitter meal eight ounces; finally perfume with attars of bergamot and cloves, each two drachms.
 Soothing Irritated Hands.
 Chapped hands are common to persons with poorly circulating blood, or to Wo- men who are obliged to frequently im- merse the hands in either cold or hot water. Many suffer intensely from chapped hands during the summer months as well as in cold weather. In such cases do not expose the hands to sharp winds, nor to out-of-door cold without gloves do not approve CT wearing gloves indoors, unless the hands are so badly chapped as to almost bleed then annoint them with cold cream and cover them with gloves three sizes too large II is serious mistake to wear tight gloves on any occasion, but for chafed or rough hands the gloves should be as loose as possible. Anything that impedes the circulation of the blood in the slightest is detrimental to the text ure of the skin. It is not always agre-- able to use cold cream the lotion here given is a good substitutes:
 Lotion for Chapped or Rough Hands.
 (Vigier)
 Rose water-One hundred grammes.
 Glycerine--Twenty grammes.
 Tannin-FiftV centigramrnnS
 Mix thoroughly; moisten the hands with few drops when required. Also excellent for chapped hands. It may be at once allayed by the following wash, highly recommended by Monin.
 Wash for Itching of the Hands.
 Milk of almonds 800 grammes; hy- drate of choral, 1 grammes; tincture of Doppies, } grammes. Apply few drops to the parts affected.
 The Original Manicure.
 Twenty-Five years ago there were, I think, but two professional manicures in this country. though in Europe the luxu- rious classes commonly employed them, and the Parisienne has always devoted much time and care to the beauty of her flngertips About ten years ago l took a course of manicure lessons in Paris from the niece of the original manicure, Sits. This lady is now upwards of 70 years of age, for she has been an "artiste of the hand,' to use her own words, for nearly half a century. Even in those days she was not over youthful, but she was coquettish to the last degree, and used to quite overpower me during my lessons, not only by her toilettes, which were extremely girlish, but by her easy and airy style of conversation. For ex- ample, she would always speak of H. R. H., the Prince of Wales, as "ce cher prince-when I treat his nails I say to mySelf-here at least is a hand worthy of e ,1. ,1-.1, 1T cannot give her a seance tomorrow his grace the duke of-attends a garden party at g. shall be blamed indeed if his hands are not credit to the house of Sitts." l used to return from my les sons feeling that I had almost associ- ated with royalty.
 In spite, however, of this element of the ridiculous, and also of the dear old lady's extreme snobbishness, I learned a great deal from her of the care of the finger nails, and l unlearned the greater part of the art of manicuring which I had ac4 quired in America, and which. in many cases, may be better termed the art of ruining the finger nails and fingers as practiced in this country.
 Mamcuring was originated and deyel- oped by Monsieur Sits. my old lady's uncle, who was King Louis Phillipe's pedicure. In taking care of the royal feet M. Sits showed such skill that his majesty one day asked him to remove ar agnail from one of his fingers. Sits per formed this operation so cleverly that the royal client thereafter employed him. and the title of manicure was added to pedicure. Manicure means, as doubtless all my readers know, care of the hands; pedicure, care of the feet The Sits method does away with cuticle knife and mineral acids for whitening the nails. 1t also substitutes an orange wood stick sharpened for cleaning the nails in place of the steel, and employs clippers for cutting the nails instead of the curved scissors, and bit of channels skin does duty for polishing and is substituted for the buffer used in this country. The manicure set of the most fashionable and fastidious French woman therefore con sists of:
 Two clippers, one for cutting the nails of each hand; one small parcel of orange wood sticks, one square of chamois skin one box of rose-colored ointment, one box of nail powder. one velvet file.
 The Sits Method.
 This reduces the cost of manicure im- plements very much, and the most beau- tiful results are certainly obtained by the Sits method. It is the common and = -''-' s-'~ 'o" in America to cut the selvage skin which borders the naii I..-.,r1 ...... ..-.4ea Is intended to protect it. The Sits method totally condemns the use of steel either under the nails or around the lisere (selvage). Mme. Sits NtlS iOSiIdiiy says llit SfiiOOlHeSl OI so-called cleaners made of steel is sharp enough to roughen the delicate under surface of the nail; it then attracts the dust and foreign matter because of his roughness, and more cleaning only makes it worse--then acid is resorted to and the texture of the nail is ruined A properly pointed stick of orange wood such as the dentists use for cleaning the teeth is the only nail cleaner necessary It removes dust and uncleanlness and does not scratch or injure the en- amel of the nail, which is just as deli cate as that of the teeth.
 Mme Sits also declares emphatically that the border or selvage around the nail is intended to protect it. and that in cutting it you make it ragged just as you would if you jagged the selvage of a bit of cloth, and she adds; "It would be just as sensible to cut the border of your eyelids or your ears with the idea of making them even and smooth as the nails-besidcs, the very touch of a steel instrument on the enamel surface is bound to scratch the nail and cause blemishes." I recollect with great clear