The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-05-15
R0Uq0 and Powder.
Used Since the Beginning of the Word--t Enhanced Cleo
patra's Beauty--Bab's Letter.

New York, May S.-With the absolute
avalanche of color that has overtaken
us this spring there followed as a natural
course a something that has been talked
about and against and INDUCED in from
the very beginning of the world. | mean
the use of rouge and powder. With the
curious new blue grays, the brilliant
shades of orange that suggest nastuf-
tiums and all the trying violet col0rs 1t
is difficult to find a natural complexion
that viii harmonic with two or three or
possibly five or six of these colOrs glee-
fully rampant on the fashionable cha
peau.
Nobody knows when rouge was first
used Certainly it was old when Cleo
patra chose a little of it to add to her
beauty while powder was in such ordi-
nary use that the beautiful Laura put
a little on her face because she blushed
too much when she met the gallant poet
who adored her. There is an old story
of the Mortified father who came home
and with great anger and much quick
ness said to his daughter, Il have heard
that you use rouge. The daughter
looked at him and answered, Yes father
] do" Very wel,' said the irate pa
rent, ''go up stairs and wash 1t OF at
once She did so, and in little while
there appeared sallow, pallid, dull faced
girl, whose father gave one look at her.
and then said, "Go up stairs and put it
on again.
Evidently she was not like the maidens
who give a daub of red TO one cheek and
a daub to the other and then conclude
that no one notices the added color ana
believe that they understand the art OF
make up. ANY woman who realizes that
a little pink or little white or little
black or a little brown will improve her
appearance is wise in using it, but SHE
needs first of all to get the right kind Of
tools, and next she must learn how to
manage them TO suit her special needs.
An acquaintance of mine has lusteress
eyes, one of those horrid, heavy, pastH
skins. no eyebrows to speak of. and yet
she is considered Il pretty woman. 1t is
because she knows how to dress in the
first place, and she understands the arr
of make up in the second. She never
denies to her women friends that she
calls artificial aid to assist her in being
handsome, but only to her most intimate
friends is given permission to see the
process. She considers the first neces-
sity is a proper place for her toilet ia
BILE 1t is broad, has n mirror that is
perfect in rejecting every virtue and
every vice, while in front of it is "A chair
lust the right height for "A mistress Of.
the room. for shells toe wise to tire her
self by standing or walking during the
making up operation. All about her are
glass bottles with heavy silver shoppers,
glass and china boxes, indeed all the va
rious utensils that woman needs when
she has ceased to be youthful and never
has been beautiful GOwned in pref
ty robe de chambre. having had her hair
arranged and her hands manicured, my
lady sits down to arrange her face.
The maid who helps hands her. first of
all, a tiny glass pot that holds some
sweet smelling and cooling cream. With
the aid of very thin handkerchief bare
~ a film of this is put over the entire
face and forehead. There is not enough
TO give greasy look, for whenever that
occurs it is quickly wiped off. but there
is just enough to make the rouge and
powder stay in position. Then comes
the rouge. 1t is the variety known as
the saucer" which is got from our
French cousins. and it is applied IN the
old-fashioned way with hare's foot.
Some goes under the eyes. That will
brighten them and make them look lar
cheeks, and the tip of the chin gets it's
portion, and so do the lobes of the ears
and the very tip Of the arist6cratc nose.
Then comes the really trying part. the
blending of the powder with the rouge
the laying on of sufficient white to softer,
the red and make 4 look healthful and
yet not cause it to disappear. What
must be attained is rather bright color,
which, however, has the advantage of not
fading.
Then there is need for a soft pencil,
Partisan in its make and marked
''bruin," for my lady, being wise, knows
her brows must match her lashes, which
are brown and not black. After care
fully dipping her finger into a bottle of
perfume she runs it over the place where
the eyebrows ought TO be, so that every
particle of powder and rouge is removed
from that curved line which she follows
with her brown pencil, being sure that
she does not lay il on too heavy and be-
ing very careful to give the exact line
that beauty demands. Perhaps she may
with dark blue pencil draw line under
her eyes but well bred woman is not
eager to do this, as Timing" the face
is difficult, and my lady prefers to
achieve success. Look well? Why, she
small eyed women, who chatting so
cleverly, sat down in the chair before
the mirror a few minutes ago
You look at the innumerable bottles
OF beautiful cut glass on her dressing
table, and. being bit curious, you in
quire as to what they are. The first bot
tie that you pick up has such pungent
odOr that you recognize it Mt once as di-
luted spirits Of camphor. What is it
there for? Ny lady laughs and tells You
that some times when she is dining out
h great deal her appetite gets the better
Of her. and then-well. then her nose
grows little red, and. in addition to
dieting for awhile, she dabbles the Of
Tending member every night with a little
of the camphor until il is restored to
its normal condition. Another bottle
once it's stopper is removed, gives forth
the odor Of fir trees 1t is explained Il
you that it is the tincbture Of benZoin
II few drops Of which thrown into the
water used for bathing the face, just
enough TO make it look like skimmilk
will give it a wonderfully exhiaratin2
Al.