The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-02-03
FACES ON THE STAGE.
Tricks BY WHICH THEY MAY DEFY
TIE FooTLIGHTS.

No Natural Complexion, However
Brilliant, Is Proof Against Their
GIarc-Methods of Professionals In
Making Up.
"There is no excuse for q bad make up"
So runs the legend to be read weekly in
the advertising columns of leading the
atrical newspaper. Yet bad make ups
abound both on ard off the stage. De-
spite preccpts and awful examples, it
seems that some women will not learn
certain simple truths, rs, for instance, that
theatrical rouge should not be used in tho
open air by daylight; that the eyebrows
should never be made more than shade
darker than the natural hair OF the head
at its darkest, that bright red lip salve
makes the teeth look abominahly yellow
unless they happen to be exceptionally
white; that none but the blondest of
blends should ever wear dead white pow
der; that liquid make up of any kind
should never be used by daylight and rs
sparingly as possible by night, and, last
and most important of all, that the lower
eyelid should not under any circumstances
be GarEenctl.
Blue or gray eyes are more effective cn
the stage than very dark ones. A pair of
blue eyes delicateiy shaded on tho upper
lids, with the eyclashcS carefully black
ened and aftcrward combed out, get over
the f0Otli 2ht' in u remarkable way,
whereas large and naturally handsome
Black eyes are apt-unless blue or black
make up be practically cschewcd and the
compilations be most carefully tored-to
look, in stage pariancc, like burned holes
in Il blanket"
Undoubtedly fair skins, light hair, and
light eyes are far better materials with
which to produce stage beauty and effect
ivcncss than brunette attractions. A
dark woman's nose continually stands in
her light. If she makes it up with white
powder, it shines as pillar of SALT if she
tones it down to suit tho black eyes and
hair, it is apt to lock red and hilarious.
a regular revolution has been effected
in the dressing room by the now almost
universal use of wig paste" or grease
paint " Certain old school actors and ac
trCsses still resent the substitution Of
grease paints for the dry, powdcry make
UPS of former years y few Old time actors
whom l have met prided themselves upon
their use of dry colors, " but there is very
little doubt that if sparingly applied upon
powdered over there is nothing which
produces SO smooth ard natural looking
surface rs grease paint
4 few years ago while playing at a
thoatcr in Chicago ! arrived late and,
'iartng through dark archway which
Md always been open, broke the bridge of
my Eoso and cut my skin very severely
against closed door. There was nobody
TO take my La!t, So | had to go on. Some
Dody dressed ne. son cGody" made me up,
yhiio L screamed! and cried with pain.
Until that night / had looked preposter
Ously young as the mother of u boy mt
least ID years my senior, but that night
after the first scene the manager came
around to compliment me On my I'M
proved mako up, my features being so
swollen that al trace Of youth was lost.
After my accident was afraid of injuring
the skin ard had the grease paint an
aty2cd by Il local druggist, with the result
that lie assured HE it was almost all tai
low and would rather tend to heal than
to poison q cut in the skin.
OF course grease paint, like every other
form of make up, can be overdone. In a
passionate love scene the well creased
check of the lovely heroine has been
known to stick to tho equally well creased
check of her ardent stage lover, but then
desirable mako up for a realistic love
scene has yet to be invented. The public,
who arc so exceedingly inquisitiye on tho
subject of an emotional actress feelings
toward the actor with whom she habitu
ally plays love scenes, might judge moro
clearly of their nature could they hear her
in her dressing room bewail the disastrous
effect of such stage direction Us takes
J., Il
ately" upon tho heroine's make up.
On hot nights making up is a misery,
the paint rolling off in pellets, while the
liquid mako up for the hands, neck and
arms to which have alluded is always
inclined to turn black upon the skin and
invariably ruins the dress of the lady who
wears it, as well as the coat sleeves OF tho
men performers l have tried all sorts of
prescriptions, cheap and dear, but have
never yet discovered one that was really
satisfactory.
Masculine make up is, if my sex will
forgive lie for saying SO, an infinitely
more elaborate and artistic thing than the
pink ard white and yellow ideal of beauty
which most actresses strive to attain.
What woman ever could or would equal
Mr.. Bcerbohm Tree, for instance, in the
versatility, the absolute perfection OF his
different stngo appearances? MIR. Tree is
young or old, handsome or ugly, stout or
thin, virtuous or absolutely diabClical in
appearance ut will. l have never seen any
actor who can transform himself so thor
oughly and yet look at u short distance SO
lifclike as he. How he contrives it have
not the least idea. In interviews he ap-
pears to mako light of this very remark
able gift. He has light eyes and light
hair in his favor to start WITH but his re-
suits are marvellous
Amateurs always make up badly. They
fail to Join their flats''-i. c., to blend
the complexion of the face into the whiten
ed neck If men, they wear mustaches in
powder parts and invariably fail to con-
ceal their own hair at the back of their
wigs. If women, they overrouge, bring
ing the color right UP to the lower eyclids
instead of toning it off, as color comes in
real life They also make the very great
mistake of putting Oh too much paint and
powder about the mouth, which should be
left US free as possible for two reasons
first, because paint is apt to turn black
upon the upper lip, and, second, because
it is impossible to express emotion facially
unless tho muscles of the mouth have full
play.
After Nine Duse's first appearance in
America n good many of our actresses
tried to initiate her by describing make
ups altogether but no skin, however bril-
liant, can stand the unnatural glare of the
footlights and look anything but pallid,
dirty and nnwholesome, and it is always
u marvel to me that in these days of ar
tistic mounting and setting those villain
Gus footlights which distort nature and
caricature beauty, cannot be done away
with altogether.
The loveliest woman in evening dress,
once she closely approaches those fatal
footlights, becomes-unless she be abnor-
mally stout-iittle better than a study in
collar bones. No natural beauty and no
make up, however artistic is proof against
them.-Detroit Free Press.
Cured His Cramp.
At an evening party in London some
fin,n fyir IynS MI