The suburban citizen., 1900-12-22
The ART oF MANlcuRlNo.
The Whole Operation IL Made Plain S
Anyone May Perform IT,

The Whole Operation L. Made Plain So
Anyone May Perform IL.
An expert describes as follows the
whole process Of manicuring, so that
those who cannot pay regular visits to
a professional may know how to per-
form this interesting operation for
themselves: The finger tips must first
be immersed for a few minutes in
bowl Of hot lather made from pure
toilet soap. This is to soften the nail
and the cuticle surrounding its base.
This cuticle, or thin, tough skin, is
frequently allowed by those who ne
glect the dainty care of the hands and
nails to grow up over the matrix and
thus hide from view the pretty half
moon, or "lunula' which in all well
kept nails is to be plainly dlscerned
As soon as the skin has become nice
ly softened the fingers are taken out
Of the soap solution and gently dried
with a soft towel They are now ready
for the operation of the cuticle knife.
This must be used with the greatest
delicacy, care being taken not to
scratch the nail in any way. The point
Of the knife should be gently passed
under the edge of the skin, loosening
1t from the nail. The superfuous men,
brane or cuticle should now be cut
away with the cuticle scissors. These
are made long and slender, with beau
tifully curved points. Ordinary scis-
Nryn pk 4 Ig
1t must be distinctly understood that
this cutting Of the cuticle is only nee
essary with neglected nails. Nails
which receive proper and regular at
tentiOn have the lunula well in view,
and the skin at the base is not allowed
to grow over 1t, being gently rubbed
back every day with an ivory presser.
Whenever it is necessary to cut the
cuticle 1t must be done with a sllilful
and delicate touch, and under no cir
cumstances should blood be drawn,
as in such a case irritation and much
soreness would follow.
The nails themselves may now be
nicely cut and trimmed with nail scis-
sors. They should be cut to a pretty
oval shape and may be finished off
with file to soften and level the
edges.
The beautifying process then com.
mences by immersing the nails for q
minute in any Of the cleansing fluids
or by the use Of a little lemon juice
to free the nail from all stains and
dlscolorations. Little orange wood
sticks, sold in tiny bundles, are also
used to apply the fluid under the
corners Of the nail, and these effectu-
ally eradicate ink, gardening or other
stains, which are sometimes difficult
to remove from the edges. Now rinse
the nails in a little rose water and
commence the polishing.
The polisher, or rubber, has an ebony
Ivory or polished handle, and is COM
posed of an oval pad covered with a
piece Of fine chamois leather. A lit
tie good nail powder is sprinkled over
1t, and the nails are rubbed brisl1Iy
backward and forward until bril-
liant polish is obtained. If It is de-
sired to color nails which are not nat
urally pink, a little pink colorlng paste
may now be rubbed into them and the
polishing renewed.
To keep the nails in good condition
they should be manicured twice u
week and once a day, after washing
the hands, the thin membrane at their
base should be gently pushed back
with the ivory presser and the nails
polished with the chamois leather rub
Der.
Many persons, especially those Of
weak health, are troubled with thin,
dry, brittle nails, which are constant.
ly breaking or splitting and becoming
jagged at the edges. A lemon kept on
the washstand and used after washing
is useful for remedying this state
Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph.