The woman on whom the eyes rest with pleasure, although she be not
possessed of actual beauty, is almost certainly the woman who takes
dainty care of her person and gives thought to its adornment. It is quite
true that by attention to these points even the woman to whom nature
has been grudging may become pleasing to look upon and
reflexly happier herself.
Like all things worth while, this personal expuisiteness is the result of
unremitting care. Health is the first consideration in its achievement.
Regular bathing is a necessity--twice a week a warm tubbing,
and a cool plunge daily. Exercise must not be neglected.
While the daily constitutional in the open air soothes the nerves
and refreshes the body, after all there is no occupation which developes
such all-round symmetry of figure as housework, if it be not too heavy.
In addition to her daily work, let the woman who wants to keep her waist
youthfully trim use a few stretching and bending movements every morning
as soon as she gets out of bed. Standing properly; chin in, chest up,
shoulders down, hips back; let her raise her arms straight forward until
the tips of her fingers touch the floor. The bending must be entirely
at the hips, not at the knees. Recover and repeat, a few times at
first, until twenty repetitions do not tire. Here is another valuable
exercise: Stand erect, bend to the right, knees straight, reaching
down with the right hand as far as possible and raising the left under
the left shoulder. Repeat, stretching down with the left arm.
Twisting at the waist toward the back, in turn from right to left,
while feet and hips are kept quiet; and rising slowly on the toes
while breathing deeply, tend to suppleness and grace.
Habitual deep breathing is the essential of good circulation, which
lies at the root of personal charm; this strong pulsing of the blood
is the chief end of all exercise. It need hardly be said that for the
sake of appearance as well as health, breath should be taken only
through the nostrils, which warm the air and filter it of dangerous microbes.
Self-denial in the matter of rich foods and sweets, as well as over-
eating generally, is well worth while to her who values skin beauty.
The skin must receive special care, for the blood is cleansed
through its agency as truly as through the lungs, For the
nightly scrubbing, complexion brushes of camel's hair are used,
with warm water and a pure soap, Castile or other. Dry the
face and hands carefully and rub into the skin a little good cream
which should have a glycerine base if there is any tendency to downiness.
In the morning dash the face with cold water before the plunge;
if other cleansing is necessary through the day, wipe with cold cream
on bits of old linen and finish with a chamois skin kept for that
particular purpose.
Almond meal leaves the hands delightfully soft. If one has much
housework to do, rubber gloves are indispensable. Old white kids from
which the finger tips have been snipped are useful to wear at night.
For the care of the nails the only necessary tools are: orange sticks,
curved scissors, emery board and buffer. Nail powder, a tinted salve
and an acid to remove stains are also needed.
In manicuring, avoid bruising the nails if you would have them smooth
and pink, and never cut the little hem at the base of the nail or it will
grow ragged. If the nails have been neglected, soak the finger tips for
fifteen minutes or so in warm Castile suds, and scrub with a soft brush.
While the hands are still moist, gently loosen the cuticle with the
roundly pointed orange stick, and scrape away the dead tissue which
adheres to the surface of the nails near the roots. Clean the nails and
cut them in a curve matching the moons. Pointed nails are not considered
in good taste. Smooth and curve the nails with the emery board, beveling
the edges slightly. Remove stains under the nails by inserting the
orange stick wound with a bit of absorbent cotten and dipped in acid.
Next rub the red salve into the finger ends, apply a dab of powder to
each nail, and polish with the buffer. The gloss is renewed after washing
by friction on the dry palm. A little olive oil applied occassionally
with the orange stick just under the fold of cuticle shrinks the skin and
displays the half moons. Vaseline well rubbed in prevents splitting of
the nails.
The hair must be kept carefully free from dust by brushing with
immaculate brushes which are washed no less often than twice weekly. The
scalp itself, if oily, requires shampooing once in two weeks. Lemon
juice squeezed over the scalp after the soap has been rinsed off and
before the final hot and cold douches in clear water, imparts a
delightful sensation of cleanliness and makes the hair pliant. The
drying is best done in the sun.
And after my lady is daintily clean from her satin hair to her toes, the
thousand little accessories of dress that the possessor of a Singer
Sewing Machine can so readily fashion add not a little to the charming whole.
The simple hemstitched collar tops and cuffs finish a gown prettily and
are very quickly made on a Singer. More intricate stitches are easily
mastered; for a few hours' work one may have a goodly supply of these
dainty adjuncts.
Several sets of belts and stocks lend variety to a costume and are
quickly elaborated with the fashionable plain and pin-tuck shirring or
the simpler groups of tucks in rows, squares or lattice effect. Braiding
or decorating a blouse or costume with ornamental stitching adds much to
its attractiveness and but a trifle to cost or labor. A little ingenuity
will enable the clever woman to embody characteristic touches in almost
every article of her wordrobe and thus to express her personality in her dress.
In the making of the dainty underwear in which all women of refinement
revel, in the preparation of filmy delights to envelop the Infant; in the
production of all the charming things for the Trousseau, the Christening
and childhood, the elastic seam of the Singer Automatic is essential to
the required perfection.
The Singer's work for stitching and narrow tucking on nainsooks, mull and
lawn, and for shirring on laces, silks and taffetas is unequalled. Its
range of work makes it very valuable in handling these delicate fabrics.
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