Preserve the Beauty of Your Skin

Mrs. Haifa Rustom is of Lebanese origin. She emigrated to the United States some thirty years ago, and she is a specialist in the art of women's beauty culture in its various branches. She recently returned to Lebanon to practice her art in Beirut, and it pleases us that she answers a few questions relating to the art of her specialty:

Q. — How can a woman manage to preserve her beauty in general?

A. — I have elementary rules that are necessary for every lady who cares about her beauty.

First: exposing herself to fresh air.
Second: doing physical exercises every day.
Third: complete rest for an hour after eating.
Fourth: thinking of everything that is pleasant and cheering, and keeping away from thoughts of troublesome matters — for the face is the mirror of the thoughts, as you know.

Q. — You are quite right. And is there any advice you can give to ladies whose faces show early wrinkles? How can these wrinkles be avoided, and removed if possible?

A. — There is no doubt that wrinkles increase with age, but I have noticed that ladies here in Lebanon show age sooner than American ladies, and the reason, as far as I observe, comes from making too many movements of the face and eyes, such as frowning and raising the eyebrows. It is very easy to avoid these wrinkles by accustoming the face to constant relaxation and the eyes to opening fully in a natural, unforced way.

Q. — In view of your long experience in your work, we would like you to give us some practical advice concerning the beauty of the skin.

A. — After my long experience I have found that too much washing of the face and neck with soap and water does not agree with the beauty of the skin, and tends to dry the face and help form wrinkles. I therefore advise ladies not to use soap and water more than twice a week; apart from that, a lady should coat her face and neck with cold cream and wipe it off gently with cleansing tissue or a piece of soft gauze, and after that splash her face and neck with cold water for five minutes and dry them well.

Q. — And what is Mrs. Haifa's opinion of the face creams that fill the markets? Is it wise to use them according to the directions that come with them?

A. — That is a difficult question that goes to the very heart of my specialty... Naturally a lady must not use any kind of face cream blindly. There are specialists who advise her on the kind that suits her skin and her age. Some ladies have dry skin, and others have oily skin. And it will not do for a girl of twenty and her mother to use the same cream... I believe that after thirty a woman should use a nourishing cream for her skin, to guard it against slackening and wrinkling.

Q. — What is the connection between the mind and the skin? I notice that the Americans refer very often to this psychological connection — what is it?

A. — This is a very important point... I advise every lady never to think that she has grown old and that every day she is growing older than the day before, for this thought alone is enough to make her look older than she really is. Let her thoughts always be clean, let her live a wholesome life, and let her always be active and do useful work, for all this is reflected in her outward appearance, so that she looks young even if she has advanced in years and her hair has turned gray.

Q. — And now, Mrs. Haifa, I shall trouble you with one last question, from which we want a practical benefit for our dear readers... Is there a simple recipe that can be used for the beauty of the skin?

A. — Yes, there is a recipe that is very simple and useful at the same time... Take a lemon, wash it well and clean it of specks and the like, cut it up, peel and all, into small pieces, and put them in a small bottle filled with water; then put it in the refrigerator or in a cool place for a week. After that, use a little of it each morning after washing your face: rub your hands with this liquid and pat it with your fingertips onto your face and neck. It will go a long way toward keeping your skin from slackening.