Summer Has Blazed Up... So Off to the Beach!

Summer has blazed up, and the sea spreads out its shore in welcome, to receive the lovers of beauty and sport...

Summer is the season of rest and bathing, when you recover the bodily and mental strength you have lost. But do you not consider that your beauty is in danger if you neglect to care for it? It is only natural for the outer skin to burn, the hair to dry out, and the complexion to darken. So come, let us see how you can avoid this looming danger!

Prevention is better than cure! To act on this proverb, begin taking sunbaths deliberately, in short spells at first, then add a few minutes to them each day; and you must use a cream that prevents burns and irritation of the skin, and plays the part of the natural oil. Your neglect for a day or two may cost you a stoppage of two weeks or more; and some of the cream is bound to come off while you bathe, so hasten to renew it, remembering that the places most exposed to the sun are the nose, the tops of the cheeks, the base and back of the neck, then the shoulders and the legs.

And now, despite your care, you find a few burns on the surface of the skin: either the day was hotter than you believed, or you forgot to renew the cream. This robs you of your rest, and you hurry to be rid of the pain. Here I advise you to use a cooling emollient that stays on the skin for eight hours and removes all the burns — and this teaches you a lesson in prevention for the days ahead.

Do not use water and soap for cleansing, but a cleansing cream that absorbs the outer grime. Keep on using the emollient for several days, and if the skin begins to "peel," do not rush to remove the flakes; leave them as they are, remembering that the new skin is all the readier to burn.

On the beach, where the sun shines in its full strength, you need more lipstick; and do not forget your eyes and eyebrows, for their color fades beside the lips. You are not obliged to use rouge, and even if you do use it, go gently, so that it does not draw attention.

As for the use of powder, take care to choose the suitable shade. How do you want your hair to look? That, too, depends on the measure of your care. Know that the open air will not keep your hair in order; choose, then, an easy coiffure that you can put right whenever it is tousled. Do not forget to wash your hair with water after bathing in the sea, and I advise you also to cover your head against the sun. There is no need to remind you that you must wear sunglasses to avoid pain in the head and around the eyes. And this is a fitting opportunity to do a few exercises that lighten the fat spots on your body.

You wish for a slender waist: stand up straight and do exercises in which every part of your body is stretched, especially around the waist; and walk quickly on the sand, for it is the best place for practicing running.

And at last — you are on the beach! So leave behind the cares of life and the toil of housework, and feel merry and light. This, beyond doubt, will make your time there the happiest part of your days!