The Art of Beautification Through the Ages

Beautification has walked side by side with woman throughout the ages gone by. The beautiful queen of Egypt, 'Nefertiti,' lived thirteen hundred years before Christ, and used aids to beauty which, primitive though they were at that time, were without doubt the first seed at the foundation of modern beautification.

One cannot but remember 'Cleopatra' at the mention of the word 'henna,' for it was she who used it, and abundantly, for her hair and her palms.

It is civilization, not vanity, that has called for the invention of fashions and the devising of the means of beautification. Do not expect every woman to be a striking beauty; but a strange impulse drives her to search out ways of improving her endowments and increasing her charm. The history of beautification is truly astonishing. In the reign of Queen 'Elizabeth' luxury reached its peak: the women of the palace enjoyed distilling perfumed waters, and took private lessons in compounding preparations and washes. Even in those days woman worked to improve her face and soften her skin, washing it with wine to make it red and smooth! By the end of Queen 'Elizabeth's' reign painting the face went to such lengths that those in authority were obliged to draw up a schedule limiting such expenditures. Then the verse was reversed: in the reign of Queen 'Victoria' the women of the palace and the ladies of society strove their utmost to appear natural. In that age

the first beauty salon opened in London, in south 'Molton' Street. A lady would halt her closed carriage a hundred yards from the salon and let down a thick veil over her face, so that whoever saw her would suppose she was going to the dressmaker's. The color of powders in those days was pink and white, and there was no such abundance of kinds as there is today, when a woman can choose the colors and varieties that suit her complexion.

Finely wrought vanity cases were among the baggage a bride carried, followed by her sewing and embroidery chest. Of these there is one belonging to 'Lillie Langtry,' containing one hundred and seventy-seven pieces, among them flasks of glass and silver, buttons, a thimble, scissors, and wires for curling the hair.

Just before the first Great War the actress 'Theda Bara' created the first style of eye make-up; and so we see that despite all the refinement and improvement that have been added to beautification, it existed before — which bears out the theory that 'there is nothing new under the sun.' The level of fashion then declined: the dress reached the knees, and the waist dropped until it met the hem, and this brought a reaction in beautification. Rouge was used thickly, and artifice reached its height in the over-fine penciling of the eyebrows and the drawing of the lips in the shape of a 'Cupid's' bow, which gave the face a strange look; and the play-acting went still further in the purple period. Men of religion and husbands rose up to protest against this painting, because woman looked as though she suffered from a disease of the heart. Nail polish appeared as well: it was quite natural for the lips to be painted purple and the nails orange or dark red. This seems strange and freakish in our age, yet we cannot deny that it was the foundation of the harmonious nail-beautification renaissance of the present day.

The beautification of the face is an important matter, and on you, madam, depends making it appear splendid and attractive by choosing the suitable foundation; and you must find out to which type your skin belongs. Remember to leave no lines marking a boundary between the red and the white; let your face appear as natural as possible. The most important feature of the face is the eyes, so try your best to remove the wrinkles around them. Few women have been granted by nature beautiful eyes and long, upturned lashes; but every one of us can use kohl or mascara. Take care to keep your lipstick freshly renewed, and to wear the dark colors that harmonize with the nature of this season and heighten your magic and your charm!