Old Books, New Tricks

As I mentioned in my first post, my years of rummaging old dusty book shops weren’t in vain, it was a fun and educational journey.

I have learned many wonderful, timeless, practical, fun and sometimes just downright weird ideas about how to look your best.

One of my favourite crazy tips is the instant facelift that you do yourself with bits of sticky tape and elastic bands.
You cut the tape into small pie shaped wedges and sew a piece of elastic to the narrow end of the wedge. Then stick the bits directly in front of each ear, pull the elastic bands tightly together and tie them together at the back of the head. Cover with hair... et voilà! 10 years younger!
I can't help but wonder what would happen if the elastic snapped half way through a tête-à-tête with a new lover, it could take his eye out and would definitely leave you lopsided and dying of embarassment.

Apparently the legendary Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper was a fan of these quick pick me ups.


Another priceless tip from the same book (The Masters Way to Beauty, George Masters 1977) is for married women.

This is how you keep the magic in your marriage past the wedding day. Each night before bed cleanse your face and apply fresh natural looking make up so you look enticing at bedtime. Hide a tiny alarm clock under your pillow and set it to wake you 20 minutes before your husband. Sneak out of bed, wash off your bedtime make up and apply your "fresh as a daisy" wake up make up (still keeping it natural), brush your teeth and get back to bed before your husband's alarm clock goes off....


In another book I found a 3-day grape juice diet. I needed to look good in a strapless ballgown and thought a couple of days would be just enough to flatten my tummy and make me feel thinner. I was very disappointed to discover that wine does not count as grapejuice and after 3 days of starvation and dizzyness I realised that all the weight had gone from my boobs, disastrous when the dress needs to fit like a glove in order to stay on.



Day 3 Beauty Habits

How to cream clean your face
First tie your hair back with a ribbon, remove lipstick and mascara with cream so you won’t push them back in your pores.
Apply cream generously with both hands so you don’t favour one side over the eother. Make sure every pore is covered, especially around nostrils, mouth corners, underlip and back of neck. Practice stroking with an upward-outward motion, gently so as not to stretch the skin.

1. At base of throat use right hand on left neck and vice versa, increasing pressure on up strokes

2. Repeat same motions from chin to ear

3. Repeat from nose to temples

4. Stroke up between eyes and out over forehead.

Finish by circling in under eyes and out over lidps very gently, This area where wrinkles show first needs constant soakiing with lubricating cream, eye cream, vegetable oils (!!) after you’ve passed thirty. Gently pat into eyelids
Let cleansing cream sink into your face a few seconds before removing with a tissue.
After you have cleaned off make-up your face should breathe overnight.

Deep Breathing

Remember every tissue and cell of your body need oxygen, be sure you take ime out once a day to get plenty of fresh air. Take at least 40 deep breaths.
Don’t be a sissy about outdoor sports. In winter dress warmly and ski, skate or walk. In summer don’t lie about exposed just to catch a male eye or a good suntan, play, swim, exercise.