Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/739

 711 BEAUTY coUarless indoor dresses, and by taking especial care of our ill-used necks whenever possible. Close wrappings of furs and scarves around the throat should be avoided when out of doors, and all collar-bands should be lined with white. To take away that dried, withered look which much be-gloved hands and a con- stantly enwrapped throat acquire, there are many resources. None, however, acts more effectually than the homely gruel, which I once saw bring a discoloured neck up to standard in a week. In this particular instance fine oatmeal was mixed with fresh buttermilk daily, and the paste was dabbed on the neck and allowed to dry on. Not many of us can afford the time for this uncomfortable process, nor are able to get the buttermilk ; but a wise woman can suit the idea to her needs, remem- bering to deal gently with the skin of the neck, as it is really more sensitive than that of the face. The Neck of the Frenchwoman Frenchwomen often spray the neck with elderflower water, and then gently massage until the skin is soft and white. The tell- tale wrinkle round the neck is thus kept at bay — this, by the way, appears to come more readily upon the long, thin neck than upon a short one. A delicate cream is then smeared over face and neck, and left a few minutes before being wiped off. A slight dusting of powder leaves the skin in nice condition. Almond cream is suitable for whitening the neck. To make this cream, blanch five ounces of sweet almonds and one ounce of bitter almonds, and beat them till smooth with half-ounce of white curd soap and one half-pint of rose-water. Add gradually two pints of rose-water and one pint of rectified spirits, in which have been dissolved twenty drops of oil of lavender. This recipe, of course, makes a large quantity of cream, and can be divided. Lemon- juice is a whitener for the skin, and a very simple preparation is made of a pint of rain or distilled water, ten drops of otto of roses, and a wineglassful of lemon- juice. Adapt the Treatment to the Case One recipe, however, will often prove efficacious where another, for some reason, is not suitable. It is wise, therefore, always to consider well the peculiar needs of one's skin before persevering with any particular recipe. Glycerine, for instance, irritates one skin and is beneficial to another, and if discretion is not used in its use, there is failure instead of success. For this reason a choice of recipes is given in these articles. Another preparation which often is of service in whitening a discoloured skin can be made as follows : Cut up a cucumber — after peeling it — place the pieces in a pint of new milk, and simmer for an hour. To the liquid resulting — a little more than half a pint — add a tablespoonful of glycerine and a pinch of boracic acid, to keep the decoction sweet for a day or two. It ought to be used freshly made, and is no use once it has gone sour. Where the neck becomes red, and there is that ugly line marking the commencement of the collar habitually worn, much can be done by the steady use of an emollient cream, lanoline, or a cold-cream made with lanoline — i.e., dissolve seventy-two grains of borax in nine and a half ounces of water. Melt together six ounces of lanoline, two ounces of spermaceti, and two ounces of white wax, and add fourteen ounces of almond-oil. Stir together until nearly cold. and then add gradually the borax-water and perfume, if desired. The Shape of the Neck The shape of the neck, however, often calLs for treatment also. The ideally shaped neck is round, twice as big as the wrist, and twice as long as the nose. Massage does wonders for the thin neck, and lanoline or lanoline cold-cream is easily absorbed by the skin. Almond oil and lanohne mixed in equal parts is also simple and good for the purpose of a skin food for the neck. Where the neck is thin, the shoulders and bust generally require attention also (but here great care is necessary). Dr. Anna Kingsford recommended linseed oil mixed with Lait Virginal, in equal parts, as a medium for this massage. Lait Virginal is made of elderflower water, one pint, to which is added, drop by drop, half an ounce of tincture of benzoin. Lait Virginal alone may be used as a tonic and astringent imme- diately after massage with one's favourite cream. Deep-breathing exercises are helpful, and a simple exercise, which improves a thin neck, can be performed thus : 1. Force the chin back close to the neck. This will make the chest rise a little, and force out the bones till one's appearance certainly seems worse than before ; but 2. With the chin held well in, turn the head from side to side as far as possible. This exercise can be done in any odd moment. Shining shoulders should go with a well- shaped neck and bust. The shoulders should slope slightly, and have suggestions of dimples. There are astringents containing alum and white of egg sold for the purpose of giving the gloss of apparent health to one's shoulders, but these preparations are comparatively useless, and the effect which. they produce is an unnatural one. Good health and massage will produce better results in the end. To be fontinucd.