Beauty advice from the archive

“THE indiscriminate wearing of artificial hair not only spoils the appearance, but is harmful in its effects."

The Lady. E. Rudolph Hair Specialist & Ladies’ Court Hairdresser. 22nd June 1911

"MOST women make the mistake of washing the hair too often, and this dries the hair and predisposes it to greyness."

The Lady. Hair Care. 2nd April 1925

“A well kept hand is an indication of good breeding and of refinement.”

The Lady, The Toilet, How to be attractive, 28th November 1901

"Blonde hair can look common so easily. In the day-time that is. At night you can let yourself go a bit."

The Lady. Testament of a Blonde. 19th January, 1939

“WOMEN who work hard at doing nothing, preserve their youth for a longer time than the toilers, but once they begin to age, they age with appalling rapidity.”

The Lady. Far and Near. 19th August, 1909

"BE careful with your mouth make-up. By careless work you may obliterate well-cut lines, and you will always achieve a badly groomed look if your lipstick is smudged and badly applied."

The Lady, Make-Up for Mouths, 8th January, 1942

“REGULAR care is, for the hands as well as for everything else, the basis of a good appearance.”

The Lady. Beauty In One's Hands. 18th January, 1934.

"THOUGH grey hairs may be "honourable" enough they unfortunately place their owners frequently at a disadvantage, and especially is this the case in the business and professional world."

The Lady. Hair Staining Is An Art. 30th November, 1916

“AN essential for the trim figure is the well made foundation garment, which disciplines unruly contours.”

The Lady. Beauty Bureau: Idly Disposed. 19th February 1953

"THE chief thing to remember is not to powder too much. A rather shiny face comes out far the best."

The Lady. The Art of Being Photographed. 10th April 1930

“THE face that looks bright and natural in sun or daylight becomes colourless and insipid by night”

The Lady. Facing the Daylight. 4th February, 1932

“NATURE occasionally fails dismally in her duty in the matter of the tress she bestows – and it is not much use having nice features unless they are framed by prettily growing hair.”

The Lady. A Triumph Over Nature. 28th December, 1916

"A BEAUTIFUL mouth is one of the first things that attracts attention, one that has soft, mobile lips and that smiles without stretching in an ugly way or remains tight and close."

The Lady. Learn to Smile. 28th December 1922

"NOTHING adds so much to personal attractions, as a bright, clear complexion and a soft skin. Without them the handsomest and most regular features are but coldly impressive, whilst with them the plainest becomes attractive."

The Lady. Good Complexion and Nice Hands. 16th January, 1890

"THERE is no dull-season in the world-wide desire to be attractive. The style of living to-day, the high pressure at which work and play, together with late hours and rich living all tend to work havoc health and digestion."

The Lady. How to Preserve Beauty and to Improve the Appearance. 18th January, 1900

"FASCINATION springs from the hidden depths of character. It will never be gained by face-posturing before the looking-glass."

The Lady. Gargoyling: A new Art. 10th January, 1907

"BEAUTY herself must have a care with perfume, which to be perfect should be subtle as a charm and clean as lavender."

The Lady. Perfume. 28th January, 1904

"AS lips become more deeply coloured so eye make-up must lessen in intensity - this must be so if a pleasing balance is to be achieved."

The Lady. New ways and means... 15th February, 1968

“DYES and hair paints are, of course, strictly tabooed by men and women of refinement. This is not only good taste but good sense too. Dyed hair is always conspicuous.”

The Lady. Why go grey? 5th August, 1926

“ONE should be careful to use the hands and arms as deftly as possible, and to see that all one’s gestures are graceful ones.”

The Lady, Getting Ready for Summer. 12th April 1934

“REALLY beautiful skin is the creation of Nature and sadly no external application can charm it on to the face.”

The Lady, Youthful Beauty – Rejuvenation of the skin from within. 12th April 1934

“DO not attempt to diet, roll or exercise your figure to an entirely different shape from that laid down by its bony and muscular frame-work”

The Lady. Latent Figure Faults. 13th March 1941

“IN the summer-time a flask of eau de Cologne is entirely necessary to one’s personal comfort and well-being, though indeed, at any time or season it would be far easier to recount the occasions when it can be dispensed with than when it cannot.”

The Lady. Delicious “4711” Eau de Cologne. 7th July, 1905

"A PLACE for a mirror and make-up is almost as much a necessity as a dining or a kitchen table."

The Lady. Dressing-tables To-day. 31sy August, 1950

"HOWEVER hot the weather and however hot we may feel, it is essential, if we are to remain attractive, that we shall at least look cool."

The Lady. Beauty Keeps Cool. 25th June, 1936

"HAPPILY for the many poor mortal who admire the beautiful and long for a perfect form without the hope of ever possessing them, good looks and beauty do not invariably walk hand in hand along Life’s devious ways. Unless one is born with them."

The Lady. Good Looks and Beauty. 21st August, 1919

"NOWADAYS, plainness is no longer regarded as either a cross or a virtue, but simply as something that can be abolished or mitigated by intelligent industry and good dressing."

The Lady. With Prejudice. 11th July, 1935

‘WE hear a good deal of the ill-temper of the woman who is trying to keep slim, but actually the idle heavyweight is usually far more of an egoist, and makes more mischief’.

The Lady. Slim Truths. 3rd August 1939

“Any picture, however charming, can be marred by a badly chosen frame; and one’s own face is no exemption to the rule. A well chosen coiffure and a really well tended hair can do a very great deal to redeem the plainest feature; while the most attractive ones will look unpleasing if the hair be lank or badly arranged.”

The Lady. Framing one’s face. 4th January 1934

"Regular care is, for the hands as well as for everything else, the basis of a good appearance. Far better and far more attractive if one is a practical and efficient person to show  strong, capable hands, unobtrusively manicured, than pointed, heavily varnished nails that will be entirely out of keeping with one's, presumably, carefully chosen clothes."

The Lady. Beauty In One's Hands. 18th January, 1934

"Rain renders the hair admirably soft and fluffy. One must be careful not to leave it straightened by the comb while it is wet, if one wishes to preserve the waves."

The Lady. A holiday for your hair. 26th July, 1934

“Nowadays one must be perfectly soignée to be really chic – hair in perfect condition, skin well cared for. To-day these are as important to a smart woman as the clothes she wears – qualities which she must possess to attain real chic. Nothing is more ageing than prematurely greyed hair.”

The Lady. Why remain grey? 23rd April, 1936

“Sun-tan and freckles are affections which are not only annoying and irritating, but which, if not carefully dealt with, may have permanent deleterious effects upon the complexion.”

The Lady. Pomeroy Summer Treatments. 22nd August, 1918

"FEELING as limp as a bit of chewed string is no fun and this is exactly what will happen if you try to keep going on bananas and milk or wine and eggs."

The Lady. A Beautiful Body. 23rd March, 1978

"SUNSHINE is dangerous. When the ignorant apply it to their bodies it can be as harmful and uncertain a plaything as a still deadly Mills bomb."

The Lady. This Sunbathing Folly. 20th July 1933

“THE charms of maturity may not lie so completely on the surface, but if looked for they are there all the same. What is lost in complexion may be gained in expression.”

The Lady. The Summer Of Life. 1st March 1923

"By candlelight a plain woman looks charming, a pretty one, radiant. When candles glint in silver sconces you are merely a woman…at your best."

The Lady. By candlelight. 5th March 1925

"READERS often ask for the recipe for a good home shampoo and one of the best is simply to beat up the yolk of an egg with a little brandy, top this up with lukewarm water sufficient to fill a cup, and to then pour the resultant goo over the hair, and massaging it in well. After an interval of about twelve minutes, rinse the mixture away with clean, tepid water."

 The Lady. A Lovely Head of Hair. 23rd March 1978.

"WHAT’S the most effective slimming exercise of all? It is to shake your head every time anything fattening is offered."

The Lady. A Beautiful Body. 23rd March 1978

"TODAY most of us realise the truth that goods looks are a fairly safe sign of intelligence. The graceful economy with which a well-proportioned body moves is allied to clear thought. It is the girl who knows how to do her hair and put her clothes on who is likely to be neat and ingenious in dealing with card indexes and account books."

The Lady. With Prejudice. 17th April, 1930

“HEAVEN forbid that we should go back to the days when beauty was under suspicion and plain girls were assumed to have angelic natures.”

The Lady. With Prejudice. 28th April 1938

“The number of hours sleep that you require is certainly partly a matter of training, and partly a question of temperament.”

The Lady. Your Beauty Sleep. 28th April, 1938

“WELL-TENDED, eloquent hands are an attribute that is especially important with a well put-together outfit.”

The Lady. Beauty In One’s Hands. 18th January 1934

“DOING your hair in a new way is an infallible means of reviving interest in your looks. It might not be a success, but at least it will have been fun to try.”

The Lady. Keep Joy in Your Clothes. 18th January 1934.

"RED or roughened hands may be improved by the use of lemon juice or mixture of lemon juice and glycerine, which should be well rubbed in."

The Lady. Beauty In One's Hands. 18th, January, 1934

"THERE'S nothing to equal a brief siesta with a quick-working facial mask if it is restored good looks that one wants."

The Lady. It's Beauty News to Us. 25th January, 1962.

"NOWADAYS we have no need to abandon all hope of beauty when entering upon the “forty-ish” phase. Modern methods of skin care, of exercise, and of hairdressing, combined with a good understanding of her changing needs, enable the older woman to remain as fresh and attractive as she was at the beginning of the carefree twenties."

The Lady. The Good-Looking Forties by Myrene. 21st June, 1934

"YOUR skin naturally changes as you grow older, and dry skin is something to be guarded against for the over-thirties. With care in the regular use in of good beauty preparations last thing at night and in the morning you should be able to combat your particular skin troubles.”

The Lady. Correspondence Columns – Beauty. 10th July, 1952

"NOTHING lends itself more readily to change of fashion than the hair – that most beautiful adornment of women that has gained the admiration and praise of poets and romancists of all ages and of all nations”

The Lady. Hairdressing up-to-date. 24th November, 1910

"A PRELIMINARY beauty session and lesson is by far the best way to set a young girl on the right path to good looks; A regular appointment at the salon of her choice will keep ten years off Mum’s looks for a surprisingly long time."

The Lady. Taking the right steps... 1st February, 1962

"A LITTLE good face cream worked into the skin with a regular application of sunburn lotion and the constant use of skin food will do more than anything to effect a lasting cure and preserve and beautify the skin."

The Lady, Little Talks About Beauty. 4th December, 1919

“EVERY woman knows that a room without a mirror is like a man without eyes. Mirrors are tyrants – yes! – but tyrants we will not willingly do without.” 

The Lady. Mirrors and Reflections. 2nd April, 1925

"BEAUTY may fade and riches be lost, but a sense of humour ripens with the years, and cannot be stolen. It remains a very real solace, and a talisman against the ills of life."

The Lady. The Invaluable Possession 2nd May, 1912

"WOMEN are wretchedly afraid of merely being old and looking old but nobody minds if you are wrinkled."

The Lady. With Prejudice. 29th September, 1938

"IN these days of stress and hustle it is more important that we should sleep well. Otherwise the busy brain which has been so hard at work all day will after time lose its power."

The Lady, The Secret of a Good Night's Rest. 4th April, 1912

"SHE may be youthful in face and form but feet give away the secret as quickly as sagging cheeks and muscles. The first need is the daily washing and after-wards thorough drying and powdering. Then a brisk rubbing with the palms of the hands will do much to revive circulation."

The Lady. The Home Beauty Parlour. 27th December, 1928

‘However blazing the weather and however hot we may feel, it is essential, if we are to remain attractive, that we should at least look cool.’

The Lady. Beauty Keeps Cool. 25th June, 1936.

"A honeypot of a book – one to keep on the bedside shelf for those white nights that should not be wasted on any reading which drags up a workaday ugliness and materialism – is The Religion of Beauty."

The Lady. New Books. 31st August, 1950.

“A woman's worst enemy at dances, functions etc is excessive under-arm perspiration. No woman can retain her charm so long as her presence does not exhale sweetness."

The Lady. Health. 4th September, 1919.