Here’s the “Vanity” part of the post. Scroll down for the Cucumbers! :D.
Makeup and adornment can be a touchy subject among serious Catholics. Prudence, good taste and intention are important when it comes to these things.
I like this excerpt from the wonderful book “Christ in the Home” written in the 1950’s by Father Raoul Plus, S.J.
“She (a woman) has a genius for adornment. She must please. And that is right. No one need reproach her for striving to do so. ‘The pheasants are preening their feathers,’ Saint Francis de Sales humorously commented in answer to Saint Jane Frances de Chantal’s letter expressing worry over her daughters’ newly evidenced concern about their dress. ‘It is excess that is blameworthy…..’
Another quote from Christ in the Home:
PRAISEWORTHY VANITY
A HUSBAND who is a man of sense as well as a good Catholic proposes this question: Ought concern for their appearance be something foreign to Christian wives?
He answers the question himself: ‘That would be simply ridiculous. I confess that I feel thoroughly enraged when I see women who act as if they were being very virtuous by their slovenly appearance and poor taste in dress.
First of all, they commit a fault against beauty and grace which are God’s gifts. But their fault is graver still: Have these noble souls taken care to consult their husbands and to assure themselves that he approves of this treatment? Let them not be surprised then if their husbands look elsewhere for satisfaction.
Christian women must know once for all that to dress with taste and even with distinction is not a fault; that to use cosmetics is no fault either unless the results are esthetically to be regretted; that adornment as such is one of those questions of convention which is purely accidental and remains completely foreign to the moral order.
Virtue owes it to itself to be attractive and even strongly attractive. The only thing that must be avoided is excess. There is excess when a Christian woman devotes all the powers of her mind to becoming as exact a copy as possible of the models in Vogue or Charm to the point of neglecting her duty.
A woman who for love of dress would ruin her husband, neglect her children or even refuse to have them for fear of spoiling her figure would fail by excess.’
This viewpoint is full of wisdom; it defends right use and at the same time condemns abuse.”
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Now for cucumbers….
The following are simple recipes for cleansing and nourishing your skin by the famous health guru Paavo Airola in the old book “Swedish Beauty Secrets”. If I were feeling inclined to give myself a little “freshening up” these are the types of concoctions I would make and use. I thought they were worth sharing!
CUCUMBER ASTRINGENT
1 cup fresh cucumber juice (make your own juice extractor, or grate very fine and press through a cloth).
1/4 tsp. honey
Pour ingredients in an empty bottle and shake well. Apply with a cotton pad on your face and neck and let it dry. Leave it on overnight, if desired, or use as a base under makeup. Store in refrigerator. After a few day make a fresh batch.
Cucumbers contain natural vegetable hormones which are very beneficial for your skin. Cucumber is also a natural, harmless skin tightener, or astringent. It will do wonders to your wrinkles and lines. Cucumber is used extensively in Sweden and Germany as an active ingredient in commercially manufactured cosmetics. Even some American manufacturers are beginning to use cucumber in their cosmetics.
CUCUMBER BEAUTY MASK
1 small cucumber
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. crushed ice
Cut cucumber to about 1 inch pieces and mix in an electric mixer with skim milk, honey, and ice to a consistency of porridge. Don’t let the blender run too long so the formula becomes too liquid – only approximately three to five seconds at low speed.
Apply generously all over face, neck and hands. Lie down for ten or fifteen minutes, then wash off with cold water.
HONEY LOTION
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of honey in a cup of cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Apply with a cotton pad freely to you face, neck and arms, especially after a bath, if soap or shampoo was used. Leave it on and let it dry. It will moisturize and soften and help to restore natural acid to the skin. Honey is a a natural humectant, or skin softener. Beauty-conscious Swedish women have used honey as their cosmetic for centuries.
HONEY-EGG MASK
White of 1 egg
1/2 tsp. of honey
Beat the egg white with honey and apply to your face and neck liberally. Leave it on for about 10 to 15 minutes, then wash off with cold water without soap. You may save what is left over for the next day if you keep it tightly closed in the refrigerator.
This simple beauty mask will startle you with the most amazing results. Albumin of egg white is a natural astringent. It will “draw” your skin together and tighten it. Honey is a wonderful moisturizer and a softener. Together they work miracles on your skin.
SWEDISH FACIAL SAUNA
Swedish facial sauna is a very effective treatment for blackheads, pimples, acne, and other complexion blemishes, and for the thorough cleansing of your face.
Take a tablespoon of your favorite herbs – peppermint, anise, chamomile, or, as do the Swedish women, use pine needles or birch leaves. Put in a pot of water and bring to a roaring boil. Lower your head over the pot, cover it with a big bath towel, and steam your face for about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn your face so that every part of it, as well as your neck will receive the benefit of this aromatic facial bath.
The herbal steam of distilled water and your own perspiration will clean your face thoroughly, open pores, and loosen old, stale makeup, blackheads and dirt, and make your complexion soft and beautifully clean.
After facial sauna, dry your face and gently apply Cucumber Astringent. Lie on your back and rest 10 to 15 minutes. Then look in your mirror and see the miraculous transformation which has taken place!
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And, of course, we are reminded, “A desire to be beautiful is not unwomanly. A woman who is not beautiful cannot properly fill her place. But, mark you, true beauty is not of the face, but of the soul. There is a beauty so deep and lasting that it will shine out of the homeliest face and make it comely. This is the beauty to be first sought and admired. It is a quality of the mind and heart and is manifested in word and deed. A happy heart, a smiling face, loving words and deeds, and a desire to be of service, will make any woman beautiful.” – Mable Hale, Beautiful Girlhood
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Great post!
I wonder greatly on make-up….for St. Augustine called it a “lying counterfeit.” It was at one time the sign of a prostitute and of the vain royalty. So I wonder at what point did it suddenly become okay? And it leaves right use and abuse up to the person. If I see a lady with a full painted face, unless she is deformed, that would seem to be overkill….then it is indeed a mask….where is the lady? On girls under the age of marriage, they would not be “trying” to attract a husband, so It seems at this point vanity is too easily abused and has no good purpose. I have seen make-up used as a social marker – if you wear it you are in the “in” group, if you don’t you are avoided as one of those “extremist.” It would seem on the grounds of right use, a concealer for certain areas would be in-line with St. Thomas A. and maybe a little mascara and a lipstick that doesn’t say BOOM here I am! The more color we put in a few areas the more it makes the rest of the face look dull, and then we feel compelled to put more and more on.
So, I still wonder greatly on make-up, it was pushed so much this past century and even good priests argued over it……so I wonder, without being emotional I hope, what does make-up really do for us?
(Side note: I have long loved the many bright colors and it is very difficult to not want to spice up my face. 😉 )
A lot of good points….and the reason that it is a touchy subject. Balance, prudence and good taste need to be applied and this is not easy especially with growing girls who, when given an inch, like to take a mile. Such a fine line we walk!
I have heard it said that it’s Ok to enhance natural beauty. It’s when it becomes unnatural that it is probably excessive also as mentioned, how much tiem and money it takes and how it affects our duties of state and family life also determine whether or not it is excessive. Also I think it is good and virtuous to try and please our spouse so we can try and do what he likes within reason. 🙂 Modesty and moderation is key and a good pure intention. I think makeup is OK and also OK to not wear it all depends on the whys and wherefores. 🙂 It’s no longer the sign of a prostitute in this country . It has become the norm but I’m not sure about other countries and we do have many people from other countries. It’d be interesting to know what they think. I am grateful for this post. It’s an important topic for us as women. Thank you Leann! 🙂 Once again! Hit the nail on the head! Deo gratias!
I agree with you prayforpatience on trying to please our spouse. He has to look at us day in and day out. I know some couples who ignore each other’s likes and dislikes in matters of dress, make up, hairstyles etc. They are not happy marriages and I sometimes wonder if a lack of willingness to please the other in small things has led to rebellion in bigger matters. Paying attention to my husbands opinion on such things has given me a clearer understanding of what he finds attractive in women and as a result he thinks I’m beautiful! It has been time well spent and yes, sometimes I would love to wear bright nail polish, but he doesn’t like it, so I don’t.
It seems to me that even back in the time where only prostitutes (and actors!) wore makeup … it was likely garish with heavily lined eyes and bright red cheeks and lips (and dyed hair, too) That would be too much today on anyone young, old, married or single.
Actresses from the golden age of Hollywood were heavily painted for film and photograph as a way to make them seem “glamorous” and make them stand apart from the average woman.
Light mascara (no colored eye-shadows) and blush and lip color that are within the color spectrum of the individual, often just adds a look of increased healthiness. But it won’t do a thing for you if you ignore diet, exercise, fresh air and sleep.
And a good point is made here. All this is well and good to discuss, but what do our husband’s prefer? I think most men prefer a “natural” look. Some don’t realize you can do a natural makeup look without looking made up. Most only notice makeup when it’s really obvious. So we have to ask them what they think and go from there.
Yes very much so, noticed it growing up as we watched a lot of the old movies. 🙂
My sweetie can’t stand make-up and thinks it takes away from the beautiful woman underneath. He says why is it that for centuries a wife/mother was known apart from those of bad reputation by their natural beauty and virtue and within a century now
any lady can’t live without make-up? He doesn’t like the artificial “doll” it creates were time is spent on the “look” and then as a spouse its all “you can see but don’t touch, you will mess it up.”
Out shopping the other day, I overheard the terrible lyrics to something that was called” I’m in Love with your Body”……. A lot of traditional men don’t seem to prefer make-up but some don’t care either. Then you have some who won’t look at their wife unless she has her make-up on or he wants her to wear at as a social climbing element. It would seem they are more in love with the artificial.
I myself like a natural look and colors, but I also get very repulsed by those who constantly tell me I “need” or “should” use it especially as I get older (I am not that old). What happened to the graceful aging, what happened to being able to see the different ages, what happened to be okay with who we are? I see teenagers, even those from good families, with their dark lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, looking down at us slightly older women because we are not wearing makeup. And actually that has happened to me since I was a teen – it does not send a good message about even possible proper use of make-up. Some girls are afraid to go out without their make-up because they will be teased.
It seems good to ask our spouse, but if he likes make-up, then I would really wonder, why? If he likes us better when we wear it, that seems to send a message all on its own.