30 chic days: day 24: Looking After Your Looks

                               

Take Care Of Your Face

According to Leslie, vintage chic author, flawless skin is hereditary, but for the rest of us, good skin is largely self-discipline; nothing will work if you only do it now and then. Whatever you have to do for a clear skin, you have to do all the time. And although our skin type may not change: for example dry, normal, oily, sensitive, combination. But what can change is the condition: wrinkles, texture, and sunspots being some.

Skin care was the only thing that she spent money on as a matter of course. After much trial and error, she settled on Clinique, using just a few products. It took three minutes each time, using them in rotating upwards motions. For your interest, she used Clinique cleansing oil, their soap with a BufPuf, tonic, moisturiser, and three days a week she used their 7th day scrub. When she was feeling flush, she used a Clinique eye make-up remover, but when money was tight she used baby oil. She never had facials. She had regular habits, & hadn't varied her routine for five years. When the products that she used were on special, she would stock up on them.

More Leslie-isms: use moisturiser on slightly damp skin to help it be more easily absorbed. In summer, drink more water and use moisturiser more often (moisture gets washed away by sweat). When flying put on extra moisturiser before you take off, wash your face and apply more moisturiser before landing.

                                 

Look After Your Body skin

For her body, she was equally prudent and methodical. She confessed to being frugal with body lotion, generally using Vaseline Intensive care. Leslie used baths, rather than showers, using nice bath oils (use baby oil if you can't afford them), but when Leslie was feeling poor, she would buy borax powder at the chemists, and toss a couple of tablespoons into the water instead. She would hang a lavender bag from the tap as the water ran, to make the bathroom smell nice and relax her, also she scrubbed herself with her Buf Puf, using soap, and pumice on her soles and heels.

Other Hints

Although many women shave their legs and such, Leslie waxed her legs, underarms and arms. She had electrolysis for other areas; she was heavily into good grooming. For treating cellulite, she advised lots of raw fruit & vegies, lots of water. She advised standing tall, and recommended learning how to walk gracefully, because pride shows in the way you walk and hold yourself.

All commonplace today. But not so in 1978.

Leslie felt that having a tan made her feel sexy, skinny and healthy. Bur she didn't want to destroy the elasticity of her skin by tanning, so she used Clinique sunblock which stopped sunburn, and took heed of avoiding the sun between 10.30am & 3pm. So far ahead of the times. Her hints for sunburn: soak in a bath with 1/3 cup of baking soda stirred in. For face: strong, cool tea; when it dries on the face, rinse face with cool water.