Radio and television mirror (Jan-June 1941)

THERE are all sorts of practical reasons for the daily bath — health, personal daintiness, skin stimulus, and so on. But for beauty and for luxury a goodly proportion of our baths should be affairs of leisure, devoted to the enjoyment of the ever increasing list of special bath aids. Marjorie Anderson thinks so. She and I had quite a chat about bubble baths, foam baths, bath salts and whatnot. I came away convinced that here is a girl who knows how to make a fine art of life. As everyone knows, Marjorie Anderson is Margot Lane, the heroine of The Shadow, that fascinating mystery story heard over Mutual at 5:30 E.S.T. Sundays. Although Marjorie has the threefold beauty of exquisitely modeled features, golden blonde coloring and faultless grooming, that is not the important thing. One remembers rather what a grand person she is, her keen intelligence, and how she twinkles when she smiles. Hers has been a varied career. Born in Spokane, Washington, she was educated in New York. She specialized in dramatics at Miss Finch's school in New York City, which has a complete theatre, but in spite of her success there, she turned from theatrical work to charity. She managed a day nursery in Hell's Kitchen, and later worked in the children's ward of the Tonsil Hospital. Still she seemed to have no idea what she was intended to do. She traveled all over Europe, and then decided to go into business. She got as far as managing a dress shop, and then went into stock with Chamberlain Brown. Some discerning friend persuaded her to apply for a radio audition. That was in 82 By DR. GRACE GREGORY 1932, and she's been on the air since. It is pleasant to know that somewhere in this scrambled career Marjorie Anderson achieved a happy marriage. She has a two-year-old daughter, whom she has already entered for the class of 1960 at Bryn Mawr. Bathing has become an art — and there is no art more indispensible to beauty. First, choose your soap carefully, one with no free alkali (the tongue tip test settles that) and suited to your skin. A good water softener and a bath brush, plenty of face cloths, towels for a brisk rub down; that used to be enough. But nowadays we need the relaxation of the luxury bath, the fragrant, soothing tub in which we love to linger. Our minds — and our faces — seem to smooth out as we lazily splash and stretch in the warm, scented tub. Marjorie says if she must choose between a luxury bath and a nap to refresh her, she'll take the bath every time. Bubble baths are among the latest. The running water whips the bath into a mass of fragrant bubbles. The water is softened. You hardly want to get out but when you do your skin feels like velvet. Then there are foam baths made from sea moss. Both kinds come in the most fascinating assortment of odeurs. You will want to try all of them. But remember the men of the family like bath luxuries too, and pine is usually their favorite; IIUIIII MIRROR HOME^RRlflY Take your bath leisurely and add to your beauty — says Marjorie Anderson, heroine of The Shadow, heard Sundays on Mutual. so add that to your assortment. Don't forget the refined starch for the bath. It is marvelously soothing to the skin. And there is a powder which you shake into the water — just a dash — for a lovely fragrance. Bath salts, too, are excellent to soften and perfume the tub. Wind up with a brisk toweling and an alcohol rubdown for skin toning, and a liberal patting with a fragrant dusting powder. There you are, a new woman! You feel serene, relaxed, beautiful from top to toe. FRAGRANT TRICKS AFTER all the delightful fragrances lof the modern beauty bath one is inspired to follow up with a skillful use of perfumes and toilet water. Toilet water is just like perfume, only lighter, more informal. Spray a little on your undies with a fine atomizer. Use it on the handkerchief, on the part of your hair, and so on. Perfume must be applied more carefully. A touch on the wrists, behind the ears, on the upper lip. A little perfume on a bit of cotton tucked inside your hat band. Almost anywhere else you think of. Many women have the ensemble idea and try to apply it to their fragrances. The answer is, don't! It is a simple psychological fact that we get used to any odor and become unaware of it. So do your friends. By using a variety in bath fragrances, in sachets, in perfumes and so on, we develop a more acute appreciation of them all. Another little trick for subtle fragrance is to burn a cone of incense in an incense burner on the floor of your closet. It gives a faintly oriental scent to your outer garments. RADIO AND TELEVISION MIRROR