Radio and television mirror (Nov 1939-Apr 1940)

YOU CAN By Dr. GRACE GREGORY MORE and more people give perfumes as Christmas presents. A gift of perfume is always a safe bet to please any woman, whether you choose her favorite, or yours, or a new one that intrigues you. Consequently January usually finds us with a renewed assortment of scent containers. It is a good time to give some thought to their proper use. Lucille Manners, whose warm soprano voice comes to you for Cities Service Friday nights at eight, NBC Network, is a connoisseur of perfumes as well as of music. Miss Manners has a soprano voice of unusual range, with a certain richness in the lower notes which has misled some of her fans into supposing her a contralto. She made her debut at the age of seven, so that by the time radio discovered her she was an experienced artist. She takes the choice of her songs very seriously, often rewriting the lyrics when they are not up to her exacting standard. Her chief interests are (in the order given) music, the new home she has bought in Manhasset, and the perfumes with which she so cleverly enhances her unusual charm. "How many perfumes do you usually keep on hand?" I asked. "About fifteen at a time," she replied. "More than that," said her mother. Miss Manners varies her perfumes according to the season. "Heavier odeurs for winter," she says, "Woodsy and floral scents for Spring and early Summer, and spicy ones for late Summer and Autumn." Whether you vary your perfume according to the season as she does, or according to the time of day, or the occasion, or just according to your mood or whim, the main thing is to keep varying. It is a simple psychological fact that we cease to be aware of any odor that continues too long. The woman who sticks to one or two favorite perfumes soon ceases to smell them. So do her friends. She might as well have no perfume at all. Moreover, the woman who has ceased to be aware of her own perfume is likely to put on too much. This brings us to the second point. When I recently suggested a variety of perfumes to one of my friends, her eyebrows went up quizzically. "I certainly would like to own lots of different perfumes at the same time," she said, "but they are so expensive I cannot afford to have more than one or two on my dressing table." This woman was under the impression that perfume must be expensive to be alluring. Actually, there are several very inexpensive perfumes on the market which can be bought for no more than the cost of a lipstick. These are put out by reputable manufacturers who produce quality perfume, attractively priced, because they are sold in such tremendous quantities. A woman's fragrance should be ap 68 parent only within "kissing distance." Subtlety is the keynote in using perfume. Men say they do not like to get a whiff as a woman comes towards them. They want it to linger as she passes. For the best results, perfume should be applied directly on the skin. Behind the ears, on the wrists, on the backs of the hands, or on the part of the hair are the preferred positions. But not all at once, please. If perfume is used on the skin, the body warmth diffuses it gradually. If you find that it disappears too soon, better carry a small flagon in your handbag and renew it, rather than trying to get it on too strongly at first. Perfume on the garments should be applied with an atomizer. Better still, use a toilet water, the milder version of perfume, for this purpose. Perfume on the dress or coat is likely to be too strong at first. A spray of toilet water on the underwear is better. Or a drop of perfume on a bit of cotton tucked in your hatband. Or a drop on a tiny handkerchief concealed in the breast of your gown. Perfumes come from many sources. There are simple floral or herbal Hill) MIRROR * • * • Lucille Manners, of Friday's Cities Service Concerts, knows how much a delicate scent can add to feminine loveliness. scents. There are heavier odeurs which have as their base such substances as musk, civet and ambergris. Let the skilled chemists of perfume concern themselves with such matters. It is for us to educate our neglected sense of smell until we can select our fragrance with artistry. A Tip On Daintiness THERE is another side to the story of subtle fragrance. It must be founded on personal daintiness. In these months of warm rooms and closed windows the morning beauty bath is not enough. Choose your favorite deodorant, and use it as directed. Not every day. Most of them last several days. There are liquids, creams, powders, and pads. They are inexpensive, safe, and especially necessary in these days of closed windows and hot rooms. RADIO AND TELEVISION 3YURROR