Radio and television mirror (Nov 1939-Apr 1940)

AMERICAN women are admittedly the best groomed in the world. Also the busiest. In fact it seems that the women whose days are most crowded with activity are the very ones who make a fine art of looking their best. The secret is, of course, that women who must plan every instant of their time develop simple, intelligent routines of beauty culture and stick to them. The difference between the time it takes to be merely decent and the time it takes to achieve maximum attractiveness is only a few minutes. Rachel Carlay thinks so, and no one could be busier than this sparkling radio star. Yet when I saw her at the end of a hectic day she was at her loveliest — and that is very lovely indeed. Miss Carlay is a real American in feeling, although she was born in Belgium and educated in Paris where she made her debut at the Opera. She sang also at the Folies Bergeres, and at the Opera Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. Earl Carroll brought her to this country, and she has sung with Rudy Vallee. She is a versatile and accomplished musician. If she were not, she could never have achieved the most impossible task of adapting her powerful and brilliant operatic soprano to radio, toning it down to soft and colorful mezzo which so delights her fans on the Manhattan 82 Merry Go Round broadcasts Sunday nights over NBC. She sang a song for me both ways — as she would sing it for radio, and as she would sing it for opera. I could hardly believe it was the same singer. The secret that Rachel Carlay and other busy but well-groomed women have discovered is that it takes no longer to do a thing right than it takes to do it wrong. Consider the care of the teeth, for instance. We brush them two or three times a day. The wrong way does more harm than good. Industrious scrubbing, and brushing into the gum, tend to push the gum back and actually to wear away the enamel. Old and moist toothbrushes carry infection. Harsh dentifrices are harmful. The right way is simple. Have two toothbrushes, and always use the dry one. Change your toothbrushes every month or so. Choose a good dentifrice. There are plenty of excellent ones — powder, paste, and the new liquid ones which leave your mouth feeling so refreshed. Brush in the direction your teeth grow. Place the bristles on the gum, and sweep down on the upper gum and teeth, up on the lower. Use a RADIO MIRROR * • * * brushing-out motion. Scrub only the cutting surface of the teeth. Remember that the object is not merely to clean the outside surface of the teeth, but to massage the gums and clean between the teeth. Do not forget to brush the inside of the teeth, also. We clean our teeth carefully for three reasons: for health, for the appearance of the teeth, and to keep the breath sweet. Proper dental routines take no additional time. Proper make-up routines actually save time, because the make-up stays on. There are some women who are always fussing with rouge and lipstick. The knowing ones make up for the day and apply nothing but a little powder until the time for evening make-up. Here's how they do it. First cleanse the face and neck with cleansing cream followed by soap and water. Next your powder base. Now take a little lipstick and soften it between thumb and forefinger. Use it as a cream rouge, blending carefully with the powder base. Now apply liquid lipstick to the lips — it has marvelous staying qualities. Over the liquid lipstick apply your usual lipstick. Now, it's practically indestructible. Powder, apply your usual rouge, and powder again, very lightly. Now you are set for the day. Repeat the process for your evening make-up. RADIO AND TELEVISION MIRROR