In honor of all June brides, here are some “beauty hints for the honeymoon” from the Lyons
Mirror, 1910.
“The lemon should have a conspicuous place on the toilet table for some time before the
wedding. The bride is apt to be sewing industriously and this is not particularly good for the
fingers. She should keep a cut lemon on her dressing table. Every night after she has washed
her hands she should stick her fingers right into the pulp of the lemon and rub them around
and around. This will help to remove stains, stop the growth of the cuticle at the base of the
nail, and make knuckles look white and soft instead of red and rough. In case the skin has
roughened at the end of the fingers by pricking with the needle, rub it with a piece of pumice
stone before the wounds have time to absorb dirt and dust.
“Every bride will want a nice lavender powder for her linen. If she knew she were going to
trap the young man last summer she would have been wise to have dried all of the lavender
which she could beg, borrow, or steal, but it is too late for that now.
“The bride will want a preparation for perspiration and the best thing for excessive
perspiration under the arms is common baking soda mixed in equal proportions with plain
unscented talcum powder. Never bathe under the arms with scents of any kind; better wash
with a good bath soap and then rub on alcohol to which a little powdered alum has been
added, then finely dusting with the soda-talcum mixture.
“The hair is an important part of the bride’s make-up. If it is stubborn and sticks out at
angles, rub a few drops of brilliantine in the palm of the hand, then rub the hair brush around
in that, and brush lightly over the hair. This will make the rough ends stay in place.
“The bride should wash her hair three days before the wedding, in order to give it a chance to
get back to normal condition. If it is necessary to curl the hair about the face there is nothing
equal to the old fashioned kid curlers. The night before the wedding the bride should dampen
the hair with a little good curling fluid and put it up on curlers.
“All brides leave home for some sort of trip, no matter if it only lasts a few days, and they
should take a jar of good cold cream with them. On trains it is better to use a cleansing cream
than the hard and sometimes cold water that is found in dressing rooms. Cold cream will
remove that grease that seems to accumulate on the face when traveling on the cars.
“If today’s brides will follow the above regime, they are assured of fastidious and dainty
beauty that will be admired and cherished by their chosen bridegroom.”
