Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 June 1884 — A Complexionist. [ARTICLE]

A Complexionist.

Strolling up town a reporter had his attention attracted by the sign “Complexionist,” which was hanging over the door of an inoffensive-looking dwellinghouse. Wondering what under the sun -A complexionist might be, he wandered in to satisfy his curiosity. A French lady of medium height and with charming conversational powers received him in a small room fitted up in a style that might indicate at first sight either a drug store or a hair-dresser’s saloon. “A complexionist,” said the lady in answer to the reporter’s interrogation, "is one who makes a study of the human skin and takes charge of the customer’s complexion. ” ’ “But surely there are not many who ” “Oh! yes; there are hundreds of the fair sex who come here during the gay season to be made up or to have the skin treated with delicate washes to prevent the btid effects of gas, heat, and late hours. But young ladies are not the only ones treated; men—voung and old—are often found witfiin these walls.” “What is your usual mode of treatment ?” “That depends on the complexion; if it is merely to be preserved, we advise a little careful dieting and bathing in elder-flower water. Not a particle of fat must be taken, as it injures the polish of the skin. Here is a prescription that will clean the complexion in a very short time: A~ tablespoonful of sulphur taken every other morning for a week, then omitted for three mornings and taken again. A mixture of powdered brimstone or diluted glycerine should be’rubbed on the face at night, and washed off in the morning with soap and water in which there is a little ammonia. Washing the face in spirits of camphor, glycerine, and ammonia is also very good, and various other methods are resorted to for this end.”— New York Mail and Express, a