CHAPTER II
HOW TO MAKE YOUR NECK BEAUTIFUL
IT is a most decided advantage to be born with a beautiful neck, as it is to be born with beautiful features, a beautiful figure or beautiful hair. It is one of the compensations of being overplump that the woman of too ample lines has a beautiful throat and arms. While the thin woman, whose features are well defined, not being blanketed by superfluous layers of flesh, and whose figure is more elegant because not swathed by adipose tissue, has, as a rule, a scrawny neck and whip-like arms.
The neck to be beautiful must be neither too long nor too short, too fat nor too lean. It must be shapely; that is, evenly developed. The skin must be soft and white.
The length of the neck is one of the fixed quantities of nature. One cannot change it, but we can learn the lesson of illusion from the stage, and try to make it seem longer or shorter than it is. The best aid to this is the poise of the head. The woman whose chin is carried well up, whose poise of the head is habitually high, gives the impression that her neck is at least an inch longer than it is. Also the manner of the trimming of her high-neck gown and the line at which the low-cut gown is finished determine whether the neck looks longer than it is or shorter.
If the neck is short the collar should be of solid colors or be trimmed with perpendicular lines. The low-necked gown should be cut lower than that of the woman with the long neck, for the neck is more dependent upon its surroundings for its effect than is any other part of the body. If there is a wide sweep of the shoulders the long line from the point of the shoulder to the chin will lend itself to the neck and make the neck seem longer than it would if the gown were merely one of the collarless sort with a line of cloth defining where the neck actually begins.
If the neck is long the problem is an easier one, especially at times when much dressing for the neck is in vogue. Even an ostrich’s neck could be so wrapped about with laces, with collars and ties of a contrasting color which would cut the apparent length, that it would be far less conspicuous than unadorned. I should say it could be made to look a foot shorter. The human neck can be dressed to make a proportionate change of appearance. The extremely low décolletage is less becoming to the woman with the long neck. If she must adopt it, or thinks she must, she should wear her jewels or a band of ribbon about her neck to make her neck seem shorter. The drooping Madonna poise of the head may be becomingly affected by the woman with the long neck, especially when sitting for her photographs.
The neck, I have before said, must be neither too fat nor too lean. To correct either too much or too little flesh upon the neck we must summon the aid of that lieutenant to beauty, massage. On the beautiful neck the flesh is evenly distributed. The neck should be, save for the two parallel lines about an inch apart which encircle the neck and are seen on the necks even of babes, perfectly smooth. If the flesh be uneven, persistent, skillful and gentle massage should redistribute the disproportionate bulk of flesh.
There is always a possibility that the neck will be flat in front and display thick layers of fat at the sides and back. This can be corrected by patient and careful massage. The front of the neck should be made plumper by massage. Olive oil or a pure cold cream should be freely rubbed into the skin by the first three fingers of each hand, massaging first on the right side of the neck with the right hand, then on the left with the left hand, then with both hands together. The motion should be a rotary one, always the best movement for rebuilding tissue because it induces circulation, which feeds the starved, atrophied portions.
To reduce the bulk of the back and side of the neck a reducing lotion should be applied by long, sweeping, downward strokes, the effect of which strokes is to melt the flesh downward into the larger masses of flesh on the shoulders. A lotion I have known to be used with success for the melting away of too ponderous flesh about the neck is this:
Tincture of iodine, 30 minims; iodide of potassium, 60 grains; hyposulphite of soda, 20 grains; distilled water, 7 ounces; aniseed water, 170 minims.
Be careful not to tamper with and so enlarge the large glands in the neck. Enlarging them may permanently disfigure a beautiful neck. They are the danger points of the manipulation. It is they and the gorged veins that give to a neck that aged, withered appearance which we describe by the word “ropey.” Once these glands are enlarged and the veins swollen there is no art in beauty lore to diminish them. Perhaps a physician can reduce their size, but I have never known it to be achieved.
For the “aged neck” there is almost no hope. Mme. Sarah Bernhardt realized this, and while combating all the other signs of her increasing years, yielded to the demands of the neck that was no longer young, and covered it. The collarless gown is not for her. Always she wears a high-necked gown, or, if circumstances require, a costume décolleté, she wears a ribbon of velvet or a collar of jewels about her throat.
For battling against the ageing neck I can give no better recipe than this for a massage cream, which should be plentifully applied night and morning:
Glycerine, 5 ounces; mutton tallow, 1 pound; tincture of benzoin, 2 drams; spirits of camphor, 1 dram; powdered alum, ½ dram; orange flower water, 1 dram; Russian isinglass, 2 ounces.
If the neck is thin, but the veins and glands are not enlarged, there is hope. The skin must be fed by cold creams and the circulation promoted by massage. The rotary motion with the first three fingers of each hand is the desirable one. Fifteen minutes should be spent night and morning in this massage. One nourishing massage cream especially excellent for the neck is this:
Oil of sweet almonds, 10 grams; lanolin, 15 grams; tannin, ½ gram.
A successful fattening cream for the neck contains:
Alcohol (95 per cent.), 20 grams; lard or cocoa butter, 100 grams; essence of rosemary, 12 drops; essence of bergamot, 12 drops.
A third and most important essential is that the skin of the neck be white and soft. To secure this effect one must, as you say in America, “start right.” First prevent stains upon the neck.
A stained neck is always a revolting sight. A dark, shadowy rim about the neck may have been caused by dark collars and there may have been valiant efforts to remove it, but if they have not been successful I beseech you wear only high-necked collars until the stain is removed. The casual observer at a dinner or a ball will make no allowance for the cause, the stain-communicating collar of colored net or some other fabric. To him your neck will be soiled. That is all and that is very much.
To prevent such stains avoid wearing dark colors next to the neck. If the dark collar is unavoidable then line it with something soft and white, old muslin or part of an old silk handkerchief.
But, having acquired the dark, shadowy look about the neck that is so repellent remove it as soon as possible. A thorough sponging with peroxide of hydrogen, full strength, followed immediately by another bath of rose water, I have found excellent.
Or there may be frequent baths with this preparation, which is admirable for bleaching:
Glycerine, 1 ounce; rosewater, 1 ounce; carbolic acid, 10 drops; tincture of benzoin, 10 drops.
This home remedy is useful when less drastic remedies are not at hand:
One-half lemon; one small tumbler of water. Squeeze the lemon juice into the glass. Bathe the neck frequently with the mixture.
For those, and there are many, among them experts, who do not wish to use the peroxide of hydrogen full strength, I would recommend:
Peroxide of hydrogen, ½ wineglass; witchhazel, ½ wineglass.
To bleach a neck that is too oily this used once a day for three successive days is helpful:
Rosewater, ½ wineglass; ammonia, 5 drops. Use this sparingly, for the action of ammonia upon the skin is to make it exceedingly dry.
The woman who would have a beautiful neck must consider it even in repose. She should never use a high pillow, preferably no pillow at all. For when the head rests upon the pillow, the chin falls upon the breast. The muscles of the neck are contracted, wrinkles are formed and muscles become flabby. Lying on the back is the best posture for sleeping. The muscles of the neck are thus given full play and rest.
Many times I am asked “If you had a mole on the neck what would you do?” I would let it remain there, and be thankful that I had a distinguishing mark, a beauty spot. But if you insist upon removing it a physician might try electricity.
I have been asked how to remove superfluous hair from the neck. I should not remove it, for I should not regard it as superfluous. Why do American women so dislike hair upon the face and neck? There should be a fine covering of hair. It is beautiful. It is like down upon the peach.
Sometimes the collar supporter, or a pin or hook used for fastening the collar, scratches the neck. For these or any other bruises of the neck I should first bathe the injured part with absorbent cotton dipped into peroxide of hydrogen. If the bruise is severe I would apply collodion or court plaster to protect it from air-floating germs, while healing. I would remove these by moistening them with alcohol. If this precaution is not taken a bit of the skin or flesh might adhere to the application, so causing a scar. When the new skin is formed, covering the wound, and it is no longer very sensitive, I would massage it gently once a day. This relieves the congestion and gradually removes the disfiguring red line that might remain as a trophy of the adventure.
A traveling companion of mine once scraped her neck against a deck railing while the ship tossed. She treated it as I have advised and when there still remained a broad pink stain as a souvenir of the accident she massaged it very lightly every day for a fortnight, when the pink stain utterly disappeared.
If your neck is suffering from wearing a too high collar I recommend one of the following recipes:
Equal parts of peroxide of hydrogen and water. In extreme cases there is no objection to a neck bath of pure peroxide of hydrogen.
Equal parts of alcohol (95 per cent.) and water.
Equal parts of lemon juice and water.
Water, ½ pint; ammonia, 1 dram.
Still another remedy is to scrub the neck with a soft complexion brush dipped into a warm lather of Castile soap with a few drops of ammonia added.
In summer when the neck becomes tanned and blistered by the sun massage it with a pure, cold cream and bathe it frequently with a mild solution of peroxide of hydrogen.