I attempted the 14-day beauty challenge from this book, but only made it to Day 9. Why? Well, for starters my skin was looking terrible–it turned out that for me, 2 face mask treatments/day involving honey, lemon, peppermint, potato, and other foodstuffs was not conducive to “beautiful” skin. I also started getting migraines, at which point I decided to close the book, so to speak.
While overall I would say this was not a rousing success, there are a few pieces of advice from this book that work well.
5 Pieces of Beauty Advice from 1967 (that still seems relevant)
- Take time to meditate or do a meditative activity.
This book focuses a lot on Zen, which was growing in popularity in the US during the 1960’s. While I question the degree to which one ought to listen to the author Robert Franklyn’s thoughts about Zen, he does discuss the need to spend some time each day being reflective and meditative. - Spend time outdoors (if possible)
The book recommends a brisk 15-minute walk outside each day, as well as spending a couple of hours each week outside. If possible to do so safely, this seems like an especially good piece of advice during lockdown. - Do Something Artsy
One of the suggestions for meditative hours is to work on arts and crafts–writing, drawing, music. I created a miniature rock garden in a teacup one day, and also worked on embroidery. - Take an afternoon nap and have a snack
The book schedules an hour-long afternoon siesta with a snack every day from 3-4. It’s not possible for many people to take an hour to do this every day, but even a short break and snack can recharge. - Find healthy outlets to dissipate tensions
The book emphasizes that having things weighing heavily on a person’s mind will impact both inner and outer beauty, and thus suggests finding healthy ways to cope (knitting and sewing are among the list of suggestions).
The Vintage Book Club 