The use of skin cosmetics and paints is of remote antiquity, but varies in different nations according to their civilization and their sense of beauty. While among certain Oriental nations dark blue rings around the eyes, with yellow lips and nails, pass for beautiful, the European prizes only a white skin with a delicate tinge of red; Italian ladies in the middle ages used the dark red juice of the fruit of the deadly night-shade as a paint, hence the name bella donna, _i.e._, beautiful lady. (According to Matthiolus, the name _herba bella donna_ arose from the fact that Italian ladies used a distilled water of the plant as a cosmetic.) Owing to its marked effect on the eyes, by dilating the pupil and increasing the lustre, this juice also heightens the brilliancy of the eye, though at the expense of its health. While in the last century face-painting was a universal fashion, it is nowadays resorted to only by persons whose skin requires some artificial help. But nobody desires that the cosmetic should be perceptible on the skin. Hence it must be laid down as a rule that paints and all cosmetics should be so compounded that it is not easily possible to the observer to recognize that some artificial means has been employed for beautifying the skin. We give below a number of such articles, which come as near as possible to this ideal without injuring the skin. As every skin cosmetic cannot but occlude the pores of the skin, it should be removed as soon as possible—an advice to be heeded particularly by actors and actresses, who must appear painted on the boards. A. White Skin Cosmetics. FRENCH WHITE (BLANC FRANÇAIS). Talcum 4 lb. Oil of lemon 75 grains. Oil of bergamot 75 grains. The talcum must be reduced to the finest powder, levigated, dried, and then perfumed. Owing to its unctuous nature, it readily adheres to the skin, and as it has no effect on it and does not change color, it is the best of all powders. LIQUID BISMUTH WHITE; PEARL WHITE (BLANC PERLÉ LIQUIDE). Subnitrate of bismuth 1 lb. Rose water 1 qt. Orange-flower water 1 qt. When standing at rest, the subnitrate of bismuth sinks to the bottom, while the supernatant fluid becomes quite clear. The bottle must therefore be vigorously shaken immediately before use. When this preparation remains on the skin for some length of time, it loses its pure white color and becomes yellow, or darker, through the gradual formation of a black sulphur compound. VENETIAN CHALK (CRAIE VENÉTIENNE). is made exactly like the French white, above; the only difference between the two preparations is that the talcum for the latter is brought to a red heat, which, however, causes it in part to lose the power of adhering to the skin. B. Red Skin Cosmetics (Rouges). ROUGE VÉGETAL ROSE LIQUIDE. Ammonia water 2 oz. Carmine 1¼ oz. Essence of rose (triple) 2½ oz. Rose water 2 qts.