Beauty Ten Commandments – 1923 Beauty Secrets for Every Woman Magazine

I am a collector. There, I said it.

What is a collector?

Someone who is so obsessed with items from a certain genre that they are incapable of passing by an item available for purchase.

My obsession, as you can probably guess, is very specific. It is late 19th and early/mid-20th century beauty magazines, books and packaging. I am an easy sell. If it isn’t on my book shelf already, I am happy to shell out the money for it.

For all of my readers and fellow vintage beauty junkies, I am working on about 9 different project right now that I am hoping to have released over the next few months. And all of my projects always get there inspirations from these vintage beauty things I collect.

I picked up this 1923 Beauty magazine and wanted to share with you their 10 Commandments to stay beautiful.

Interestingly, there is not a whole lot about makeup in this magazine. 1920s makeup was still kind of underground. Emphasis was placed on good skin, fragrance (and deoderizing bad smells), and a good form/figure. Makeup was a small part of the beauty regiment, as you can see by this list of commandments.

I.      Thou shalt cultivate a love for the beautiful, and make thyself look thy best at all times.

II.     Thou shalt strive with infinite care to preserve the beauty that nature hath given thee, and strive to always add what nature has neglected to give.

III.    Thou shalt not forget that fresh air and sunshine, right living, and right thinking are the first requisites of health, and that good health is essential to beauty.

IV.    Thou shalt so order thy time that each day shall be spent to advantage, never neglecting to give the mind and body the daily repose and rest that they require, particularly sleep-“nature’s sweet restorer.”

V.     Thou shalt assist nature whenever possible by the use of cosmetics and other remedies, remembering that we live unnatural lives, and therefore must adopt artificial means to preserve and enhance the beauty that nature hath given.

VI.    Thou shalt not disgrace nature by imitating it in an exaggerated manner, or one that appears to be artificial; for otherwise it becomes grotesque and thou wilt appear a caricature.

VII.   Thou shalt strive to be natural and look natural, just as nature would have made us had we lived always under the smile of her sunbeams and in her pure, invigorating atmosphere.

VIII.  Those shalt never expose thyself to public view when assisting nature by artificial means, but sholt always do so in the privacy of thy chamber. “Art that conceals art” shall be thy motto, and modesty thy password.

IX.     Thou shalt carefully remove thy make-up every night before retiring, thoroly (That’s not a typo. That’s how it is spelled in the magazine.) cleansing thy face, hands and neck, and gently massaging them with the palms and fingers, and then applying such unguents as thy complexion needeth, so that thou shalt fall into a pleasant and gentle slumber, and awake next morning refreshed and revivified for the day’s duties.

X.      Thou shalt always remember that true beauty comes from within; that thy inward thoughts are reflected on the countenance; that kind thoughts, good deeds, a sweet temper, and a sympathetic heart form the best foundation cream for the finishing touches that cosmetics will give thy countenance.

This beautiful full-page advertisement for the Pompeia brand of cosmetics is a very good example of the emphasis of early 1920s cosmetics. It list the beauty essentials of the time; perfum, rouge, sachets, cremes, and poudres (powders).