Blast from the Past

So I am writing this book, a YA novel, if you must know. And it happens to take place in London in the 1870's. For research, I have been very reliant on the treasure chest that is The Dictionary of Victorian London. It has all sorts of contemporary articles on every subjects, from charity to neighborhoods. Lee Jackson, the site's proprietor, is my hero.

Yesterday I found this advice on skincare, which I thought I would share:

Secrets of Beauty.

You must well understand the nature of your skin in order to keep your good- looks.
If you have a dry skin, you cannot treat it as you would an oily one. If it is a flabby one, it requires quite different treatment from a firm one. But, whatever it is, it is necessary to be on your guard against the cosmetics that are sold, which corrode and coarsen, and even roughen it with horrible little white pimples, which nothing can cure.
Spring, river, and rain water seem to me the first and best of all cosmetics, excellent for every skin. The rather oily juices of melon and of cucumber suit dry skins. Strawberry-juice is good for greasy skins. An infusion of lavender or of marjoram will give tone to a soft skin.
Nevertheless, one must not overdo such remedies. They should never be used daily, [-269-] at the cost of losing their effect after a time.
All treatments should be interrupted for some days from time to time. Our bodies quickly become accustomed to medicaments of all kinds, which then cease to be efficacious.
A faded face (dry skins fade the soonest) will regain some freshness by using a lotion of which the following is the recipe. This lotion softens the epidermis:-
Boil some crumb of bread and roots of mallow in filtered rain-water. When the water is a little reduced, strain it through a clean white cloth, then add a good proportion of yolk of egg and some fresh cream. Stir it well, and perfume it with orange-flower-water.
This lotion has to be made fresh every time it is used. It does not do to apply it even the next day, as it will have turned sour.
Plantain-water is equally to be recommended.