Hello! Lina here! 🙂
Before I get started with my first beauty secret I need to tell a little story…
When I finally decided to create this blog, the first thing I needed was a name. I was really excited to make it all soon, but then I got stuck on it. I had no idea how I could call my blog and when I thought of something, it was already taken… Eventually, I had the idea of bringing my name (Carolina) to make it more personal. Carol was too common, Ina is how I caring call my auntie Inajara and also it’s my mother-in-law’s name, Lina… Oh wait, that’s nice! I’ll be talking about beauty and stuff that not everyone talks about so, it’s like I’m telling my secrets to my friends… Lina’s Beauty Secrets… Yeah! I love it! I asked my husband, of course, if he liked the name. And he did! Next thing to do was finding out if that name was taken or not. In that search, I came across Lina Cavalieri, an Italian opera singer known in her time as “The world’s most beautiful woman”. I started reading about her, and the more I did the more I fell in love with the name I chose for my blog. And that’s why my first beauty secret involves her.
That’s a piece from the book she published in 1914, called “My Secrets of Beauty”, and it isn’t only one beauty secret but several ones. And very accessible! You can do all of them if you like…
Don’t eat too much.
Don’t chew the lips.
Don’t bite the nails.
Don’t sit on your foot.
Don’t eat many sweets.
Don’t read in a dim light.
Don’t bathe in a cold room.
Don’t neglect a daily routine.
Don’t read or write facing a light.
Don’t sleep in ill-ventilated rooms.
Don’t read when the eyes are tired.
Don’t read or write on a moving train.
Don’t open the eyes upon a bright light.
Don’t stand with the shoulders forward.
Don’t stand with the abdomen thrust out.
Don’t let your hands or feet remain cold.
Don’t make faces when you talk or listen.
Don’t drink much wine. The less the better.
Don’t neglect to bathe your feet every night.
Don’t sit on the last three bones of your spine.
Don’t be afraid to yawn or stretch when alone.
Don’t thrust the hips far backward as you walk.
Don’t sit with one shoulder higher than the other.
Don’t stand with one hip higher than the other.
Don’t fail to sleep as many hours as you require.
Don’t wear too lightweight clothing in winter.
Don’t sleep in a room crowded with draperies and rugs.
Don’t forget to visit your dentist once every three months.
Don’t let the chin bury itself in the neck. Keep it high.
Don’t wear tight shoes or tight gloves or tight corsets.
Don’t brush or comb the hair roughly. The scalp is tender.
Don’t go into the outer air directly after washing the face.
Don’t be afraid of rain or snow. They are tonics and beautifiers.
Don’t be discontented. Discontent engraves ugly lines in the face.
Don’t fall asleep with the features drawn in anger, worry or fatigue.
Don’t forget that the warm bath is a sedative; the cool bath a stimulant.
Don’t use every new cosmetic you see advertised or hear recommended.
Don’t wear clothing so heavy that its weight drags upon the vital organs.
Don’t dwell upon unpleasant things. Dismiss them if you value your beauty.
Don’t allow the skin to grow dry. A dry skin is the parent of many wrinkles.
Don’t rest upon large pillows. They cause round shoulders and double chins.
Don’t lie down for rest with your nerves and muscles tied in small, hard knots.
Don’t forget that the reclining posture is a storehouse of strength and beauty.
Don’t let the muscles grow flabby. Firm muscles give the appearance of youth.
Don’t lead a too regular life. A varied programme is better than an unvarying one.
Don’t keep your rooms either too hot or cold, but at an even, moderate temperature.
Don’t be afraid to work, and to work hard. It is only worry mingled with work that kills.
Don’t allow yourself to become ill. Every illness subtracts from vitality and adds to apparent age.
Don’t think that when you have brushed your hair your duty to your head is done. The scalp must be massaged.
Don’t wriggle the feet or fingers or hunch the shoulders. Find other and less ugly outlets for your nervous energy.
Don’t moisten the lips with the tongue to make them red. It will only cause them to roughen and chap.
Don’t forget that the eye bath, the nasal douche, and the mouth bath are part of the daily ceremonial of cleanliness.
Don’t forget for one moment that health is the basis of beauty. And build your beauty upon that only sure foundation.
Don’t neglect the protection for your skin when you go out or the care for it when you come in from out of doors.
Don’t think that to keep the teeth beautiful they must be continually brushed. After the daily brushing remember the mouth bath.
Don’t think you are ever too tired for the night toilet. The face must always be washed and cold creamed at night if you value your complexion.
Don’t, especially if you are slenderly built, permit the shoulders and chest to sink. If you are too tired to hold them up take a nap, or at least recline for a time.
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So, what do you think? Like them or not? Which ones do you wanna start adding in your beauty routine? Tell me everything in the comments section!
Many kisses and see you soon! 🙂
Lina Levien 