Beauté Naturelle

Few routines are more pleasurable to the lady of elegance than her toilette. Yes, we may be free from the constraints of corsets, but no true femme fatale can resist the luscious luxury of plum colored lip stick or a sweet dab of Chanel no. 5.

While genetics have been nothing but a friend to Fuschia and me, it is no secret that beauty must be harvested, well kept, for the artistry of a perfectly symmetrical face or hourglass figure to truly shine. Yes, my boudoir may be lined with bottles of RéVive Peau Magnifique and Kérastase Chronologiste, but there is also something to be said for natural remedies. For if mother earth can maintain the magnificence of her oceans and trees, certainly she can aid in the preservation of a beautiful face.

Ideas for the practice of Beauté Naturelle:

Egg white and crushed glass face mask: Subdue your skin into glowing clarity with this simple recipe. Separate two cage free egg whites in a bowl and mix with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt. Select an unwanted glass from you cupboard and smash it in your mortar and pestle. Grind into a fine powder before mixing with egg white and yogurt. Rub into face and let sit for at least two hours before washing off with ice cold filtered spring water.

Daphne flower and blueberry lip stain: Lip stick often wears off, but this stain will keep your mouth coloured until dawn of the morning after. Simply combine the buds of several daphne flowers with a handful of bluberries in your mortar and pestle. Crush until the mixture is a deep purple color. Strain out the remains of berries until you are left with only liquid. Apply with a horse hair lip brush. Warning: do not lick your lips at any point when wearing this, Daphne flower poison has often proved fatal.

Aegean Sea moisturizer: While vacationing with an Italian lover last summer in the Cyclades Islands, I learned of the wonders of Aegean sea sand. No mortar and pestle is needed for this, simply collect a handful of wet earth from beneath the waves and rub into your skin. Let the water wash your body clean, lying on the shore under the Grecian sun. The perfect remedy for worn out skin in need of a weekend away.