Delicate Face Demands Delicate Care

BY ARLENE DAHL

 HOLLYWOOD - Irene Dunne was one of the first stars I met when I arrived in Hollywood, and we renowed our aquaintance when I visited on television set. I arrived just as the camera wheeled up to her face for a close up at the end of a scene.

"You've got to have courage to get the camera that close." she laughed as she came to greet me.

Yes, Irene Dunne seems, in some ways, even more beautiful than when I first met her. Her skin is fair as alabaster without a freckle or a blendish on it. Her hair, pilled high on her head, is like a turban of spun silver. She walks with a queenly gait, her eyes twinkle, and she's always ready with a warm, friendly smile.

                                                  Can't Afford Tan

"I have one of those faces - I suppose you'd call it delicate - that shows everything. If I don't get the proper amount of rest, if I'm worried or the least bit sick, my skin gets sallow and tiny lines appear. I can't afford to get sun tanned at all," she sighed.

 "I don't use creams or soap on my face...just an oil which acts as a flushing agent for the pores. When I travel, I take only two small bottles, rose water (the Paris kind), such a lovely fragrance, and my oil.

 "I'm opposed to anything containing astringent. A person with a thin, sensitive skin is better off never using it.

 "I use eye make-up... brown mascara, a tiny bit of brown eyeliner, and a touch of eye shawdow, usually blue because it's my favorite color and though my eyes are hazel they reflect the color closest to them.

 "And I'm never without lip rouge. I could give up everything but that... When other women take a 'break' and bring out their cigarettes, I bring out my lipstick.

                                                Hair Ash Blonde

 "You know how it seems to be 'the thing' to dye one's hair. Well, I had mine tinted a reddish shade, but my husband was so opposed to it I decided on this - ash blonde they call it - which is closer to my natural shade."

 "I've never dieted. I'm a sporadic eater. One day I'm ravenous and eat everything in sight, then I just eat light snacks for a day or two. It sort of 'balances out' that way."

Knowing I'm married to a South American she said: "I love the nature of the South Americans - especially the Brazilians. What wonderful people. I wish I had I had their disposition. So warm, so relaxed, and happy. They know the importance of mental and physical rest periods and let nothing interfere with them.

 "It would be wonderful if more American girls could be satisfied with being 'just' housewives like the Europeans and South Americans.

 "I don't mean sitting around playing cards or watching television. I mean doing things well and with grace in the home. Learning to cook, to entertain, to organize their chores so that they still have time for hobbies and sports.

 "In this way, the American home could once more regain its importance in our social structure."

(San Antonio Express And News, Sunday, October 11, 1959)