The Daily Monitor

QUESTION: "I am a brunette but unlike most, do not suntan. My skin is exceedingly sensitive and I blister even after a few minutes in the sunlight, then my face peels and is red and sore for weeks. Can you suggest a cream or suntan oil that will prevent this awful redness and still not make my nose shiny?"—Mary.

On rare occasions one finds a skin that is actually allergic to sunlight. Perhaps such is your case. If so, the usual suntan lotions and oils are not for you at all. Instead you should use a rather heavy-tinted foundation cream and a generous coating of powder to screen out as much sun as possible. Wear a shady hat. If you must be outdoors for any length of time, use the heavy make-up, then remove it and use a soothing cream after you come in. Lie down with a square of gauze moistened in ice water or cold skin freshener over your face to lessen the sensitivity.

Smart New York shops are featuring white as a leading costume color this summer. Great expanses of white mean that lips and fingertips must be gayer and nicely harmonized. Since vivid color is sometimes used for accent, a cute idea is to match a belt, scarf, costume jewelry or hankie to your lipstick shade.

Pink is another popular summer color. Since it belongs in the "pretty" category, however, see that other details are carefully harmonized. Wear your hair a bit softer and more feminine, make your skin as clear as possible and keep it on the fair or honey tan side. Key rouge and lipstick carefully to the tone of pink you wear best. If you are naturally dark and dramatic, wear only the coolest, most delicate pink to play up your coloring.

Red is a dashing color and lots of it is being worn this season. Remember, however, it is a warming color and unless your skin is creamy or cool in tone, you had better avoid it. If you have the least bit of suntan, your complexion will pick up the red in your hat or costume and you may look unattractively flushed or even badly sunburned.