THE COMPLETE BOOK OF NATURAL COSMETICS

For beauty-conscious women who like to putter in the kitchen, skin preparations made from fruits, vegetables, dairy products, flowers, spices without chemical preservatives. No old wives' family secrets, these recipes were originally concocted by Traven's husband (""one of the finest and most original cosmetic formulators in the profession,"" she lovingly writes), then translated from chemist's to cook's terminology by the author. She also explains how the basic ingredients (largely alcohols and oils) act on the skin to condition, moisturize, cool, stimulate, cleanse, deodorize. Traven's book unmasks a little of the mystery surrounding the beautifying creams, glosses and scents packaged by Revlon, Max Factor, Clairol, et al, as pure blatant sexuality. And all of it is as commonsensical and easy to do as squeezing a grapefruit into ethanol alcohol, presto! -- a zingy astringent.