Take a powder
Want to know how movie stars and top models really get their glow? It’s a beauty secret that’s been around for over 100 years called T. LeClerc Poudre Dermophile. In other words, face powder.
Not just any face powder, but a special brand of face powder from
T. LeClerc is definitely the Rolls-Royce of face powders — the classic that never goes out of style because, put simply, it works. You know how makeup artists are always recommending a yellow powder to set your makeup? I finally found my holy-grail yellow powder in T. LeClerc’s Banane. It may look a daunting shade of yellow in the tin, but on the face the color magically cancels out any redness and blemishes and creates an amazingly even, matte finish. It’s one of my secrets for looking like I have naturally good skin.
It’s results like this that have made LeClerc’s secret formula so successful it’s jealously guarded, and has been kept unchanged for over a century (the company was founded in Paris in 1881). The only fact LeClerc will give away is that the powder is derived from rice, mainly because of its fine, lightweight texture.
Proud of its heritage, the only changes the brand has made over the years are to offer the original loose powder in a pressed version, and to develop a range of shades that camouflage all sorts of imperfections. They’ve also updated the packaging: up until a few years ago the powder came in an embossed silver tin that could have been cribbed from the dresser of Marie-Antoinette — that’s how exquisitely vintage it looked. Inside the tin the powder was loose, held back only by a paper sieve, and applied with a puff.
Today the packaging is a lot sleeker (and application a lot less messier). They’ve kept the charming retro look in silver plastic jewel cases you can easily slip into your purse, with a cute little puff inside.
The loose powder comes in 20 shades, including the best-selling Banane, which can be mixed or worn straight. Whatever the ingredients are, they’re remarkably effective at hiding flaws, making LeClerc the “reference powder of most famous stars, models and makeup artists because of its unique qualities,” according to the company.
The pressed powder is a pure, concentrated version of the loose powder, with 15 shades that you can tote with you for touchups. The mirrored compacts come in their own velvet pouches, adding a touch of Parisian elegance. The most popular shade of pressed powder is also Banane, though new variations Banane Argentee (pale yellow powder with silver shimmer) and Banane Doree (with gold pearls for a more satiny finish) have been illuminating the faces of more and more celebrities and models. Other shades rapidly gaining fame are rosy-beige Ambre, beige Sable, pink Orchidee, mint-green Tilleul and Bronze for summer.
Mint-green face powder? Some of the colors in the line (they also have blue) are unexpected, but T. LeClerc uses its unique knowledge of color to correct all kinds of skin imperfections. Each color has a specific function and deals with a particular problem to give you the desired effect. Some tips on how to choose your shade:
• Beige is a camouflage color that changes on your skin.
• Yellow enhances your natural skin color. Not only Asians benefit but Caucasian skin also contains more yellow than pink tones.
• Blue is the king of light. It produces a spectacular effect layered under a pink powder.
• Green is the perfect foil for redness (being red’s complementary color). It should be applied under beige powder and not pink, which would neutralize it.
• White does not make you look kabuki but adds highlights, attenuates sharp angles, and softens the face. It also makes eyes look bigger.
• Peach, apricot and orange tones give you a healthy look and brighten your complexion.
• Brown warms up your complexion, and gives definition and expression.
The powders’ success has made fans clamor for more, spurring the company to introduce a complete makeup range enriched with the benefits of rice. Now a major player in the world of cosmetics, T. LeClerc is no longer a beauty secret — it’s a lifestyle.
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T. LeClerc’s complete range is available at Rustan’s Essenses.
