Women with oily skin the world over will back me up when I say it is imperative that a powder compact be with you at all times. Not just to check for that pesky poppy seed or piece of spinach lodged in your teeth, but to sop up the oil that's sure to appear on your face as the day goes by.

I've tried many brands of pressed powder. I've even carried a particular brand of loose powder, with hopes it would erase my shine. It exploded in my handbag.

As with skin care, finding the ultimate pressed powder has been something of a mission. I've tried countless brands, only to have them cake, streak, turn orange and pool in the enlarged pores around my nose and on my chin.

I'd read about T. LeClerc for years before I tried it. It wasn't widely available. One day, when I wandered into my local Barneys, I spotted the now familiar wheel showcasing the myriad shades of loose and pressed formulations. The selection of loose shades outnumbers the pressed, but I was compelled to try the pressed formula. I didn't want to ruin another bag.

The first shade I tried was Banane. It's a creamy pale yellow that's supposed to counteract ruddiness in fair skin tones. It is not meant for very fair skin, like mine. After one application, I resembled Casper the Ghost. My ideal shade ended up being Ivoire, a pale, yellowish beige.

LeClerc compacts are nothing short of stunning. Esthetically, they are everything you could possibly want in a compact; they are sleek, sturdy, scratch proof and close with a loud, satisfying "click." I even keep the velvet pouch they come packaged in.

The powder is fine, silky and goes on as sheer as a gossamer veil. It doesn't cake or gather in my pores. It erases shine beautifully. The only downside is that if you are excessively oily, you must reapply it fairly often. I've been known to buy three or four compacts at a time. On average, one will last me about three to four weeks. This turns into quite an expense, since each compact is $45 and is not refillable.

Since there is no such thing as the perfect pressed powder, I'm sticking with T. LeClerc, for now.

Happy Shopping!