In the Bathroom With...
Vogue Beauty Germany January 2008
interview: Barbara Markert
translated by Michaela
Yasmin Le Bon. The longtime supermodel on her personal beauty rituals.
Can anyone look elegant in jogging pants and Uggs? It's possible. If your name is Yasmin le Bon. The model who is still extremely active at the age of 43 stands, looking stunning, at the front door of her Victorian house in Putney, part of London. It is about 40 minutes from the city to the big house with the garden which she and her not less famous husband, the lead singer Simon Le Bon of the music group Duran Duran, acquired 16 years ago.
"We have already been living here for so long, but it's not completely furnished yet," she confesses and puts on her beaming smile with which she has graced hundreds of magazine covers since 1984.
"We always have a full house: three daughters, friends, nephews, the mother-in-law, two cats, the Chihuahua who believes he is the third cat. In many rooms even today hang naked light bulbs, because I do not have the time to look for lamps!"
Mrs. Le Bon is excused. In the end, the Briton possesses a triple task as a housewife, mother and businesswoman. She has already been modeling for 24 years, and it is still fun for her.
"On the Internet unknown people have decided for me that I should stop. But I don't want to."
Travelling and the possibility of slipping into new roles would go off to her.
"Earlier on I worked seven days a week, and in my spare time I ran after my husband who was on tour. His job was always more important than mine. Today it's different. Sometimes a bag full of jobs falls upon me, sometimes I have a whole week free. It's how I've always wished it would be."
The Oxford-born model is, in spite of her age, still very much in business, because of her apparently eternal youth. No wrinkle appears on her soft brown skin which she has from her Persian father. One who doesn't know her true age would estimate the brown-eyed beauty to be in her early 30s. She herself sees this more critically. "I have dry skin and small folds around the eyes. Therefore, at shoots I keep a distance from the monitors that the digital picture appears on. I don't want to see it; it puts me in a bad mood."
She has been using special anti-aging products for a short time. Earlier,
she put everything that was available on her face, then for a while Crème
de la Mer. "At the moment my favorite is M LAB, which you can only
get at Harrods." These products from the USA have been available at
the London department store since 2007 and contain the finest peptides,
moisturizers and anti-oxidants. "A miraculous texture. In addition the black
packaging fits well in my bathroom."
Brushed matte nickel, glass walls and American walnut lend Yasmin's bathroom a very modern and stylish character. Cosmetics, care products and remaining knickknacks are well-hidden behind cupboard doors, with only four perfume bottles of Armani Privé decorating the dark stone washbasin. "If our house breaks down, it's because of the basin!" says the owner of the villa with her typically British humor and looks amused at the second decoration - a big amethyst. "I got it sometime in the USA. Also such a crazy idea to travel with this heavy thing in airplanes. I must have had excess baggage!"
Yasmin Le Bon does not take herself too seriously, nor her beauty. If she has no work, she goes out without make-up. "In my handbag you won't find a lipstick, but you'll always find a face cream." Her current favourite is Chanel Hydramax+. "I got it as a gift from Chanel. It is quite light and works really well with my foundation." Because many creams can cause chemical reactions with make-up, the beauty expert uses it as a base, otherwise only Embryolisse. "It's a cheap French cream that works perfectly with my MAC or Chantecaille foundation." To obtain the right colour for her complexion, Yasmin Le Bon combines three makeup shades herself. "I'm really good at that. I also mix my own body milk." The ingredients?
"The base is Kiehl's body lotion. In addition everything comes in what lies in the bath. Sometimes also a face cream." She stores the mixture in an empty plastic bottle from Body Shop. "It's important is to shake it strong and remove it quickly after using, because the bottle is very ugly!" She likes to test new products. But she is loyal to only one product, Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. "Unfortunately I have discovered it very late. It's an oil, but it doesn't feel like it. Simply brilliant!"
She is also loyal to her hairdresser. "I have been going to Jo Hansford
for many years. She has been colouring my hair since the birth of my first
child, when it went grey."
Yasmin also began sport seriously when she became a mother. "I love martial arts, above all, Wing Chun, which is a kind of Kung Fu. Besides, unfortunately, I have torn a muscle, know there's only Pilates." Remaining physically fit is very important in her job. As a model you must dislocate yourself constantly, tighten the body and then pause in absolutely unnatural positions. "On the photo on which I lie in the bath I look completely relaxed, however, this in not me at all. In the 80s I spent months performing ballet jumps in killer high heels. Today I still suffer from it." Hips, knees and back are shot. But stop? "If it really doesn't go on, something else will come up. I don't make plans. If they don't happen, I 'm not disappointed."