Roll Out The Welcome Matte For Red Rice

As a kid growing up on the island of Guam, red rice was a gourmet staple at fiestas (A.K.A parties). Since then, I've never seen or heard of it here in the States - until now. This month, L'Occitane will be unveiling their newest bounty of Provencal beauty that gets its mattifying power from - you guessed it - red rice. Grown in abundance in the Camargue region of Provence in France, the French refer to it as "le riz rouge." It tastes nuttier than brown rice and according to an article on the French Entree website, "gets its color from the same pigment used in wine." When the rice is crushed into a powder or made into a vinegar, it becomes the beginnings of a key ingredient in L'Occitane's Red Rice Collection, a four-step regimen with powerful skin balancing and mattifying properties perfect for oily and combination skins. The collection includes a cleanser, toner, moisturizer and exfoliating scrub and my oily/combination skin can't wait to get a taste of it. I tried a drop of the moisturizer on my T-zone and it kept my face oil-free all day sans powder or blotting papers. Look for it on Sephora.com soon! - Joannie McIntyre