Gorgeous Makeup - Treasures in the Pan

I'm enticed by makeup that's gorgeous. Sometimes, it's too pretty to use! I think that cosmetics companies are on to us. They add designs and artwork - stamped or embossed, stripes, color blocks - anything to grab our attention.

There's a subliminal message, "If I'm this beautiful in the pan, imagine how pretty I will make you!"

I'm getting spoiled. I have so many little works of art in my makeup collection. Each time I pick up one of these pieces, I marvel at its beauty. There are designs that are ephemeral - they are only apparent on the surface of the product and blur or disappear with use - and those that are ingrained into the fiber of the product and will be with you as long as the makeup lasts.

Most of the prestige cosmetics companies have been producing makeup artworks for years. The Chantecaille tiger and dolphins above are not only stunning, they remind me of my passionate support for environmental causes. When you purchase Chantecaille makeup, you are supporting Chantecaille's deep concern for our endangered environment and the many animals at risk.

Stripes have been big for a couple of years. Of course, Washington Color School artist Gene Davis was the stripe master. I am privileged to have huge Gene Davis stripes hanging in my home. I'm also privileged to have almost every Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick ever made!

Even mass market companies have joined the bandwagon, with Physicians Formula offering bamboo and many other companies offering stripes, blocks, and patterns.

I even lust for makeup without trying it or even knowing the shade will be right for me - just because it's a work of art. A case in point is the new Lancome Tropiques Minérale Bamboo Bronzer Compact. Those trees and that gorgeous sun transported me to the beach. The bronzer shade looks like it will work for this fair-skinned blond, right?

Check out the Guerlain Terracotta Light Summer Bronzing Powder 01 in Blondes Hâlées below. The mosaic of copper and various nude shades join glints of pink in a five-shade mosaic that had me the second I opened the compact. No matter that they colors, when mixed, are exquisite on my face. What really grabbed me was the color wheel!

It's possible that I'm just an impressionable, superficial consumer who has fallen for form over function. I don't think so, though. All of the beautiful products I have bought look great on my face! Many have a complexity of color that's unparalleled.

What about you? Are you more likely to purchase a pretty, patterned product than a plain one?

Photos courtesy of Chantecaille, Bobbi Brown, Arthistoryabout.com, Physicians Forumla, and Guerlain