Flower Power?

Above we have one of the latest trends in beauty products - funny flower designs embossed in the product itself. I've included images of The Body Shop Shimmer Buds Eye Shadow, Clinique Fresh Bloom Allover Color, and Revlon A Floral Affair Blush - I'm sure there are quite a few more.

I know this has been done in the past (recall embossed sun images in bronzers), but I find it very annoying. Pretty packaging is one thing, but I like my product to be simply the product, unless the designs serve some purpose. In some cases they do, like with the Revlon Golden Affair Sculpting Blush San reviewed here.

But flowers? At least the strips of color showing up in everything from blushes to lip glosses are somewhat more functional. Flowers, however, don't seem to allow proper mixing of different shades, and some seem to be too small to dip into for individual ones. In the case of The Body Shop eye shadow, I don't think they do anything at all - just decoration.

These are probably meant to make women feel like a special season has arrived and that their makeup, in addition to formula/shade, should change accordingly. Eh. I prefer the bold, functional pan of color in something like NARS' products.

I'm a sucker for pretty things, and most women are, for better or for worse, but I just don't see the appeal of these. Stripes, checker-boards, flowers - what next? Hopefully something more interesting.