I don’t need another lip color or blusher, but if I did, I’d be scooping up a few items from Korres. I’ve had an eye on their Cheek Butter in Philia Rose for a while; actually, I’d probably use it as a lip color instead. And now there’s a new lip product called Greek Yoghurt Nourishing Lip Cooler, which seems to be a tinted conditioning balm in a tube. My pick would be Raspberry.
I like those rosy-pink shades, but it’s the packaging that really keeps tempting me. Korres is a Greek company, of course, and for these two items they’ve borrowed ornamental patterns that date back to the art and architecture of classical Greece. One is the “meander” pattern, this repeating, maze-like border.
Another is the palmette motif, a symmetrical design that resembles palm fronds. Both these images come from The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones, a design sourcebook published in 1856. In this book, we’re seeing ancient Greek decorations filtered through a Victorian sensibility; more than a century and a half later, Korres continues the long tradition of adapting and reusing them.
Korres cosmetics are available at the Korres website and Sephora.
TINSEL CREATION 
Oh I’m so releived! I thought I was the only one, I too want it just for the packaging! I guess my name isn’t Hélène for nothing! :) Funny but this weekend, I’ve been showing Greek orders and ornemental patterns to my daughter who will be doing a project about Crete. I haven’t tried anything from Korres yet (I know, I live in a cave) and now I’m waiting for these to arrive at my local Sephora.
No, you’re not alone—the packaging really is appealing! What a fun project for your daughter to do. I’m not a classicist, so I hope I haven’t made any errors even in this short post.
Korres is hit-or-miss for me, but I’ve repurchased their primer. I like the lip butters in pots (not the ones in tubes), and the body products have good scents. I want to try their new foundation, if I can get a sample at Sephora.
I’m not whatsoever a Classicist (my grad training was in early modern European history), but I now work as an academic advisor in a big Classics department… betting some of my majors would go gaga for this stuff! :)