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Did you ever have the perfect lip color then all of a sudden, it’s discontinued? I wore a lip color by Lancome’ that I loved so much I felt like I was married to it. When I found out it was being discontinued, I went to Macy’s (then Hudson’s) and bought every tube of it I could afford. I never since found one that looked so good on me.

But, that was years ago and I can’t remember the color name, and don’t have a sample of the color. Oh well, life goes on. But here’s good news for you, if you have a color that you love and can’t seem to find it anywhere, Three Custom Color Specialists or 3CC, can match it. Will it be identical? Maybe, maybe not. Will it be so close that you won’t care? More than likely.
3CC was founded in 1997 by Scott Catto, Trae Bodge and Chad Hayduk. Bodge and Hayduk began their careers at Visage Beaute, known for its custom blending and later moved on to Kiehl’s. Catto, 3C’s managing director had worked as a director of an art gallery in SoHo. The trio met at The Tunnel, a New York club, became friends and with their combined creative vision, the three custom color specialists went into to business. The trio brings a combined total of more than 30 years experience in cosmetics and marketing. 3CC began in the industry offering ready-to-wear and custom blending lipsticks, glosses and blushes.

Within five years 3CC had expanded their line adding more custom products including blended eye shadows. They don’t color forecast. They don’t need to. If I had a tube of the lipstick I loved so much which would be almost 10 years old, I wouldn’t care too much about what’s coming to market. In the same vein, maybe your Grandma Violet has a candy dish in a funky color you’d never seen anywhere made from let’s say, depression era glass. Yep. They can match it. In 2001 about 75% of their mail order business and 20% of in-store business was custom blending and they never discontinue their colors. Once your color is created, you never have to be without it again. Got a sample of the color you cannot find? You can swipe it into a baggie (don’t swipe it on paper, it may change the color), or send a swatch of fabric, a paint chip, you name it. Know the color and can’t find it? Send them the brand name and color or send your lipstick tube. 3CC has a color archive of more than 6,000 shades of lip color.

What you get for the money.

Fifty dollars will get you two tubes of your custom blended color or gloss available from now on. For an additional $15.00 at the time of ordering you can get an additional tube, pot or wand of your custom color. Reorder and you get a $10.00 discount.

But wait, there’s more! 3CC also custom blends cream concealers, face powders, blush, brow powders and, eye shadows. For more information on Three Custom Color Specialists and how to order your custom colors, go to their website at http://www.threecustom.com/.