This morning, I had the pleasure of hosting our very first Image Workshop with The HOPE Program. The session was attended by 2 staff members from the Program’s employment team and 5 lovely ladies who are approaching the end of their journey with the Program’s phenomenal 12 week work readiness and job placement course.

After introducing everyone to Three Custom and our philosophies about beauty for the every day woman, I fielded questions from the attendees on everything beauty – from makeup application to skin tone to skin care.

I also had the opportunity to meet Jacqueline Revan, who will be our very first intern from HOPE. This summer, Jacqueline along with students from FIT and LIM, will learn about the inner workings of Three Custom Color Specialists by working with us in our laboratory. Welcome Jacqueline!

The HOPE Program’s mission: To empower individuals living in poverty to achieve economic self-sufficiency and to inform practices and policy by sharing our research and solutions. To learn more about this fantastic and vital program, please visit www.thehopeprogram.org

Watch CBS Videos Online

As usual, (just about) everyone looked amazing at the Oscars. What struck us most about makeup were the lovely RED LIPS. Many actresses, Amy Adams, Jessica Biel, Diane Lane, Amanda Seyfried and Alicia Keys all wore a distinct shade of red. All reds were bright, moist and sheer, yet elegant. The sheerness allows the natural pink of the lips to shine through, which gives a complexity to the color and allows it to be quite flexible so it can be worn with many different gown shades - purple, pink, red and of course, black.

To get the look: Try our Ballet Russe for a cooler red, The L Word Bette for a warmer red and be sure to keep your eyes peeled in April for our brand new Frangipani Lipstick, designed by Chad after his recent trip to Seychelles. Frangipani is a sweet coral-red with stunning gold sparkle for added glamour. All 3 shades are available in our award-winning sheer formula.

We saw a lot of nude looking faces this season, but we did catch a glimpse or two of color this past week. Fall/Winter Fashion Week often brings a smokey eye, sometimes in unique combinations like purple & bronze instead of black or grey, but this season, much of the focus was on the lips, with a few notable exceptions.
What we found:
RED LIPS
We saw lots of red lips this season, which is always fun! The tones ranged from a tomato red at J Mendel & Rebecca Minkoff to a mid-range red at Erin Fetherstone & Nima to a rich, deep wine tone at Cynthia Rowley, Cynthia Steffe and Mulberry. Eyes were a bit smokey, but fairly understated.
J Mendel – TOMATO RED



Erin Fetherston & Nima – MID RANGE REDS

Cynthia Rowley, Cynthia Steffe & Mulberry – WINE



To get the look: Try our L WORD BETTE SHEER LIPSTICK for TOMATO RED, BALLET RUSSE or COOL RED for the MID RANGE RED and COOL BURGUNDY Lipstick for the deep WINE tone.

LOVELY EYES
Lela Rose showed us a gorgeous, innovative smokey eye this season, with lots of black around the outer corners, deep blue as you move inward and a pretty fishscale green on the inner corners.

Lela Rose

To get the look: We thought this look was a standout, so don’t be surprised if we add a fishscale green to our collection this fall! In the meantime, try starting on the inner corners with Gold, blend outward with Warm Celery then Warm Midnight, then Cool Black.

UNIQUE CHEEKS
ADAM Adam Lippes showed a very unusual look as well. Bubblegum pink was used very high on the cheekbone and blended upwards into the lower lashes with purple and navy blue.


To get the look: Apply Pink Hyacinth Watercolours for Cheeks very high on the cheekbones. Then apply Navy Eye Liner around the outer corners of the eyes. Focus on the lower, outer lashes and buff downwards into the Pink Hyacinth with Warm Aubergine Eye Shadow.

MORTE!
We’re not quite sure about this one, but we saw quite a few examples of very drab or dark lips and postmortem faces. Rodarte was in our opinion the champion of this (or the biggest offender, depending on how you look at it), taking the look all over the face by combining grey and bronze with a muddy “greige� on the lips. Other culprits were Vigal Azrouel & Herve Leger on the “greige� lips front and Doo.Ri & Rachel Roy on the dark lips front.


To get the look: Experiment with combining Silver and Bronze or Warm Nutmeg Eye Shadows to highlight and contour the face. Apply concealer on the lips blended with Silver Eye Shadow for the “greige� look and or experiment with Cool Black Eye Shadow combined with concealer on the lips for a darker lip tone.

All That Glitters…
This winter, look no further than Three Custom Color Specialists to keep you dazzling. Mood Lighting Shimmer Crèmes have us all aglow, and you can’t go wrong with Ballet Russe, TAI Lip Shine, and Gilded Eye Shadow for some holiday party pizzazz! That’s not all - check out these stellar reviews and other great product recommendations from our beauty-blogging friends.

Happy Holidays!
Tess, Publicist, Three Custom Color Specialists

Beauty News NYC – Makeup Artist Shana King mentioned Three Custom Color as one of her favorite cream blush brands.

SheFinds – Mood Lighting Shimmer Crèmes were listed in the SheFinds Holiday Sales Calendar.

Bionic Beauty – TAI Lip Shine’s non-sticky, non-migrating formula made Jami’s “must-have� list. She also recommended another Three Custom Color favorite, Doubles gloss.

Total Beauty – The editor’s blog on Total Beauty featured TAI Lip Shine.

American Salon Blog – TAI Lip Shine was featured.

Girl Gloss – Carleen recommended Ballet Russe Lipstick for its moisturizing sheer coverage.

Makeup Junkie – Joy recommended the Mood Lighting Shimmer Trio and included application tips from Dina Gregg.

Makeup Divas – Melissa posted a review of TAI Lip Shine with a photograph of her own swatch. She recommended the lip gloss for its consistency, shine, and color.
*This was tagged a “Best of the Beauty Blog Network� post and was syndicated on multiple blogs, including:
Christina Loves
Makeup Loves Me

Life of a LadyBug – Toya loved the moisturizing texture and rich “knock your socks off� cherry stain of Ballet Russe Lipstick.

Makeup Divas – Melissa conducted a giveaway of 3 Ballet Russe Lipsticks.

An Indian’s Makeup Musings – Vidhya recommended Concealer #6 and Concealer #3 to cover up her dark eye circles. This post instructed readers on how to send in a sample to be matched.

Makeup Loves Me – Marina named Ski Bunny Lip and Cheek Stain as one of her top 5 favorite makeup products.

Running With Heels – Makeup Artist Nathan Johnson recommended Three Custom Color Specialists’ bronzers as critical for a makeup routine for busy moms.

All About The Pretty – Mood Lighting Shimmer Crèmes launched this blog’s “12 Days of Pretty� Feature. Julia recommended the Mood Lighting Shimmer Crèmes for their portability and day-to-night use. She also mentioned Co-Creator Dina Gregg of Bravo’s “Make Me A Supermodel.�

Kaboose.Com – The Mood Lighting Shimmer Trio was recommended on this websites rundown of “10 Winter Must-Haves for Mom.�

Teen Vogue.Com – Chen, Beauty Director blogged about our Holiday Contest and mentioned Three Custom Color as one of her favorite beauty brands.

Go Beauty Beast.Com – Diedre recommended Gilded Eye Shadow to complement a golden holiday makeup look.

Beauty Blogs are a great way to address many of your unanswered makeup questions, such as: Am I a Warm or a Cool? How do I pull off the dark lipstick look? What shades should I wear for my wedding? How do I get that Hollywood starlet’s fresh glow? Has anyone tried this new lip color? Which products do Pro Makeup Artists, really –Our Mom on the Go Kit in Cool was featured with a photo.

To answer these questions - and read reviews and previews our newest launches - check out the latest edition of Three Custom Color Specialists blog round up. Enjoy!

BellaSugar – Chad was interviewed for a three-part series about the Warm vs. Cool concept. He reveals his tips on how to determine your skin tone, and his product recommendations for both Warm and Cool Skin – Ctones.

Top Button – This Wedding Beauty feature included a description of our bridal trials at the Color Studio and recommends the bridal pages on our website.

HairsMyStory – Leanne blogged about Light Brights High Shine Lip Glosses.

Product Perfect – Jaime Bedrin previewed Wallflower, with a photo and description of the shade.

The Quest for It – This TAI Lip Shine preview post discusses Trae’s collaboration with Celebrity Hairstylist, Diane Da Costa.

Wedding Podcast Network – Chad was interviewed at The Makeup Show and provided tips on “Grooming for the Groom.�

Afrobella – Patrice named TAI Lip Shine as one of her “Hot Beauty Must Haves.�

Beauty Blogging Junkie – Amber called Wallflower Watercolours for Cheeks her new “purse staple�

Life of a Ladybug – Mom on the Go Lip & Cheek Stain is this blogger’s favorite Three Custom Color product.

Daily Cookie - Check out this blogger’s visit to Bombshell and her beautiful brow makeover using Three Custom Color Specialists Brow Powder and Concealer.

Beauty of Life – Dina Gregg, Pro MUA and friend of Three Custom Color Specialists, discussed her influences, her work, and her favorite products, including: Mood Lighting Shimmer Crèmes and Cool Camel Eye Shadow.

Movie Martin – Martin commented that Madonna wore a makeup look similar to Three Custom Color Specialists look for fall (Wallflower).

Beauty Blogging Junkie –Amber blogged raved that Snow Eye Shadow “instantly brightens� the eye area.

Mom Finds - Belinda mentioned Light Brights Lip Glosses in her round up of the “Top 5 Lip Glosses for Moms.�

Face Candy – Kyle wrote a great review of Marry Me Lip and Cheek Stain and posted Three Custom Color Specialists bridal beauty tips, copied from our website.

Bionic Beauty –Jami embraced the dark lip trend with Three Custom Color Specialists Cool Brown Lip Liner, Burgundy Lip Liner, and Doubles lip gloss.

This That Beauty – Felicia shared Trae’s Spring ’09 trend report with her readers.

Makeup Junkie – Joy hails Wallflower Watercolours for Cheeks as the “perfect nude.� She praised the shade for the pink undertone and the formula for its long wear and versatility as a lip color.

TopButton.Com – Snow Eye Shadow is mentioned in an article about Celebrity Beauty Secrets. The article mentions Chad’s work with MUA Matin for Angelina Jolie.

The Daily Cookie – Jeannie posted photos and a review of her experience at the Color Studio. She included Chad’s color recommendations for her warm, medium complexion.

Bionic Beauty - Chad answered questions about fall makeup trends for Bionic beauty. He suggests Cool & Warm Burgundy Lipstick, Cool Brown lip Liner, Burgundy Lip Liner, and Doubles Gloss.

Life of a Lady Bug –In a post titled, “Bronzers for Brown Girls, Toya recommended Three Custom Color Specialists Mini-Pressed Warm Bronzer for it’s sheer matte finish and great-on-the-go packaging.

Life of a Lady Bug – Toya enjoyed the sheer copper color of TAI Lip Shine and also suggested it as a gloss to top over red lipstick. The post mentioned Trae and Diane joining forces to support the ADA.

Celebrity Beauty Buzz – Pink Hyacinth Watercolours for Cheeks was mentioned in this article about Vanessa Hudgens’ makeup bag.

For the Love of Beauty – Roxy blogged about the launch of the Czarina Collection and included our inspiration photos from the email blast.She also mentioned our Fearless Pink Lip Gloss promotion for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Beauty of Life – Dina Fierro, eye4style blogger, named Three Custom Color Specialists one of the brands she cannot live without because of “the power of custom blending and personal attention.�

Life of a Ladybug – In this interview, Trae shares her beauty philosophy, inspirations, and advice for women of color who are looking to get into the beauty industry.

Beauty Blogging Junkie – Amber called Ballet Russe Lipstick a universally flattering red with a “divine consistency.�

Temptalia – Christine posted her own beautiful photographs of Wallflower, Gilded Eye Shadow, Russian Blue Eye Shadow, Ballet Russe Lipstick, and TAI Lip Shine.

An Indian’s Makeup Musings – Vidhya raved about Ballet Russe Lipstick as the perfect lipstick to keep stashed in her purse – she doesn’t need a mirror to apply it and it’s so moisturizing that it substitutes for lip balm.

Makeup Minute – Shannon announced the Czarina giveaway contest for her readers. The contest runs through October 8th and 5 winners will be awarded the collection. The contest was hosted on both of her blogs, Makeup Minute and A Girl’s Gotta Spa.

TheSuperMelon.Com –The brand was featured in an article and praised for our custom blending and discontinued lipstick services. It also mentioned our bridal trials and consultations.
*This post was syndicated on multiple websites.

Elke Von Freudenberg Blog –Elke urged her readers to purchase our Fearless Pink Lip Gloss. She mentioned her personal connection to City of Hope.

GobeautyBeast.Com – Chad gave an in-depth interview about how to wear the dark lip trend this fall.

Hot Moms Club – Fearless Pink Lip Gloss was mentioned in an article featuring Pink products for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Beauty in Real Life – Wallflower was highlighted as the perfect nude lip and cheek shade to compliment this fall’s smoky eye look. This websites’ reviewers recommended it for medium and fairer skin tones.

Beauty and Fitness – Pink Hyacinth Watercolours for Cheeks was mentioned in a blog post about products in Vanessa Hudgens’ makeup bag.

"Makeup has always seemed overwhelming. I just don't know where to begin!"

"Basically, I own a single lip gloss and one eye shadow--that's pretty much it," says Kasunich, of Hoboken, New Jersey, a manager at a financial analysis firm. "If I feel like wearing something to dress up my skin for a special event, my big go-to is lip gloss." Pro Trae Bodge showed her how minimal makeup can make a major difference.

Read the full article on line in Women's Health.

Two weeks ago we had the pleasure of kicking off our new partnership with Quintessentially with a fabulous J Mendel and Bogosse Fashion Show! Trae, Chad and makeup artist Marisa Fazzina dolled up the models backstage and Scott, Tess (our in-house PR guru) and makeup artist Nathan Johnson mixed and mingled with the Quintessentially crowd showing off our newest goodies for holiday beauty.

Quintessentially is a private members' club with a 24-hour global concierge service. Whether it be travel, music, art, food, drink, hotels, clubs, beauty, restaurants or other services, Quintessentially is there to help with all their client's needs, however extraordinary. We are honored that Quintessentially has selected Three Custom Color Specialists as one of their esteemed partners and look forward to consulting with their clients in our private Color Studio or in their homes or hotel rooms in NYC.



To learn more about Quintessentially, visit www.quintessentially.com.

Our Latest Discovery, JUARA Rice Facial Cleanser
This softening rinse-off cleanser combines gentle yet effective cleansing agents, which remove make-up and skin-dulling debris, with the conditioning benefits of rice starch. Known for its soothing and softening properties, rice starch helps prevent moisture loss by enhancing the skin's protective barrier. Rich in amino acids and proteins naturally found in rice, this cleanser evokes the ritual of a rice water rinse, traditional in Indonesia.

A free sample with every online purchase – while supplies last!

A bit about JUARA: Created by four socially-conscious, international women, and rich in unique active botanicals of the highest quality, JUARA combines the ancient tradition of Indonesian beauty rituals with modern science to restore and enhance the skin’s natural balance while conveying the calming experience of an ancient beauty ritual to indulge the senses.
To find out more about this amazing brand, visit www.juaraskincare.com

Our Latest Discoveries:

Fragrances by Geir Ness – just in time to sample before Holiday Shopping begins.
“Laila" is Norway’s first international fragrance. Geir created this fresh, clean and alluring fragrance inspired by beauty and the scent of Norwegian mountain wild flowers for his mother Laila!

“Geir" The Power of Norway. The men’s version created with natural herbs, cool spices and a light drop of citrus. The perfect gift for the Viking on your Christmas list.

Free samples of each with every purchase while supplies last!!

Our dear friend, makeup artiste extraordinaire, James Vincent had us design a custom lip color for fabulous singer Regina Spektor. She’s wearing it on last night’s episode of Conan O’Brien. Take a look! Check out more of Regina’s music at http://www.reginaspektor.com/

One of our latest discoveries!

Icelandic Relief Eye Cream from Skyn Iceland delivers immediate relief to delicate under-eye skin. Puffiness, wrinkles and dark circles are minimized and skin is revived with a blend of soothing nutrients. Rice peptides help counteract the aging effects of stress and optical diffusers help to soften fine lines and brighten the eye area for a refreshed and wide-awake look.

A free sample with every online purchase – while supplies last!
skyn ICELANDâ„¢ is the only skincare line specifically formulated to counteract the detrimental effects of chronic stress on skin. Since stressed skin is damaged skin, what it needs most is to be soothed, healed and replenished to regain its natural health and radiance. Inspired by Iceland's abundant and unspoiled resources, we sought out new natural ingredients to help us create the perfect stress antidote for skin.
Skyn Iceland recently honored Trae as one of their Women Who Brighten the World in conjunction with the launch of their fabulous Arctic Brightening Serum. Trae is thrilled to be included in such esteemed company!
To learn more, visit www.skyniceland.com

We always look forward to the Emmy's to see what's going on in Hollywood beauty!

This year, eyes were dramatically lined on top and bottom with lots of mascara, which we felt looked great on a lot of actresses, but this application did give some actresses smaller-looking, almost squinty eyes (not everyone has the eye shape to carry this look successfully, i.e. Hayden Panetierre). We didn't see as much smokiness as we have in recent years. Eva Longoria Parker was one of the only exceptions, and her makeup actually felt a bit overdone.

Lip color was of real interest to us this year. We knew that dark lips were coming back this season (which we were very excited about!), and the Emmy's didn't disappoint. There were a few throwbacks to the red carpet beige lips we've seen in recent years (Hayden Panettierre, Heidi Klum, Lauren Conrad), but overall, lip color was deep, in flattering mauves (Teri Hatcher, Kira Sedgwick, Vanessa Williams, Padma Lakshmi, Chandra Wilson, Mary Steenburgen) and soft Fall russets (Kate Walsh, January Jones, Christina Applegate, Susan Sarandon, America Ferrera).

Here it is! The Allure Editor's Choice Seal for Best Sheer Lipstick. We were up against 251 other entries and were chosen as winner for one of 6 different Lipstick categories. And in good company with legendary brands such as Chanel, YSL, Shu Uemura and Cle de Peau!