Makeup, just as you like it

Looking for an elusive shade of lipstick or eye shadow? Get it custom made by the Three Custom Color Specialists range of cosmetics


Have you sometimes spent hours in a futile search for an eye shadow that matches exactly with a particular dress? Or been disappointed to find that your favourite shade of lipstick has been discontinued by the manufacturer? Or craved for a shade of lip colour that you saw your favourite star wearing at the Oscars? If you have, then you need to know about Three Custom Color Specialists.

Send them a swatch of fabric, the stub of an old lipstick, a magazine picture of a star or even a flower petal and they will blend the right shade especially for you.

With their extensive archive of discontinued cosmetic colours going back to the 1930s, they can also create a lip or eye colour if provided with the name and manufacturer of the shade. And you need never worry about the colour being discontinued or unavailable.

But before you order a custom made colour, check out the Three Custom Color Specialists range of cosmetics, now available at the newly opened Villa Moda store in the Emirates Towers Boulevard. You are likely to find the colour you are looking for because the company offers a line of ready to wear cosmetics that encompasses practically every shade in the colour wheel.

What's more, every shade comes in two versions blended specifically for cool and warm skin tones.The unusual name of the company refers to the three friends who started the company. Trae Bodge, Scott Catto and Chad Hayduk, started blending customised cosmetics in Chad's kitchen six years ago.

"We have been friends for 15 years and eight years ago we started saving money to start the business," said Chad, who along with Scott was in Dubai recently to conduct training sessions for Villa Moda staff and make-up demonstrations for customers.

Chad is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology. He has a bachelor's degree in Cosmetic Marketing and has over 12 years experience in the cosmetic business with companies such as Chanel. He is the resident training director and make-up artist of the New York-based Three Custom Color Specialists and is also involved in developing new colours. Scott is an art dealer and his experience in dealing with artists is useful in marketing the brand.

"When we first started, we put up information about our custom cosmetics on the web and we got 10,000 e-mails in one day. This convinced us that there was a strong need for the specialised service we offered," recalled Chad.

"Fortunately for us famous make-up artists and their celebrity clients began using our products," added Scott.

A large part of the company's business comes form creating special cosmetics for films and Broadway shows and their long list of celebrity clients looking for exclusive, personalised cosmetics includes Kylie Minogue, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez.

But older women looking for their favourite lipstick shades that have been discontinued also form an important part of the clientele.

While the custom collection is still made by hand in their laboratory in New York, the company's large ready to wear range is now available through prestigious boutiques in several countries.

The colours range from marigold, celery and peony to aubergine and coffee as well as gold, bronze, copper and silver hues.

"Every shade we offer comes in two formulations. The formula for warm skin tones contains more of yellow pigments, while for the cool skin tones the same shade will contain more of blue or pink," said Chad.

He explained that there are two easy ways to tell what skin tone you are. If the veins on your inner wrist appear green and you tan quickly when exposed to the sun, you have a warm skin tone.

Those with bluish veins on the wrist and a tendency to turn red in the sun have cool skin undertones.

"We have made it easy for customers to select the right colours. When they pick a formulation that matches with their skin tone, the colour will blend beautifully with their complexion and look natural on them.

"However if a customer wishes to create a more dramatic look, she could try the same colour in a cool tone, which would appear to pop on her skin," said Chad. "We also have shades like Utopia, which is a brown that suits every skin tone," added Scott.

Three Custom Color Specialists offers a range of lipsticks, lip glosses, lip colour palettes, lip liners, eye liners, eye shadows, brow powders, creme concealers, make-up brushes and creme to powder blushes.

"All our formulations are fragrance free and not tested on animals. We keep the formulations simple to make it easier to blend new shades. We plan to blend a special Villa Moda colour for the UAE soon," said Chad.

A look at Villa Moda

• Sheikh Majed Al Sabah opened the first Villa Moda store in Kuwait last year. He granted the first Villa Moda Franchise to Dubai-based Sifico Fashion. Villa Moda Dubai is a 3,000 square metre concept store situated in the new extension of the Emirates Towers Shopping Boulevard.

With its futuristic interiors reminiscent of Space Odyssey 2001 and its offer of over 50 of the hottest fashion brands under one roof, it is set to revolutionise shopping in the Emirates. The store aims to set new standards of excellence in store design, visual merchandising and customer service.

With its own valet parking service within the underground parking area of Emirates Towers, the store represents an atmosphere that is luxurious and exclusive but also fun, hip and funky and full of surprises. Villa Moda Dubai will feature some of the most exclusive fashion brands together with a carefully chosen selection of up and coming names.

• Shop within a shop style outlets for Prada and Prada Sport, Miu Miu, Chloe and Marni.

• Dedicated capsule areas for Alexander McQueen, Missoni and Stella McCartney.

• Over 50 brands in the men's and women's multibrand departments including Paul & Joe, Jil Sander, Antonio Marras, Maharishi, Junya Watanabe and Dries Van Noten.

• A cosmetics department with some hard to obtain beauty and spa brands from across the globe such as Three Custom Colour Specialists, Tann Rokka and HIP, selling outside France for the first time.

• A specially curated space that will feature a new brand or concept kicking off with 'Be a Bag' by Anya Hindmarch.

• A 'Jeans Bar' featuring cult brands such as Evisu and Seven for All Mankind; also a consultation service with jeans experts to help customers identify the ultimate pair of jeans for their needs and figure.

• A futuristic café set within a giant curving white lacquer 'C' shaped frame.

• A dedicated wrapping department that can also organise courier deliveries for tourists.

• A dedicated car park and valet parking service.