Told to you by Purple Lab’s one and only male intern, Vinnie…

When I first heard that I would be able to attend the second speed dating event taking place at the W Hoboken, I was immediately filled with anticipation. This was due the fact that I’ve been interning with Purple Lab since mid-June and I’ve heard countless stories about the FAMOUS Purple Lab Speed Dating event. I was also present upon the arrival of the Guinness World Record certificate in the mail, which managed to evoke a serious amount of excitement in the office.

Now, I would finally have the chance to experience the scene of a mega speed dating event first hand. Fortunately for the Purple Lab team, it was a bit smaller this time around but I’d say it was just as fun. Instead of organizing the event, Purple Lab was responsible for making over female daters before they began to meet the boys.

Armed with a full supply of Purple Lab products, Sharon, Julie, Eve and I were chauffeured by Todd to the W Hoboken. Upon setting up our products, I wasn’t sure what to expect by the crowd or the speed dating process in general. As the daters started pouring in, the women were immediately drawn to our products (can’t blaim them!).

Not knowing much about the application of make up (I’m more the office photographer/photoshopper/videographer), Julie and Eve did an awesome job of being pseudo make up artists for the night as I told the crowd about our lineup of double duty beauty products. Huge Lips Skinny Hips was a crowd pleaser as always, even drawing attention from the male speed daters! Continuing through the night, when women found themselves dateless, the Purple Lab team was ready for touchups.

The salon Toni & Guy did a great job of providing hair 911 style action and together we proved to be an unbeatable team. After the speed dating was finished, the crowd moved downstairs to indulge in the 80s tribute band in the living room. Julie and I walked around to do some sampling of the products to a lucky group of girls.

Overall, the event was a definite success. not only for the speed daters (I did see some getting cozy in the living room after) but also for the Purple Lab team.

Thanks to everyone who came out, we hope you found a match!

MWAH!
Vinnie
Purple Lab Multitasking Maven

You know we recently stormed the premiere, doing makeovers for those waiting in line. This is the video of how it all went down!

Thank you to Kendra Elise for putting this together!

On a side note, I caught the movie on Saturday and have some important things to say!

I loved the glamour of it all, the glossiness and eye candy, but a few things… eh.

The karaoke number. Kind of killed me, I must admit. No likey. And the red dress with spikey 80s Claude Montana-inspired (or actual) shoulders had to go.

But Samantha. OMG! She looks better than ever. That skin. And that architect! He was damn delish! Side note: I also thought the pirate boots did not work with the sequins dress in the Miley Cyrus scene. Just my two cents.

I would have gone with super chunky Versaces with the wooden platform.

SPOILER ALERT!

Who was fiercely angry when she kissed Aidan and yet swept away and then angry that they were swept away? I was all of those things.

Should we go back to that architect?

Who was he? I heard he was once a mechanic and just recently discovered. Good discovered, whomever found him!

Love that there was some recycled chic – Carrie in Dior newspaper print, which was first worn on the show when she confronted Natasha to apologize for having an affair.

My favorite fashion moment, hands down – end scene. Carrie and Big. She was wearing an emerald green Lavin gown with a 3-D ruffle trim and train and a jade Chanel necklace. I nearly melted.

I couldn’t find a pic online but it was divine!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

I know I’ve been MIA but between speed dating and our HSN launch, I’ve done nothing but eat, sleep, and breathe Purple Lab. Luckily, I love my job. It has been exciting to watch Karen and Todd grow the business. What an honor to be a part of it! (Next stop: real office!)

Anyway, here’s what I was doing while Karen was in Florida for HSN. For those of you who attended the Purple Lab HSN launch party at Meet in NYC last Thursday, whether in person or on Skype or Twitter, you know it was a blast.

I was given the duty to not only plan this soiree, but host it. This was all new to me, as I’m a behind-the-scenes type. I had no experience hosting something for 200 people, not counting the party I had senior year of high school when my parents were on vacation (this time, it was nice to not worry about the fate of my mother’s antique vase!).

Booking the space, ordering food, finding drink sponsors and makeup artists? Par for the course for a PR girl. The frightening part: I was going to be on HSN (LIVE TV!) via Skype as the “Roaming Correspondent” (the fancy title that HSN gave me – I can’t lie, I felt pretty cool sharing it with friends).

For Karen, a natural, this is nothing, but for me? Put it this way… if someone was in my body, they would’ve called 911!

Being a nerd, I actually wrote talking points for my 10 second spot. Better to be prepared than to stutter!

The party, however, was a hit! 200 guests reveled in Purple Lab makeovers at glam stations, purchased goodies, and sipped Skinnytini cocktails of Figenza vodka and Skinny Water (heart you Sara Press who does PR for Skinny Water and is my other half for Purple Lab events).

We even had some “Be A Purple Lab Star on HSN” contest participants (who I met for the first time) on hand to root Karen on! Thanks Suzanne and Amanda (and her fab fam!).

At 7:55pm, a very nice producer named Melanie called with my five minute warning. I patiently waited in front of the web cam for my cue. I was about to go on television! Internal freak outs began.

8:03p.m.,the Skyping was on! I was shaky. Plus, there was a 5 second delay (who knew five seconds could feel like forever?). I hardly heard Karen, so I repeated myself twice as I told viewers about la fiesta.

Embarrassing! But everyone said I was so smiley and happy that I pulled it off. The next Skype session was smooth – testimonials from the gorgeous Kimmie of Kitten Lounge and Suzanne, the aforementioned model contest entrant (she donned one of our purple boas for the occasion!).

smooth sailing...

We sold out of Red Sole and one foundation shade. Woo hoo! So where could you find me, your host, at 10:15p.m.?

This says it all…

Mwah!

Sharon

Purple Lab Communications Queen

Definition: Party in a box (noun) - A package you send someone that is full of must-have ingredients for the receiver to host a party.

For the Purple Lab HSN launch, I am sending 30 friends – a mix of  mom, beauty and lifestyle bloggers, family, friends, the genius Harvard girls (they’re still seniors) who started Her Campus, who organized screenings on six college campuses.

Above, the inside of ours.

It contains:

Our products: Cheek Implants, Huge Lips Skinny Hips, Luvah, Luxury Squared, Silk Sheets. 

(Missing is Lashionista Modelista. Every single last one was sent to HSN’s warehouse and there is not a piece to my name. I don’t even have one. In fact, I may even buy one! I’m still using the ghetto lab sample.)

A Skype web cam. I am actually going to Skype into the big launch party that Sharon is throwing in NYC at Meet in Soho while on air, something HSN has NEVER done! It’s like watching a reality show when they flash to the hometown of a finalist to see them cheering!

A purple boa. A Purple Lab hostess always needs feathers!

Figenza Vodka and cocktail recipes (the bottle is purple, so it matches, completely).

A TON of Pop Chips – healthy munchies at their most delish.

We made little booklets for everyone that details each product, who is hosting, what their Twitter and Skype info is.

If I could have afforded to add more, I would have.

This is what the apartment looked like! Popcorn (the kind you use for packing, not eating) covered the floors by the time we were done. And we had to rearrange the furniture in order to line everything up against the wall in a small box to keep it somewhat organized.

The next day, Todd and I filled out all of the Fedex forms (we had to send them two-day because Monday, today, is a holiday). And we also didn’t get products in our hand until the last minute.

We were frazzled to say the least.

The morning after, it looked like a mail boxes place exploded in our our living room.

I actually tripped over one in the middle of the night and woke up Todd when I took a mean spill.

I have to give Todd massive credit for keeping us organized and together and schlepping it all to the Fedex for us – I literally waited in the car for him for almost two hours to handle it all.

(The real reason – I wrote out the Fedex forms with a Uniball pen and it didn’t go through all of the sheets. Know what I’m talking about? Todd had to rewrite ALL of them!)

Anyway, this is what it looked like as the boxes left the building.

Crazy, right?

If you are tweeting while we’re on, please use our hashtag, #PLonHSN! And if you want to follow all of the party in a box hosts, you can below (not all of them are doing Thrs night and I detailed when they’ll be doing it, however, but they’re all amazing peeps to tweet).

Purple Lab NYC

Lianne Farbes

MakeoverMomma

ClumpsofMascara

BlissfullyD

MakeupBag

MyBeautyBunny

PumpsandGloss

BlaqVixenBeauty

AlyWalansky

StyleMom

LALupusLady

DJ Lips (Friday at 12p.m. ET)

Solessence (Friday at 7p.m. ET)

Jamie3983  (Friday, 2a.m. EST)

MorganGeistman

JMUGirlTalk

HerCampus

HerCampusUT

HerCampusFSU

MauraMurphy

NancyMucciarone

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

The event last week was a smash hit, I have to say! Before I go on, I have to give serious props to Sharon, Purple Lab’s Communications Director. She executed every ounce of this event, from the signage to the sponsors to the layout to the organization to the registration to the gift bags to the… you get the point.

We had to be very careful about letting in ONLY the ones who registered because of fire hazards – God forbid something went wrong! And it pained every ounce of my being to have to turn some away (we did offer them a drink from our bar and suggested they stay because so many singles would mingle after).

Luckily no one threatened us with violence.

Sharon was overseeing the whole pre-party situation while I was in the green room, filming testimonials with the HSN crew. I asked random women to come and play with products and give their feedback for the camera, which you’ll be able to see on HSN.com as well as our debut shows, so please tune in!

At 9:30, the event really kicked off. Steve and I made an entrance and announced the rules of speed dating on stage. Ejai from True Sound Music busted out the sexy playlist.

<—- my friend, Jeannine, who wrote about her night on her blog, Beauty Sweet Spot.

The girls sat on one side of long tables and the guys, across from them. Every three minutes, a siren went off and the guys moved one seat to the right. “I never knew how long or how short three minutes could be,” one girl said, adding “it was long when the date was bad and short when it was good.”

Some matches were definitely made. I caught a couple making out after (thankfully, we provided Dentyne and Luvah is scented with vanilla and mint!). See below, I caught them exchanging digits!

But I can’t say that there were no glitches – what’s an event with 500 people without one?

Twenty minutes before take off, we sent two Purple Lab girls out to wrangle in some new guys – about 20 didn’t show up. All they had to say is “175 cute girls… free drinks… free food… 175 cute girls!”

The other oversight – as the guys moved to the right, the ones at the very end didn’t know where to go. We quickly remedied by sending our team to escort them to the other side of the room, but there was a moment of panic, I have to admit!

While I saw a few people get up and go to the bathroom in mid-date (is it me or is that rude? Couldn’t they hold it in for an hour?), I saw happy faces and lots of gloss application going on.

For the record: if any love matches are made, let me know. I will come do your makeup for your wedding!

As the crowd trickled out, I got down and dirty for clean-up. I brought sweats for the cause and chowed down on the left over brownies and cookies. One day, I’ll be able to afford an entire clean-up team!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

with my Luvah!!!

I am just coming up for air now. Friday’s speed dating event is still kind of a blur and before I can recuperate, I am on the HSN bandwagon, putting together all of the initiatives behind the launch.

Before I go there, let’s get to the day of… the manic circus mayhem!

Sharon and crew spent about 18 hours assembling gift bags, making signage (and by making signage, I literally mean printing, cutting, and pasting on posterboard – the things you do when you’re on a budget) and arranging the room so that the chairs were in horizontal rows and each dater would have pen and paper for note-taking and Dentyne for fresh date breath.   

Todd’s morning required last minute product assembly (that’s him in the <— kitchen).  Oh and delivery of boxes to and from the W Hoboken.

We also set up stations for our sponsors: got2b hair touch up girls were on hand, armed with gel and Michael Todd Cosmetics brought in spritz girls to give everyone a little love with Swingle, pheremone enhanced fragrance.

There were guest lists to organize alphabetically, registration areas to prep, security guards to debrief, a bar to set up.

 While all this was going on, I was stationed in Room 1702 with the most amazing producers, George and Jen, from HSN, filming promos for both TV and dotcom.

HSN does something called “Behind the Label,” where they give you an inside look at what goes on… (drum roll)… behind the label.  Normally, these are done in a studio but we had such a sick background to work with, it was hard to resist cramming the equivalent of an entire film studio into a 300 square-foot room!

They asked me fun, personal questions like what did I think I wanted to be when I grew up, how the brand even started, and what my secret talent is (for the record: break dancing – I took lessons in sixth grade and hooked up with a group, performing at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs!).

I had a small food break – and became immediatley concerned with what I’d do for dinner – before the next round of filming: testimonials.

As girls arrived, I pulled random people aside and asked if they’d be willing to try Purple Lab products and give a testimonial on camera (if they liked it, of course).  We turned a conference room into our sound stage and made a quick jaunt to the local deli to find an orchid for the background!

Gina, below, was nice enough to do one (I couldn’t not ask when I saw that dress! So PL!).

She tried Huge Lips Skinny Hips in Red Sole  and Cheek Implants in Backstage Pass, which she totally, utterly, completely loved (Yay, Gina!)

A few weeks ago, we found cheapo hand mirrors and had a vinyl of our logo made at Staples for this very moment.

I kept pinching myself… it was happening… it was happening… I was at a world record event… with HSN… getting testimonials to be used on air… national television! And Steve Ward was just about to make his first appearance.

More on that later!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

Getting in the mood to find your Luvah?

Yeah, I thought so!

As we get ready for our speed dating soiree, hosted by Steve Ward, we’re putting together the ultimate playlist for you and your new luvah, who you will hopefully meet at W Hoboken tonight!

Your ipod will thank me!

Downloads for love:

Lately by Massive Attack for some dark, raw after dark action

Wandering Star by Portishead = delicious downbeats with a sultry edge

Venus by Air is totally cool French pop and the kind of think Sofia Coppola digs

Jamais by Charlotte Gainsbourg for some sultry French female crooning

It Ain’t Me by Lina brings in the soul and groove

Locoman by Latin Playboys for the Latin luvah in you

Candy Shop by 50 Cent is downright dirty hip hop – soooo hot!

Positively Beautiful by Lewis Taylor is soulful poetry to beautiful music

Passing By by Zero Seven is simply heaven, like floating

Get Me by Sia (She used to be the lead singer of Zero Seven and has the most beautiful voice ever)

Orestes by Perfect Circle enchants, mesmorizes, hynotizes – trust me!

Hot to Death by Everlast is dirty sexy cool and a little bit hard but not heavy

Meow… I mean… Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

T minus three days until Purple Lab’s attempt to break the world record for the largest speed dating event in history. It’s on!

<—— The W Hoboken floor plan/schematics  for the event, which shows how and where everythign will be set up. Sharon and Tiffany were there the other day for a walk through, which we Twitcam’d in case you want an inside glimpse.

There will be 20 Purple Lab peeps (all of whom are generously lending a hand because, clearly, we don’t have that many employees) working the event, from registration to seating escorts to bouncers (Todd will be one so don’t mess with him!). We’re prepping for some serious Steve Ward luvin’ crashers!

Our fabulous sponsors will be located along one wall with interactive booths so everyone can check them out.

There’s a “green room” (private waiting area, typically used in TV world for talent before they go on air) for Purple Lab staff (we’ll be the ones wearing hot pink Blume Girl tees with our logo). And I will be asking random women if they’d mind trying all of our new products and giving testimonials for HSH who will be on hand with their seriously high-def camera crew.

It must be choregraphed as flawlessly as a carefully orchestrated ballet. One wrong move and the whole thing could come crashing down.

 There are 400 gift bags to stuff, large signs to make, flyers to pass out, lists to organize, a dossier from Guinness Book of World Records to fill out (you know we’re going down in the book, right?), a photographer to coordinate (we have an official “shot list,” event speak for all of the pix to take), about 40 big boxes to bring from my apartment to the W on Thursday, and a step & repeat to hang.

<—- Tiff, resting on the boxes in hallway/kitchen.

You know when you see a pic of someone at an event with a repeating logo pattern wall behind them? That is s a step & repeat. Ours has Purple Lab and W logos all over it. This is  Todd with our step & repeat, which is currently resting on our living room floor. We’ll be doig photos in front of it so that, as we share images across the internet and media, there’s the subtle reminder of Purple Lab.

The day of, we’ll do a run through again, a sound check, the seating plans, set up stanctions, meet the security detail, and Sharon will be escorting Steve to and from all media interviews (tough job, huh?) so that means there’s a car service to arrange.

Oh, we are also printing all of the IDs (G1, G2, B1, B2…) in-house. We could be on our sixth ink cartridge.

Most importantly, we’re eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s delivery of Luvah, our new lip aphrodesiac-infused lip color product, for all the girls. We have stickers with our time and date for the HSN launch for the compacts – and I’m sure you’ll see our tweets all night long as we peel stick and assemble. (RT if you do!)

We’re home grown here, working late and loving every minute of it.

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

4 days until Purple Lab’s World’s Largest Speed Dating Event goes down at the W Hoboken! So I hope you daters out there are getting ready to find your Luvah. As Pat Benetar wisely said, love is a battlefield, so you best be prepared with the ultimate dating tools!

<—- Luvah, a lip stain and matching pearly gloss in one chic, petite compact is called the “ultimate dating tool” because it is formulated with ancient Chinese herbs known to be aphrodesiacs (Dong Quai), Complex OO (two plumpers), Ylang-Ylang, another floral libido remedy, and vanilla/mint for good make out breath.

But there are other dating tools I swear by – and we’re having ALL of them at our soiree.

Here they are!

From left, clockwise:

1. Dentyne - my fave gum for reliably delicious breath (the better to kiss you with, my dear)

2. Luvah - couldn’t resist adding it again!

3. got2b - hair products (did I mention that we’re having touch up stations for girls and guys and our cute mavens will be on hand to style?), but specifically smooth operator, a smoothing gel that’s weightless and sweet (with cashmere!) and magnetik, a guy for guys with pheremones!

4. Schick Intuition Plus – the multi-tasking razor with 4 blades surrounded by shae butter, aloe and Vitamin E (perfect to go with Purple Lab’s double duty beauty). I’m telling you – best shave ever!

5. Skinny Water – I don’t know about you, but it’s really hard for me to drink the required amount of water to be healthy and have good skin… unless I go with Skinny Water, which is infused with vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes and flavor – sans sugar and calories.

6. Swingle - pheremone-filled fragrance with cheeky names like “man seeking woman,” “woman seeking man,” “man seeking man,” and “woman seeking woman.” We’re going to have spray girls there so you can be sure to lure your Luvah.

7. Blume Girl – Lingerie. Enough said. And they’re donating sexy thoughts to us by way of cute camis with our Purple Lab logo and thongs for the gift bags (you can customize them on their site and get one that says the name of your new Luvah.

8. X-Rated Fusion – sensuous, uber-premium French vodka infused with blood oranges, mangos and passion fruit for the perfect Luvah cocktails (they’re doing sexy recipes for two savvy cocktails just for speed dating)

9. Luxe Press – online dry cleaning service – we’re giving gift cards in the swag bags because you always need your date clothes to look the best!

10. S-Factor - the pole dancing playground for women. Girls, it’s the best way to bring out your inner vixen so we’re giving you a pass to an intro class!

Get your flirt on!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

Next Friday just may be the day you find your Luvah (girls, that’s not only in a man but also with our new product, Luvah, which you’ll get to road test at our speed dating event at the W Hoboken).

<—– Todd, my Luvah!

Yesterday, I posted some relationship tips from our event host, Master Matchmaker Steve Ward (VH-1’s Tough Love). As you gear up to speed date to love, I bring you more of his sage advice.

PL: What is the worst thing you can do while speed dating?

SW: Don’t be negative.

PL: What mistakes do you think women make when they’re looking for love?

SW: They blame everyone and everything but themselves.  They don’t take responsibility for their failings. 

PL: What about men?

SW: Either they aren’t willing to make enough effort and seem like they’re not that into the woman, or they make too much effort and come off pushy and aggressive.  It’s a double edged sword.

 PL: What is the secret to good speed dating?

Keep your comments, questions and answers short, sweet and to the point. 

PL: What kind of questions do you suggest everyone ask each other to make the most of their 3 minute speed dating time?

 SW: Where are you from?  What do you do?  And are you in the market for just a good time or are you in the market for a relationship?  Focus on the person you’re most instantly attracted to and come prepared with business cards or a pad and pen to exchange contact information.

PL: What is the worst thing you could do while speed dating?

SW: Talk about things prematurely, i.e. past relationships, politics, religion, money, etc. 

PL: What do you think daters should wear?

SW: Wear something flattering yet comfortable; clothes you can be confident in.  Wear an outfit that accentuates your style, personality, and body type. 

PL: How can a woman sense if a guy is looking for the real thing or not – and vice versa?

SW: She can’t sense it.  She’ll have to be straight up and ask and then see if she can tell whether or not he’s being honest.

PL: What are the tell-tale body language signs that someone is into you?

SW: They smile, make eye contact and physical contact.  They focus and ignore distractions, like other people or their phones.

PL: Best way to do a first date for the love matches from speed dating (of course, after their drink at W Hoboken)?

SW: The guys should pick the women up at their homes or meet a place most convenient for them.  Then arrange a date where its conducive to a good conversation. You already know there’s at least some physical attraction otherwise you wouldn’t have made it this far in the first place so now it’s time to see if you’re actually compatible. 

PL: Would you be willing to try our product, Luvah, so we can get a man’s take on it? I mean, after all, you could wind up kissing somoene who’s weraing it (not at the event, but in general, because all girls will be wearing it eventually!)

SW: Hmm. I’m sure considering how wildly popular this product is, I must’ve tried it before without knowing it.  The problem with lip gloss is three fold.  One, constant application annoys the hell out of men.  Two, women are reluctant to kiss because they don’t want to rub off the product.  And three, they leave it on everything they put their lips to such as forks, glasses…our faces.

PL: You’re so funny! So… what can we say to the girls who are coming and secretly want to date you?

SW: You’ll just have to tell them I’ve met someone and am excited about being exclusive. 

PL: Thank you so much for being a part of this! What excited you about it?

SW: I’m very competitive.  I love the idea of trying to break a world record.  I’m sure we can do it!

Can’t wait to see you on Friday!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix