After months of patiently waiting, it finally arrived. It arrived on an ordinary Thursday, when I least expected. When I first saw it I wasn’t quite sure it was it. It wasn’t until I saw those three words GUINNESS – WORLD – RECORD that I immediately knew. That’s right folks, Purple Lab is officially in the books as the record holder for the Largest Speed Dating Event in Guinness World Record History.

Guinness World Record!

For those of you who are a bit lost and may be thinking why a beauty brand would break a record for a dating event, I’ll refresh your memory. Back in January, Purple Lab teamed up with the W Hotel in Hoboken, NJ to launch our latest lip stain and gloss duo, Luvah, equipped with libido stimulants and aphrodisiacs. How better to launch the sexist lip product on earth with “Find Your Luvah,” the largest dating event on earth?

Speed Dating in Action

To add that extra dose of dating and relationship street cred, we signed on Steve Ward, the expert matchmaker behind the VH1 reality series, “Tough Love.”

Karen and Steve Ward, the hosts

The event was a huge success attracting 313 speed daters which can be seen in the official certificate. The funny part was, gathering 313 people into one room to speed date was a breeze. The challenging part was proving to Guinness that we met the task. To be officially recognized as a record breaker we had to send in the following information:

1. A recap of the event

2. Signed statements from two witnesses that details exactly what they saw us do, including times, scores, dates and the location where the attempt took place. Each statement needed to be on letterheaded paper from the witness’ company, and include their contact details

3. A signature from each speed dating participant (which we collected at the event)

4. Official video footage of the event

5. Official photographs of the event

6. Official press coverage of the event

The above information had to be gathering and sent to Guinness within two weeks of breaking the record. We mailed the supporting materials in February, 2010 and we just received recognition on Thursday, July 1, 2010.

They take their time in London at the GWR head courters.

Receiving the official certificate from Guinness was a very exciting moment for me as I worked extremely hard on the “Find Your Luvah” event. Here I am holding our award proudly!

So its official, Purple Lab is in the books and has made world record history – we may be a small indie brand but how many other companies can say they achieved Guinness Record status?

Mwah!

Sharon
Communications Queen

Pearlesque Show, Purple Lab’s silicone-free primer with crushed pearls (for that perfect sheen), honey and kiwi, is inspired by old Hollywood glamour, femme fatale beauty embodied by the confident starlets and pin-ups of yesteryear.

So we hoofed it to the Tribeca studio of photographer Burke Heffner (you may have seen him on MTV’s Made) for an old-school style Varga girl shoot, starring the lovely Andrea Lavinthal, an editrix at Real Beauty. He is genius behind the lens and knows just how to bring out the best in his subjects.

On hand, Miss Veronica Varlow, burlesque chanteuse. She was the posing coach, there to show Andrea the art of unleashing your inner Pearlesque star!

You know we luv us some Va-va-va-Veronica! (This is her at our launch event last year!)

If you met Veronica, you’d think she stepped out of another time. Wearing a tight black 1940’s style flared dress with baby pink satin detail, she commands herself with a mix of poise and mystery that is utterly captivating. (The first time my mom met her, she said “It’s so cute that she’s in costume!” I was like, “Mom, that’s how she dresses EVERY DAY!”).

Andrea Lavinthal, our friend/pearlesque model, is a journalist who writes for Real Beauty (Note: when she first graduated from college, she almost interned for Karen and then she got a “real job” at Cosmo Magazine).

Here’s Andrea, pre-shoot (like the lavish bed set up?).

She strolled in with the Real Beauty camera crew who were on hand to capture the magic. In Andrea’s world as a writer, she normally challenges other women to beauty challenges but today, she is challenging herself.

Mission: Unleash your inner Pearlesque Star.

After Ani Hovhannisyan did makeup (using Pearlesque Show, of course) along with all Purple Lab musts, it was time for wardrobe: a curve loving black dress and a Gucci marabou feather shrug (Tom Ford’s last spring season from Gucci, plucked from Karen’s closet).

Andrea unleashed her inner Gypsie Rose and made herself at home on a white shag rug. “If you are ever feeling unsure when shooting, just think ICON ICON ICON …. And it is impossible to look bad,” Veronica said (sage advice and our new mantra!).

Burke has a warm approach and a way of making his subjects confortqable. And together, Veronica and her hubby brought out the best on Andrea, who looked stunningly gorgeous (a new Facebook profile picture, perhaps?).

Three hours later, it was a wrap.

For the final pic and video, you’ll have to stay tuned!

Mwah!

All of us at Purple Lab

If you’ve never been to a major designer sample sale, it’s something out of the Discovery Channel wild kingdom shows – a stampede of starving lions chasing its prey. And the lines of hungry girls typically wrap the corner.

I sent the Purple Lab girls on a mission last week – crash DVF’s sample sale for some street team marketing. Here they are en route (thanks to Todd, who drove them).

Ashley was the fearless leader, a true alpha lioness. Here is her story!

On Tuesday I headed the Purple Lab Street team and we crashed the Diane Von Furstenburg Sample sale. Guerilla Marketing and Purple Lab go hand in hand. We are a start up brand and have no marketing budget (Karen loves to imagine the amazing things we could do with an actual budget)!

So, we are forced to get creative, which is truly a blessing in disguise! These untraditional methods are going to be what sets us apart!

We arrive at scene on 28th and 5th Ave. to find a line snaking around the block. Where other people are groaning at the situation, we are ecstatic! This is our target audience… fashionable women who are in the know!

Plan of attack: break into groups so we can cover more ground. We talk to people, get emails, give out Huge Lips Skinny Hips samples in No Panty Lines and VIP cards for shopping on our site. The girls are tres responsive! (You would be too if these three sweet, cute girls appraoched you!)

The key is to sound incredibly informed! I could talk about Karen and Purple Lab all day but the question is, “how can I say everything I need to in 3 sentences?” If you’re poignant, witty and relatable they are like putty!

A few hours and 60 glosses later, we’re ready to head home… Then we spot her… Alex McCord from the Real Housewives of New York. I can hear Karen in the back of my head saying, “GET HER THE GLOSS!”

I am cursing myself for running out of product and then I remember I stashed one HLSH in the bottom of my purse! My mom always instilled in me to be prepared… having raw almonds in your purse at all time and never leave home with out a toothbrush to name a few.

I had a feeling there would be someone special. I sprint over to her and say, “I have something for you!”

“Oh yeah?” She says in a sweet welcoming manner.

As I catch my breath, I say, “I am from Purple Lab NYC a fashion inspired beauty brand started by Karen Robinovitz…” All the while, I am digging around in my hand-me-down Prada, fishing for the gloss.

Through a sea of cameras, phones and my own HLSH’s, emerges the gorgeous purple box with metallic fuschia writing. “This is for you” I exclaim triumphantly. She replies with a high-pitched muffled “oh”! I continue to tell her about HLSH and how it was the inspiration for the brand.

The light turns Red and all the cars on 5th avenue stop. I say thank you and she is off crossing 5th avenue with a Purple Lab VIP card in one hand and a HLSH box, which she is intently reading the copy while she crosses the street.

Mission accomplished!

Mwah!

Ashley
Purple Lab Multi-Tasking Maven

Every season, fashion designers have a look book, a book that’s curated to perfection, showcasing the collection. It’s not something beauty brands would typically do. Being that I’m such a fashion girl at heart, I was a little jealous! I wanted one!

Today we launch our look book (the cover image is above)!

So I asked some of our favorite bloggers and F.O.P.L. (friends of Purple Lab) to strike a pose. We turned my apartment into a photo studio.

The kitchen was the Dolce Gusto coffee and muffin “craft station” as they say on movie sets.

The living room is was saved for hair and makeup. Turns out that Britt, our multi-tasking maven (a.k.a. intern) who also wound up in one of the pics, is genius with hair! To give you a sense of the mayhem – 11 models, 3 makeup artists, Sharon and a team of 4 interns, 2 Dolce Gusto girls manning the cappuccino, 1 photographer, and me.

Our makeup artists rocked! Thank you to Stacie Ford, Ani Hovhannisyan, and Donna Beretsky-Neidecker, who are so talented and smoke out an eye like nobody’s business! And then there’s Ana Schecter, photographer (or as I like to call her, photographess). She is sooooo talented, it hurts! Love, love, love you Ana, Stacie, Ani and Donna!

We carefully plotted which look would be right for each model. Extreme and edgy red liner (Huge Lips Skinny Hips in Red Sole doubled as shadow for the day) for Karen Blanchard of Where did U Get That – she has such a downtown vibe that we knew she could pull it off (not everyone in the world can, but we also gave her a natural look).

Meanwhile, Todd was on the roof deck, morphing it into a photo ready studio. We hung a white blanket on the fence between our deck and our neighbor’s (for a stark white background), removed the table, chairs and grill and set the stage.

This is Ana at work, shooting a pregger and beautiful Mildred of Beauty Logic Blog.

And here she is with the lovely Audrey of Homerun Ballerina, whose birthday is today by the way! HAPPY B’DAY PRETTY GIRL! J’ADORE! Audrey has such a natural glow about her so it was fun to get enhance it with the highlighter of Luxury Squared.

Now, Virginia Nam of Lovely 20s and The Examiner. She looks like such a perfect little porcelain doll so we had to go with it for this very Asian-inspired look, using Huge Lips Skinny Hips in Lychee Martini on the eyes (it really works well as a shadow but you do have to let it dry!)

P.S. We’re working on shadows, BTW! Coming somewhat soon-ish!

Christine from My Style Pill pulled off a really out-there, runway-ready eye – words won’t do it justice. The rest of the face was super natural so that the eyes were the main attraction. See below and drool!

It took a while to perfect the heavy rock star eyes for Anne of The Jet Set Girls. I love the contrast of the dark, dark eye on her fair skin. And that red hair! She was so fierce, I couldn’t stop kvelling all over her!

Noelle and Joelle of The Owls Are Not What They Seem, gave us the glamour – each with two looks.

But check out the eye on Noelle. When the eye was open, it just looked like a thin cat eye but when closed, it was ON!

And Joelle – no words!

F.O.P.L. included Amanda, the cutest blond! She entered our model search contest and we fell so in love with her that we asked her to be in our look book (she came with her mom, Andrea, who started a Twitter account called @vote4amanda when her daughter was racking up votes!)

Hello Bridget Bardot eyes (Ani, amazing job!).

Barbara Dial, our resident pole dancing teacher (from S-Factor, the inspiration behind Huge Lips Skinny Hips in Kitty Poledancer, soft nude-pink), is the consummate California girl. So we edged her up with a side bun and red-red lips.

There was one more look we were dying to do at the end of the day – something kind of hippie chic with a long side braid and we turned Britt into a model! How gorgeous is she here?

More Behind the scenes pics are on Facebook.

And there’s a great video as well, created by Kendra Elise (there she is below).

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

Guess what we did yesterday? All the girls in the office and I went to the Sex & the City 2 world premiere. Sort of. Crashed is more like it. It was time for some serious guerilla marketing action at Radio City Music Hall.

Our girls dressed in their cute Purple Lab tees, skinny jeans, and one key accessory: retro style cigarette trays, wrapped in purple velvet and harnassed to their bodies. A moving beauty counter of products!

A close up of the trays:

See, I was there two years ago and it was a SCENE! There were hundreds, maybe thousands of girls outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of SJP and lines of ticket holders that spanned four city blocks. (I actually had passes in my hand and got all dressed up like a total cliche, took one look at the crowd and the line I’d have to stand in, gave my tickets to two tourists, and went to dinner with a friend).

I thought, if we can’t afford to be there as an official sponsor, we could sure street-team-it. It’s the best audience I could imagine – pop culture loving, style obsessed girls who love all things fab and glam!

To give you a sense of how long the line was:

We offered makeup touch-ups and SATC makeovers to gaggles of girls and gave out ring pops (what better snack for the movies?) and Foot Petals (a must-have for hours of heel-wearing).

Don’t worry – we brought hand sanitizer and a billion applicators to keep it totally sanitary. New Yorkers tend to be germaphobic.

One of the “afters” with Huge Lips Skinny Hips in Red Sole and newly lined eyes!

She had this adorable tattoo!

We found some new fans…

While stationed outside of the Duane Reade on 51st Street, the women who worked there started to knock on the window to find out about our products. I was showing them by holding them up against the window!

Then one came out to try out some gloss and get my card (she wanted to show it to the buyer – you know how Duane Reade has that new chic beauty division with luxe brands? We’ll see what happens.)

It was a success of “Big” standards.

Video coming soon!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

I have a pile of WWDs stacked up to my knees. I can’t quite find the time to go through them all but yesterday, I stopped dead in my work-tracks when I noticed the cover of Monday’s issue.

The makeup! I die! It was calling my name!

It was an image from Dior’s resort 2011 collection and the eye, which may be hard to really tell in the photo, was deeee-vine! A gray winged cat eye just below a pink liner that started at the corner of the eye by the nose.

I had Sharon drop whatever she was doing so we could recreate the look.

There’s something about her that’s so 60s to me! I always tell her she looks like she stepped off the set of Mad Men (counting the days until it’s back on air). Here we are in the “makeup lounge,” a.k.a. my closet.

Here’s how to get the look:

1. Using Lashionista Modelista’s liquid liner portion, line the top lid. This should be very thin.

2. To get the wing shape in a soft gray, create another line using the same product, right above the first line, but not touching it.

3. Smudge it out with a short bristled brush. As you smudge, it tones the shade from black to gray. The more you smudge, the lighter the shade becomes.

4. With a small eye liner brush, swipe Cheek Implants in Six Inch Heels (a soft pink hue) right above the gray smudged cat eye, like a stripe that extends from the tip of the wing to the corner of the eye by the nose.

5. Curl the lashes and use two coats of mascara for an extra thick lash

6. Using Luxury Squared’s highlighter, add a touch of shimmer under the brow to enhance the brow bone.

7. Add a nude lip. The nude is key because you want the eyes to stand out – a dark shade would be too much at once. I used Luvah in Mama’s Boy.

The final creation:

Those who know me know that I am not a night owl. I’m in bed by 10:30, never later than 11. So having a 2a.m. show is not easy for me. It takes an enormous amount of mental prep, not to mention sugar-free Red Bull (the only time I will have caffeine -I never drink any and I hate coffee).

Let’s just say, it took a long time in makeup to get me ready!

At midnight, I was photographed for a before picture. Now this is something that kind of bugs me – everyone kept saying, over and over and over – that I had the “best before and after pictures” (in comparison to the models).

Such a backhanded compliment, don’t you think? It’s like, “you look bad before and with makeup, there’s a drastic difference.”

I know, I know I have dark circles! I get it!

The host was Rachel Huber, a sprightly red head. We met right before the show but it seemed like we were old friends.

Oh, and I wore a burgondy short puffy sleeve lace-trimmed Zac Posen top with black shorts to the knee. Of course, six inch heels go without saying.

Now, Rachel was coming off of another show right before me. I mentioned this before but I have to say it again because it’s a riot.

When hosts have back-to-back shows, there’s about 10 seconds to get from one studio to the next. And the building is HUGE. So someone rushes them over in a wheelchair where they examine their notes and put on some lip gloss.

Todd caught Rachel in transit!

I also unveiled a new product! Pearlesque Show, a fab silicone-free primer infused wtih crushed pearls (for luminous skin), kiwi (antioxidants galore), honey (anti-bacterial), plumping peptides and other delicious skin care ingredients. Details later. It’s not even on our site yet.

Meet Pearlesque show, whose name was the brainchild of a good F.O.P.L. (friend of Purple Lab) Amanda Green (@LALupusLady on Twitter).

OMG! David’s Cookies was throughout my visit. Every time I walked through the hallways, I smelled the inoxicating scent of freshly baked brownies, blondies and chocolate chunk cookies, my favorite when I was a kid (I used to have the recipe and make them every weekend in 8th grade).

I managed to avoid the sugar the entire time but I caved after my last show. I was literally running frantic to the kitchen, the food styling room, the set to find some.

No luck. I actually got caught red handed while opening a sealed tin that was on a table with a sign that read, “Do Not Touch,” by two HSN VPs! Luckily, they laughed.

I wish I had a picture of the look on my face when they walked in… with a tour of guests! Yeesh!

In the green room, I had a little visit from my friend Carol Brodie. She has a line called Rarities on HSN and she rocked the house. But poor girl – she had a 3a.m. to 5a.m. show. How she manages it and looks so fresh is beyond me! Beeeeyond!

Next time, I’ll need to wear her jewelry! I have my eye on some emerald earrings!

More on the other shows, where I almost fell off my perch.

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

We recently did a cute segment for Better TV in the Purple Lab apartment (a.k.a. my home/office/warehouse). They shot here once before and I have to say, it’s always fun to have a film crew come over!

The producer, Marianne, is heaven to work with and – I love this about her! – she writes vampire young adult novels (check her out). This was one of her last shoots for the network before she left to write full time (we’ll miss you, Marianne).

The premise of the shoot: Mother’s Day. We had three moms, each a different age group, and I gave them make overs (I have been taking makeup artist lessons).

One quick thing – I wore these super cute harem shorts (right to the knee). Bad idea. Now that I see the pix, well, it looks like I’m wearing Pampers. (Not showing you!)

Anyway, mom in her 30s, was Deena, a friend of a friend. The problem with moms in their 30s? They need quick beauty tips because they’re busy with small kids.

The solution: double duty products save time (and $$$); neutral colors are a must because you don’t have to spend too much time applying, blending out each shade, especially with kids running all over the place.

This was the look I gave her.

All I needed: Four products.

1. Silk Sheets foundation to even her skin tone

2. Cheek Implants cream blush in the shade Backstage Pass. The trick is to use it as a full on eye shadow, the whole lid from the lash line to the crease. It brightens the whole face.

3. Lashionista Modelista, just the mascara. One coat on the top lashes.

4. Huge Lips Skinny Hips in Goji Berry Smoothie (the soft berry shade is out at the end of the month)

Five minutes. Done!

Now on to mom in her 40s (my friend Sally, who I hadn’t seen in far too long). In your 40s, you have a little more time. Your kids are likely in school. You have your days back! So you can play with your makeup.

Don’t be afraid to bring on the glamour with a serious smokey eye – it’s not just for 20somethings. It’s fun to flirt with new looks as you hit your forties, especially when you work with products that have sophisticated formulas but a playfulness to make you feel young and fun.

For Sally, it was all about subtle shine on the lips and rosy cheeks. Here’s her before and after:

Here’s what I used:

1. Cheek Implants in Six Inch Heels. You will feel like a super model while enhancing cheekbones with a pale shade of pink.

2. Lashionista Modelista in After Dark: Just smudge liner with a small angled brush to create a soft yet smokey cat eye. The diamond dust is subtle, giving the eye just the right amount of shine.

3. Luvah in Mama’s Boy. Made to bring out your inner vixen, it’s infused with aphrodisiacs and natural libido stimulants to remind you to feel sensual and beautiful.

For Mom in 60s, we actually played Joan Hirsch, none other than Sharon’s mother! She’s a doll and looks 20 years younger than her age. The issue moms have in their sixties? They want to look younger without going under the knife (well, some don’t mind the knife, not naming names).

The solution? Use beauty products that have anti-aging benefits so you are treating skin all day and definitely do NOT be afraid of color. A pop of color will brighten your whole face and give you a youthful appeal. Lastly, love that highlighter.

Highlighter should be your best friend, especially as you age. It’s the best way to add soft shimmer and draw attention to your best features. Chic tip: A dab in the corner of the eyes by the nose will draw the light away from crow’s feet.

Meet Sharon’s maker – before and after:

Here’s what I used:

1. Silk Sheets foundation equipped with anti aging benefits, thanks to silk, algae, seaweed, juniper, almond seed extract, and more!

2. Luvah in Rich Jerk: Use a bright lip color so lips pop. The double plumping ingredient, “Complex OO,” provides long-term lip enhancing benefits while Vitamin B3 provides immediate plumping, erasing fine lines.

3. Luxury Squared, which is equipped with both an under eye color corrective concealer AND highligher. Both offer skin care ingredients like silk, Vitamin E, carrot oil, antioxidants, algae. And the highlighter’s got my favorite additive – diamond dust!

Happy early Mother’s Day!

Will share the clip when it’s live.

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

I recently wrote about the Women in Need charity event. But what I didn’t share is the high drama look I gave my eyes, thanks to Lashionista Modelista (clearly, an addictive product for me!).

It’s super easy and here’s how to do it yourself:

When you do something like this, something that draws all the attention to your eyes, keep the rest of your look soft and neutral.

Let one thing stand out on your face at a time – sort of like an outfit with one star accessory.

I did this look with Huge Lips Skinny Hips in No Panty Lines (a.k.a. clear) so that there was a little moist shine but no color to distract from the eyes.

It was a hit!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

Wednesday night, I attended the Women in Need benefit gala, honoring Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour (who was announced by Iman, gorgeous as can be in yellow Rachel Roy), and CEO of Lord & Taylor Brendan Hoffman for their commitment to the charity’s cause.

Jet setted there with a few bloggess friends. From left: Aly Walansky, Tracey Lomrantz of Glamour.com, me, Amber Katz from Beautybloggingjunkie.

Lori Goldstein, mega fashion stylist who has a cute new collection called Logo Instant Chic on QVC was in the house. Love her. Major girl crush!

Love the Marni necklace!

Also on hand was India Jewel Jackson from Glam.com with her fierce new do, which I am obsessed with. Takes a bold woman to pull this off and she manages to in the chicest way possible!

WIN is the largest provider of shelter and support for families in New York City but their facility is much more – they ensure every child is enrolled in school; they support moms on job interviews and help them find new homes; they offer each family their own private studio apartment. And their average family is a woman, 32 years-old, with 2 children.

I am blessed to be on their Development Committee and seeing this event come to life was truly amazing.

This is the scene at the Waldorf Astoria. All those balloons – guests purchased them (from $100 or $1000 each); the more balloons you buy, the more likey you’d win a prize (shopping spree at Saks).

OMG! Wait. Funny story.

In the taxi on the way to the event, as I was taking out my brand new Luvah 3D lip stain and gloss from my bag, Tracey mentioned that she received the PR tip sheet and that – amidst the fabulous designers and fashion set (Francisco Costa, Vera Wang, Simon Doonan, Jonathan Adler) was Whitney Port.

I instantly put the product back in my bag. I had to get it to Whit!

She was sitting near my blogger friends and I spotted her Sergio Rossi’s when I was at their table. These are actually her feet, below.

I shamelessly asked if I could take a pic. And then I – even more shamelessly – gave her my product, which she seemed really into. Add her to the celeb list now!

She was sitting next to my friend Beth Thomas Cohen, mega PR honcho.

“Was that bad,” I asked Beth, certain that my actions were a little questionable.

“You’re asking the wrong person,” she said. “I’m in PR!”

For the record: I held myself back from asking if I could take a picture of her using it. Now that would be gauche!

This is them, BTW:

While the glamour was there in spades, Iman spoke and reminded everyone that true glamour is about supporting other women.

And when an 11-year old boy named Taliq, who won the Peter Jenninges Prize for his essay on how he reads to succeed, shared his winning piece and talked about his dreams of being an architect one day, the whole room paused.

The whole point of the event was this moment, realizing we could all help the Taliqs of the world and give them a better chance.

So let’s all do that! Together.

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix