PurpleLab: A Look Behind the Brand and a Sneak Peek at Huge Lips Skinny Hips

In this post, I'm going to provide you all with a little background info on the PurpleLab brand and the woman behind it all, Karen Robinovitz. I'll also give you all a little look at the Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip gloss, the first product in this new line (review will follow soon!)

So....

Who is Karen Robinovitz (if you don't already know ;-) )?

Karen Robinovitz is a successful fashion and beauty insider and journalist. She has contributed her insight into the world of celebrity and all things chic and trendy to such publications as Women's Wear Daily, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, the New York Times, Marie Claire and Elle (she was a Contributing Editor at both of the latter magazines). She is also an accomplished author and has co-authored three acclaimed books. In addition, Karen has been featured on many popular talk shows and morning shows. She has done marketing and consulting for the brand name companies, informing them of the latest trends and helping them find innovative solutions. She has now developed PurpleLab to combine all of her loves into one: beauty, fashion, and design.

What is PurpleLab and what is the reason behind this name?

In Karen's own words, PurpleLab's philosophy is to be a "fresh, fun, and innovative brand all about double-duty beauty and adding a dose of chic glam into (one's) life while providing a service to the body, soul, and self-confidence." Purple is Karen's favorite color, appealing to her for the sexy, mysterious and playful connotations it invokes. The lab part of the brand name reflects Karen's former career goals. As a pre-med student in college, she majored in biology and had planned to attend med school (if only she knew just how much we had in common on this front!) Fortunately for us (though I'm sure she would have made a fabulous doctor!), Karen has chosen to go the beauty route.

What is Huge Lips Skinny Hips and what does it do?

Huge Lips Skinny Hips is the first product to be launched in the PurpleLab line. These fruity-smelling lip glosses are available in a range of five universally flattering colors (and one clear gloss), and feature such cute and fun names as Kitty Pole Dancer, Lychee Martini (I'll take one of those, please!), Love Your Thighs, and No Panty Lines. I love, love, love these monikers! They are each inspired by one of Karen's icons, philosophies, or favorite things. These lip glosses were created to provide sheer and shiny color to the lips while also acting as an appetite suppressant. How does that work, you ask? Well, Karen's thought was that since women inevitably lick their glossed up lips during the course of the day, why not include an ingredient in the product that would serve to help keep the hips skinny, while the lips remain plump and "huge?" This magic appetite-curbing ingredient of which I speak is called Hoodia, which has been found to contain P57, which, as Karen writes on her website, "targets the part of the brain that tells you when you're full by mimicking the effects of sugar." Less mid-day snacking appeal to anyone? I'll take some of that! The Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip glosses are also replete with ingredients that help to keep the lips moisturized and soft (like Meadowfoam packed with Vitamin E), those that serve to plump up the pout (with Vitamin B3 to stimulate blood flow and lemon peel oil to add a cooling sensation), and even a component that is a natural metabolic stimulator, orange peel extract. Sounding good to you, yet?

Now I'll give you a looks-see at the super cool packaging of these glosses - such effective branding! - as well as some pictures of the display:

The color I bought is a gorgeous coral-pink color with subtle shimmer called Love Your Thighs. Karen recognized that many women have a hard time loving the way their legs look, whether they are in pants, skirts, or even the dreaded shorts! As she puts it so nicely, "if you don't (love your thighs), no one else will."

I am planning a review of these glosses (including what I think of their appetite-suppressing and lip-plumping qualities). This will follow shortly. In the meantime, if you would like further info on Karen, her accomplishments, philosophies, and wish to view other colors in the Huge Lips Skinny Hips line, check out the PurpleLab site at http://www.purplelabnyc.com/. Here, you will also find information on the retail locations where these glosses are available.