An Insider's Look: Karen Robinovitz of Purple Lab

A few weeks ago, I told you all about the fabulous new lipgloss launch, Purple Lab Huge Lips, Skinny Hips. (Click here for a quick recap.) Well, today I am thrilled to bring you an exclusive interview with the creatrix herself, the one and only Karen Robinovitz! Born in New Jersey ("Exit 9 off the turnpike!" she told me exuberantly), Karen went to Emory and moved to NYC when she graduated. And she's been there ever since! Find out her inspiration for the line, her favorite way to wind down and much more after the jump!



Can you tell me about Purple Lab and Huge Lips, Skinny Hips? How did you come up with the concept?
I had been in the industry for years -- first as a journalist, then as a marketing consultant and television spokesperson. My husband was always telling me that I needed my own brand but I said I didn't want to force it. About two years ago, we were at a cocktail party and I had completely mauled the hors d'oeuvres. I told Todd, my husband, we had to go home. "I have ring around the waist," I told him, "my pants now feel too small because I ate so much and there is literally a red ring around my waist!"

"But we just got here," he said. He wasn't ready to leave.

I joked, "If my lipgloss could plump my lips and not my hips, I wouldn't be in this mess."

That's when I looked at him with my light bulb moment. "What IF there was a lip gloss with plumper AND an appetite suppressant? It would be my dream product!"

I started to call a friend at a beauty company. I wanted her to make the product so I could buy it but as I dialed, Todd grabbed the phone and said "YOU make this product. This is your brand."

And here we are. We're doing it together and this is the first of many products to come, all with double duty benefits and a mix of fun, glamour, science and sophisticated formulations!

How did you first become interested in beauty, and what led you to work in product development?
I was always obsessed with beauty products, trying everything I could get my hands on. I wrote about beauty for magazines and called my closet the beauty supply room, as it had as many products as the basement level of Barneys! As I started writing about products, brands started calling me to ask why I wasn't writing about them. Before I knew it, I was consulting on the kinds of products that would be more newsworthy, how they should market it to the media and to consumers. I only got into more serious product development because of Purple Lab.

What is your favorite color of Huge Lips, Skinny Hips?
I can't answer that. It's like asking a mother which child she loves more! They are all my babies! And I appreciate each shade for different reasons!

Do you have plans to launch more products in the future? Any exciting products coming down the pipeline?
Absolutely. I can't say just yet but there is something coming up in conjunction with breast cancer awareness month -- it is a gloss and totally different from Huge Lips, Skinny Hips. There are lipsticks, foundations, creams, skincare and more in our future!

How do you get your inspiration?
Everyday life. I think about where the holes are in my own beauty products, what I wish I had. Fashion is a huge influence on me and so are inspiring icons like Kate Moss, Dita von Teese, Jane Birkin, Jade Jagger, Bianca Jagger ... I keep a collage of the things that evoke glamour, chic, fun, sophistication over my desk to serve as a jumping off point for everything I do.

What are your top 3 makeup tips?
1) Avoid trends. Wear what you love and what brings out the best in you.

2) Add a drop of highlighter -- white/baby pink -- to the corner of your eye to make it pop more.

3) That same highligher trick to the bow of your lips makes your lips look super juicy!

What is the most rewarding part of what you do?
Just the fact that I'm blessed enough to be doing it! Even with all of the struggle and obstacles -- financially, operationally, emotionally, I keep at it and every day I learn something new, get to create something new, and put all of my energy into something I am so passionate about.

Being a product creator must be fun -- but what do you do for fun in your free time?
What free time? I seriously don't have an ounce of it. Right now, in the free time I do have, I am so tired that I tend to plop down on the sofa and watch 24 -- just started and am addicted. I used to do yoga six days a week. I'm lucky if I get in two mornings a week now. Art galleries -- in my next life, I want to be Damien Hirst meets Wangechi Mutu meets Marilyn Minter! Their talent astounds me. My husband and I ride motorcycles (actually, I just hold on to the back of him and I wear a purple helmet). And I love all of the cliche things -- restaurants, travel, film. I am a daredevil -- mountain climbing, trapeze, pole dancing lessons! Todd and I are going to take private ninja lessons next!