NOTE: This post was originally published on Instagram. I am reposting and backdating it here as part of a historical series in order to preserve these meaningful memories and early motherhood thoughts and experiences in a way that is not tied to any social media platform. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for some time. As we formally shelter in place in NYC, this project brings me happiness and a welcome break from the news. 🖤
#THISIS40. Just getting started. 💋 #thelettuces #babylettuce #thisisus #40AF
#THISIS40 💋 #justgettingstarted #40AF #letsgo 💋 With all the progress in respect to inclusivity and representation, something I am very passionate about, there are still gaps. Somewhere between the baby face and the wrinkles, women become invisible. And while I am LOVING images of fresh and diverse young faces on one side, along with women like @iris.apfel @mayemusk + @charlotteramplingofficial securing campaigns and serving looks on the other… right in the middle, right now, we are here too. And we won’t shrink into the shadows. We’ll stand in our light. We’ll take up space. And we’ll be seen and heard. Take note 📝
#THISIS40 ✨ And I rang in the new decade in a cottage on the beach under a cotton candy sky dripping in sequins with my 9 month old baby in my arms, my husband by my side, surrounded by my family. ✨ #thelettuces #babylettuce #perfection #magic #everything
That time I turned 40 and woke up at 6am in a cottage and walked down a few steps right onto the beach with the two younger men in my life. 💙💙We were the only ones there besides the birds, sun and sky. #thisis40 #perfection #magic #everything #bedhead
That time I turned 40 and realized I wanted nothing that I had thought I wanted to celebrate. No super fancy cocktail party. No exotic trip. No traffic-stopping wardrobe. No anything that didn’t involve my baby and my family. And when I shared that realization with my sister-in-law and she wanted to not only come in from California to celebrate with me but also to help care for my son so he could be part of all the festivities… it made things even more clear. The greatest gifts in my life are people. I have been #gifted. ❤️👯♀️ #thelettuces #sil
She did not end up laughing and drinking in the kitchen with the entire staff until early morning – but having a dinner date with her husband and then coming home to her baby was more than enough… for this year. ✨ This is how my birthday festivities began. Where it all started. Bohemian. Nolita. A block away from where we met. Thank you @senorlettuce for another beautiful, yet different, experience at my favorite restaurant. #thisis40 #thelettuces #babylettuce #howsthebaby #isheok #isheasleep #doweneedtocomehome
40 is the new black. 🌈 > 🖤
❤️🧡💛💚💙Flashback to the #DIVACUE. Tossed the idea of a big late night cocktail party for a small daytime bbq with some best friends and their kids. Mostly because I wanted my own babe there. But he ended up napping almost the whole time. And it was so hot out, we had to move it from rooftop to indoors. Oh well! Just roll with it, baby. 💋 #thelettuces #babylettuce
In the wise words of famed pasta sauce maker and 80s television commercial hero Francesco Rinaldi, “As I got older, I got better.” 🍝💋 #thisis40 #mama
Originally posted August 2018
NOTE: This post is not sponsored. All thoughts are unbiased and my own. All photos and content are property of Lauren Cosenza Beauty LLC.
Lauren Cosenza consults for top brands, websites, and magazines and serves as a trusted beauty/fashion/mom expert, a brand ambassador, an on-camera personality and spokesperson, a creative director, a published editorial contributor and writer, the creator and owner of DIVAlicious®, the creator and owner of BEAUTYfull®, a product junkie and an insatiable beauty and style seeker — with a former life at Cosmopolitan, Shape and Bustle/BDG brands. She currently runs Señor Lechuga Hot Sauce with her husband and baby boy as the Co-Founder + Head of Brand.