Not only can Lauren Cosenza advise you on what lipstick and liner to use, but she also knows how to make you up to be successful.
Cosmo's teamed up with Maybelline New York to host the ultimate weekend that will help you live your life a little more fearlessly! On November 8 and 9, we'll be taking over the Lincoln Center,
showing you how to make your mark with some of the biggest thought
leaders in America. But before storming the stage, lets look at some
amazing women you'll get to meet IRL, along with other inspiring
entrepreneurs, who are sharing their tips on how to stand out and find
your success.
Earlier this year Lauren Cosenza was hired to give makeup tutorials at a popup shop in SoHo in New York. One of her clients was a transgendered woman who waited more than three hours in line to learn how to apply eye makeup for the first time. While the tutorial was a lesson in physical transformation, the conversation was much deeper than that. "It was really emotional for both of us," Lauren says. "I saw her confidence change." As a beauty industry expert (and a Cosmopolitan.com regular) Lauren says it's those emotional connections with people that inspire her. "People don't realize that about this field," Lauren says. "They just see the fluffy side of it, but really there are deep moments and that is what's beautiful. "She considers makeup a tool not to mask or conceal things about someone, but as a way to enhance them. Since launching her lifestyle brand website, DIVAlicious, in 2010, Lauren has helped transform women from all over the world. Here, she shares her 10 tips to her success — and what success means to her:
1. If you don't want your boss's job, it might be time for something new.
Lauren was on an enviable career trajectory — she worked in advertising before switching into publishing, where she climbed her way up in the beauty department at this very magazine and later at Shape. However, she felt like she had reached the end of that path when she realized she didn't want her boss's job. "I liken it to playing a video game," Lauren says. "When you've gotten to the end and you've finished the game, you don't just keep playing it." She knew her next move was going to be to work for herself. Lauren had been blogging about beauty since 2007 and doing makeup on the side, but felt now was the time to devote her full attention to her personal business. Some people are happy being in a comfortable, predictable position, but if you feel you've reached your peak, then it's time to look elsewhere.
2. Diversify your skill set.
If you can't answer, "What do you do?" with one word, you're doing it right, Lauren says. For her, the short answer is: creator and editor-in-chief of DIVAlicious blog, a trusted beauty/fashion expert, an on-camera personality, a leading NYC-based professional makeup artist, a published contributor and writer, a brand consultant, and a makeup reviewer. Diversifying her skill set was a deliberate decision she made when going out on her own because she wanted to have more than one revenue stream. "I understood that the industry was changing and that digital was becoming more and more important and that one single type of technology could change careers and make certain things obsolete," Lauren says. "There might become a day where we are applying our makeup digitally and then makeup artists aren't even necessary."
3. Don't worry about your "10-year plan."
If you're like Lauren and loved teetering in too-big high heels and playing with makeup as a little girl, then you probably knew you were destined for a job in the beauty industry. But when Lauren was a kid, things like blogging and online video tutorials didn't even exist. "A lot of professions that people have now and love so much were born out of things that have come up in the last 10 years," Lauren says. "I always knew that I would work in beauty and fashion, and I always felt that I wanted to do something that inspired and helped women, but I couldn't have predicted this." So while it's good to have goals, be open to innovation and know that your dream job might not even exist yet.
4. Inspiration can come from anywhere.
Those berries you tossed onto your cereal aren't just good for your health; they might also fuel your creativity. Lauren says she finds inspiration everywhere. Once during a meal, she noticed the rich purple stain left by a beet and knew she needed to find that color in a lipstick. "Inspiration can come from unusual places," Lauren says, "like a quote at the end of a yoga class or something I see on the subway or the farmer's market." Put the phone down and tune into your surroundings and you just might find something inspiring.
5. Make time for the people in your life.
Think of the biggest challenge associated with running your own business. Knowing where your next paycheck is coming from? Meeting the right people? Staying on top of trends? Those challenges pale in comparison to balancing your professional life with your personal life, Lauren says. "Having a relationship, and seeing your friends and family is something that is easy to lose," she says. "My boyfriend jokes that we're in a non-monogamous relationship because my phone is in bed with us or on dates with us." Now she makes a point to have dinner with her boyfriend whenever she's at home, even if it means staying up a couple hours after he's gone to sleep to work.
6. Taking care of yourself isn't vanity, it's an investment.
If you don't take care of yourself with proper sleep and physical activity, you won't be able to function at 100 percent and your creativity will suffer as a result. "If you don't invest in yourself, you deny yourself your full potential," Lauren says. "I do think that investing in your health, your body, your skin, and the way you present to the world is important." One of the ways to do that is with makeup. "Whether I'm doing something artistically for editorial or doing something more natural with a person, I love seeing that change in them," she says. "I see their confidence come alive."
7. A solution may require a change of scenery.
If you're feeling stuck, change your environment. When Lauren's trying to come up with a video idea or a creative editorial vision, staring at her computer screen can be a dead end. "So many of my ideas come to me while I'm washing my brushes or while I'm in the bath when I have time to think," Lauren says.
8. The biggest risk you can take is not trying.
What's the worst thing that could happen if you try your big idea? It might not take off. Now, what's the worst thing that could happen if you don't try it? It definitely won't take off. "For me, it would have been riskier to stay and be unhappy versus taking a chance and having butterflies but also fulfillment and things to progress beyond my imagination," Lauren says. Taking a leap of faith might be scary, but the possible rewards are worth it. "Think of all the things in your life like making a career change or allowing yourself to fall in love or becoming a parent," Lauren says. "All the best things in life are terrifying."
9. Look at yourself through the eyes of someone who believes in you.
Self-doubt is unavoidable. Even with the most confident people it can creep in. What Lauren's learned to do in those situations is change her perspective. "I think about how my great-aunt or grandmother thought there was nothing I couldn't do," she says, "and I try to channel that." Lauren remembers a time when she was applying for internships at PR firms and stuck only to the smallest ones, believing that with her limited experience those were the only places where she had a shot. When the guy she was dating encouraged her to apply at the biggest firm, she was reluctant. "In my mind, I never thought they'd pick some random person because there were only a few spots," she says. "He was like, 'You don't see yourself through the eyes of the world.'" He knew the woman she was interviewing for would see her as a deserving, competent, hardworking young woman ready for this internship, so Lauren looked at herself with that perspective too. Sure enough, she got the position.
10. Define what success means to you.
Being successful is a subjective term. It may mean making a certain amount of money or making an impact on people or demonstrating creativity. For Lauren, it means being happy. "I think success is personal happiness," she says. "You can have all the accolades in the world and be miserable." Doing work she feels passionate about makes her happy. "If I don't feel passionate about a project, I know it's not worth pursing," Lauren says. "That's a litmus test I take for myself." Take a minute to see what drives you and measure your success on your own scale, not anyone else's.
Step up your game with a new, bold twist on the smoky eye. Check out Cosmopolitan.com and Maybelline's 360-degree smoky eye tutorial, and remember to come to get your tickets to the best weekend of the year here.
Earlier this year Lauren Cosenza was hired to give makeup tutorials at a popup shop in SoHo in New York. One of her clients was a transgendered woman who waited more than three hours in line to learn how to apply eye makeup for the first time. While the tutorial was a lesson in physical transformation, the conversation was much deeper than that. "It was really emotional for both of us," Lauren says. "I saw her confidence change." As a beauty industry expert (and a Cosmopolitan.com regular) Lauren says it's those emotional connections with people that inspire her. "People don't realize that about this field," Lauren says. "They just see the fluffy side of it, but really there are deep moments and that is what's beautiful. "She considers makeup a tool not to mask or conceal things about someone, but as a way to enhance them. Since launching her lifestyle brand website, DIVAlicious, in 2010, Lauren has helped transform women from all over the world. Here, she shares her 10 tips to her success — and what success means to her:
1. If you don't want your boss's job, it might be time for something new.
Lauren was on an enviable career trajectory — she worked in advertising before switching into publishing, where she climbed her way up in the beauty department at this very magazine and later at Shape. However, she felt like she had reached the end of that path when she realized she didn't want her boss's job. "I liken it to playing a video game," Lauren says. "When you've gotten to the end and you've finished the game, you don't just keep playing it." She knew her next move was going to be to work for herself. Lauren had been blogging about beauty since 2007 and doing makeup on the side, but felt now was the time to devote her full attention to her personal business. Some people are happy being in a comfortable, predictable position, but if you feel you've reached your peak, then it's time to look elsewhere.
2. Diversify your skill set.
If you can't answer, "What do you do?" with one word, you're doing it right, Lauren says. For her, the short answer is: creator and editor-in-chief of DIVAlicious blog, a trusted beauty/fashion expert, an on-camera personality, a leading NYC-based professional makeup artist, a published contributor and writer, a brand consultant, and a makeup reviewer. Diversifying her skill set was a deliberate decision she made when going out on her own because she wanted to have more than one revenue stream. "I understood that the industry was changing and that digital was becoming more and more important and that one single type of technology could change careers and make certain things obsolete," Lauren says. "There might become a day where we are applying our makeup digitally and then makeup artists aren't even necessary."
3. Don't worry about your "10-year plan."
If you're like Lauren and loved teetering in too-big high heels and playing with makeup as a little girl, then you probably knew you were destined for a job in the beauty industry. But when Lauren was a kid, things like blogging and online video tutorials didn't even exist. "A lot of professions that people have now and love so much were born out of things that have come up in the last 10 years," Lauren says. "I always knew that I would work in beauty and fashion, and I always felt that I wanted to do something that inspired and helped women, but I couldn't have predicted this." So while it's good to have goals, be open to innovation and know that your dream job might not even exist yet.
4. Inspiration can come from anywhere.
Those berries you tossed onto your cereal aren't just good for your health; they might also fuel your creativity. Lauren says she finds inspiration everywhere. Once during a meal, she noticed the rich purple stain left by a beet and knew she needed to find that color in a lipstick. "Inspiration can come from unusual places," Lauren says, "like a quote at the end of a yoga class or something I see on the subway or the farmer's market." Put the phone down and tune into your surroundings and you just might find something inspiring.
Think of the biggest challenge associated with running your own business. Knowing where your next paycheck is coming from? Meeting the right people? Staying on top of trends? Those challenges pale in comparison to balancing your professional life with your personal life, Lauren says. "Having a relationship, and seeing your friends and family is something that is easy to lose," she says. "My boyfriend jokes that we're in a non-monogamous relationship because my phone is in bed with us or on dates with us." Now she makes a point to have dinner with her boyfriend whenever she's at home, even if it means staying up a couple hours after he's gone to sleep to work.
6. Taking care of yourself isn't vanity, it's an investment.
If you don't take care of yourself with proper sleep and physical activity, you won't be able to function at 100 percent and your creativity will suffer as a result. "If you don't invest in yourself, you deny yourself your full potential," Lauren says. "I do think that investing in your health, your body, your skin, and the way you present to the world is important." One of the ways to do that is with makeup. "Whether I'm doing something artistically for editorial or doing something more natural with a person, I love seeing that change in them," she says. "I see their confidence come alive."
7. A solution may require a change of scenery.
If you're feeling stuck, change your environment. When Lauren's trying to come up with a video idea or a creative editorial vision, staring at her computer screen can be a dead end. "So many of my ideas come to me while I'm washing my brushes or while I'm in the bath when I have time to think," Lauren says.
8. The biggest risk you can take is not trying.
What's the worst thing that could happen if you try your big idea? It might not take off. Now, what's the worst thing that could happen if you don't try it? It definitely won't take off. "For me, it would have been riskier to stay and be unhappy versus taking a chance and having butterflies but also fulfillment and things to progress beyond my imagination," Lauren says. Taking a leap of faith might be scary, but the possible rewards are worth it. "Think of all the things in your life like making a career change or allowing yourself to fall in love or becoming a parent," Lauren says. "All the best things in life are terrifying."
9. Look at yourself through the eyes of someone who believes in you.
Self-doubt is unavoidable. Even with the most confident people it can creep in. What Lauren's learned to do in those situations is change her perspective. "I think about how my great-aunt or grandmother thought there was nothing I couldn't do," she says, "and I try to channel that." Lauren remembers a time when she was applying for internships at PR firms and stuck only to the smallest ones, believing that with her limited experience those were the only places where she had a shot. When the guy she was dating encouraged her to apply at the biggest firm, she was reluctant. "In my mind, I never thought they'd pick some random person because there were only a few spots," she says. "He was like, 'You don't see yourself through the eyes of the world.'" He knew the woman she was interviewing for would see her as a deserving, competent, hardworking young woman ready for this internship, so Lauren looked at herself with that perspective too. Sure enough, she got the position.
10. Define what success means to you.
Being successful is a subjective term. It may mean making a certain amount of money or making an impact on people or demonstrating creativity. For Lauren, it means being happy. "I think success is personal happiness," she says. "You can have all the accolades in the world and be miserable." Doing work she feels passionate about makes her happy. "If I don't feel passionate about a project, I know it's not worth pursing," Lauren says. "That's a litmus test I take for myself." Take a minute to see what drives you and measure your success on your own scale, not anyone else's.
Step up your game with a new, bold twist on the smoky eye. Check out Cosmopolitan.com and Maybelline's 360-degree smoky eye tutorial, and remember to come to get your tickets to the best weekend of the year here.
