I’ve now read at least three big profiles of Lauren Sanchez, and I come out of each one understanding why Jeff Bezos dumped his wife for her. I’m not saying I like his decision – Mackenzie Bezos seems like a cool woman and I hope she gets hers – but I understand why and how Lauren and Jeff’s affair began and why he seems genuinely in love with her. She’s vivacious, full of life and very bold and warm. Do I also think there’s a golddigger aspect to her, and a “midlife crisis” aspect to Bezos? For sure. But most men in Jeff Bezos’ position, when looking for a second wife, would have gone with a 20-something model or someone adept at power-brokering. Instead, Jeff Bezos followed his heart and went for the 53-year-old former local TV newscaster and reality-star-adjacent. So, Lauren has another profile, this time in Vogue. She didn’t get the cover and I doubt she’s mad about that. Lauren is exceptionally chatty and…yeah, I sort of like her. Some highlights:

Jeff Bezos on how Lauren changed him: “She has really helped me put more energy into my relationships. She’s always encouraging me: ‘Call your kids. Call your dad. Call your mom.’ And she’s also just a very good role model. She keeps in touch with people. I’ve never seen her put makeup on without calling somebody. Usually her sister.”

Lauren loves how extroverted Bezos has become: “He’s the life of the party. He’s just extremely enthusiastic, and extremely funny. He can be really goofy. I mean, you’ve heard him laugh, right?”

Their wedding plans: “We’re still thinking about the wedding, what it’s going to be. Is it going to be big? Is it going to be overseas? We don’t know yet. We’ve only been engaged five months!” He proposed at the start of their summer at sea, hiding the ring under her pillow after a starlit dinner à deux. She found it at bedtime, her makeup off. “When he opened the box, I think I blacked out a bit.”

Will she take his name? She looks at me like I am insane. “Uh, yes, one hundred percent. I am looking forward to being Mrs. Bezos.”

The responsibilities of being the wife of one of the richest men in the world: “I think there are a lot of opportunities that come with that, and I take those opportunities very seriously. We always look at each other and go, ‘We’re the team.’ So everything’s shared.”

Their schedules revolve around their kids: “Our lives are pretty normal,” is how Sánchez puts it. “Daily life mostly revolves around our kids.” Her arrangement with Whitesell means she and Bezos spend alternating weeks with Evan and Ella in LA, where both are in school… Bezos’s kids, four in all, are now at college, so there are university visits layered in too. Wherever they are, there’s the same agreement: “Whoever gets up first, that person makes the other person coffee,” she says. Bezos takes his black or with Laird Hamilton’s superfood nondairy creamer, in a self-warming Ember mug. Sánchez uses a mug Bezos got her from Amazon, with the words “Woke up sexy as hell again” splashed across the side.

They love movie nights: Saturday family movie nights are a tradition. The week we meet they’d just enacted their own version of Barbenheimer with Oppenheimer screened Saturday night and Barbie on Sunday. “Of course, Jeff’s favorite movie was Oppenheimer, and I love Barbie. And there you have us summed up in two movies.”

She doesn’t exactly dress in a “classy” way: “I always found it interesting that people say, ‘Well, Lauren, you definitely dress more for men.’ I actually dress for myself.” She cites Salma Hayek and Amal Clooney as style inspirations. “Why? Because they dress for who they are, and that authenticity, I think, comes through.” A shimmering Dolce & Gabbana halter column she wore to a recent Caring for Women event felt exactly right: “I really think I am coming into who I am and I know what feels good.”

Aging gracefully? “It’s really simple.” She cites the MEDS acronym—meditation, exercise, diet, and sleep—personally adding sunscreen to the end of it. “I don’t ever think, Wow, I’m going to be 54 in December and I’m getting married. It is all happening. We’re excited about the future.”

[From Vogue]

The Vogue piece also details how involved she’s become in all of Jeff’s charitable endeavors. Pretty much as soon as their affair began, Bezos began putting together all of these charities and initiatives. While I don’t doubt that Bezos buys her whatever she wants – jewelry, clothes, helicopters, rockets – she’s also a big part of how he gives away his fortune. Also: I can totally see Salma as a style inspo for Lauren. Both are petite, top-heavy women. Lauren’s had a ton of plastic surgery though, so “meditation and sleep” isn’t really the anti-aging secret in this case.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.