In her Allure interview, Conrad was measured and kind and as emotionally opaque as a First Lady. Which is exactly how she wants it. "Doing reality television for such a long time made a big difference," she says. "People were in my bedroom." Maybe Conrad's enduring appeal isn't a result of letting people into her bedroom; it's that there wasn't a sex tape when we got there. "You have to represent yourself well no matter what you do," she says. Here, Conrad poses in a wool crepe dress by Juan Carlos Obando and suede-and-vinyl pumps by Aquazzura.
Decorating tips from Conrad, here wearing a Kaufmanfranco dress, spill over into relationship tips. "If it was up to me, my home would be just over-the-top girlie and vintage," she says, adding, with a Southern drawl, "but I share my home with a gentleman now," in reference to fiancé William Tell. Conrad, whose parents have been together since they were 17, says the number-one tip she learned from her mother about living with a man is that you need your own room. As for the bedroom? "I wanted it to be very calm." She's trying to break the habit of working in her bed. "Your bed is for sleep and sex," she says.
To prevent Conrad's '60s-inspired look—the cover—from verging on costumey, makeup artist Melanie Inglessis kept Conrad's skin "fresh and dewy." She drew a thick line just below the creases on the star's eyelids with a black kohl liner, then smudged a gray cream shadow into the creases. For a subtle glow, Inglessis blended a golden bronzer on Conrad's cheekbones, nose, and forehead. Then she pressed on a blush-nude lip color. Conrad's look can be re-created with the following: Clinique Kohl Shaper for Eyes in Black Kohl, Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Curvaceous Coal, Clinique Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator in Bronze, and Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Curviest Caramel.
Hairstylist Serge Normant gave Conrad's hair volume inspired by Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour."There's a chicness about it, even though it's sexy," says Normant. To get the look, he prepped the hair with a volumizing spray, blew it out, and then loosely curled it. For a "hint of retro, but soft, sex appeal," he brushed out and smoothed the curls before teasing the crown and sides. Here, Normant uses a blow-dryer as an impromptu wind machine while Conrad poses in a Paper Crown top and LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's jeans.
Conrad, posing here for Lubomirski in a dress by Juan Carlos Obando, hasn't let her reality-television fame turn her into a punch line; instead, it has turned her into a role model. Today, Conrad oversees five businesses, including her two clothing lines and most recently, the Little Market, a website that sells goods made by artisans in developing countries. Is she a budding Martha Stewart? "I wish!" says Conrad, her eyes going wide.
