Zooey Deschanel of All the Real Girls

When it comes to the politics of makeup, Zooey Deschanel is a free-thinker. "I hate when someone says, 'Oh, lip liner is so out.' That's ridiculous!" she says, brandishing her beloved MAC Brick lip liner like an Olympic torch. This mavrick sensibility has always been a part of the 23-year-old's style. In high school the star of the upcoming Manic flitted from her "Ginger Rogers look" to her "Brigitte Bardot French new wave look" with apropos costumes and cosmetics. She also mastered the ukulele. "People expect me to be dry and sarcastic," she says. (Remember her turn as Jennifer Aniston's morose Retail Rodeo colleague in The Good Girl?) "But really, I'm pretty animated."

You're blond right now. Are you having more fun?
When I had my natural black hair, people decided that I was some goth girl. Blond hair softens me a bit, and with my pale skin it is sort of angelic-looking I think. But when I was little, I always hated the idea that blondes were thought of as prettier than brunettes. For instance, in the illustrations of Alice in Wonderland, Alice has blond hair, but I always knew that the real Alice had brown hair.

How do you take care of your hair?
I use Kerastase shampoo, and I like silicone-based products because they work well in my hair, which is thick and dry. When I was a kid my mom would drop me off at the salon so that the stylists could brush out the tangles. It was torture.

With your complextion, sunbathing is a no-no, right?
Yes. I try to wear SPF 45 sunscreen always. I like Shade and Water Babies, both by Coppertone. Once, when I was 15, I went to the beach in Malibu and got second-degree burns on my back. It was terrible!

Do you have a skin care regimen?
I just wash at night because I have pretty dry skin. I like Cetaphil and Epicuren Discovery products. I'm much more crazy about makeup than other products.

Let's go through your makeup bag.
OK. This is the best concealer: Shu Uemura Mark Cealer in Beige No. 4. Here are two blushes that I love: Delux Beauty Flush Stick in pink and Age of Innocence by Fresh. Both are good for fair skin. Sometimes I use powder, and I like Pink Flurry Sheer Shimmer powder by MAC. To create the Brigitte Bardot look with eyeliner, I use Maybelline Eye Express Easy Lining pen in Brown Mink. I like Lancome Definicils for mascara. For lips I use Stila Lip Rouge in the Smooch shade. But usually I wear MAC Brick lip liner. For eye shadow, MAC Goldmine is good with red lipstick if you have blue eyes. I love makeup!

Have you ever had an embarrassing makeup phase?
During my first year of wearing makeup when I was in high school, I had a tendency to put on too much blush. I remember looking in the bathroom mirror and seeing that I had these gel blush blotches all over. It was a total disaster.

How do you stay fit?
Yesterday I ran four miles. I am so sore! I love to run, but I have to watch my knees. I do Pilates and I also like the elliptical trainer at the gym. When it comes to diet, I am the opposite of everyone in Hollywood. I lose weight eating carbohydrates like pasta and bread. But I would never ever order french fries. I was kind of a chubby kid, and it totally changes your outlook. There's an inner fat girl who says, "Oh, no! You don't want to go there again."

Are you happy with your body now?
I like my waste because it is really small, and I don't have a boyish figure at all. I have a small hourglass figure. I'm a girl.

When do you feel most beautiful?
When I get new clothes and try them on at home. I'll take a shower, do my hair and makeup, and then put them on and go out.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Silly, because I like to make people laugh. Some say ambitious, but I worry that that word sounds ruthless. And pensive. Something is always going on in my mind that I am not saying.