SOAP OPERA DIGEST

Alison Sweeney
Making faces and striking poses

I do a lot of photo shoots. I've always considered it part of my job. Being in front of a camera, for some reason, is very freeing. When they're shooting, it's OK to go crazy. I can make faces and strike sexy poses that I'd never do in real life. For a photo shoot, the stylist brings in a ton of different clothes, then we narrow it down to what I like and what looks good on me. The stylist knows in advance what kind of clothes and styles I like to wear. I'm not into the retro '60s look. I'd never in a million years wear that.

Right now, I'm wearing a black, velvety dress with a really high collar, short sleeves and beautiful flowers on it. It's very nice. Corina Duran is my makeup artist and hair stylist today. She likes to hear what I think, but she had an idea of what she wanted to do before we started, so she's putting my hair up in a very high ponytail that looks really cool.

GETTING INTO CHARACTER:
I like when DAYS' hair and makeup people work on me. It helps me get into character when we do cool stuff with makeup. I've learned a lot from them. They choose colors and see what looks good on me. When I first started on the show, I didn't know anything about putting makeup on. And I'm still learning. I can barely line my own lips!

SPRITZ AND SPRAY
It's good to change hair products every other week. So I use both MAC and Philosophy shampoo and conditioner, then switch off between the two. I only blow-dry my hair when I absolutely have to. It's very damaging. At home, I towel-dry my hair, brush it out as straight as possible, then let it drip-dry. I don't use mousse or gel, although at work, they use spritz and spray. I have bad hair days. Everyone does. I have a terrible cowlick that always bothers me if I don't take care of it. But generally, I just let it hang. I guess my hair is my best feature. No, it's my personality. (she laughs). I'm just kidding. Corina says it's my eyes and my hair.

I use MAC and Philosophy products. They're both good lines of makeup. I don't like stuff that says, "Hello, I'm wearing lots of makeup!" I prefer natural colors that almost disappear. I use some foundation to even out my skin, some shading and MAC lipstick. They have three colors I love: taupe, brown sugar and expose. And Philosophy has an amazing lip moisturizer - I don't go anywhere without it.

GETTING FUNKY:
I wear tons of nail polish on the show. I'm pretty adventurous - I go with a lot of funky colors. Lately, Sami has been pretending to be a nun, so I have a French manicure. But I usually like blues, greens, reds, silver and gold. And I like Victoria's Secret perfume.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS:
I've tried tons of different workouts, and I've found that a gym doesn't interest me. I'd rather be outdoors walking my dog, swimming, bike riding, rollerblading or riding my horse, which is good exercise. I also like dancing.

EATING IN MODERATION:
I eat right. I had a nutritionist teach me all the basics of eating healthy. In this society, everyone wants to get more for their money. But when it comes to food, you're actually screwing yourself up. It's about how much you eat - everything in moderation.

LOOKING YUPPIE:
I like to look nice, but it's more about being comfortable than about getting all decked out. I like to wear my GAP jeans. I look pretty yuppie when I dress myself.

LOVING TOM CRUISE:
I find a sense of humor beautiful. I like people who can laugh and individuals who respect themselves and are really good people. Outwardly, I think Meg Ryan and Jodie Foster are beautiful. And Tom Cruise! I have the biggest crush on him. I love Jewel, and Sarah MacLachlan is amazing - they're people whose voices touch me.

SAVING FACE:
My mom always gets on my case about wearing sunscreen…and she's right! The sun can be so damaging, especially if you have fair skin like I do. But it's bad for everyone. So, if you find a good sunscreen with moisturizer, you're saving your face and your skin.