Jessica Simpson for Allure Magazine

1. Jessica Simpson wore a gray T-shirt, J Brand jeans, and Yves Saint Laurent boots to the shoot. Between takes, she slipped into sandals that she had brought with her, from her latest shoe collection. "I prefer heels to flats any day," the singer said of the sky-high nude wedges. Here, she poses for Norman Jean Roy in a silk dress by Lanvin and bangles by Rosena Sammi.

2. For her new VH1 show, Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty (which premieres at 10 P.M. EDT on March 15), Simpson traveled to seven foreign countries to explore different concepts of beauty. "When I think of America, it's very diverse, but we do have the cookie-cutter way we're supposed to look, and going to all these countries, it's so completely different. I was fascinated going on that journey to discover that, even just for myself," said Simpson, here in a Fendi dress.

3. Simpson was game for the toned-down look the Allure team had in mind for her. "After learning what beauty means to different women around the world, we wanted to celebrate Jessica's individual beauty," said her hairstylist Ken Paves, who also appears on Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty.

4. "Jessica usually looks classic," explained makeup artist Jeannia Robinette. "I chose to make her more raw." First, Robinette smudged a shimmery black shadow along Simpson's top and bottom lash lines before curling the lashes and coating them with mascara. Next, she brushed on peachy pink blush and dabbed on lip balm mixed with a rose-colored stain.

5. "I wanted to make her hair look glamorous but lived-in," said Paves. He clipped two rows of extensions onto the bottom half of Simpson's head, then he curled all her hair before brushing it through. Paves kept the curls round and perky with a dose of hair spray.

6. Simpson is aware of the strengths of her goofy persona. "I'm vulnerable in any moment," says Simpson. "I don't care if the cameras are on or not, you're going to get the real me. There's no reason to mask that, because that's what has given me the chance to be in a powerful position."

7. Simpson's weight was criticized after a photo was taken of her in high-waisted jeans. The result sometimes leads to backhanded compliments. "When I walk through an airport and people go, 'You're not fat!' I'm like, 'Thanks. Thanks. That's great. Good to know I'm not fat today. Thank you!'"

Photographed in New York City by Michael Thompson for the October 2006 issue.

8. America's weight obsession is, as Simpson puts it, "disgusting. My job is to be creative," she says. "And I'm not weighing in for anybody."

Photographed in New York City by Michael Thompson for the October 2006 issue.

9. When asked about turning 30 this July, Simpson says, "I never really thought, growing up, 'What am I gonna be like when I'm 30?' I just kind of thought I had it figured it out: I'm going to be this great pop star, have my songs on the radio, be married, and have babies....But things can be taken away from you. A song can not be played on the radio. An album can not work. The pressures of life have come to me at a very young age, and it's how you deal with those pressures and who you surround yourself with that continue to feed your soul."

Photographed in New York City by Michael Thompson for the October 2006 issue.

10. Although she received a lackluster response to her two most recent acting efforts, Employee of the Month and Blonde Ambition, Simpson hardly counts herself out of the movie business. "I already have a whole other world of business out there," she says, referring to her apparel, accessories, and fragrance lines, "so acting for me will be very, very selective from here on out. But I will never do nudity," she insists. "I don't care how dark and intellectual the role could be, you know? I don't care if I frickin' get an Oscar for it, I'm not going to do it. Those accolades mean nothing to me....I don't think people deserve to see what's underneath my clothing. That's only for my next husband—ha ha ha!"

Photographed in New York City by Michael Thompson for the April 2004 issue.

11. When she discusses her next potential partner, Simpson, who is rumored to be dating former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan says, "I definitely will marry an artistic man. It will show you the colors of my character, the person that I fall in love with next. I don't even have a type! I don't have a physical type. I have an emotional type. When you have yourself together, I don't care what you look like at all. You can be tall; you can be short."

Photographed in New York City by Michael Thompson for the April 2004 issue.

12. What's next for Simpson? "The performer is what people saw in me in the beginning. It would be nice to reintroduce myself as that," she says. But she's determined to make something clear: She's the one calling the shots. "I am hands-on with my life. I direct my life," she says. "I didn't realize that until this year, when people were trying to take that away from me. I'm still here, and I have a comment. I always have a comment."

Photographed in New York City by Michael Thompson for the April 2004 issue.

Jessica has always been one of my favorite celebrities. I like her humble demeanor........she doesn't come off fake and shallow like some of her peers. She is a true beauty.