Forget the rumors about requests for white flowers-Jennifer Lopez was all business and focused on reclaiming the spotlight at our cover shoot with photographer Michael Thompson at Lux Studio in New York City. See exclusive outtakes here. For more photos, as well as the profile "Bombshells Away," pick up the January issue of Allure, on newsstands December 22.
Lopez arrived at the shoot balancing 17-month-old twins Max and Emme on each hip (with five-inch Christian Louboutin heels on her feet). She was thrilled to
hear her song "Fresh Out the Oven," which was playing in the background, and she sang along while she got her hair and makeup done (above, with
hairstylist Oribe).
Lopez requested Cuban food for lunch-rice, beans, chicken, and plantains-followed by a mini red velvet cupcake. "Part of my business is about being in shape and looking good. You can't lie to yourself about it. But I'm not the monster I used to be in the exercise department," she says. Still, she is, she says, "a big portion-control person." Here, Allure creative director Paul Cavaco adjusts her KaufmanFranco beaded silk dress.
"I wanted to do a tawny, bronzy look; anyone could create it at home," said makeup artist Scott Barnes. First, Barnes applied pinky-peach blush to Lopez's cheeks, then gold highlighter on her nose, cheeks, and brow bones. He then brushed a burgundy shadow on her eyelids, rimmed them with black liner, and added mascara. He kept her lips looking "natural and flesh-colored" with a gray-beige lip gloss.
In addition to Love?, Lopez has a romantic comedy called The Back-Up Plan, her first movie in three years, due out in 2010. She's a personal fan of the genre: "It can be so bad," she laughs. "I'm always trying to get [husband] Marc [Anthony] to watch with me, and he's just all about, like, documentaries and solving who the killer is in those cop shows."
Lopez loves getting decked out for shoots and premieres. "I enjoy the glamour," she says. "I'm like every girl who wants a glamorous life, wants to play dress-up with a closet full of fun stuff and feather boas-and a chance to dream.
If there is a prevailing theme in Lopez's life, it is that she has willed herself to be a star through focus, drive, and hard work. She always knew she had gifts, but not extraordinary ones. "It wasn't like it was with Marc [Anthony], who opened his mouth at age three and was blessed with a voice from God," she says of her husband. "I had to work at it, but I knew that once I had achieved it, people would respond to me in a certain way."
Toward the end of the shoot, Lopez greeted one of her fans, 18-year-old Yamarie Mayol, whose dream of meeting the star was arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Mayol handed Lopez a bouquet of white lilies, and Lopez gave her a big hug and showed her around the studio. Here, Lopez and Mayol pose together for Thompson.
Lopez requested Cuban food for lunch-rice, beans, chicken, and plantains-followed by a mini red velvet cupcake. "Part of my business is about being in shape and looking good. You can't lie to yourself about it. But I'm not the monster I used to be in the exercise department," she says. Still, she is, she says, "a big portion-control person." Here, Allure creative director Paul Cavaco adjusts her KaufmanFranco beaded silk dress.
To give Lopez's hair volume and to eliminate frizz, hairstylist Oribe sprayed on Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray from his own line, then blew her hair
dry with a round brush. He set her hair in hot rollers for more body and spritzed it with a finishing spray to hold the wave.
"I wanted to do a tawny, bronzy look; anyone could create it at home," said makeup artist Scott Barnes. First, Barnes applied pinky-peach blush to Lopez's cheeks, then gold highlighter on her nose, cheeks, and brow bones. He then brushed a burgundy shadow on her eyelids, rimmed them with black liner, and added mascara. He kept her lips looking "natural and flesh-colored" with a gray-beige lip gloss.
In addition to Love?, Lopez has a romantic comedy called The Back-Up Plan, her first movie in three years, due out in 2010. She's a personal fan of the genre: "It can be so bad," she laughs. "I'm always trying to get [husband] Marc [Anthony] to watch with me, and he's just all about, like, documentaries and solving who the killer is in those cop shows."
Lopez loves getting decked out for shoots and premieres. "I enjoy the glamour," she says. "I'm like every girl who wants a glamorous life, wants to play dress-up with a closet full of fun stuff and feather boas-and a chance to dream.
If there is a prevailing theme in Lopez's life, it is that she has willed herself to be a star through focus, drive, and hard work. She always knew she had gifts, but not extraordinary ones. "It wasn't like it was with Marc [Anthony], who opened his mouth at age three and was blessed with a voice from God," she says of her husband. "I had to work at it, but I knew that once I had achieved it, people would respond to me in a certain way."
Toward the end of the shoot, Lopez greeted one of her fans, 18-year-old Yamarie Mayol, whose dream of meeting the star was arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Mayol handed Lopez a bouquet of white lilies, and Lopez gave her a big hug and showed her around the studio. Here, Lopez and Mayol pose together for Thompson.
Lopez and Mayol take a look at their photos, as Cavaco looks on.
