Get EXTRA!

Despite the fact that I am not the most dynamic televison personality, I was asked to judge the "That Girl" contest on Extra! (the contest appeared Saturday, November 17, at 4 AM ET/4 PM PT, btw, so you can judge my dynamism quotient for yourself). The contest was put on by Benefit Cosmetics; entrants made videos at Sephora stores nationwide (some also did it from home).

Television studios are always freezing, to counteract the hotness of the onstage lights. (Never, for instance, go to the David Letterman Show without a down parka.) The Extra! studios, however, had a touch of glamour that I truly appreciated: A Starbucks coffee machine. Which actually tastes like Starbucks! And takes the edge off of the freezing aspect.

My favorite thing, however, was unexpectedly getting my makeup done not by a makeup artist, but by Jean Ford—co-founder of Benefit cosmetics with her I-kid-you-not identical twin sister Jane—who, like her identical twin sister is riotously funny and stunningly gorgeous and of course, intimidatingly successful. All this and she can take matters in hand with five minutes before airtime, throw you in the makeup chair and make you look about 1,000 times more presentable. The key ingredient in my dramatic for-TV transformation was Dallas blush-esque bronzer, which Ford dusted all over my face, stopping now and then to step back and evaluate, then gpoing back in with more, plus a little Georgia blush for good measure. When she was done I was fresh-faced and wildly enthusiastic, ready to judge.

The cameras rolled; we fired questions at the poor contestants. I found this difficult not only because I felt for them, but thinking of questions while trying not to bulge my eyes—I have an only-on-TV tendency to bulge my eyes repeatedly for no good reason—was just plain hard. "What was your worst fashion or beauty mistake ever?" I asked over and over. The other Jean was tougher: She even made one contestant sing!

In the end, the best woman won, we all screamed and hugged and had another round of the delicious Starbucks. And I walked out feeling warm both inside and out—and looking it too, thanks to the Dallas.

—Jean Godfrey-June, beauty director