Leighton Meester shows off her back on the cover of British Cosmopolitan‘s October 2012 issue, on newsstands and available as a digital edition September 13.

Here is what the 26-year-old Gossip Girl actress had to share with the mag:

On not wearing makeup: “I don’t care if there are a million pictures of me with no makeup. I love being able to walk down the street without it. We should promote women not having to wear makeup, or at least feel we can go out without it.”

On comparing her style to Blair Waldorf’s: “I’ve never seen Blair with the same bag, coat or shoes twice. I don’t know anyone who had that. I had two pairs of jeans [when I was a teenager] that I rotated. I wouldn’t trust myself with a Prada brag! I didn’t even want to change for gym so I’d wear sweatpants over my jeans, then sweat around the track for an hour.”

On being awkward around people: “If I’m not around close friends or family, I can get quiet and awkward, and it probably comes off as not very nice or just plain weird! It’s not meant to. I try to pull myself out of it but sometimes it’s hard for me to open up. In the past it was easier for me to trust people. Nowadays I judge pretty quickly: ‘You just want to be my friend because I’m on a TV show.’”

For more from Leighton, visit Cosmopolitan.co.uk and pick up the issue for the full interview!