Lucy Talks About Her Makeup Prowess, Whether She Shops the Pretty Little Liars Set, and How Her New Gig Came About

Lucy Hale, 24, is a lady of many talents. She plays Aria on Pretty Little Liars, is touring to promote her country album Road Between and now can add "editor at large" to her résum&eacute. The actress and singer, who is headlining American Rag's "All Access" ad campaign, also lent her skills to curating and guest editing the brand's Ragged magazine. She shared some behind-the-scenes images from the shoot, and talked to PEOPLE about her makeup prowess, whether she shops the Pretty Little Liars set and how her new gig came about.

"I had so much fun being a guest editor. Getting to come up with concepts and ideas for a magazine was a first for me!" she tells PEOPLE. "I never realized how much went into it. I definitely wanted to include fashion and beauty tips, but also some of my favorite restaurants and shops. I spend a lot of time in Nashville and live mostly in L.A. and so it was fun to talk about some of my favorite spots - but difficult to narrow them down."

Did she have any other surprising skills that she brought to the table during her guest-editing stint? "Not really hidden talents, but it was cool to expand on my knowledge of what I know about beauty and fashion," she says. "I'm constantly surrounded by those things because of my career, so I loved getting to talk about it."

Of course, Hale does have a little practice sharing what she's learned from her day job with her friends. "I did my sister and all her bridesmaids' makeup for her wedding," she shares. "I also do my best friend Annie's makeup frequently. It's fun to get to play around on different canvases. I always say that if I didn't do what I do, I would go into the beauty world."

Her first step was identifying what exactly was being embodied in her ad campaign and in the magazine itself. "American Rag represents growing up in America and it's expressed that way through fashion," she says. "It's also spot on to my personal style which is still cute and put together, but casual and without trying too hard." With that in mind, she shares that the brand's American flag overalls are her favorite bargain in her closet right now, and when it comes to her top splurge:  "Chanel. Chanel anything actually. Shoes, bags, beauty products ...I have one purse and two pairs of shoes and am planning on my next purchase!"

There is one thing you won't find in her closet at all, though: Anything "picked up" from the Pretty Little Liars set, despite her best efforts. "I have serious accessory and shoe envy for Aria. Believe it or not, though, we aren't allowed to keep anything!"

Source: PeopleMagazine