Nina Dobrev For Cosmopolitan US September 2013

Nina Dobrev covers the September 2013 issue of Cosmopolitan US wearing a strapless Dior houndstooth dress with matching pumps captured by Matthias Vriens-McGrath.

The rest of the ‘Vampires Diaries’ editorial sees her wearing signature Fall 2013 looks from Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Valentino.

Nina opens up to Cosmo about her friendship with Julianne Hough, her plans to open a yoga studio, and her views on relationships.

Here are some extracts from her interview.

On what she’s working on at the moment: “I want to open my own yoga studio. Planning construction and looking at properties is fun. I’m using a different part of my brain. You know that feeling when you use a different muscle? You’re excited to be exercising it but you get a little sore! Yoga changed my life. Hopefully, it will do that for others.”

On whether she puts a lot of pressure on herself: “Maybe. I can take a lot of pressure though. I’m constantly trying to make myself better, to learn more. I didn’t finish college, so I feel like I’m always having to prove myself. I don’t want to feel like the smallest person in the room.”

On what attracts her to a guy: “You either have chemistry or you don’t, but a lot of what attracts me is a guy’s mind and humor and talent. I need to get to know all those things before I fall for someone. I’m not a one-night-stand kind of girl. I’m a relationship girl.

On her type: “I’m progressive in some ways, old-fashioned in others. I like it when guys hold the door open and are sweet and thoughtful. The guys on our show are really good at that. A man in a suit looking put together and dapper is very attractive, but I also kind of like the I-just-rolled-out-of-bed, a-little-bit-of-scruff, effortless, not-trying-hard-but-still-sexy guy. If a guy spends more time looking in the mirror than I do, that’s problem!”

On her friendship with Julianne Hough: “It’s been cool to find an active buddy – there are lots of girlie girls around. We don’t talk about makeup; we talk about life.”

On whether it’s nice to have a friend who’s also gone through a breakup: “That’s not what our friendship is about. Unfortunately, that’s how it’s perceived, but there’s more to us. People aren’t defined by their relationships. The whole point is being true to yourself and not losing yourself in relationships, whether romances or friendships.”