Karen Swensen, New Orleans Magazine readers voted you the most attractive New Orleanian, female. Any thoughts? That’s insane! I’m shocked. I’m so flattered. It’s very nice of people.
Did you know you had this adoring public out there? (laughing) No! I’m frankly shocked. I’m humbled. There are far more deserving people than I. But that’s very nice, very flattering, especially after you’ve had a baby.
Speaking of which, you’re an anchor, reporter, wife, and mother of 15-month-old Catherine Grace. How did your beauty routine change with your lifestyle? It changed entirely! I don’t have one anymore. When she’s napping, it gives me time to shower and blow-dry … I don’t get a whole lot of time to do anything beyond that.
Do you have a makeup artist and a team of personal shoppers or stylists to help you get dressed to go on the air? No, we don’t. We have just a few minutes before we start … we do our own makeup and our own hair.
How do you know what you’re going to look like on-camera? I don’t! It’s always a mystery, especially on humid days.
So are you telling me you come from a family of natural beauties? (laughing) My mother would love that! … I do think my mother is gorgeous. She’s aged so beautifully and naturally.
Any beauty secrets you want to share with our readers? The one I wish I would have paid attention to when I was young is sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. Now I never leave the house without it. That’s the only thing I do religiously. There’s probably a million other things I ought to do. (Medical reporter) Meg Farris always has these beauty tips, and she’ll tell you the order in which you should do them, and I write them down and I buy all the products, and as soon as the products run out, I’m without anything until the next time she does it … I wish I would exercise like I used to because I had a much healthier glow. With (Catherine), my exercise is usually running behind her picking up books.
What does your husband think of being married to the foxiest woman in New Orleans? (laughing) I’m sure he’s in disbelief! No, I’m sure he’s flattered.
Any beauty advice for aspiring female journalists? It’s not about what you look like. It’s a tedious job. You’re a journalist, period. As long as you’re put together and professional, it shouldn’t be about what you look like.