"I loved how I looked. I'm not an insecure person, nor was I before." That's Ashlee Simpson, insisting to Harper's Bazaar that her down-to-the-studs renovation wasn't a result of any self-image issues.

"It's a personal choice. I believe if somebody chooses to do plastic surgery, it [should be] for yourself, not for anyone else," explains Jessica's little sis, whose pared-down proboscis, as far we know, didn't suddenly sprout Pinocchio-style during the sit-down.

And even though the mag delicately points out how Simpson's "nose is more petite, her lips are plumper and the contours of her face are softer," she never waivers from her I'm OK, You're OK-style platitudes.

"I'm a happy person, and I'm happy with my looks," she bubbles. "Everybody always has an opinion. One minute they'll love you; one minute they'll hate you. When you go home to sleep at night, [the important thing] is to feel good about yourself. And I do."

Ashlee, 22, whose supposedly "chic new image" is touted by the mag (we guess that means she'll now be sporting more formal hoodies when out and about with current squeeze Pete Wentz), also takes pains to point out, "Through all my changes, I'm still the same person. I'm definitely still goofy. My heart has not changed."

In other star transformation news, a once-again supersvelte Liv Tyler is coming clean about her struggles to peel off the baby weight after the arrival of son Milo in December 2004.

"I was not one of those women who just dropped pounds instantly when I was breastfeeding," the ethereal actress, 29, sighs to Britain's You magazine. Instead, she was "ravenous for things like doughnuts and cakes."

But after an unflattering paparazzi pic sparked speculation that she might be pregnant again, Liv decided it was time to get back in shape, a task she found far more trying than some other celebrity moms, whose postpartum slim-downs often seem instantaneous.

"I did a million different things. I would be on a strict protein diet and then a raw diet and then I would do colonics and fasting," she recalls. "And I did Pilates and yoga and working out with my trainer. I rode my bike, I ran -- I tried everything under the sun."

Her hard work (and come on, what's harder work than a colonic?) resulted in her losing "a good 10 pounds of pure fat." Still, says Tyler, "even now that I am a size 6, my back and shoulders are still broad so there is absolutely no way I will ever be a size 0."

But, she adds with a laugh, "I am really quite sensible about all that."

Alas, Liv is less sensible about her nicotine habit, which, unlike her unwanted weight, she hasn't been able to nix.

"I'm afraid I smoke sometimes," she admits. "I did give up for a long time when I had Milo, but on my last film my character smoked and that was bad for me. I don't like it, but I secretly love it. I know it's terrible."

Next: William and Kate: Behind the Bust-Up