"There were certain dresses that were like, 'Oh, this is really feminine. This isn't sexy at all,' but then I'd try it on and it just turned."

The The Women actress - whose commercial for Calvin Klein Secret Obsession was deemed too sexy for US TV last year - points to her voluptuous figure for her bombshell image.

"I love my curves and I embrace them," she tells marie claire, "but I have to walk a fine line."

Discover a new side of Eva Mendes in the December issue of marie claire.