Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About What Makes Her Feel Sexy – and Other Secrets

"I used to hate it because I'm such a perfectionist," the superstar exclusively tells PEOPLE of embracing shortcomings

Jennifer Lopez dons thousands of crystals in her Las Vegas concerts, flaunts her “Booty” in racy music videos and sizzles next to boyfriend Beau “Casper” Smart on the red carpet – but none of that can top her simple beauty pleasures.

The 46-year-old superstar feels sexiest “when my hair is curly and I’m a little bit tan,” she reveals with a laugh during a recent interview with PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly editorial director Jess Cagle.

And that’s just the beginning of Lopez’s revelations during the rapid-fire Cagle Exercise. The mother of 8-year-old twins Max and Emme also shares the one thing she only she knows about herself (“[I’m] worried a lot,” she says) and the song she can’t stop listening to (Bruno Mars‘ “Locked Out of Heaven”).

Watch more of The Jess Cagle Interview with Jennifer Lopez the week on PEOPLE.com.

As for what the American Idol judge has learned to love about herself over the years? “That I’m flawed,” she says. “I actually love that part now … I used to hate it because I’m such a perfectionist.”

For more on Jennifer Lopez’s gritty new show and her happy life now, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

The Shades of Blue star (the finale airs March 31) has a lot to say about life and love in the spotlight – especially when it comes to ex-husband Mark Anthony and former fiancé Ben Affleck – but she manages to sum up her journey in one positive hashtag.

“I would say #amazing,” Lopez explains. “It’s been amazing. It is amazing.”