Oh my lovely Liv! I will definitely be getting this issue. And if they keep this up with their choice of cover stars, a subscription alongside it.
... That said, though, I don't love either of these particular covers. Though I confess I love Liv Tyler in almost every respect, there is so much more you can do with looks like hers than this drabness.
To begin with, why all the depressing black and grey? For once you have a sparkly, strong, unique and genuinely stunning Amazon of a woman who just screams color and vibrance, and you put her in a studio that could just as well be the morgue?? For goodness sake, why?!
Actually, I'm going to go ahead and answer that myself. Somehow, certain people have it in their heads that it is somehow edgy, different and therefore interesting by default to style Liv Tyler specifically in this non-glamorous way. And to some extent it is certainly warranted. If you look at the magazine coverage on her from the most recent years, it's pretty much been a series of repeat performances from one publication after another, with the exception of her UK Harper's Bazaar ed from 2008.
However, unlike the 2008 Bazaar ed, which was a genuinely different take on Liv, this feels half-hearted and possibly slightly unintended. The black combined with the lighting really isn't flattering on Liv's pale skin, nor is the dress she is wearing, though possibly only combined with these particular pose(s). I'm amazed how you can produce something this uninspired of a women as inspiring as Liv.
Finally, I'm going to jump on the repetition-bandwagon here and comment on this being too similar to their previous covers, particularly them coming out with something like this so soon after Helena Christensen's cover, which I was really very much reminded of by this. Also, does it irk anyone else that the subscriber's and newsstands covers are almost identical? Again -- why?
But I will reserve (the rest of) my criticism until I've had a proper look at the cover. I have feeling I will like it more, or at least hate it less, in full-res. Thanks for posting the preview, vogue28!
newsstand cover is better and no naomi!!! 
