The blue/gray-eyed Brazilian beauty can attribute her exotic good looks to her French, Portuguese, Native-American, and Caribbean heritage. Adriana Lima was born on June 12, 1981, in Brazil, and never dreamed of becoming a victorias secret model. Lima's climb from nowhere to superstar happened after coming in second at the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest when she was 13. Three years later, she headed to one of the fashion centers of the world, New York, and signed with Elite Model Management. Her modeling portfolio began to expand exponentially, after appearing in Vogue (Italy) in 1997, as well as Vogue (UK), I-D (UK), Marie Claire (Brazil), and Vogue (Italy) in 1998. Adriana also appeared in Vogue (U.S., Germany, UK) and Marie Claire (Italy) in 1999. As for fashion shows, the Vogue girl has walked down the runway for the following designers: Cynthia Rowley, Vera Wang, Christian Lacroix, Emanuel Ungaro, Betsey Johnson, Girls Rule, Richard Tyler, Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Randolph Duke, Ralph Lauren, and Valentino, just to name a few. But one of Adriana Lima's most notable catwalk appearances was in the Victoria's Secret summer 2000 swimwear catalog (shot in Cannes), where the Brazilian beauty shared the spotlight with a bevy of supermodels such as Heidi Klum and Laetitia Casta. Those who have not had the pleasure of seeing Adriana in a fashion spread may have caught her in advertisements for Anna Sui Jeans, bebe, Gasoline, Mossimo, BCBG, Keds, Guess?, and XOXO. But it's her job as a Victoria's Secret "Angel" that has fueled her fame the most, especially after appearing in network television's Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2001 and 2003. In 2001, she also appeared in the short film, The Hire: Follow, with Mickey Rourke. The Maybelline model was engaged to Lenny Kravitz in the spring of 2002, but they never got married. In 2004, Adriana Lima received a lot of press when she appeared in a Victoria's Secret ad co-starring musician Bob Dylan, in which she's walking around Venice in nothing but lingerie, heels and a pair of wings -- it's for Victoria's Secret's "Angels" collection. Before her modeling days, Adriana always hoped to help children and thanks to her newfound popularity, she is able to work with orphans in Brazil. Adriana Lima topped the list of the "Top 99 Most Desirable Women" in the world. She may not have wanted to be a supermodel when she was growing up, but now she's strutting her stuff for magazines and fashion shows seen by millions. It's hard to believe that she was born in 1981. Adriana has already landed major campaigns for Guess?, Victoria's Secret, Maybelline, and BCBG. Still, it shouldn't be so surprising, after all, we've been experiencing an incredible Brazilian invasion of models like Gisele Bundchen, Ana Beatriz Barros and Alessandra Ambrosio for years now. Adriana has a strong support system, which helps eliminate any homesickness she might feel while being so far from her home at such a young age. Despite her sexy looks, she is still pretty young and displays a girlish charm that makes her seem innocent. She still giggles and gets shy around people, which is strange considering she's from the least shy country of the world: Brazil. Don't be fooled by her womanly assets; Adriana is still a simple girl who craves Japanese food at midnight (true story). Let's face it; it wasn't Lima's IQ score that caught the attention of Victoria's Secret's talent scouts. That drop-dead gorgeous body of hers seems like a gift from the heavens. Sexy? Most definitely, yes. Three years after taking second place at the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest in Brazil at the tender age of 13, Lima decided to move to the Big Apple to see if she could conquer the modeling world. And it wasn't hard for the exotic beauty. She signed on as an Elite model, and soon enough she was gracing covers of magazines like Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. With high-profile campaigns for companies like Guess?, Armani, Anna Sui Jeans, bebe, Gasoline, Mossimo, BCBG, and XOXO, it wasn't long before Lima's face and body were plastered on billboards and in print ads. But no campaign would bring her the recognition she received as a Victoria's Secret model. Considered one of Victoria's Secret's "Perfect 10" models, Adriana appeared in the Victoria's Secret fashion show on TV, in 2001 and 2003. In addition to her gig as an "Angel," Adriana Lima also appeared in the short film The Hire: Follow, as "The Wife" opposite Mickey Rourke. In the spring of 2002, Adriana Lima made headlines when it was announced that she and rocker Lenny Kravitz were engaged. The two never made it to the altar. Adriana was also the star of a Victoria's Secret ad in 2004, which featured Adriana Lima prancing around Venice with wings on her back (it's promoting Victoria's Secret's "Angels" line) and wearing a bra, panties and heels. Her co-star in the ad? None other than Bob Dylan. More importantly, she was named "Most Desirable Woman" in 2005. Even if she didn't have Heidi Klum legs (and does she ever), she would still mesmerize us with her blue-gray eyes. It's her unique feature that sets her apart from other models. Her exotic beauty can probably be attributed to her French, Portuguese, Native-American, and Caribbean genes. What else can you expect from a woman who tops a list of 98 other gorgeous women? Brazilian look good, and dress like champions. Adriana Lima doesn't let her country down and qualifies for the Style Dream Team. Be honest; with a face like hers, who's even looking at her wardrobe?

more celebrities...