In 2003, Cover Girl found beauty south of the border and welcomed two new Latina models. 2003 Miss Universe Amelia Vega and supermodel Elsa Benitez made their commercial debut as the newest faces of Cover Girl Cosmetics at a shoot in West Hollywood, California with Molly Sims and Kiara. This was the first time the company has simultaneously signed two Latina models to represent the brand. Pictured from left to right at the TruBlend Make-up shoot are Kiara, Amelia, Molly and Elsa.
Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega is a Dominican model, actress, and beauty queen who became the first Dominican woman to be crowned Miss Universe in 2003. Some highlights of her career include:
- Winning the Miss Universe pageant in 2003 at just 18 years old, becoming the youngest winner since 1994 and putting the Dominican Republic in the spotlight. Her win was a huge source of national pride.
- Parlaying her high-profile Miss Universe fame into a lucrative modeling and entertainment career. She signed with Elite Model Management and appeared on runways worldwide for designers like Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta.
- Gracing the covers of major magazines including Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire, and socialite magazines like Vanidades and Caras. This helped her become a famous face across Latin America.
- Acting in Spanish-language telenovelas (soap operas) like Madame and Marido en Alquiler, showcasing her talent and capitalizing on her huge Dominican and Latin American fanbase as a household name.
- Launching a nail polish line called Essence by Amelia Vega in 2012 during the peak of her fame. The brand exemplified her business savvy to translate popularity into entrepreneurial ventures.
Now in her late 30s, her early Miss Universe fame combined with beauty, poise and smart self-marketing made Amelia Vega one of the most successful and influential models from the Dominican Republic with crossover appeal across Latin America's entertainment industry.
Elsa Benítez
Elsa Benítez is a famous Mexican supermodel, fashion designer, and television host. Some highlights of her extensive modeling career include:
- She was the first Latina to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine when she graced the cover of Vogue Mexico in March 2003. This helped pave the way for greater diversity in fashion modeling.
- Benítez was chosen to wear the coveted Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra in the 1999 fashion show, donning the $15 million "Millennium Bra" lined with over 100 carats of diamonds.
- She has walked the runways for haute couture fashion houses like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Versace, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent.
- Benítez appeared in ubiquitous print ads for brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's, Revlon, Macy's and Liz Claiborne in the late 1990s and early 2000s as she hit her peak fame.
- She spent over 15 years combined on contracts as one of the iconic Angels for lingerie giant Victoria's Secret from 1995 to 2010 while continuing other modeling.
- Beyond catwalks and campaigns, Benítez guest starred on TV shows like Entourage and How I Met Your Mother, and for years cohosted Mexico's Next Top Model spinoff for TV network Canal Sony.
With her signature 5'10" height, green eyes and brown hair, Elsa Benítez made a name for herself through the 90's and 00's as one of Mexico's most famous models on global runways and covers. She used that platform to later successfully branch into design, hosting and entrepreneurship in Latin America.