Model Adriana Francesca Lima was born on June 12, 1981, in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. The blue/gray-eyed Brazilian beauty can attribute her exotic good looks to her French, Portuguese, Native-American, and Caribbean heritage. Her climb from obscurity to glam girl occurred after placing second in the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest at the age of 13. Three years later, she headed to one of the fashion centers of the world, New York, and signed with Elite Model Management.

Once there, 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.

On a personal note, 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.