Joan Smalls announced new face of Estee Lauder

The Estee Lauder brand announced that it has signed one of fashion’s rising runway and editorial stars as a new face of Estee Lauder for cosmetics and skincare. Model Joan Smalls, who hails from Puerto Rico, will join Estee Lauder roster of global beauties – Hilary Rhoda, Carolyn Murphy, Elizabeth Hurley, Constance Jablonski and Liu Wen – and debut in its global advertising campaigns beginning Maybe 2011.

 Joan is the third new model Estee Lauder has signed this year, following the singing of Constance Jablonski and Liu Wen in April. Joan is the first Estee Lauder model from Puerto Rico. Over the years, Estee Lauder models have hailed from the U.S. (Karen Graham, Willow Bay, Carolyn Murphy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Kebede), France (Constance Jablonski) and China (Liu Wen).

According to Estée Lauder Senior Vice President and creative director Aerin Lauder, selecting Smalls to represent the brand was an obvious choice: “She’s confident, happy, elegant, well-spoken, and grown-up—and it really comes through in her pictures. When we pick someone to represent the brand, it’s about her personality, too. It’s not just the face. You find yourself not being intimidated by her beauty, but drawn in by her warmth,” Lauder tells Vogue. 

Joan made her debut in the world of high fashion in January 2010 when she was featured as the exclusive model for Ricardo Tisci’s Givenchy F/W 2010 Couture Show in Paris. Since then, she has quickly ascended to fashion’s top ranks by appearing on the runways in NY, Paris and Milan, for designers including Marc Jacobs, Prada, Gucci, Jil Sander, Derek Lam, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton.