Estée Lauder appoints Joan Smalls as its latest spokesmodel

(Estee Lauder)

Estée Lauder has signed Puerto Rican beauty Joan Smalls as the new ambassador to represent the brand's color cosmetics and skincare products.

Smalls will join Estée Lauder's roster of dazzling women which include Hilary Rhoda, Elizabeth Hurley and Constance Jablonski, among others. Her first global advertising campaign will be released in May 2011.

Smalls is the third new model Estée Lauder has signed this year, and the first to hail from Puerto Rico. Though Estée Lauder has traditionally channeled an all-American style, using blond beauties like Gwyneth Paltrow and Carolyn Murphy to sell its products, it has been diversifying its image. For instance, the company launched its Pure Color collection in China last month and appointed rising Beijing model Liu Wen as one of its global spokesmodels earlier this year.

Smalls made her modeling debut in January 2010 when she was featured as the exclusive model for Ricardo Tisci's Givenchy Fall/Winter 2010 Couture Show in Paris. Since then, she has graced the runways for the hottest labels around, including Marc Jacobs, Prada, Gucci, Jil Sander, Derek Lam, and Louis Vuitton.

Other Latin American beauties to serve as campaign spokesmodels for global cosmetics brands include Mexican-born actress Eva Longoria, who represents L'Oréal, as well as the Puerto Rican actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, who was recently announced as L'Oréal's brand ambassador for 2011.