Walk into any mall in Brazil in the mid-90s and you might have seen her. A 13-year-old girl with piercing, almost feline eyes, just hanging out. No glam. No wings. Honestly, it's kinda wild to think about now, but Adriana Lima young no makeup was basically just a normal kid who didn't even want to be a model.
She only entered that first contest because a friend didn't want to go alone.
Fast forward to 1996. Adriana is 15. She wins the Ford Supermodel of Brazil search. Then she takes second place in the world. People usually talk about her Victoria’s Secret years—the heavy tan, the bombshell waves, the $2 million Fantasy Bras. But if you look at the raw polaroids from her early days at Elite Model Management, you see something else. You see a face that didn't need the artifice.
The Raw Look of a 90s Prodigy
In the late 90s, modeling was moving away from the "heroin chic" look toward something more athletic and vibrant. Young Adriana fit perfectly, but in a way that felt oddly timeless. When you see photos of her from 1997 or 1998, usually backstage at Anna Sui or Ralph Lauren, she’s often sitting in a chair with a completely bare face.
The skin is real. There are freckles. Sometimes a little bit of redness around the nose.
It’s human.
Most people get this part wrong: they think her "glow" was always a product of high-end illuminators. It wasn't. Back then, her look was defined by her heritage—a mix of Portuguese, Native Brazilian, African, and Swiss. This gave her a complexion that photographers like Juergen Teller loved to shoot without a drop of foundation.
What the Industry Saw Before the Glam
When Adriana first moved to New York in 1997, she wasn't the "Sultry Angel" yet. She was a teenager who was actually scared of cameras.
In her earliest test shoots, she often wore nothing but a white tank top. These "no makeup" shots are what actually built her career. Agencies use these to see the "bone structure," and Adriana’s was legendary. We’re talking about high, sharp cheekbones and a jawline that could cut glass, all softened by a youthful, rounder face.
She has often said that growing up in Salvador, beauty was about simplicity. Her mom would mash up avocados for hair masks. They’d use almond oil from the local market. That’s it.
Why the "Natural" Look Mattered in 1999
1999 was a pivot point. This was the year she debuted for Victoria's Secret. If you watch the grainy YouTube footage of her first VS casting, she isn't wearing the heavy 2010s-era contouring. She has a light gloss on her lips and maybe a touch of mascara.
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The appeal was her "unfiltered" energy.
- Skin Texture: Unlike the blurred, filtered faces we see on Instagram today, young Adriana had visible skin texture that looked healthy and hydrated.
- The Eyes: Her eyes are naturally a striking gray-blue/green. Without heavy smoky eyes, they stood out even more against her dark hair.
- The Smile: She had a slightly toothy, genuine smile that the industry hadn't quite "polished" out of her yet.
The Reality of Aging in the Spotlight
Lately, there’s been a lot of noise about how Adriana looks now. In 2023 and 2024, she faced a wave of criticism for her "changed" face at red carpet events. People were brutal. They claimed she’d had "fox eye" surgery or too much filler.
She clapped back with a no-makeup selfie.
She called it the "face of a tired mom." She has four kids now. Her point was simple: the girl from the 1996 Ford contest is still there, she’s just lived a whole lot of life since then. Seeing Adriana Lima young no makeup reminds us that the baseline was always extraordinary, but it was also always real.
When she returned to the Victoria's Secret runway in October 2024, the brand actually shifted toward a more "natural" makeup style for the whole cast. It felt like a full-circle moment. They weren't trying to hide the models under layers of product anymore.
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How to Get the "Young Lima" Glow (The 2026 Way)
If you're trying to emulate that 90s Adriana look, it's less about the products you buy and more about the health of the skin underneath. She’s been a vocal advocate for boxing since she was 19. She swears by the "post-workout sweat" for cleaning out pores.
- Ditch the heavy foundation. Use a tinted serum or just concealer where you actually need it.
- Embrace the brows. Adriana's early brows were full and slightly arched, but not "blocked" or over-plucked.
- Hydration is king. She’s often mentioned using Caudalie Beauty Elixir to keep her skin dewy during long flights.
Honestly, the obsession with her younger self without makeup is really just an obsession with authenticity. We’re tired of the filters. We want to see the person. Adriana, even at 15, had a presence that didn't require a glam squad to translate.
To truly understand the Adriana Lima legacy, look at the 1996 Ford Models Supermodel of the World archives. Focus on the raw, unedited backstage photography from the 1998-2000 runway seasons to see how natural beauty defined her rise. Prioritize skin health over cosmetic coverage by incorporating facial massage and high-hydration mists into your daily routine to mimic that classic Brazilian glow.