From speaking on the Oscar stage to becoming the face of Lancôme Paris, actress Lupita Nyong'o has had quite the year - and it seems to be getting better.
Nyong'o, who rose to fame after starring in the role of Patsey in Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave," has been named "Most Beautiful" by People magazine. The magazine announced Wednesday morning that Nyong'o had been awarded their prestigious honor.
The 31-year-old actress, who graces the cover of People, told the magazine that she never dreamed she would be the person selected for the publication's 25th anniversary issue.
"It was exciting and just a major, major compliment," Nyong'o told the magazine. "I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [it] and feel a little more seen."
Nyong'o told the magazine that the best compliments come "when I have been called beautiful with not one drop of makeup on. And also before I comb my hair or put on a pretty dress. Happiness is the most important thing."
Nyong'o, who was born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, received the best supporting actress Oscar in March and also took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "12 Years a Slave."
It marked the Yale University School of Drama graduate's first major film role. The star explained to People that her early views of beauty were swayed by what she saw on television.
"Light skin and long, flowing, straight hair," she said. "Subconsciously you start to appreciate those things more than what you possess."
Nyong'o said her mother Dorothy, who is the managing director and head of PR for the Africa Cancer Foundation, "always said I was beautiful, and I finally believed her at some point."
Editorial director Jess Cagle explained why the staff chose the newcomer.
"She is fantastic...She's kind of all the rage," he explained. "There was really no contest this year. She seemed like the only choice. Usually there's a lot of debate; this time, we were all in agreement. She's obviously talented, obviously beautiful, she is incredibly stylish, but the way she carries herself with such grace and such humility, I think it's what put her over the top."
People's "Most Beautiful" issue hits newsstands on Friday.
