EXCLUSIVE: Dania Ramirez is the Newest Face of CoverGirl

Courtesy CoverGirl

Drew Barrymore, Queen Latifah and Ellen DeGeneres are in even better company this morning — Dania Ramirez has just signed on as the newest face of CoverGirl, and she’s talking first to PEOPLE.com about joining the illustrious brand. The 29-year old beauty, best known for her role as Maya on Heroes, jokes that while her deal may have just come to fruition this summer, in her mind “it’s been in the works my whole life. I’ve always dreamed of being a CoverGirl.” Not that it’s always been an easy path for the Dominican Republic-born actress. She tells PEOPLE that she’s especially excited about becoming a CoverGirl spokesmodel because, “I’m bringing my story, a story of struggle and hard work. Not speaking the language [when I got to America] and trying to figure out my definition of beauty, you learn to recognize the beauty in all of us. It takes a strong person to get where I’ve got.” But of course, that doesn’t mean that Dania doesn’t love the girlier things in life, like her CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain. “If I could walk around telling people how great it is, I would!” she enthuses. “It adds color to your lips and lasts so long, but doesn’t make [your lips] sticky.” We think that having someone this stunning star in print and television ads, starting January 2010, should do the trick! Tell us: What do you think of CoverGirl choosing Dania as their newest face?