The Duchess' PRE ARRIVAL PICKS

by The Dutchess » Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:12 am

    

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THE DUCHESS
PRE ARRIVAL TOP 15[center]

[center]The Miss Universe Season is upon us and with that starts the prediction list, the hot picks, the fighting and the drama. Which is not exactly news if you have spend enough time in this forum, and it probably wouldn’t be the same without it. Now, I have not followed pageants at all like I used to since the Moscow pageant. Mostly because I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Desiree let Monic walk out in those hideous curls. BUT MOVING ON. I decided to come back the night Stephanie del Valle won Miss World 2016, a pageant that I have never truly followed (like 85% of the island). And I actually got a little excited with the Miss Universe Pageant of this year. So since that day I’ve looked around the forum and seen pictures of the girls and even of some national costume. So I am going to present to you my pre-arrival list which will serve as my personal record to see how the girls improve or not. At the same time comparing some of these candidates with their predecessor (mention only) to see if the girl is an improvement or not from past girls. I’ll be doing the following: 

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Pre-Arrival (It’s kinda obvious It is this one)
Photoshoot Review (Which will serve as a post arrival Hot Picks too)
Pre Preliminary (depending on how closed together they are)
Final Choices (Based overall and in the Prelimary)
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Also something else I will be doing in this specific thread is to give a little shoutout to Brenda Jimenez which is my candidate. Mostly, because I know that most Puertorricans do not care for her or Desiree (I will get to her in a minute) so I want to atleast try to assess why she will most probably clap at the Pageat. I also want to (and need to) present my opinion on the god-forsaken direction the MUPR is taking. It will be brief, do not fear but if I keep quiet about this I will end up with an aneurysm. So yeah, there’s that.

So I am hoping you will all stay tuned if you enjoy this one (which you should because I have spend the whole goddamn night writing this while watching Archer- YOU’RE WELCOME) and feel free to comment down bellow which are your favorites. NOW, I personally do not mind getting into debates or arguments with people who may disagree with this list. BUT please, do try your hardest (even though I know it’s extra hard for some of you) to be as respectful as you can. I think forums were created for dialogue not war, so let’s all try not to ruin my first goddamn post. *cursies* Thank You.

*disclaimer: The collages are in random order, yet the posicion on the paragraphs is the right one but I will put the number anyway dears.

ALTERNATES

This is a group of girls that have failed to spark interest in me personally yet I have a feeling that this particular group can penetrate the Top 15. Most of this girls have certain key atributes that can make her a semifinalist but that in my eyes some are highly overrated. ALTHOUGH this is the list where I fail to see any of them winning or getting past the Top 15, even though I know I’ll be burn for one or two. Now, I know that a couple of girls here are favorites to some of you so I will adress why I am not fans of them.


Dominican Republic (Rosalba “Sal” Garcia)
24 Years Old & 5ft’ 11in” [/b][/center][/size]
Sal Garcia is unfortunally the latest victim of a series of unfortunate events happening in her country. For those of you who don’t know anything about the Caribbean, the Hispanola (Dominican Republic and her sister country HaitI) are quite honestly Mother Nature’s punching bag. If it’s not an earthquake is a damn hurracane, if it’s not a hurracane it’s Magaly Febles doing one of her usual stunts. In this case this girl almost did not participate because of a backtracking of sponsorship. I am not exactly Sal’s number one fan for the reason that her face is of a weird composition. Now, I am not saying this is exactly bad as we will see in the rest of this post since a couple girls in this edition have it. But in this case her weird looks photograph amazingly in avantgarde photoshoot but her beauty tends to get lost in candids. In some of them she even looks older than she actually is. So as for now, she is not on my Top 15.

Chile (Catalina Paz Caceres Rios)
26 Years Old & 5ft’ 9in”
This case is actually very interesting for me and I will keep an eyes on Catalina Paz Caceres, because ever since I saw her candids and her smile I have gotten this weird feeling. The feeling that she might get in the Top 15, and that made me write her down on my Watch List. The thing with Catalina is that she could be that cheery bubbly candidate that smiles at everybody and surprisingly makes the cut. Now, I personally do not love her (barely even like her) but for some weird reason I have been feeling like she could surprise us all. I think that what might help Catalina is her personality and wit because her type of candidate usually excells at this things. But I am afraid her age might draw to be more of a disavantage because the oldest Miss Universe have usually been just stunning and the full package. But we’ll see.

Argentina (Estefania Bernal)
21 Years Old & 5ft’ 8in”
Now this is a girl that keeps popping into hot picks whether some like it and some do not, this is a country that I keep hearing about. There is this issue that either I am the only noticing or my eyes have been compromised because noone mentions it. Her makeup looks extremely caked, specially her foundation, in some of her candids. Like she is wearing too much makeup or it is not being blended properly. Which is completely unnecesary because she already has a face that is very attractive. If I am the only one that sees it please let me know because it is worrying me. If not, then her styling obviously needs some help. Now, mostly the reason she is not in my list it’s because her beauty does not really intriges me or excites me in any way.

Indonesia (Kezia Roslin CikitaWarouw)
25 Years Old & 6ft’ 0in”
Now welcome to the controversial part of this list because I can hear the loud chanting and clamor of Kezia’s fanatics as I type. So I am just come forward and say: I do not see it. I do not see the big hype around this candidate for her beauty is nothing exciting to me, mostly because the proporsions of her face. A big issue I find with her face is that is like hugely round, no offense of course. Although her biggest issue is those GODDAMN contacts, why is she wearing colored contacts? They look absolutely fake and make her stare so weird when it is professional photography. SPECIALLY THE GREY ONES, the look makes her look weird in a bad way. The only impressive I find in her is that she is like 6 feet tall but besides that, Kezia does not impress me. Hopefully her styling is improved in Phillipines and the contacts are thrown into the fiery pits of hell.

France (Iris Mettenaere)
23 Years Old & 5ft’ 8in”
This is one of the girls that is usually mentioned as the taker of the gracious crown when speaking of Europe. I think that this girls has a pretty face and what not but she honestly bores me, like quite literally. I can think of five girls who can get the crown instead of her that are far better fit for it. The reason she has a higher ground here is because my feeling about this girl is that she could make the cut easily if she proves to be much more than just some pretty face. Although if there was a random winner to take the crown so that finally a European can finally since Oleysa lost. Which I am still not over it.

Top 15

Now, this are the first 5 spots to ocuppy the first part of my list of favorites. Now, I will explain why I personally like them as well as a little pro’s and con’s of some of them. Also, I would not be surprised if two of these end up taking a spots in the Top 10 and Top 5 respectively. But mostly this girls just attract me far more than the alternates but have not yet convice me of putting them higher on my picks. But I will keep a close eye on this specific group because in the Top 15 announcement is where most of the surprises pop up. Shall we begin?


15) Croatia (Barbara Filipovic)
19 Years Old & 5ft’ 9in”
Okay, the 15th spot which I call the “by the skin of teeth” placement is probably the most random girl. But it Is also a girl that has kinda grown on me as I see her pictures, maybe I have a crush but f**k it. For me the advantages this lady has is a sex appeal that doesn’t really pass as too much. Although my only worry with this specific lady is that I really hope she is as interesting as she is hot. ALSO, I do not love how she smiles mostly because her front teeth are maybe to pointy. BUT that does not really worry me for Greece 2001 did not have a good smile yet she was still a force on the runway.


14) USA (Deshauna Barber)
27 Years Old and 5ft’ 9in”
Sigh… I am going to keep this short and simple I have literally added Deshauna because she has 90% she will place because of her sash. Do not get me wrong, I am sure she has some spark or something but the reality is that she is not attractive. As much as I would love a black beauty to win, I do not want Barber. Mostly when when for the last two years we have send top 3 materials, when Barber cannot even stand next to her. After Olivia, who was my winner last year (congrats to Pia) I can’t see this one heading anywhere. Sorry, sue me.


13) Canada (Siera Bearchell)
23 Years Old and 5ft’ 9in”
[center[Miss Canada is one of my sentimental favorites in this edition because she is honestly beautiful but she looks like a good persoaliy also. Only time will tell if she is not just another pretty face with no personality or grace. But for now this girl is on my list of because I think she is a great candidate. NOW, and this is a big now, she will have the mission of not looking like a common beauty for people will be bored quickly (Including me). But I would not be surprise if this girl makes the cut, she has a nice height (I don’t need giants either) and has a good age. She has to be careful a little with her smile in candid pictures but besides that I think this girl could do well in Manila.[/center]


12) Venezuela (Mariam Habach Santucci)
20 Years Old and 6ft’ 0in”
Beware of Venezuela, Missosology. This girl did not come to Venezuela to play any games, nor did Osmel as usual. Mariam was not exactly my favorite when I began to hear about her and was quite surprise that Osmel chose her as Miss Venezuela. But Mariam transformation is a very speial one as she has one one of the oddest faces in this edition. It usually photograph very weirdly BUT if she knows her angles she can take stunning pictures. I think her face improved, her body improved and she is ready for Miss Universe. Besides I find it completely important how beautiful she looked at her crowning (television wise) which is hugely important for me atleast. Also this girl is 6 feet tall which for a modelling agency is a plus. Do not be surprise if this girl can make it to the top 10 easily, for it would be foolish to understimate her.


11) Thailand (Chalita Suansane)
22 Years Old and 5ft’ 7in”
Chalita Chalita, the interesting thing that Is Miss Thailand 2016 is a phenomenon to me personally and will keep me on my toes. The first moment I heard from Chalita she did not convice me for I saw her perhaps too simple. But sometimes simplicity and delicacy can win a crown as we saw this year. And I have to admit her candids have seduced me little by little since December. The only reason that she hasn’t cracked the Top 10 (and even the Top 5) is that I still want to see how she starts developing in Manila. But let me tell you right now that she could sit very closely to Maxine at the finals if my forecast is right. And more if she uses her hair sleeked back sort of like Zuleyka or a beautiful ponytail. Although we have to be very careful that we do not put the wrong silouhetes in her body, it could ruin her face. So just you wait.

Top 10:

This is the list where things start getting a little more difficult for me since most of this girls are constantly changing in my list. Mostly because this girls keep proving they are strong candidates and girls that are ready to participate. I also would not be surprised if eventually any of this girls end up substituting anyone on my Top 5, or in the final night. Only time and arrivals will tell if they will shine or will end up being a disappointment in the end. I know this is where people usually disagree so let’s keep it respectful and debate properly about this. First up:


10. Ukraine (Alena Spodynyuk)
19 Years Old and 5ft’ 11in”
For me Alena is such a versatile little lady, she is a fresh looking 19year old that has a nice height without being too big. But what I see from her pictures is a girl who can take sweet pictures but can also pull stunner pictures. And pictures that look sexy yet not like too sexy, she gives me vibes of royalty especially in the pictures up there. In a certain way she reminds me of Stephania Fernandez with her adorable smile yet she could take some very attractive photography. And just like Step, Alena grew on me over time and I will keep her in my watch list in hopes she has some personality too. We shall see.


9. Barbados (Shannon Harris)
22 Years Old and 5ft’ 9in”
Miss Shannon has been making waves for a long time in this forum and it is not hard to see why, this girl is very sexy. Especially in her costumes from Barbados, this girl knows her sex appeal and knows how to play with her strenghts. She may possibly be the best candidate from the country in years and may bring glory to it. Now, if theres someone who I am excited to see her official glamshot is her since she has a beautiful porfolio up until now. Although one of the biggest candidates to be a dissapointment in Manila is Shannon just because of how high we’ve put her. But let’s all cross our fingers.


8. Panama (Kaity Drennan Britton)
26 Years Old and 5ft’ 9in”
Miss Kaity is a very interesting beauty because she is one of the three girls in this list that I think possess a royal face (if that make sense). Those beautiful pictures of there are the complete opposite from Ukraine’s since Panama has this semi devilish smile on her that I adore. I think that for her age she looks very fresh and know what looks good on her and what does not. Now, the thing to worry about with girls on the older side (which there are quite a lot this year which is okay) is that we do not style them in a way that makes them look older. I always like to do with older candidates is put them against Broke Lee (Almost 27) and see if they can compete against her. And right now Panama can, which is why it would not surprise me if she gets in the Top 5.


7. Mexico (Yuselmi Kristal Silva Davila)
25 Years Old and 5ft’ 10in”
Everybody gather around and listen to me very carefully as I say this on this day January 12th: Be very careful of Yuselmi Kristal Silva Davila. This woman has yet fail to impress me with her pictures and I only saw one picture of her arrival and died. So be very afraid because this woman could make my Top 3 sweat bullets very easily and very fast. This is another odd yet regal beauty that I fell in love with almost instantaneously, like I may have a gay crush. She is the best candidate from Mexico in a couple years and she has such beautiful contrasts in her face. She has this dark hair/ice blue eye combo that I love with a beautiful set of lips to match; and her styling up until now have been very nice. I am going to finish my lesbian crush fangirlism by reminding this girl that royal buns (hairstyle duh) are the best thing for her.


6. Australia (Caris Tivel)
23 Years Old and 5ft’ 10in”
Australia is known for sending very beautiful candidates over the years, especially over this last decade. But what sets Caris apart is this moderlesque vibe that could be very beneficial for her since maybe IMG will take a different direction with the pageant. I like her not only in her pageant pictures but the pictures above are simply enticing, specially the nude one. This girl can use her height and model figure to squeeze into the top 5 easily if she can also deliver on stage and outside. It’ll be very interesting to see how she develops over in Manila and how she shines agaisnt the rest. We shall keep observing her during the weeks to come.

Top 5

OKAY. This are my absolute favorite girls from this years delegates and who up until now could snatch the crown. I will also talk about the 4th and 3rd Runner Ups finalist and how could they lose their spot for the crown. These girls have a very special job over there so they can stay on top of the game. And especially so number 6-8 does not take their spots because it is a big posibility. Now my top two is very difficult for me because it has been swapping for the last couple of weeks so it is bound to change based on the arrivals and photos. But these 5 ladies are who I literally see with the crown on her heads and who could take it easily. Now this part could be controversial but bear with me.


4th Runner Up: Turkey (Tansu Sila Cakir)
21 Years Old and 5ft’ 8in”
Miss Turkey is a queen, plain and simple. I have had this feeling of her silently but diligently slithering into the Top 5 for a long time. Her face is beautiful and her body is very nice also but what has her over the edge is the simplicity of ther look. She is the best case of less is more and that elegance is sometimes just simplicity. Also, she is my top candidate to disappoint me in the pageant because unless she shows me some personality she will not shine. And it would be really sad for someone with so much potential to be lost in the backgrown because of a lack of personality and spunk. But only time will tell if that will be her case and my huge missfortune.



3rd Runner Up: Netherlands (Zoey Ivory van der Koelen)
23 Years Old and 5ft’ 11in”
Now this girl has been my sentimental favorite of this who ediition and I know most of you will come for me but I do not care. I adore this candidate and how fresh and underated she is, especially how she has been looking lately. For a 23 year old she has a baby face (from which I suffer too) but in her case in can actually work in her favor since it’s a good thing to look young in this pageants. Now, I actually fell in love with her light brown curls mixed with that beautiful skin tone and I don’t know why she doesn’t use them more. They make her face look absolutely adorable. Now the trick for her is to step from that kiddie look and move more towards “I am a young looking MATURE woman who can take the crown. And I am confident that she can prove people wrong.



2nd Runner Up: Brazil (Raissa Olliveira Santana)
21 Years Old and 5ft’ 9in”
Raissa has totally stolen my heart with her all around performance as queen of Brazil, and her overall look. I think it is obvious why this lady is in my Top 3 so I am obviously going to keep it short and to the point. This lady has a face, has a body and has a spark of a Miss Universe and will create huge waves over Manila. For me she should walk in the stage with those amazing curls that she own. They match with her so much she doesn’t need standard beauty queen styling because she is not a standard beauty queen.





1st Runner Up: Phillipines (Maria Mika Maxine Perez Medina)
26 Years Old and 5ft’ 8in”
[ceenter]The famous Maxine Medina from the beautiful country of the Phillippines, probably the oddest face I have seen this year. And I actually love that, it makes her stand out among the normal pretty girls. I do not think she is as beautiful and regal as Pia, but I think her beauty stands on her own and could make her win. NOW, her biggest problem is going to be styling because for such a particular face a lot of things could go wrong. But se supone que at this point the team knows what to do for her and what works on her, and not pull a Monic with her. Even though I see a Back to Back not probably since the last one was fairly recent and for 3 minutes we had one last years. Nevertheless if Phillippines wins the title I would be the first one clapping like a plan. [/center]


Miss Universe: Colombia (Jealisse Andrea Tovar Velazquez)
23 Years Old and 5ft’10in”
This year’s crown is Andrea’s to lose in all honesty, and she is practically wearing it at this point. I think this is a candidate that has a few hairstyles and styling options that fit her face and look, specially those soft curls she uses a lot. I have heard some rumors of her having some attitude, but if it is based on that one interview about plastic surgery it doesn’t seem like enough. And I am honestly tired of the same outdated question of if a women got a nose or boobjob, it’s like “forreal?”. But up until now theres not reason in my mind for Colombia to not take this crown except if it does not want to create controversy. 






NOW I CAN FINALLY LOOK AT THE ARRIVALS AND WAIT FOR THE GLAM SHOTS AND ECT to see how this girl move in my list. Hoping for some surprises and the least dissapointments whatsoever.