MEET QUEEN BEAUTY USA 2018: ALEXIA RAE CASTILLO

Currently living in Hollywood, California, Alexia is a 25 year-old model, actress and television host. The 5th oldest of 12 children, she credits her Nicaraguan heritage with her strong work ethic. Alexia has appeared in music videos for Chris Brown, David Guetta and ANILYST; numerous TV shows including “Telenovela”, “House of Lies”, “Kingdom” and others, and made her big screen debut in Warner Brothers hit “Entourage”, and appeared in Disney’s “Wrinkle In Time.”

Hometown: Springboro, Ohio
Age: 25
Occupation: Actress, model and licensed cosmetologist
Song I have on repeat: Any song by Billie Eilish
Fun fact: Half Nicaraguan half Caucasian – 11 siblings
My guilty pleasure is… Red Bull
If I could trade closets with one person it would be…Olivia Culpo
If my day had one extra hour I would…spend that extra hour reading
I’m dying to splurge on…vacations all around the world, or… my acting reel 🙂
My favorite snack is…hummus and peppers
My favorite place in the world is…anywhere my family is, AND Venice, Italy
My travel must-have is…a lint roller
In 10 years I see myself… married with babies and being cast for a role on a TV Series

What is it like being the first representative of the United States for Queen Beauty? I’m very excited, and frankly honored. From what my directors tell me, there was quite a lineup of women interested in representing the USA in this program — a number of them are women I’ve cheered on in other pageants like Miss World and Miss USA. I’m happy to have the opportunity to show a friendly face from the USA to my sister queens from around the world. I feel like we are in a time where this world needs a bit of healing, and where we need to build bridges wherever and however we can to show and be our best to and for each other. I hope to bring a little bit of the kindness I’m known for to Queen Beauty Universe so I’m focusing right now on preparing to be the best I can be without forcing myself into a pre-designed mold. It’s refreshing. And takes a bit of the stress off 🙂

Tell us about Queen Beauty: The system is approaching its 6th year. It is owned and operated by one of the largest beauty event production companies out of Spain – so it’s one of the rare and few pageant systems from Western Europe. I was attracted to the opportunity because of how unapologetically the system celebrates beauty and encourages the women who compete in it, to do the same. It is also a system that supports women whose desire is to build a career in international modeling, TV, film and entertainment. And since those align with my personal aspirations, it just feels ‘right’ for me.

What are you looking forward to the most at the international competition? Besides getting to wear my national costume? I am so excited to meet all of the amazing contestants from around the world and make some great, new friendships. I really love meeting new people. More than that, meeting other cultures and learning not just about what makes them different and unique, but what links us and bonds us in common, to one another.

As a cosmetologist, can you share your favorite beauty tips: Ha, this is fun!!

-Less is more

-Highlighter is your friend and will give you that youthful glow

-“Preparation H” for under eye (helps diminish dark circles and bags)

-Stop washing your hair so much — it drys it out – instead, try using dry shampoo in between washes.

What is one thing you wish people knew about you? I’m naturally an introvert, but have learned to become good about forcing myself out of my comfort zone so most people don’t recognize how shy I am.

Tell us about your favorite career highlight: Filming for the movie, “Oh Boy!” which is coming out next year. I was cast in my first supporting role for a major movie production.

Lady Code is all about women empowerment and anti-bullying. Do you have any motivational advice for our readers? Life is hard enough with typical daily struggles, so I feel like we need to focus more on lifting each other up and not contributing to negativity that brings us down. Try to make it a habit to spread kindness everywhere you go. I learned very early on in life that a little respect and a smile go a long long way. And I guess something that I really connect with and that I try to remember is that people rarely remember what you say, but they never forget how you made them feel. So, do your best to leave everyone you meet feeling better when you leave their presence than when you showed up in the first place 🙂