The Barbadian beauty Jalicia Nightengale has defied the norms and captivated hearts with crystal blue eyes and dark skin.
The contrasting symphony of her beautiful eyes & dark skin distinguishes her as one of the world’s most unique and spellbinding beauties.
Moreover, her eyes are bright blue with random spots on the iris that it’s hard to believe they’re genuine at first glance. Contrary to popular belief, she neither edits her photos nor wears lenses.
Jalicia’s eye condition is called Heterochromia, a rare eye condition affecting less than 1% of the US population. Further, it is worth noting that this condition only affects eye color and doesn’t cause any health issues.
Jalicia inherited her eyes from her father’s family. She explained that it’s a recessive gene that appears only a few times in every generation.
Growing Up in Barbados with Blue Eyes & Dark Skin
The American model was born in 1993 in Bridgetown, Barbados, to Grace Nightengale. She grew up with her siblings, Janai Nightengale and Adam Nightengale. Further, she is a private person who has successfully kept her family away from public scrutiny. Thus, not much is known about her parents.
However, she has openly talked about her experiencing strange looks from people because of her unique features.
In an interview with Island Indigo, she talked about her childhood in Barbados with blue eyes as a black girl.
As mentioned, Nightengale inherited her blue eyes from her father’s side. She even said that her aunty wore sunglasses often because of her eye color and asked about her sunglasses. Her aunt told her that she would understand when she got older.
Jalicia, however, understood at a very young age as she was subjected to many weird glances at Secondary School.
She said, “Growing up in Barbados, it was scary ’cause I always had eyes on me.”
The Bajan descent continued to describe how scary and depressing it was for her because of all the negativity surrounding her.
During this time, she even considered her eyes a curse and wanted to escape the harsh world. Jalicia also recalled her first day at secondary school when she was stared from the moment she got on. Scared of the focused gaze, she stayed home for the entire term.
Although she could not accept her unique traits as a child, she embraced them later in her late teens.
Embracing Unique Eyes and Embarking on Her Modeling Career
The blue-eyed beauty defied the norms and turned her unique feature as a gateway to success.
Although insecure about her unique eyes as a young girl, she embarked on her modeling career at age 18. As a result, she moved to Switzerland with her then-boyfriend, where she was signed by Scout Models.
Jalicia sent her portfolio to the Swiss version of America’s Next Top Model multiple times before being selected for the show. From then on, her career took off as she made it to the Swiss Fashion TV Model Search finals.
After two years, she parted ways with Scout Models. Jalicia was determined to make a splash in the industry.
The Barbadian beauty has worked with high-end eyewear company Andy Wolf, donned by pop star Lady Gaga.
Nightengale collaborated with photographer Abigail Rhian Galatia and store owner of England’s So Retro, Louise Summer Graham.
Additionally, the natural blue-eyed beauty also graced the runway for African designers in London’s Africa Utopia fashion show. Jalicia became the face of Andy Wolf and made it to the finals for one of the world’s top model competitions, Top Model UK.
Likewise, she walked for Jasper Gravida’s Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection at London Fashion Week in 2015.
Representing Barbados Through Modeling
Nightingale has also graced several magazines, including Black Beauty & Hair Magazine. She represented her native country, Barbados, and its culture in The New York Times.
The 30-years-old model took to her Instagram to share her proud moment, captioning it,
“Never have I ever thought I’d be in this magazine, let alone representing my beautiful country.”
As of now, Jalicia boasts a whopping 79.3k followers on Instagram. She also maintains a separate Instagram portfolio: @faceofjalicia, with the bio, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
She also collaborates with brands ranging from athletic and swimwear to fast fashion and independent photographers like Ana Paola.
All that to say, Jalicia Nightengle’s genetic rarity of blue eyes has become a symbol of diversity.
Also Read About Zelie Timothy’s Three Daughters
Starring in Justice League & Star Wars
Besides modeling, Jalicia Nightengale has appeared in a few blockbuster movies, including Justice League. She portrayed one of the Amazon warriors in Themyscira, the home of Wonder Woman. She was present during several scenes in which the League would fight the villain, Steppenwolf.
Moreover, the international beauty has done a cameo in the Stars Wars franchise, namely Star Wars: The Last Jedi, nearing its release. She played the role of the female mercenary Jalice Andit, who loosely allied with the partisans led by Saw Gerrera.
Further, her character was first shown in the reel of promotional footage released for the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story at Celebration Europe in 2016.
Jalicia Nightengale’s Net Worth
Thanks to her successful career, the Barbadian model has accumulated a sizeable worth. Although Jalicia Nightengale’s net worth isn’t revealed, she earns enough to afford a luxurious lifestyle.
According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a London-based model is £44,075 per year. Moreover, the independent model has 79.3k followers, allowing her to work with multiple brands. Hence, her brand deals alongside modeling works and sponsored posts must add up to form quite the net worth.
Married to a British man, Che Hebson
Jalicia Nightengale married her long-time boyfriend, Che Hebson, in June 2012 at Maxwell Coast Roaded.
Her mother, Grace, took to Facebook to share the beautiful memory with her daughter and family. Furthermore, Nightengale’s husband also updated his relationship status to married on 16 June 2012.
The couple reportedly started dating in 2008 before exchanging vows in 2012. It was love at first sight for Jalicia and her beau, Che, but she made the first move.
The pair allegedly talked the night and many nights after via Skype, Footalk, Facetime, and WhatsApp. Their relationship progressed as Jalicia accompanied her then-boyfriend to Britain.
In fact, Nightengale even paused her modeling career briefly while living in Worle, Weston-super-Mare. While talking to Nation News, she said,
“After getting married, I put my modelling career on hold to do some soul-searching. I came really close to giving up my dream before being a supermodel. I had spent a whole year doing small jobs here and there. I even worked part-time in a bar and ran my own business.”
Currently, Jalicia and her beau, Che Hebson, aren’t connected via any social platforms and are very silent about their marriage.
Further, Jalicia is a private person who rarely shares her personal life with her followers. But she cunningly talked about a date night at Sizzle Steak House, Barbados.
She did not reveal her date but wrote, “Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs that we had to pack our main courses up to enjoy later just so we can save room for dessert, which was so worth it.”
Nightengale also shared an Insta reel with fellow model, Terrance Monzac, captioning, “Serving looks with my hazel eyes model husband.”
