Miss Universe Finalists in Bathing Suits Stun in Israel

Last night, the 70th Miss Universe beauty pageant in Israel's southern Red Sea coastal city of Eilat crowned its winner: Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu. She urged those watching, particularly young people, to "know that you are unique and that's what makes you beautiful, stop comparing yourself to others” and added "I believed in myself, and that's why I'm standing here today.” One of the components of the competition is the long-standing bathing suit competition. Read on to see what the 10 contestants, including the winner, looked like—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu—The Winner!

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Harnaaz Sandhu from Punjab, India, was crowned Miss Universe last night. She does yoga to keep it calm. “Yoga and meditation helps me to connect and integrate with my consciousness and helps me tap into a connection with my surroundings in a much deeper way,” she wrote on Instagram recently.

2. Miss Philippines, Beatrice Gomez

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Afgter making history as the first openly bisexual woman to be crowned Miss Philippines, Beatrice Gomez made it into the final rounds of Miss Universe. She was once a soldier. “'Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn,’” she once captioned an Instagram post, quoting Benjamin Franklin. She added: “I had the honor of learning basic rifle marksmanship straight from the best snipers of Ph Navy as part of the Pagsasama Exercise 2021 to enhance the readiness and inter-operability of the reserve and regular force.”

3. Miss Paraguay, Nadia Ferreira

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Runner-up Nadia Ferreira said of the pageant prelims: “I still can’t believe this just happened, days are going so fast that I can’t even realize, that could only be because I’m enjoying this journey!

My heart is fulfilled with love and happiness, I’m officially PARAGUAY in the eyes of the world.

Thank you GOD for all this blessings, for this wonderful family, for my mother, my national organization, my team and all of you who are supporting me from abroad. Each one of you have been an important piece in this roller coaster of emotions!! THANK YOU!!”

4. Miss Vietnam, Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen

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She said of the process: “I just want to say thank you for all of your love. Because of your support and encouragement, I had my amazing Miss Universe journey! This is the biggest dream in my life and I believe that I have enjoyed every moment at Miss Universe! I am forever grateful for all the love and support from my family, my parents, my brother, my relatives and my friends. I would like to express my gratitude to Unimedia Team for accompanying me on this journey. Everyone has become my biggest motivation! I am eternally grateful to the Designers, stylists, Makeup Artists, Photographers, Film-makers, Journalists/media reporters and fans for supporting me in this journey!”

5. Miss Aruba, Thessaly Zimmerman

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She said of the preliminaries: “Still mind blown about last night at the preliminary show of @missuniverse . It was such an honor to be able to stand on that stage and say Aruba’s name out loud and carry it with pride on my sash through out the competition.” Thank you to each and every one of you that helped make my dream come through 🙏🏾❤️.

6. Miss Colombia, Valeria Ayos

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Said she: “Majestuoso es el vestido de gala que lucí en la preliminar @missuniverse. Su diseñador, Alfredo Barraza, logró crear y confeccionar, especialmente para mí, un radiante atuendo que me hizo sentir extraordinaria en pasarela. Gracias a Dios y a todos por su apoyo. Sigo trabajando para llevar la tercera corona de Miss Universe al país. Los amo Colombia.” Which translates to: “The majestic ball gown that I wore in the preliminary @missuniverse±Its designer, Alfredo Barraza, managed to create and tailor, especially for me, a radiant outfit that made me feel extraordinary on the catwalk. Thank you God and everyone for your support. I am still working to bring the third Miss Universe crown to the country. I love you Colombia."

7. Miss Japan, Juri Watanabe

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Before the show, she said on Instagram: “Before I go on stage, I would like to take a moment to thank the @missuniversejapan team for all the support they’ve given me to get to this point. There were countless hours and effort on their end for me to not only get to Israel, but also for me to evolve into who I am now. Tonight, I’m standing on stage not just as Juri Watanabe, but as the Miss Universe Japan Team and Japan. I left everything on stage during the preliminary round but I’m itching to show more. So now we pray for me to have another chance of giving it another 200% on stage.”

8. Miss Singapore, Nandita Banna

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Of a particularly customized piece—which “weaves the intricacies ranging from familiar landmarks to notable incidents that make up Singapore’s unique stories into a cohesive map of our mighty red dot”— Banna said “Capturing the minute details of Singapore helps us to understand our roots and reflect on how far we have come while setting a solid foundation for us as we strive towards our future. The head piece with the five stars arising represents the country’s values of Democracy, Peace, Progress, Justice, and Equality therefore, reminding us of how each is a beacon of light to guide our way.”

9. Miss France, Clemence Botino

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Botino, despite being fully vaccinated, nearly missed the competition, due to contracting COVID before the event. But after a 10 day quarantine, she was allowed back in to participate. “Somebody is out of quarantine,” she posted on Wednesday from the airport in Tel Aviv heading to Eilat. “Happy to catch the sun again,” she added.

10. Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane

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The second runner up had a great time in Haifa. “I always thought South Africa has the friendliest people on earth but it might be rivaled by Israel,” she told the Jerusalem Post.

Indian model Manushi Chhillar is having the time of her life on vacation in the beautiful Maldives. Chhillar, 26, shared pictures of herself wearing a lime-green swimsuit while paddleboarding on the ocean (or at least, enjoying the ocean while someone else did the work). “Passenger Princess,” she jokingly captioned the Instagram post. Chhillar’s work and career have gone from strength to strength since winning Miss World in 2017—here’s how she does it.

1. Miss World 2017

Chhillar won Miss World in 2017, and the event that changed her life. “It opened my eyes to the fact that we are all our own kind of beautiful,” she says. “We are embracing a notion of inclusivity and moving forward with how beauty doesn't have to fit into a box or conform to society's standards… My definition of beauty is taking care of yourself and being confident in who you are. My perception of beauty has always been that people who are unapologetically themselves are beautiful.”

2. Fitness and Beauty

Chhillar knows how important fitness is for both looks and health. “Fitness and beauty obviously go hand in hand,” she says. “Fitness is self-care and people who take of themselves and invest in their health whether it’s a lifestyle, physical fitness, nutrition or mental health are truly on the path to holistic beauty. I think any form of exercise; especially yoga is great for your skin and hair. It helps increase blood flow, regulates circulation and releases good hormones. Being healthy on the inside will ensure you’re beautiful on the outside too!”

3. Beauty Pageant Experience

Chhillar has no regrets about her beauty pageant experience. “There has always been a debate about whether beauty pageants should exist,” she says. “At the end of the day, we should not take them as seriously. I was just a student and today, I am getting to chase opportunities I didn’t even think were a possibility. For me, it has been an opportunity, a platform. The whole experience of working, competing, the kind of women you meet and the kind of exposure that you get, it changes you. You grow, you learn so much.”

4. Supportive Family

Chhillar comes from a daily of doctors who were very supportive of her dreams. “I think they have encouraged me the most,” she says. “I remember telling my mom I have to audition to apply for the pageant and she was like, ‘Oh my god, we need to find you a dress, find you a nice pair of heels to do this’. They’ve been my biggest cheerleaders. And the fact that I’ve been able to do all this is actually because they’ve been there. Even when I decided to let go of college and pursue a career in acting, they were supportive and gave me reassurance.”

5. Skincare Secret

Chhillar believes in a holistic approach to health and beauty. “I don’t think this is a secret, but my number one mantra is having a good lifestyle and that includes a balanced routine of healthy food and exercise coupled with de-stressing activities to ensure I’m taking care of my mental and emotional health – all this culminates into giving me good skin,” she says. “Good skincare is important because that becomes the base on which you apply makeup. If your skin is inherently good – makeup always looks better.”

Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel is singing the praises of Honduras after enjoying a cruise vacation in the beautiful country. Gabriel, 29, shared pictures of her trip on Instagram, highlighting the beauty of Roatán’s stunning sea and skies. The model posted snaps of herself looking gorgeous in a blue one-piece cut-out swimsuit, lounging on a deck and enjoying delicious food and drinks with friends. “Almost missed our call time to get back on the ship because I did not want to leave this beautiful place 🇭🇳,” she captioned the post. Gabriel made history as the first Filipino-American to win the title—here’s how she did it.

1. Same Meals Every Day

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Gabriel works out with a trainer and lifts heavy weights, and eats the same thing every day. "Every day I have oatmeal and two eggs in the morning," she says. "And then lunchtime is shrimp and green beans. And then there’s a snack in between. There are rice cakes – I always have rice cakes in my purse or my car… And then dinner is salmon and veggies. I stay consistent with that almost every day… Even when I was traveling somewhere, I would meal plan and bring [my food] on the plane in a big cooler."

2. Role Model

Gabriel takes great pride in being a role model for younger Filipino-Americans. “I’m actually the first Filipina American Miss USA and since I won, there are little girls that message me, they say they see themselves in me,” she says. “I need girls to believe in themselves, and diversity just makes every[body] feel seen ‘cause we all wanna feel seen and heard at the end of the day.”

3. Lots of Self-Tanner

Gabriel had to get used to using industrial amounts of self-tanner when taking part in the pageant. "I use self-tanner, which is something that was kind of new to me before pageants," she says. "When you put a fake spray tan on, if you wash your body or if you shower, it comes off. So during the competition, it’s two weeks long. I get my spray tan right before I check in. I want to preserve it all the way until finals two weeks later. I only showered a few times, which is kind of gross If you think about it because we’re beauty queens. We’re supposed to be so clean and glamorous. But by the time finals come around, I feel so dirty because I’ve only showered a few times. I’m really trying to preserve my spray tan."

4. Pizza and Ice Cream For Self-Care

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Gabriel is allowing herself some rest and relaxation after winning the competition. “My current version of self-care is treating myself to pizza and ice cream,” she says. “When my life gets more stable, self-care will involve going for walks in the morning, doing yoga, and journaling. I keep a journal with me wherever I go and like to write down five things I'm grateful for, no matter how hectic my schedule is. That keeps me centered.”

5. Fashion Dreams

Gabriel’s passion for fashion started at a young age. “I loved looking at Vogue magazine and seeing the creative editorials,” she says. “I also grew up going to the thrift store with my mom. I would find vintage pieces, and my mom would take them home and make new pieces for me. One time we purchased a puffy purple dress. It was an adult size, but she transformed it into my Halloween costume. Seeing her transform that piece inspired me, and I started making my own pieces. I fell in love with working with my hands and making something my own.”