Lupita Nyong'o must be feeling on top of the world right now: she has become the talk of the town all awards season with a conveyor belt of supporting actress trophies headed for her shelf, topped off with Sunday's crowning glory, an Oscar. Despite few at the Academy Awards being able to pronounce the Mexican-Kenyan actress' name*, Lupita has been praised for her surefooted sense of red carpet style, her permanently dazzling smile and that Hollywood gold dust trait, genuine niceness.

Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o Has Emerged As One Of The Most Exciting New Talents Of The Year.

Unlike many actors who triumph at the Oscars, Lupita hasn't been building to this moment of glory throughout a long career. In fact, she was cast as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave before she'd even graduated from Yale after she was selected as one of the School of Drama's outstanding students. She had a solid base of theatre training from her university and a Kenyan AIDS prevention television series under her belt but that was about it; she was about to get thrown headfirst into Hollywood.

Lupita Nyong'o Dujour
The Actress Is Adored By Critics, Film Fans, Fashionistas, & Fellow Movie Stars.

Luckily, Lupita landed on her feet. Her performance in Steve McQueen's Best Picture-winning 12 Years a Slave drew rave reviews from critics eager to welcome a fresh and passionate new talent into the industry. Fashion magazines, including Harper's Bazaar, clamoured to feature the now 31 year-old on their best dressed pages right from the off. This lead to fashion house Miu Miu selecting Lupita as one of the faces for their Spring 2014 campaign alongside Bella Heathcote, Elizabeth Olsen and Elle Fanning.

Lupita Nyong'o BAFTAs
The World's Her Oyster: Lupita's Rise Will Inspire A New Generation Of Talent.

The undeniable poster girl of 2014 and awards season darling, Lupita will be inevitably showered with new role offers in the wake of her Sunday win. For the time being, she can next be seen alongside Liam Neeson and Michelle Dockery in the airline thriller Non-Stop in which she plays an air hostess. The role isn't anything particularly ground-breaking in the light of having won a clutch of awards for her very first role but after such an unusual entrance into stardom, Lupita may be looking to sign up for bread-and-butter roles to fill her portfolio.

The sky's the limit for this breath-takingly talented actress: we'll be watching intently to see where her razor-sharp talent and magnetic charm take her next.

*Click here for pronunciation assistance from the actress herself.

Watch the 12 Years a Slave trailer: