It pays to be beautiful. But what makes one model stand out so much from the rest?

For the fifth consecutive year, Forbes Magazine named Gisele Bundchen the highest-earning supermodel in the world. The Brazilian-born beauty is estimated to have earned $45 million over the last year alone, with an assumed net worth of $250 million. 

Coming in at a very distant second place was prominent supermodel Kate Moss, reported to have earned $9.2 million in the past year, followed by Natalia Vodianova at $8.6 million, and Adriana Lima at $7.3 million. 

So what makes Bundchen, who has lucrative contracts with the likes of Versace, Esprit and Pantene, such a goldmine in her field?

"Gisele is not just a model, she is an intelligent business woman and you can see that in the diversity of brands she has worked with. She can play to both the high-end fashion audience and the mass consumer," said Liane Mullin, co-founder of the model-devoted website, Modelina.com.