At the beginning of her career, Balti was rejected by numerous agencies, such as Elite Model Management, for being "too average and common" looking. Despite this, she was discovered by Bruno Pauletta in a supermarket, where she was working to finance her studies. She was promptly booked for the cover of L'Officiel, shot by Alexi Lubomirski. Her first notable advertisement campaign came for Dolce & Gabbana. She has appeared on the covers of many fashion magazines, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, W, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire, as well as men's magazine Playboy. Her campaigns include Roberto Cavalli, Donna Karan, Christian Dior, D&G, Valentino, Armani Jeans, Missoni, Rolex, Guess?, Paco Rabanne, Anna Molinari, Guerlain, Revlon, La Perla, Mango, and Thierry Mugler.