"You might as well be yourself": Elizabeth Hurley on her beauty essentials, breast cancer awareness, and her '80s punk era

Last Thursday morning wasn't a typical one for me. Picture this: I was taking a brisk walk past St Pancras station in the crisp yet sunny autumnal weather. My destination? The Future Dreams House for the Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign event, hosted by Elizabeth Hurley.

After a morning of gorgeous breakfast canapes and inspirational speeches, I was lucky enough to secure 30 minutes with Hurley herself. The one-on-one chat gave us an opportunity to discuss her 31 years working on the important campaign, the progress they've made, and gave us a rare insight into her personal life.

Oh, and not to mention, I got to ask a few beauty questions along the way too, of course. Spoiler: we got exclusive intel on her best face moisturiser, the best tinted lip balm she recommends, and her unusual skincare storage place...

Perched on a royal blue sofa, I sat side-by-side with the Hollywood star. After the niceties of our introduction, I was keen to know why Hurley initially got involved with the campaign.

Throwing it back to 1995, Elizabeth notes: "When I started working as a model for The Estée Lauder Companies, Evelyn Lauder, who was Estée Lauder's daughter-in-law, asked me to help her with some new campaigns she had recently started."

The actress then recalled a conversation with Evelyn Lauder: "In the early '90s women were dying all over the world of breast cancer, but nobody was talking about it. There wasn't a pink ribbon, there wasn't an October Awareness Month, magazines did not write about breast cancer, and you certainly would not have gone on national television to talk about breasts, checking breasts, and differences in breasts – it just was unheard of."

Now, 30 years later, Hurley hails women 50-plus for becoming 'very breast aware'. However, she recommends that everyone should be regularly checking their breasts: "Statistically, we know that breast cancer rates are rising much faster in women under 45 than in women over 45. It's incredibly important that young women know that breast cancer is not a disease for older women – it can affect them."

"That's the best messaging you can give to your friends, to yourself, and to your family: everybody needs to be breast aware. It's important because there are no other checks going to be done for your age group. You're not going to get a regular mammogram yet because your breast tissue is too dense, so you're going to have to check them yourselves," she adds.

As for how you can get involved in the campaign yourself, Hurley says: "There are many ways to get involved, but the first thing of all is to be breast aware yourself. You are part of the campaign if you're checking your own breasts and encouraging your friends to do so."

Shopping Estée Lauder Companies' Pink Ribbon range is another way to support the campaign, treating yourself to a nice beauty buy while a percentage of each purchase is donated to the charity. So, naturally, I had to quiz Liz on her favourite formulas from the range.

Sporting a glossy pink lip during the interview, it's unsurprising that one of her top buys is a nourishing tinted lip mask. "There's a beautiful little lip mask by Dr. Jart+. It's hot pink, looks like it's got little ears on it, and costs about £22 in Boots—half of which goes straight to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Everyone should go buy themselves a lip mask," she states.

For those willing to splurge, Hurley recommends her all-time favourite formula: "If they've got a bit more money, think about getting my absolute favorite product: [Estee Lauder's] Advanced Night Repair. They make a very special pink bottle for it. It's a beautiful, amazing serum, and a good percentage of that purchase also goes straight to the foundation."

Turning back the clock four decades, during our team's research for the interview, we uncovered some amazing pictures of Elizabeth in her '80s punk era. "Do you still feel like a bit of a rebel?" I asked.

"That's an interesting question. I've never felt like a rebel, but sometimes when I talk to other people, I realise that my opinions don't necessarily chime in with theirs—and therefore, could that be seen as rebellious? Maybe it could," admits Hurley.

"When you discover a sense of self, you can sometimes find that you're bucking the trend without meaning to, simply because you're not very sheep-like; you want to form your own opinions and follow your heart. It's really hard to be someone else! So you might as well be yourself."

As our team dug into the archives, we also found a previous interview with woman&home where Hurley claimed to 'moisturise six times a day'. But as for the other non-negotiable skincare habits she loves, the model revealed that she dabs Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Eye over the top of her makeup throughout the day to prevent dry under-eyes.

But it was a glimpse into the unexpected skincare storage spots around her home that piqued our interest. Offering a way to streamline your morning routine, Elizabeth notes: "At my house, I've got my coffee station, where the espresso machine, the kettle, and the tea bags are, and I've got a little pot of Re-Nutriv Eye pot right now. So, while I'm waiting for the kettle to boil, I'll do a little dab."

But it doesn't stop there; Hurley also reveals: "By the chair where I normally sit to watch TV, I've got an Aveda hand cream, a moisturiser, a neck cream, a spray. While I'm watching TV, I'll just be anointing myself and putting stuff on. It's actually great because sometimes when you go to bed, you're so tired."

As our time together came to an end, I asked Elizabeth to give us some big sister advice: "woman&home readers—not to keep repeating myself—please be breast aware. It's October Awareness Month, and I'm here to tell you that it could save your life, or it could save the life of someone you love. Encourage all your young friends and family to learn how to check their breasts, and actually do it."

Aside from that, Hurley says: "Enjoy every day, have fun, and be as nice as you can to everyone." And on that note, we parted ways.