Estée Lauder Lauds Elizabeth Hurley

(NEW YORK) Elizabeth Hurley was in fine spirits Thursday afternoon at an intimate luncheon at Le Cirque, where she was celebrated by Evelyn H. Lauder for her 13 years as a Lauder spokeswoman. The stunning actress couldn't help but toast another momentous occasion. "I'm wearing Oscar de la Renta for the first time," she declared with a laugh.

Lauder, who was joined by Leonard Lauder, chairman of the board of the Estée Lauder Cos., had her own fashion first. "This Carolina Herrera dress originally came without sleeves, and I had them add some on," she noted. "It's couture!" But in all seriousness, the occasion marked a significant chapter in the beauty giant's illustrious history--one that has remained remarkably powerful and intact thanks to its strong family lineage.

"Everybody loves Elizabeth," said Evelyn, senior corporate vice president of the Estée Lauder Cos., who presented Hurley with a gold Cartier Love bracelet. "Whether she's making an appearance at David Jones in Australia, Harrods in London, or at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, there are swarms and swarms of people waiting to see her. She resonates with consumers."

The second part of the two-fold lunch was to introduce Estée Lauder's new Perfectionist wrinkle-lifting serum, due out in July. It has been updated with a new formula and packaging, which uses the same bottle as Idealist and Night Repair. Hurley will star in that campaign, as well as the new Sensuous fragrance one. Both are due out in July.

"I feel unbelievably moved--and old--to be here," joked Hurley, who was joined by her husband Arun Nayar. She also attended Monday night's Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Hottest Pink Party Ever, where $5 million was raised. "I was so gauche when I arrived in America. At my first meeting with Estée Lauder, I had forgotten my hairbrush and had to borrow my friend's boots."

Also on hand were Aerin Lauder, company senior vice president and creative director, William P. Lauder, chief executive officer of the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc, and John Demsey, group president of the Estée Lauder Cos.

The model and actress, who turns 43 this June, recounted testing a bottle of Pleasures at the Four Seasons Hotel, which had just opened in 1993. "I was far from an ingénue, having had my first modeling job at 29," she said, crediting Estée Lauder with helping her acting career, finding a new group of friends, and raising her profile in America. "Evelyn is like my second mom," Hurley added. "One of the greatest memories I have of her and Leonard was from my wedding, where they danced to hip-hop until 4 a.m. They closed the disco floor for several nights."

Hurley maintains a busy schedule of other projects. Her Elizabeth Hurley Beach collection continues unabated, and she has just designed a line of swimwear for Mango called Elizabeth Hurley for Mango, due out in May. She's also making headway with her organic farming project, producing Hurley Meat and Hurley Lamb on a 400-acre farm in Gloucestershire, England.

Before exiting the luncheon early, Leonard Lauder shared a charming story about the woman he introduced as the face of Estée Lauder at the Royalton Hotel in 1995. "The New York Post called asking for a picture of Elizabeth and myself," he recalled. "As you know, the columns in the paper are narrow and so the next day there was Elizabeth--and my elbow. So if anyone would like a picture of my elbow for your beauty pages, please call me. My elbow is available."
JIM SHI