Stepping into Liz's slingbacks
(Filed: 17/01/2002)
Move over Liz Hurley - beach babe and doting mother Carolyn Murphy is the new face of Estée Lauder. Jenni Baden Howard meets her
CAROLYN MURPHY is wearing a pair of Mickey Mouse ears on the cover of this month's W magazine. The fact that the 28-year-old model and new face of Estée Lauder still looks gorgeous says it all.
Murphy says being chosen to front Lauder was 'overwhelming, surreal'. At home, her daughter Dylan comes firstBeauty icons don't come more down to earth - or likeable - than Murphy. According to American Vogue: "Estée Lauder don't just have cover girls, they launch legends", yet its latest recruit is determined to keep her feet on the ground. Or on the sand, to be precise.
"I'm a beach girl at heart," says Murphy, who grew up in Florida - her father's American Indian ancestry gave her a head start on the honey-gold skin - and will shortly be moving to California with her husband and their one-year-old daughter, Dylan.
Becoming "the Estée Lauder girl", as Murphy puts it - as if she still can't quite believe it herself - has not changed her priorities. While we talk, she effortlessly switches between supermodel spokeswoman and besotted mother, distracting a fractious Dylan with some toys.
Today, four months after the announcement of
her appointment as Elizabeth Hurley's successor (Hurley will still represent Estée Lauder fragrances and work with its Breast Cancer Research Foundation),
Murphy already has several stunning campaigns under her belt.
"It was such an honour that, for a while, I was really overwhelmed and it felt very surreal," she admits. "But it's been wonderful. On the shoots, there's a great chemistry between the whole team, and working with Aerin [Lauder] is amazing. We're close in age, and she's modern and traditional at the same time."
Murphy with Aerin Lauder: close in age, both are new mothersThe feeling is mutual.
Lauder, who is the vice-president of global advertising and granddaughter of Estée, says: "The first time I met Carolyn, she brought her little girl to the photo shoot. I had just had a child as well, so I could relate to that. Not only is she beautiful, but she really does represent the modern Estée Lauder woman."
The fact that the chameleonesque Murphy manages to look so different in the ad campaigns which have already been shot - "Carolyn is multidimensional", Lauder remarks - is impressive.
"One of the most satisfying things about the job is being able to play different roles," says Murphy. "You'd think that, with a cosmetics company, that would be limited. But Estée Lauder capitalises on it, so I can really have fun with it. It doesn't get boring."
Which role feels most comfortable? "The ads are very polished, and I'm more natural in everyday life," admits Murphy. "The Extremely Spring line [launching in Britain on February 11] is all about beautiful, clean skin and a strong lip colour, which I wouldn't normally wear. But the shoot made me think: this is fun, maybe I'll try doing a fuchsia lip myself."
Comparisons have been made between Murphy and former Lauder faces Willow Bay, who represented the brand in the Seventies, and Karen Graham, the Eighties Lauder girl who preceded Paulina Porizkova.
"I don't mind being compared to Willow or Karen - they are both really beautiful, and their careers have had real longevity," says Murphy. (Graham has since made a comeback, as the face of the Resilience Lift range.)
Coveted contract aside, Murphy still regularly graces the pages of all the major glossies and she is a familiar face on the international catwalks. She is currently preparing to leave for the Paris couture collections - "it will be a lot of fun, I haven't done couture for a while" - and anticipates doing "one or two" New York shows.
As you'd expect, Murphy's bathroom, make-up bag and the glove compartment of her car are all chock-full of company booty. "I'm really into skincare products," she says. "If you take good care of your skin, you don't need to wear so much make-up. I love the Light Source moisturiser and Idealist skin finisher, which is colourless but gives you a glow. I also drink a lot of water - at least a litre a day.
Hurley: face of fragrances"The Advanced Night Repair serum for eyes has done wonders for the undereye baggage that we new mothers get from sleepless nights. I also really like the Stress Relief eye masks. I've always used cucumber slices or cold spoons - but these are definitely more glamorous. On planes, I load up on the Renutrive Ultimate Lifting Creme [arriving here on February 11]. I was addicted to Crème de la Mer, but I like this a little better. I slather it on my face and even on my hands."
When it comes to sun protection, Murphy - the quintessential beach babe - is refreshingly honest. "I've always been a sun worshipper - it's my birthright," she says. "I love the glow you get from being in the sun, although now that I'm in my late twenties, I am starting to think more about protection. But I think it's quite healthy to spend some time in the sun, as long as you're smart about it and use a good sunblock. I also love the Go Bronze tinted self-tanner for the face. I use it if I'm looking a little tired."
Murphy's au naturel attitude to beauty is echoed in her "jeans and T-shirts" wardrobe. "I'm addicted to APC's stiff, low-waisted, overwashed jeans," she says. "And I love Marc Jacobs."
There is another reason to like Murphy (while trying not to hate her, too

"I don't like going to the gym," she says. "I try to eat healthily. If I exercise, it has to be something I enjoy, like surfing or yoga."