The secrets to looking as good as Liz Hurley at 60

Telegraph

18 hours ago

'Mummy, actress, model, farmer, bikini designer': that's how Elizabeth Hurley describes herself on her Instagram bio, and who are we to contradict? Though if we may, we'd also like to add 'national institution who has been enlivening the news cycle since 1994, when she stole every front page in That black safety-pin Versace dress'.
'National institution' is not, one fears, a phrase that would find favour with the perennially youthful and ebullient Liz. It makes her sound venerable, yes, but also rather staid, something that Hurley is decidedly not. Everyone celebrates their 60th birthday in different ways, and Hurley seems to have chosen to mark hers by ageing backwards, though not in a Kris Jenner way.
Yes, she's genetically blessed to be a quintessential English rose, but more compelling than her looks is her lust for life, and her enthusiasm for living it fully. Whether she's sauntering along a tropical beach in her self-designed bikini, fronting a new reality TV show (Channel 4's The Deceased), larking around with her lookalike son, Damian, or hard launching her new relationship with Billy Ray Cyrus, Hurley's joie de vivre is infectious.
Here's how to be more Liz, whatever your age or relationship status.
Don't be afraid of bold style choices
If anyone subscribes to the notion that you can wear anything at 60, it's Hurley, whose glamorous, high-octane style has only amplified with age. If it's figure-hugging, bright and shows off her famous décolletage, she's on board. Her go-to designers are Versace, Valentino and Tom Ford-era Gucci, but when it comes to swimwear, she always wears Elizabeth Hurley Beach, the swimwear brand she launched in 2005.
'Elizabeth has a perfect eye for fashion,' says Mike Adler, who's been her stylist for red carpet events, tours and special projects since 2018. 'Her signature style always remains glamorous with ultra clean lines. A formal look centres around a brilliant cut, a bold, bright colour and a favourable neckline or deep plunge. She's always incredibly supportive of designers and their craft, and appreciative of being able to present with total confidence in the public eye.
'She's also sustainably aware, re-wearing iconic pieces from her own wardrobe. During our recent Oscars fitting, Elizabeth pulled out an incredible archive Versace gown, as appealing today as when she first wore it. Not only did the dress still fit like a glove – but in comparing the red carpet photo from 30 years ago, she looked even better now.'
Avoid a high-UPF diet
In January 2024, she detailed in an Instagram post how she avoids junk food, which she defined as 'anything that contains any ingredient that I don't have in my own kitchen'. Adding: 'My tastes are pretty simple – I don't drink weird green juices or anything like that. My mantra is: don't eat too much, too fast, too often or too late. Or, put another way, eat smaller meals, chew properly, ban snacking, and eat dinner earlier. This works for me.' She also ensures that fruit and vegetables take up half her plate with every meal. Crucially, she isn't abstemious, making a loaf of bread every day, and cakes on weekends.
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A post shared by Elizabeth Hurley (@elizabethhurley1)
Get into the garden
Ever the pragmatist, Hurley prefers walking in nature to sweating it out in a spin class. 'I don't go to the gym, but I do a lot of gardening...' she told The Telegraph last year. 'I don't really sit still very much.' Perhaps this is where we're going wrong. Forget cutting out carbs after 7pm: we simply need to rake more leaves and weed more. A fan of 'found fitness', she likes to incorporate exercise into her everyday routine, doing squats while she brushes her teeth to tone her legs, then walking her dogs for 20 minutes to get her blood pumping.
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A post shared by Elizabeth Hurley (@elizabethhurley1)
Tweak the shade of your hair
Like many women approaching 60 (or even 40), Hurley has lightened the dark brown tresses of her youth into a rich caramel bronde whose shade has largely remained consistent for decades. Warm, flattering and sun-kissed, it's coloured using a 'ring lighting' technique that frames the face with highlights, acting like a low-maintenance soft filter.
How to get the look? 'Keeping those greys away can be a real chore, but adding a few very fine micro lights near the root and broader beach lights near the face, plus choosing a base colour that is natural and a shade or two lighter than one's own original colour is key to a flattering effect,' says the celebrity colourist Josh Wood. 'Adding gloss and shine is also important, as the texture of grey can be very wiry, so keeping the hair looking hydrated is paramount.'
For those not in possession of Hurley's thick hair, help is but a hair extension away. Hadley Yates salon in London specialises in a full yet natural look. 'For a DIY solution I'd recommend the Curated Hair Extensions full-head clip-in, which come in 16in and 20in lengths and add instant volume,' Yates suggests. 'For maximum shine, Redken's Acidic Colour Gloss, £33, is an at-home treatment which locks in glass-like shine by sealing your cuticles and restoring the hair back to its healthiest PH.'
Moisturiser, moisturiser, moisturiser
'The one thing I swear by is moisturiser – and lots of it,' she told Woman & Home magazine. 'I'll moisturise my face about six times a day and my neck about 10 times a day.' Her favourites include La Mer, £135, and Estée Lauder's Advance Night Repair serum, £55, which she's been using religiously ever since becoming an Estée Lauder spokesperson in the mid-Nineties. For her body, she favours Clinique's Deep Comfort moisturiser (£39).
While she's open about her skincare routine, she's not on the record as having had any extra help. 'Facially, Liz appears refreshed and natural,' notes Dr Manav Bawa, a cosmetic doctor and medical director at Time Clinic on behalf of Allergan Aesthetics. 'Subtle signs might suggest she's had light Botox treatments, dermal fillers like Juvederm to restore facial volume, and possibly skin boosters or injectable hydrators to hydrate and tighten the skin.'
He suggests that those looking to replicate Hurley's glow at home should focus on products featuring vitamin C and retinol. Treatment-wise, they could also try biostimulation and regenerative treatments such as HarmonyCa to enhance the skin's own healing and renewal processes. 'These approaches can help maintain a rejuvenated, naturally fresh appearance without the risk of looking 'done'.'
Body-wise, Hurley's even-toned skin could be achieved with the help of medical-grade microneedling with radiofrequency or laser skin tightening, which can stimulate collagen production and improve elasticity. 'Regular exfoliation and the use of active body skincare, such as glycolic acid lotions, also help maintain a youthful, luminous skin tone at home, although the most powerful product in Liz's skincare arsenal is likely a high-quality broad-spectrum SPF,' says Bawa.
Make the effort with your make-up
'Actors and models must spend the equivalent of years in the make-up chair,' Hurley posted on Instagram. Unlike many women in the public eye, she's honest about the time it takes to reach Peak Liz, acknowledging that there's no quick fix. 'I work for a cosmetic company, I work for fashion companies, I have my own fashion company, I'm in high definition on massive cinema screens,' she once said. 'So it's my business to make more effort ... of course I do, it's my bread and butter.'
Hurley's not averse to wearing a full face of make-up, and really carries it off. Her trademark look – a smoky eye composed of black kohl liner, shimmering grey eyeshadow, soft pink blush and shiny pale pink lip gloss – is part Hollywood siren, part Brit on a big night out.
A close friend of Trinny Woodall for over 30 years (she calls her 'Trinster'), it's likely she uses Trinny London's Eye2Eye cream-based colour in Chalice (£20), and her Line2Define smudge-proof eyeliner in Shahrose (£24). Hurley also has the distinction of having a lipstick named after her and formulated in her honour: Estée Lauder's Elizabeth Hurley Pink 391 Rouge Cristal. It's sadly discontinued, though if you have $98 (£72) to spare, there's one currently for sale on eBay.
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