PRODUCT
Full Panda Makeup Collection, from £6 (launching on Monday)
THE HYPE:
I’m sorry, but Claudia Winkleman is an absolute hero. That time she turned up to the red carpet Oompa Loompa orange with her liner down to her chin? What a baller move. She’s become known for her unshackled approach to slapping on her slap and now she’s sharing her secrets with the rest of us, thanks to the launch of her marvelously named Full Panda makeup range.
REVIEWER:
Elle Turner, Deputy Beauty Editor
BEAUTY BIO:
I wear a variation of the same makeup look most days and it tends to be neat winged liner, lots of lashes and a bit of bronze. I’d love to embrace a more relaxed way of getting ready in the morning – one that favours speed.
THE REVIEW:
Claudia’s become a bit of a beauty icon for me. Not necessarily because I fancy emulating her tango skin and tippex lips, but because I admire the woman for wearing whatever she wants, exactly how she wants to. For saying “world, I see your meticulously applied contour and eye flicks, but I’d rather whack mine on in the back of a cab and hope for the best.” Then, giving zero hoots when it looks outstandingly cack-handed.
Let’s not pretend things haven’t come on since *that* red carpet. Now, Clauds has a small army of Strictly stylists primping and preening her each Saturday night. But while the white-nude lips have been reigned in somewhat, and the fluoro tan has been dialled down ever-so-slightly, the liner and fringe remain as messy and abundant as ever. And, that’s called sticking to your roots, lads.
But now, we can all have a slice of that carefree glam action since Claudia’s rolled out her Full Panda range to the rest of us. The staples (raven liner and smudgy black eyeshadow crayon) are all there. It’s made with busy – and lazy – women in mind. The ones who’ll fritter the hour they’ve set aside to get ready and cram it all into the last three minutes.
There’s multi-taskers like the Double Ended Lipstick – one end “Thursday” is Claudia’s everyday white-nude, the other “Friday” is her “out-out” flamenco red. Her mascara/brow wand has also been given the dual treatment to make it the sort of thing you could throw on in a rush. Then there’s a bronzer, an illuminating face primer and a softening lip primer to play around with, too.
I’ll be honest, I loved the glowy primer, I liked the milk-pink lipstick more than I thought I would, I liked the poppy red less than I expected and I thought the mascara was excellent. The brow mascara didn’t work for me (it’s better suited to light-to-medium brows, anyone darker will struggle) and the black eyeshadow crayon left me feeling mixed. It’s very smudgy, very messy and very rock n roll – exactly the sort of thing someone as jaunty as Claudia, or Captain Jack Sparrow could pull off with casual aplomb. I’ve realised, it’s not how you apply it, it’s how you wear it. I’m not sure it’s meant for a control freak like me (though I reckon drunk me would love it – the more the merrier).
THE VERDICT:
This is a mixed bag with some smash hits like the Life Enhancing Primer and clever multi-purpose solutions. The pigment is great and the formulas are brave – so come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.