Claudia Winkleman is as famous for her signature kohl eyeliner, fake bake and nude lip as she is for her self-deprecation and masterful slapstick on Strictly Come Dancing (and being the highest paid woman at the BBC).
Here at HuffPost, we enjoy her relaxed attitude to beauty (and presenting) so we were excited to hear she’s launching her own makeup and skincare line with Boots. And wait... it’s called Full Panda. A look that Claudia has described as: “Let’s go out, I might get pregnant, we are going to drink margaritas tonight.”
The collection is sizeable – a mixture of bundles and individual products that hit up almost every stage of your makeup routine (excluding foundation and concealer). The sets include a five-piece kit of primer, cream highlighter, powder bronzer, black mascara and black eyeliner (£20); a powder highlighter and kabuki brush (£16); and a trio of cream eyeshadow pencils (£10).
There are also two double-ended duos: a mascara and brow mascara for £8.50, and a nude and red lipstick for £6. Oh, and a skincare set that consists of a makeup removing stick, exfoliating balm, lip balm and shower mousse (£18).
On first inspection, it’s a smart if chunkily packaged line-up (and according to Boots, every product is ethically sourced and made using ingredients that are not derived from animals). Those prices also seem fair for the product sizes.
But what does it look like on my face? Claudia’s go-to makeup look is actually very different from mine. I like a matte base, feline liquid eyeliner flick, lashings of mascara and a bright lip. Neat and tidy if you will, rather than Clauds’ more tousled approach. So I’m interested to see how I get on when I try out the collection – firstly, with my own routine, and then trying her ‘full panda’ look.
Day One
Day one, I begin with the primer, which has a slight beige tint and leaves me with a nice glow. If you’re short of time and don’t mind a low maintenance look, you could easily use it as your base. But I apply some foundation, concealer and powder, then get to work on my brows with the brow and mascara wand.
The brow tint is a medium brown shade that I initially expect to be too light for my colouring, but it’s actually richly pigmented, thick and sets extremely fast. If you make any mistakes, they’re hard to fix. It feels dry once applied, though, and two of my colleagues compliment my brows so not too shabby a start.
I roughly run the cream khaki eyeshadow stick over my lids and use a densely packed brush to ensure I reach all the nooks and crannies, then line my lids with the eyeliner. Neither product has much pigment so the colour payoff is sheer, and I have to reapply several times for the desired effect.
The mascara wand, which you can also buy as product on it own, works better, giving me full, voluminous lashes that don’t crumble during the day (unlike the other products which wear off so much that that by the time I arrive home, I barely look like I’ve been wearing eye makeup.
The bronzer gives a good wash of colour across my cheeks and forehead, despite my initial doubt about it being shimmery, but doesn’t last long. It’s very light too, which works for my fair skin tone, but on someone who is darker, I doubt it would be sufficient – which dearly lets the product down.
The cream highlighting stick is subtle yet pretty, blending easily without moving any of my foundation underneath. But the standout is the creamy matte red lipstick, which applies like a dream and gives a full coverage and colour payoff that genuinely lasts.
Skincare:
Everything in the skincare set is overwhelmingly perfumed with watermelon, a sickly sweet scent I could do without. The lip balm is fine, if nothing to write home about – no lasting impression or hydration. The foaming shower mousse is perfectly adequate and in a travel size bottle that works for holidays.
The makeup remover stick could work for travel, too, negating the need for bulky packaging – except that it takes me a lot of work to get enough product off to remove my full makeup. You’re meant to apply it straight to your face, but this means the stick gets covered in makeup and feels unhygienic. And as I run it under the tap, unused product washes down the sink, which feels a waste.
Day Two
I’m going to try Claudia’s panda-eyed eyeliner look for day two. Using the black cream eyeshadow as a thick liner on my lid and water line, I smudged it out into a messy cat-eye flick. It glides on easily, but it takes a few layers before I got the rich jet black shade Clauds is known for. And eek, whenever I blink, the liner transfers on to the top of my eyelid – not a look I want.
This time, I used the mascara on the double-ended wand, which has a dome-shaped brush – and I’m much more impressed. I don’t have very long lashes, but in one quick flick, it made me look like I am wearing falsies. This is definitely going in my makeup bag.
Also new to my day two look is the powder highlighter. Using the fat bristles of the kabuki brush, I dust the highlighter onto the tops of my cheekbones for a shimmery, healthy glow I actually prefer to the cream alternative.
I try this look with both lipstick shades from the double-ended lip duo and love the red but the nude looks heinous. The texture is waxy and claggy, like I’ve smeared on chalk. Plus, it’s not full coverage in colour, so I have to go over it multiples time by which time it feels, and looks, even chalkier. Even worse is the shade, a pale beige that’s too light even for my skin tone, I can’t see how anyone darker than fair could wear it. I try my favourite Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, £16 over the top – better, but it can’t be saved.
Skincare:
After removing my makeup, I rub the exfoliating stick all over damp skin before massaging in and rinsing off as instructed. The grains melt once rubbed in, so don’t do much to exfoliate and my skin feels exactly the same after applying.
Day Three
By day three, the only product from Claudia’s collection I have’t tried is the charcoal grey cream eyeshadow, which I use as an eyeliner on my upper lid in an attempt to create a more daytime look. Again, it transfers to my lids and doesn’t last throughout the day. But I gladly go back to the mascara and brow wand, and use the powder highlighter and bronzer to brighten my complexion.
On second use, I realise the bronzer and highlighter are strikingly similar. Both are shimmery, with the bronzer just slightly darker in colour. The kabuki brush is ideal for getting glow on a bigger surface area, too, which I love. I can’t face the nude lipstick again, so I opt for my favourite nude (CTZN Cosmetics, £20), a darker shade with brown undertones. The result is a wearable look for work.
Final Verdict
As they say in the Strictly ballroom... it’s the moment of truth. Full Panda is obviously a collection that suits an evening look best, and not just because most of the makeup isn’t long lasting enough to see you through the day.
Some select products from the collection will be permanent additions to my makeup bag: namely the efficient double-ended mascara and brow wand, the powder highlighter and kabuki brush, and the truly gorgeous red lipstick.
While attractive in price and packaging, the collection is let down by poorly pigmented eyeshadow sticks and eyeliner and, of all things, the nude lipstick. If you want to find the perfect shade of nude for you, here are some tips from a professional – and you can also check out our Spenny vs Penny test of four other brands on the market).
Claudia’s primer delivers a dewy glow, but doesn’t really make a difference to how long my makeup lasts, so I’d happily ditch. Two mascaras feel unnecessary, taking the place of other products such as blusher, which is noticeably absent. It’s also disappointing to see there’s been little thought to darker skin tones with some of the range. I expected more.
All in all, Full Panda has its moments but it’s not quite up to the mark, given there are so many great high street makeup brands that deliver on packaging and performance. The badly performing products are included in sets with the better ones from the lineup, which means you have to compromise – personally, I’d love to see them sold as individual products so we could cherry pick the best bits.
Full Panda by Claudia launches at Boots stores and at boots.com on Monday 4 November.
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