Kate Middleton loves it, Cheryl Cole loves it, but can you bear the panda look?

Make-up aficionados might wax lyrical about nude make-up or statement lips, but for a show-stealing look this party season, the eyes have it.

And not just any eyes: we’re talking kohl-heavy, slick-lined, panda-style eyes, as favoured by Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and her sister, Pippa.

Kate Winslet sports the look on the cover of November’s Harper’s Bazaar, and Victoria Beckham and Carol Vorderman have been going extra heavy with the eye pencil.

So why are celebrities going back to black? After all, piling on the eyeliner is very much a retro look.

Panda peepers go right back to the Egyptians, but from a fashion perspective it came into its own in the Sixties when thick black lines were the perfect foil to futuristic clothes by the likes of Mary Quant.


Fast forward 50 years and this bold look was to be found on the catwalks of every fashion house for this year’s autumn/winter collections. Whether applied with Cleopatra flicks or lashings of black eyeshadow, kohl is king once more. 

[Try it yourself: How to get the Panda Eyes look]

And yet it’s hardly the most forgiving style. In fact, applied too harshly, it can add years to even the most youthful face. Celebrity make-up artist Katie Reedman of Slap UK (which counts Sienna Miller, Twiggy and Anna Friel among its clientele) says Kate and Pippa are guilty of this. 

‘It’s very easy to get eyeliner wrong. I think the way Pippa applies it looks too harsh and heavy. She’s a pretty girl, but the way she and her sister take the line all the way around the eye is ageing,’ she says.

So, how to get it right? Katie suggests using gel liner or a pencil rather than liquid.

‘Apply liner right inside the rim, as it gives a good strong base to the look.’
And if you’re blonde or nearing 50, swap black for grey or brown. ‘Black can be unforgiving as you get older,’ says Katie.

The flick is crucial. She suggests extending the natural curve under the eye towards the brow’s outer edge.

With practice, perfect black eyes could be achieved in time for the arrival next weekend of two stars who model the look effortlessly well — Tian Tian and Yang Guan, Edinburgh Zoo’s new giant pandas.

 Daily Mail