I sat down with YouTube lovelies Sam Chapman and Nic Haste (Pixiwoo) at their Glasgow hotel to chat all things Christmas and, of course, Real Techniques…

What is your Christmas Day makeup like? Do you go bare like me and chill, or really glam up?

Sam: We have done different things. Normally we do nothing, but then every year, someone takes tons of pictures and I’m gutted. There’s one picture floating around, from shortly after I had my daughter (my daughter was born in November), where I’ve got a green beanie hat on and no makeup. Have you seen it? It’s like, who is that person?! So now, I actually make the effort to put makeup on, just because my family will totally take pictures and then put them up on social media.

Nic: As we go to Mum’s, and I’m living at my Mum’s at the moment with my husband and my kids, I can keep my pyjamas on all day. That is Christmas to me- no makeup, hair tied up. It used to be about not feeling too great after Christmas Eve and we’d get up when the kids used to get us up and we’d be like [groan], but now we have to put a bit of a face on.

If you could have only one beauty orientated Christmas present, what would it be?

Nic: I know what mine would be. It is beauty, but it’s probably a bit more self-indulgent as well. I’d get a whole bath selection so I could have bubble baths. Ones that smell good and a moisturiser that matches- it’s something that you wouldn’t go out and buy for yourself, but you’d feel like ‘this is such a treat, just for me’. That’s what I would go for.

Sam: Like Hermès or something like that? Chanel?

Nic: Something that you just put it in and the bath smells amazing. A steaming hot bath and smother yourself in the moisturiser that goes with it. That’s a massive luxury to have time to even have a bath.

Sam: Yeah! I would like, even if I wasn’t working for Real Techniques… and they don’t make this…, I would like every single Real Techniques brush in a massive brush roll that I could just swoosh and roll down the table. I’d love that, but that doesn’t exist so I can’t have it. So, I think… I really like The White Company. I’m super into fragrance and I really like The White Company Blanc fragrance, so I’d like everything of that. All of the Blanc fragrance stuff. I love it. 

I love the clutch bags that come with your holiday sets, whose idea was that?

Nic: It was actually Real Techniques’ idea, as they were like ‘holidays are coming, what could we do? Let’s put a clutch in there’ and we said ‘ok, amazing, let’s do that’, so it was a group thing. We can’t take the credit for it.

Sam: We totally can’t take the credit for it. They are way cleverer! 

Your Christmas Bold Metal Essentials set contains my favourite Real Techniques brush- the 200 Oval Shadow brush. What’s your favourite brush that you’ve released?

Sam: They change as I find different uses for them, so from Bold Metals, my favourite is actually not in the set, it’s the Arched Powder brush as I used it on the side to give a little bit of shape to the face and around the hairline and then I use it for powdering as it’s so soft and luxurious. I only ever want to use it when I’m using my best blusher! Then, from the Core Collection, my favourite is probably the Base Shadow brush- it’s really simple, really soft and I use it with creams and powders. I have about four or five in my makeup bag.

Nic: Mine is the new 203 from Bold Metals, then from the original collection…it’s not my favourite brush to use, but I use it the most… is the Deluxe Crease Brush. I use it for my eyeshadow, but I also love it for concealing under-eye and blemishes. It’s the brush that I have the most of, so actually, it probably is my favourite.

How are you both spending Christmas Day this year?

Sam: Actually, we haven’t arranged it yet. We haven’t done Secret Santa yet either. Every single year, we do Secret Santa. Everyone’s names go into a hat and then everyone picks a name out. Then we all secretly whisper ‘I’ve got you, what do you want?’, but we don’t tell Mum that we do that. Mum still thinks that no-one knows. We’re only allowed to spend £50- it used to be £30, but then it went up to £50 last year. I think it should go back down to £30.

Nic: I thought it was £30. Maybe I didn’t spend enough last year!

Sam: We only buy one present as our family is too big.
Nic: All the kids get bought for, but we just buy one each and you really go to town to pick something for that one person and I like that.
Sam: I think it’s really nice. It’s not hours and hours of present opening, but you still get to watch the kids open their presents and that’s the best bit really.

I have a special giveaway with Pixiwoo and Real Techniques coming in December, so stay tuned!

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