Samantha Chapman

"I received an Instagram DM from Maria, completely out of the blue, asking if I wanted to jump on a Zoom call with her. I was like: “Er, yes I do, you’re Maria!” I have been a fully paid up member of Beauty Pie for years and love the products. If I find something good, I want to talk about it, so I was organically chatting about a couple of their products and I guess they noticed. Marcia invited me to create a collection of nine must-have items."

"It’s still weird to call this my work. It is a hobby that became a business. I guess what I do online is the advert for the jobs that make me money."

"There are so many influencers who do so many things, and I specifically will only talk about make-up and beauty."

"I love that I can take the dogs into Jarrolds and John Lewis in Norwich, which is another of my favourite places to shop partly because it is such a nostalgic building for me, and whilst it may not be independent"

"I don’t have a lot of time to myself, but I am on my own when I go to my studio which is my thinking time. I lock the door behind me, make a coffee, sit down and think: “Right, what’s on my list for today"

"I’ve re-bought Marianne Faithfull’s autobiography Faithfull so many times, as I keep loaning it to people. I am fascinated by women who are strong but don’t hide their flaws. She forged her own path and is brutally honest about her mistakes"

"I recently discovered that I’m a Virgo after an astrologer read my chart. I always thought I was a Leo as I’m on the cusp. When I saw this ring with its tiny diamond Virgo constellation in New York, I had to buy it. It makes sense to me now why I’m so analytical"

"This photo of my siblings [Nic, now 36, and John and Jim, both 29] and I was taken in the pre-digital age when I was about 19. We’ve all gone on to have our own YouTube channels, but I love pictures like this because they captured the moment and were not polished – unlike social media today"

"There's a lot of incorrect information out there. Most of our subscribers don't have the intention of becoming makeup artists, they're just looking for daily techniques for themselves. Aspiring makeup artists may enjoy our videos, but they understand that they need proper training and on-set experience."

"Social media is this massive digital concept I can't fully wrap my head around—who knows what the future holds? I'm not pinning my livelihood on it and I'm trying to make the right decisions for myself and my family. We just want to keep producing high quality content with a credible and authentic voice that's enjoyable for our subscribers to watch."

"My advice? Stay under the radar. Keep to yourself, keep working and stay polite. Never bite! This is a small industry and people talk—your reputation can instantly be ruined with a little gossip."

"Having a glamorous mum was my first insight into changing the face with makeup. When I got a little older I found out that my aunt was a makeup artist working with superstar celebs. My mind was made up!"

"“My first beauty memory is watching my mum apply blue mascara.”"

"“Initially, I wanted to be a singer.”"

""When I started filming makeup tutorials, YouTube had only been around for one year.”"

"“I’m a makeup commitment phobe. I love trying different looks and products. I have about 1500 products and brushes I rotate based on my mood.”"