BEAUTY BYTES: Michael Bublé - the king of Xmas, sharp suits and now fragrance

I heart this smooth talker...

Welcome to Beauty Bytes: a place where I chat to celebrities about all things beauty - from their favourite products, to their biggest beauty disasters. Plus I grill them on their social media habits and their favourite cheat meal. You know, all the important and essentials things that we need to know about.

In this edition, I totally lost my chill when I sat down with Michael Bublé. I now totally get why he's top of so many women's 'lists'. We chatted about his fragrances (which would make a brilliant Christmas gift FYI), losing his cool in front of the Queen and the best chat up line he's ever heard. Prepare to fall head over heels... KT - Digital Beauty Editor

KT: LET'S GET STRAIGHT TO IT AND CHAT ABOUT FRAGRANCES.

MB: I'd love to chat about fragrances. Do we have to? I am not the expert. Life is good. I really enjoy hockey. And I love being a dad. And uh, you want to talk about the fragrance huh?

KT: COME ON LET'S TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT... TELL ME ABOUT THE NEW FRAGRANCE. 

MB: Well, okay I’ll talk to you about the fragrance. So this journey began about four, five years ago. I was asked if I was interested in having a fragrance. My answer was no. I had no interest to be honest with you. I thought it was really cringe-y. I’d like to think that I have dignity with everything that I do and how I do it. But they asked me again, and my idea was that if I was going to do it, I wanted to understand the industry. And so that’s what I did. I actually went to a perfume counter, I met with perfumers - I mean honestly we spent days, hours, going through all of these different notes and I was completely involved. It was really nice for me because it was an incredible challenge. It was very similar to making music - you’re dealing with notes in the same way, obviously different types of notes, and it was a lot of fun and completely different. It went from me feeling cringe-y about it to then having confidence because I really, really liked it. I thought it was a really nice scent. I remember at the fragrance launch, I mean I had gone as far as fighting over the design of the bottle.

Michael Bublé By Invitation Peony Noir, £42

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KT: IT'S GREAT THAT YOU WERE INVOLVED. IF YOU'RE GOING TO PUT YOUR NAME TO SOMETHING...

MB: Absolutely right. What was really nice was showing up at the fragrance launch in New York. I was walking past and I heard this woman say to another journalist, 'Huh, this actually really, really nice.' I said, 'It’s lovely that you’re complementary but why are you so surprised?' And she basically said, 'Because we come to these things and there is so much crap that so many famous people do.' So without getting into too much detail, we had talked about advancing the line and creating more. But as you know, and I won’t get into it, there was a lot of stuff happening in my life that meant I wasn’t able to go and do the same thing. Luckily for me, I had gained a really nice trust and friendship with the perfumer and the company. And I trusted that they understood my style and what I like. So they were able to go off and create the new one, until my mind was free and I was able to lock into these decisions. It's really nerve wracking for me to sit here in front of you, because I won’t lie. I refuse to do that. I won’t go into more detail about this fragrance than I know, I can't tel you a story about how it was created, but I can tell you that I wouldn't have released it if I didn't like it. I knew that we had a good fragrance when my mother told me that my dad wore it.

Michael Bublé Pour Homme, from £39

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KT: THAT'S ALL THE CONFIRMATION YOU NEED. DO YOU HAVE A SIGNATURE FRAGRANCE? IF NOT, DO YOU HAVE ANY GO-TOS? 

MB: For years I wore Santal 33. I loved it. It had a lot to do with the inspiration for the first fragrance. I just loved the base of sandalwood and vanilla. I think I had an ex-girlfriend used to wear it actually, and when she’d hug me people could smell it on me and would compliment me on it. Lately, my signature scent would probably be like, baby poop. And weirdly enough it’s the one that I miss mostly, because you walk around for years saying ‘does it smell like vomit to you?’ And then all of a sudden it’s gone and the kids don’t vomit on you any more and you weirdly miss it.

KT: WHAT ARE YOU FAVOURITE SMELLS? 

MB: Coming home. Having that smell of whatever your mom is cooking. Sort of that comfort, you know, hearing the noise in the house - the craziness, and smelling the great smell of whatever it is, chicken soup or a roast in the oven. I know how strange that sounds, but it’s the association; it’s so romantic and so sentimental.

KT: WHAT IS YOUR BEAUTY SECRET? 

MB: It’s just all a lie, honestly. Not caring anymore. I hope that I take care of myself and I shower, but the truth is I just want to be a happy person who lives in the moment with kindness and empathy. I told that to someone the other day, and she said, 'Do you know what ego stands for? It stands for edging God out.' And I thought that was really lovely. It was really nice.

KT: WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE GROOMING BRANDS?

MB: Top three grooming brands? Uh, well I should probably say my fragrance brand right?

KT: I MEAN, THAT COULD BE ONE OF THEM.

MB: Is Speed Stick a grooming brand?

KT: SPEED STICK? AS IN THE DEODORANT? SURE..

MB: And Colgate toothpaste. Are these horrible answers?

KT: NO THESE ARE BRILLIANT, GENIUS ANSWERS. HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN?

MB: Well of course I use Olay everyday. Not! I don’t know. I don’t?!

KT: WELL, DO YOU WASH YOUR FACE?

MB: WELL WHAT DO YOU DO? LET'S HEAR FROM YOU. OR DO YOU JUST WANT MY ANSWERS?

KT: JUST YOU. NO ONE CARES ABOUT MY ANSWERS. THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. 

MB: Oh, shit. Um, I don’t know. I really don’t wear any cream and I know I should. Soap and water?

KT: YOU KEEP IT SIMPLE. DO YOU USE AN SPF?

MB: Well, I have to. I’m forced to. Because if I use it on the kids. We use like SPF 80.

KT: I'M SORRY, DID YOU SAY 80?

MB: How do you feel about that, honestly?

KT: WELL, YOU KNOW THAT IT DOESN'T REALLY GET MUCH HIGHER THAN 30. IT LEVELS OUT, SO ANYTHING OVER 30 IS NOT REALLY ANY MORE PROTECTIVE.

MB: I didn’t know that. It’s very thick. I always wear it really thick. And it always makes me look even whiter. Like holiday pics? I don’t tan. I just get a weirder colour of red- pink.

KT: HOW OFTEN DO YOU WORK OUT? AND WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO DO EXERCISE?

MB: Every single day. Every day. I try to run on the treadmill. I do like these weird interval things - I try to run as fast as I can for two-minute sprints, then I take thirty seconds off. Listen, I do enough so that I can eat what I want. And it’s not to look a certain way. It’s so that I can keep up with my son. That’s it honestly. If I didn’t get to the gym I would be dead half way through a tour.

KT: WHAT'S THE WEIRDEST PICKUP LINE YOU'VE EVER HEARD?

MB: Have sex with me if I’m wrong but your name’s Ddsiuhsiuhdoidhs?

KT: FAVOURITE TV SHOW TO BINGE WATCH?

MB: There are so many. Last Man on Earth. You know The Last Man on Earth? It’s an American comedy. It’s about, basically, the world ends because of a virus and there’s only one guy left. It’s great. I loved Planet Earth a lot. Richard Attenborough is incredible.

KT: YEAH, HE'S A NATIONAL TREASURE. AND 92!

MB: He’s amazing. I watched it last night as a matter of fact. But I always know that you’re going to see a cute animal and then he’s going to die. It’s about to get eaten.

KT: FAVOURITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT TO FOLLOW?

MB: I don’t do it anymore. To be honest with you, it’s not about social media. I would rather just live life and stop taking pictures of myself. More love and less likes.

KT: WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALISE YOU WERE FAMOUS? 

MB: I was in the Philippines. I had signed to an American record company at 25 and it just hadn’t gone the way I hoped it would. My career actually started outside of America in places like South Africa, Australia, South East Asia. I remember I was 26/ 27 years old and I had come to Manila and they told me that I shouldn’t go outside, but there was a sushi place in the mall next to the hotel. Anyway, I went next door and it was chaos. Like, really, scary. Someone recognized me when I was waiting in line to get sushi. And all of a sudden it just became this overwhelming, really crazy massive crowd. I came back to the hotel and the security guy sort of gave me shit for doing it. And I was so shocked; I had no idea that they would know who I was. And I remember going back to my room and opening up the curtains in the room and there was a massive building across the street, and it had my face on it. The whole building was just my face. And I remember thinking, ‘oh my God.’ Like now, it makes a lot more sense, you know? The one white guy in all of the Philippines and my face is on the side of a building. I think that’s kind of what did it.

KT: WOW. WHAT IS YOUR CHEAT MEAL.

MB:I just need a nice pasta, like a carbonara.

KT: WHICH SONG GETS YOU ON THE DANCE FLOOR?

MB: Anything BY Michael Jackson or Bruno Mars. My kids and I listen to a lot of Uptown Funk. Also I love the new soundtrack for The Greatest Showman.

KT: OH MY GOD, I'M ADDICTED AND I HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE FILM!

MB: As a matter of fact my son said to me, 'Papi when I see the show will you sing my song?' And I thought he meant a song that I had written for him. And I said, 'Well of course I can sing that song.' So I started singing the song and he said, 'No, no Papi- The Greatest Showman.'

KT: IT WOULD BE A CROWD PLEASER... 

MB: I like it so much, that I found the singer from the song Never Enough, her name is Loren Allred, and I duet with her on my new album. I love her voice.

KT: OK, ONE MORE QUESTION. WHO HAVE YOU BEEN STARSTRUCK MEETING?

MB: Honestly, the Queen of England. I think what I said was gibberish. Because I was in a line, it was the second time I had done the Royal Variety and there are far more famous people than me there. And I think I was holding Lady Gaga’s hand? Who now I know, but at the time I didn’t know Lady Gaga. And I don’t know what she wore that night, it could have been a meat dress - I don’t remember. But yeah, the Queen came down the line and she was sort of saying to everybody you know, ‘thank you’ and ‘lovely’ and ‘interesting’. And then she said to me, something like, ‘we enjoy you at home’ or something. And I just shut down. I really shut down. I- I really couldn’t believe that they- she, even- knew of my existence, that there was even an awareness that I existed. And the fact that she, they might have heard my music. I don’t even know what I said. I said something thing like, '*gibberish* Ma’am.’ Ma’am as in ham, I know. You know, the first time I did the Royal Variety Show, Shane Ritchie was presenting. So I was in this massive line with all the celebrities and Elton John is standing there. And as the curtain came up, I was stood there, terrified, and I said to Shane, 'I'm really nervous, I don't know what to do.' And so the curtain came up and Shane said to me, 'Bow, bow now.' And I went and I bowed and I looked down the whole line and Shane was laughing his ass off. Because it was me bowing alone.