For the month of October, Birchbox are letting their subscribers choose which box they wish to receive from two different boxes, which is such a fun concept and you know you’re going to get items you want. The first box on offer is the Stylist Guest Editor Birchbox, which contains five deluxe beauty must-haves as chosen by Stylist’s Associate Editor Joanna McGarry. The second box is the Back to Basics Birchbox which is all about mastering the beauty basics, and discovering products you can choose to use everyday, and again it contains five beauty treats.

I’ve never seen a beauty box brand allow their subscribers to choose a box like this before, and I think it’s such a great idea and would absolutely love it if Birchbox did this quite frequently as it means you’ll receive items you definitely want or would use. The Stylist Guest Editor Birchbox is packaged within a cute patterned box, whereas the Back to Basics Box is a ‘basic’ blue box – I love them both, but the Stylist box is definitely more aesthetically pleasing but I always reuse my beauty boxes within my makeup storage so I’ll be making good use of both boxes.

The first item in the Stylist Guest Editor Birchbox, is a 30ml bottle of Parlor by Jeff Chastain Smoothing Blow Out Spray (worth £3.46) which is described as a miracle tonic for blotting out frizz and protecting against heat damage, as well as making hair more manageable. I’ve never heard of this brand before, but it’s supposedly a Birchbox exclusive and it does smell divine, with a lovely peach scent. Then we have the 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze (worth £19) which is a full size. The glaze is formulated with avocado and cocoa butter to nourish, and rich fruit pigments to give a matte finish, comfortable colour. The packaging is beautiful, with silver metal casing and it’s really impressively pigmented.

Next up is the cutest little 20ml bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H2o (worth 81 pence). Bioderma is my holy grail skincare product, so I’m super happy to see it within this box but the sample is just too small in my opinion as I have used half of the bottle in just one use so it’s a shame it’s such a tiny bottle as you might not have enough to try to see if you like it or not, but luckily for me I know I love it. Then we have a 50ml bottle of the Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel (worth £2.12) which is scented with Indian Rose and Sweet Almond. I really do love the Rituals Foaming Shower Gels, they lather up amazingly and have such a strong scent that they fill the whole bathroom and the scent lingers on the skin too. I’ve never tried this particular scent, but I’m hoping it’ll be as lovely as the other ones I’ve tried from the range.

Then there is a single When Travelmate Sheet Mask (worth £6.25), which claims to lock in moisture, soften the skin and to undo damage. I’m not entirely sure I believe the whole undoing damage claim, but I do like using sheet masks as they’re so relaxing and soothing, especially when you’re tired or poorly. Lastly there is a ‘beauty bonus’ which is a fragrance sample – the English Laundry No7 Signature for her which isn’t for me personally, but I’m glad it was a bonus and not in the place of a full size product.

Then we have the Back to Basics Birchbox, which firstly contains the full size Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner in Black (worth £12) which I’m very happy about as I’d been pondering over whether or not I should buy this liner as I’d read some great reviews, so I cannot wait to try it. Next up is another full size product, and my holy grail nail top coat; Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (worth £9) – the best topcoat in the world in my opinion, which I know is a dramatic statement, but it really is unbeatable.

There is also another mini Bioderma in this box, but it’s the Bioderma Hydrabio H20 (worth 81 pence) version which is my favourite as it’s better for dry and dehydrated skin but it’s still super small, but perfect for a weekend away. The next item is a little random.. a sample tube of the Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste, which I’ll definitely try but I just cannot get excited about a toothpaste sadly. The last two items in the box are from Beaver Professional – a 40ml tube of the Hydro Nutritive Moisturizing Shampoo, and a sachet sample of the matching conditioner. I’ve never heard of Beaver before, but they’re another Birchbox exclusive.

So they are the two boxes that are on offer this month. If I had to choose one of the two boxes, I think I’d have to go for the Back to Basics box as it contains a full size Eyeko Liner and Seche Vite inside which combined are more than worth the price of the box alone. I’m not too fussed on the toothpaste, or the haircare samples but I’m sure they’ll please some people.

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Oh, you’ve left it until the last minute to buy something for Father’s Day? You and probably 98% of the population. Don’t feel bad. Here are some ideas to save you from panic-buying a multi-pack of novelty socks from M&S or one of those variety packs with bottles of ale called Goblin’s Knob and other such humorous things. You should be able to get any of the below with next day delivery, if you order online – no rushing around Waitrose at 10am on Sunday morning…

Shaving stuff is a notoriously boring present, but if you have to resort to it then make sure it’s stylish shaving stuff. My Dad loves the Rose Shaving Cream from Taylor of Old Bond Street so much that it has become his default Christmas gift. He calls it the “pink stringy goo”, which sort of undermines its luxury feel, but I have it on good authority that it works extremely well and smells amazing. It’s £12.75 at Amazon.

The Jawbone UP2 Fitness and Sleep Tracker, because it’s not enough these days to just do a spot of jogging and make sure you get your eight hours in bed. No: all fitness must be tracked. Training goals must be logged. Sleep must be monitored closely so that we get up at precisely the right moment and not a second sooner. The Jawbone does all of this monitoring and more – whether the father in question is a marathon runner or a couch potato, he’ll probably find the whole experience rather addictive… The Jawbone UP2 looks sleek, is easy to set up and use and is currently £34 at Amazon.

The only backpack to have on your back this year; the Herschel Supply Little America. Spotted in trendy photographic studios around London, this lightweight carry-all has classic styling that looks equally at home on the work commute as it does adventuring in the Rockies. £90 at Selfridges.

This SAGEMCOM phone is on Mr AMR’s wishlist and I must admit that it is very stylish and sleek, so far as home phones go. A good present for father’s day so long as the father is old enough to know what a home phone actually is. I’d assume they would be, but you never know. I met someone the other day who didn’t have a clue what a landline was! We are very antiquated in our household because, due to bad mobile reception, we use our home phone all the time. It rings and we never know who it is – imagine! Our current handset dates from 2001, so perhaps we’re due an upgrade… £79.99 at Selfridges.

This one’s a winner in the grooming category; great styling, brilliant ingredients and a price that is more than a little surprising. This Beard Oil from Johnny’s Chop Shop wouldn’t look out of place in a trendy New York apothecary, but you can find it in Boots. It’s £6.

On the pricey side for a father’s day present, but maybe he’s been extra-brilliant at taking you to – er – the zoo, or McDonald’s, or picking you up from the school dance. This is the Kilburn portable speaker from Marshall. It connects wirelessly to your smartphone or tablet, has a lightweight body and is touted as being one of the loudest speakers in its class. Something about it makes me think “frustrated roadie”, but not in a bad way – I can imagine it sitting in a pile of broken whisky glasses and cigarette butts after a particularly raucous party!  This should be £220 but Amazon have the black version, with next day delivery, for £175