If you're wondering what my day job actually involves, it's tracking down the best gifts for 2026, whoever the recipient and whatever the occasion. This means, for the last six months, I've attended countless press days, spoken to various shopping experts and have personally tested hundreds of products to see which are actually worth giving (and receiving).

When reviewing potential presents, I consider them all against the following criteria:

And for those products where I might not be the intended gender, I roped in my teenage nephew, millennial cousins, boyfriend, brothers and dad to share their honest thoughts. Of course, when pulling together these edits, I also keep in mind trending products, viral hits and brands I genuinely repeatedly purchase from myself.

As such, you can also be reassured that only products I genuinely love are featured in the Glamour Gift Shop. Learn more about how we test and choose products here.

For years, my four older siblings have turned to me for recommendations when it comes to birthday and Christmas gifts. But never did I think that would become my corporate job. But for the last three years — that's one year at Hearst, writing for titles like Cosmopolitan and Women's Health, followed by two years at Glamour — my 9 to 5 has involved drafting guides on the best gifts for everyone on your list, from your mum and dad to your boyfriend, best friend and their newborn baby.

To ensure I'm an expert in the above areas, my working week involves heading to countless press days to learn about new launches, as well as interviewing experts, whether they be gifting pros, retail buyers or seasoned personal shoppers. I also try to personally test as many products as possible.

As a result, you could say I am more of an expert on the subject of shopping and gift-giving than your average online shopper. In fact, ahead of last Christmas, I was asked to share my tips live on Radio 4, where I suggested we collectively skip a restock of socks in exchange for a DIY gift hamper or bucket list experience gift.