What to Give Someone for Their 21st Birthday, According to Our Gen-Z Expert

Abbode’s shoe-box-size storefront in Nolitadraws consistent linesof tourists and locals hoping to buy a custom embroidered waffle pouch or tank top. If you’d rather not wait on line, there are also ready-to-order pouches like this one for the birthday girl who’s excited to say, “Cheers!”

If they’re planning to become their friend group’s new on-call bartender, this cocktail shaker from OXO combines three tools they’ll need: the shaker, jigger, and strainer. After I got one for my brother when he turned 21, he became a bartender at his college bar. (I’m not saying I was the inspiration, but I’m notnotsaying it …)

While a North Face Borealis is the typicalbackpack of choice among lowerclassmen, many college students upgrade to a shoulder bag later on. Longchamp’s Le Pliage is among the most popular.

Hatch’s sunrise alarm clock may have been thestatus gift for teensthis holiday season, but it’s popular among college students too. “Having a roommate with a really annoying alarm is frustrating, and this wakes you up so calmly and gently,” Lucy Harris, a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, says. “If my roommate had this alarm going off, I would not be mad.”

“Spikeball nets are a huge commodity to have on campus,” says Boulder, Colorado, student Sean Fleck, who plays the game in his spare time. This pro version has a sturdier frame that will move less when hit by a strong ball.

When my boyfriend turned 21 while we were in college, I went the book route and got him this encyclopedia of cocktails. He has since used it as inspiration for stirring up cocktails with cognac and Campari.

I also got him this wine-tasting book, which quickly paid off (as in, I can always trust him to pick a good bottle of wine).

When I was reviewingLola’sfaux-fur blankets, my sister was earnestly plotting how she could sneak it back to college. While she didn’t succeed, I’m sure she — and any other college student in need of a snuggly present — would appreciate its impossibly soft, chinchilla-like fur. (Before you check out, though, don’t forget to check social media for discount codes; influencers often post them.)

While most college students don’t get a required supplies list like you would in elementary and middle school, a hypothetical requireddormsupply kit would most certainly include aBluetooth speaker. We’ve been recommending the Wonderboom for its sound quality and affordability for years.

What better way to celebrate their first legal trip to the dispensary than with some prewrapped pink cones?

While you’ll find your handcrafted lighter cases atSusan AlexandraandEdie Parker, this one is a subtle yet sleek option for their favorite lighter.

I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again: I have yet to find a better sleep mask than this silk one from Drowsy. (And I’ve tested over a dozen sleep masks forour guide.) It blocks out light, has an adjustable strap, and is made of mulberry silk, one of the most high-end types of silk available.

I’m of the opinion that many tortoiseshell prints lean too khaki colored, too splotchy, or too crackled. But if you’re looking for the perfect accessory to thatCharles Wahba headbandthe 21-year-old in your life just picked up at C.O. Bigelow, I think this phone case gets the tortoiseshell formulajustright.

HydroJug is the newest competitor in the status-water-bottle fight, according to Casey Lewis, who writes the newsletterAfter School.The Gen-Zers say it’s spillproof and available in tons of cute colors and patterns.

Compared to a $6 cappuccino, Nespresso’s sub-$2 pods are a budget-saveranda time-saver. My go-to is theDolce double espresso pod, which has notes of caramel and malted cereal. (I pair it with somechocolate fèveswhen I want a mocha.)

After usingShark’s CyroGlow maskfor a few months, even our writer Dominique Pariso’s father noticed a difference: “‘Your skin looks really good. You don’t have your usual, you know,’ he said, gesturing vaguely at the side of my face where my zits usually are,” she writes. (And for what it’s worth, it’s a hit with theTikTok girlstoo.)

In the wise words of our travel writer, Katherine Gillespie, “The Cotopaxi Allpa is truly a backpack for suitcase people.” It fully unzips to reveal a large mesh compartment on the right-hand side and two smaller ones on the left, meaning it’s perfect for thosepersonal-item-onlytravel-abroad weekends.

She also recommends this tiny dental kit that “comes with a tiny tube of the best-tasting toothpaste out there.” (European pastries are no excuse for cavities upon their homecoming!)

Whenever I travel somewhere known for its wine — most recently Paris and the Loire Valley — I bring home a few bottles in these insulated wine bags. Though they’re designed to catch any spills should a bottle break, I’ve been safe so far.

If their budget only allows a middle seat, thistravel pillowwill give them something to lean their head against (other than, say, a disgruntled seatmate).

AsJennifer Garneronce said, “Nothing looks better in your 50s than sunscreen in your 20s.” Here’sour longtime favorite, which is hydrating and noncomedogenic.

University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Kylie Brennan and Barnard College’s Evie Komninakas both have self-tanners on the brain. “You get really pale and sickly in the winter,” Komninakas says, so she and her roommate share these drops.

If I had to guess, I’d say the fitness- and sleep-metric-tracking Oura rings are giving class rings a run for their money (literally). EvenJennifer Anistoncan’t live without one: “With my workouts, it’s great because it tracks them, and that just encourages you to keep going,” she told us.

What better way to entice more rest days than with anexpert-recommended massage gun? “The Hypervolt Pro 2’s motor creates a smooth hum as it operates, especially on its lowest setting, which is already quite powerful,” says our writer Brenley Goertzen, who named it the very best.

When you’re living off intern money, your beauty products need to pull their weight. Since thisgloss-slash-balmdoes double duty — “It has incredible longevity and a little exfoliation too,” says our beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst — it shouldn’t hurttoomuch come restock time.

If they already have their signature scent picked out, you might consider gifting them ahairperfume to stack it with. This one has citrus-floral notes of orange blossom and musk. (And, no,hair perfumesreally aren’t regular perfumes; there’s less alcohol, making them less drying.)

According to our senior kitchen and dining writer, Emma Wartzman, “Cheeky sources beans from Brooklyn’s Café Integral and bottles a well-balanced, just-slightly-sweet mixer that, when shaken with vodka and ice, produces a drink as well balanced and smooth as any bartender could make.” (Meaning you won’t need to buy them that Nespresso machine above, too.)

This elderflower-tonic syrup comes recommended byJeremy Mustakas, the director of restaurants for ABC, who says it’ll add a bright, floral dimension to your cocktails. All you will need is the prosecco.

Wartzman also recommends these premixed negronis from Via Carota. As she says, “Just chill, pour, and drink.”

Should they now fancy themself a “flask person,” this titanium one can store up to five ounces of their (newly) preferred liquor.

Sure, college dorms are made for Barefoot Wine and Bota boxes, but a nice real bottle of wine works too. Thisnondescript wine chillerwill require no pre-chilling or additional ice to keep their bottle of Sauvignon Blanc cool.

Where else but at college can you throw parties with frozen margaritas every weekend? This frozen drink machine works for just about anything else, too: “I’ve thrown all manner of drinks at it — mango juice, tomato juice and vodka, cold brew, a whole bottle of wine — and so far, it’s all worked,” says Strategist contributor Margaret Eby.