What Your Girlfriend Really Wants for Valentine’s Day
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I like to think of myself as a professional girlfriend. I held the title for ten years before becoming a wife, and to this day, I believe that my excellent gift-giving abilities had something to do with keeping us happy and in love all those years. My strategy is simple: Pay attention and be specific. Did she recently decide to join a cookbook club? Easy, another cookbook or cooking-adjacent accessory like a sheet pan. Does she go on about how much she loathes the “big light” in her office? Amazing, get her a nice-looking lamp. The key here is to customize things to her taste and listen for the little things. But I get that that can be easier said than done, so I’ve compiled gifts based on what girlfriends (yours included)couldlike, broken down into very specific things she might be into like Ultrafragola mirrors or traveling or gold grills.
To make your search even easier, all the gifts on this list are available on Amazon (though we’ve included links to other retailers when a gift is available elsewhere, for those who like to shop around). We’ve also organized everything by price so you can find a great gift that won’t bust your budget. (If youstillcan’t find something that’ll make your girlfriend smile, check out our exhaustive list of over 60gift guides.)
Giftsunder$25
For the girlfriend who likes a little treat
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Lots of low-sugar gummies can taste strange, but these are shockingly addicting.
For the girlfriend who likes to keep a list
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A simple Moleskine gets the job done. We’ve been recommending these notebooks for years, but most recently, they were mentioned by Kristin Scott Thomas, who uses them to write everything down.
For the girlfriend who loves a page-turner
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Oyinkan Brathwaite’s latest is about a family grappling with a generations-spanning curse. It’s a riveting follow-up to her incredibly popular debut,My Sister the Serial Killer.
For the girlfriend who’s serious about her bath routine
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Stock her shower with this nice-smelling body wash, which is packed with vitamins C and E and simultaneously cleans and moisturizes skin.
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Gift her the matching exfoliator for super-smooth skin.
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And Turkish bath cloths for added dead-skin sloughing.
For the analog girlfriend
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You can take one ear and she the other.
For the girlfriend who’s always losing her earrings
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An affordable but still nice pair of chunky hoops.
For the girlfriend who loves a late night
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For the morning after, a set of eye patches that will keep her under-eye moisturized and de-puffed.
For the caffeinated girlfriend
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The makers of our favorite water bottle also have an insulated coffee mug that promises no leakage.
For the girlfriend who’s also a bibliophile
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This book light is a hit among Strategist staffers and bookworms alike. Its bendy neck, amber lighting, and long battery life (you can go about a month between charges) makes it a perennial favorite.
Giftsunder$50
For the girlfriend on a quest for baby-soft skin
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A salt-based body scrub that gently exfoliates and softens skin. It’s a favorite ofGather Journalco-founder Fiorella Valdesol, who says it easily gets rid of multiple layers of sunscreen.
For the girlfriend who spent New Years Eve in Rio
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Everything Sol de Janeiro makes contains ingredients native to Brazil. This moisturizing body butter contains passionflower seed oil and copaiba resin, which calms stressed skin.
For the home-chef girlfriend
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This fancy, pyramid-shaped flaky salt will make all her dishes taste better.
For the girlfriend who started a new retinol
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This mineral sunscreen is a favorite of dermatologists, who like that it uses physical blockers and also moisturizes skin.
For the girlfriend who likes a no-screen activity
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These flowers last forever and will offer a few hours of fun.
For the flower-market-frequenting girlfriend
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A sculptural vase to hold her blooms.
For the girlfriend with a signature stack
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She’ll appreciate this updated take on the initial necklace, which has a puffy font.
For the girlfriend on Korean head spa-tok
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This lightweight oil will nourish her hair without weighing it down.
Giftsunder$100
For the girlfriend who needs a new wallet
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Coach is renowned for its leather, and at $75, this feels like a steal. It can hold up to five cards and has a center pocket to hold cash.
For the girlfriend who always has a cracked screen
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With this, she can drop her phone as much as she wants and her screen will remain intact.
For the girlfriend who loves a Mary Poppins purse
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This surprisingly roomy Baggu purse is reminiscent of a nylon Prada bag and can fit a few books and a laptop.
For the butter-loving girlfriend
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This butter warmer has been surprisingly helpful in my kitchen.
For the girlfriend who has a hard time falling asleep
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Drowsy Silk Sleep Eye Mask
A light-blocking face sleep mask that wraps all the way around to completely block out light.
Giftsunder$200
For the girlfriend who doesn’t cook
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Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven With Grill
An air fryer is great for warming up all the takeout she orders.
For the girlfriend who’s a light sleeper
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Snooz White-Noise Machine
Actress Brianne Howey swears by this white-noise machine, which is Bluetooth enabled so you can control it without leaving the bed.
For the girlfriend who cooks everything in one pot
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Katie Kitamura, among others, swears by this classic option, which makes a perfect batch of rice every time.
For the gym-rat girlfriend
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This handheld Theragun is the perfect complement to heavy lift days and, according to Strategist writer Jeremy Rellosa, the triangular handle makes it easier to target hard-to-reach areas like the back.
For the medium-distance girlfriend
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The Cotopaxi backpack is a favorite of among Strategist writers because it essentially has built in packing cubes, making it perfect for a weekend trip.
For the skin-care obsessive
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This nifty red-light wand helps with everything from hyperpigmentation to fine lines and will round out her skin-care routine.
For the girlfriend who has been wearing the same pair of slippers since you met
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These UGG slippers are a longtime Strategist favorite and will keep her feet toasty. Their thick rubber sole provides a good amount of foot support, and they’re even sturdy enough to wear outside the house.
For the girlfriend who reads in transit
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A lightweight Kindle so she can get throughThe Power Brokerwithout hurting her wrists.
Over$200
For the biohacking girlfriend
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The Oura Ring tracks everything from sleep quality to stress so she can optimize her daily routine.
For the girlfriend with a sweet tooth
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With this, she can make soft serve at home in an endless amount of flavors.
For the girlfriend with a meticulously maintained Letterboxd
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This portable projector is sleek, lightweight, and can turn anywhere into a screening room.
For the girlfriend who DIYs her blowouts
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A best-in-class blow-dryer that dries hair quickly and won’t fry her strands.
For the girlfriend who burns the midnight oil
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This lamp is apparently the inspiration for the iconic Pixar logo, and according to architecture critic Alexandra Lange’s husband (who’s an architect), it’s the “black T-shirt of architect desk lamps.”
For the girlfriend who lives near a subway
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I tested these out at a Best Buy and was impressed by how effective the noise canceling is (almost too quiet, honestly). I ended up buying the cheaper XM4s, which do a good job of silencing city sounds (I live right next to a train and under a flight path) but aren’t quite as silent as these.
The Strategistis designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the bestwomen’s jeans,rolling luggage,bed sheets,coffee makers, andbath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
