The Expensive Gifts for Moms That Are Actually Worth It

For spending hours with hot rollers in her hair and cucumbers under her eyes, here’s an extra-absorbent bathrobe. Former Strategist writer Rachael Griffiths does the entirety of her beauty routine (from skin care to hair drying) in it.

They’re made with a soft pima cotton that’ll keep her cool between the sheets. (If you need any more proof: A self-professed sweaty sleeper on staff recommends the pajama set.)

As seen in last year’s print Strategist “Gift Issue” are these slippers from Cinabre (the official tie supplier to the French president). Each slipper is stitched in the tradition of a century-old Charentais workshop, and you can customize the tag on the inside of them with handwritten initials and a date.

“Once you know the visual vocabulary to spot a Ted Muehling, you’ll see them everywhere,” says illustrator Joana Avillez, who once wrote about her mom’s love for the jewelry line’s earrings. Get an original with these berries, available in amethyst, turquoise, carnelian, citrine, chalcedony, or chrysoprase (seen here).

This low-maintenance cashmere shawl (which reminds me of something Ina Garten or a Nancy Meyers heroine would wear) can be thrown on whenever there’s a drop in temperature. This one, in a very on-trend shade of mint, in on sale right now.

Not only could these clogs be worn for basil-picking in a muddy garden, they’re nice enough to go tomato-shopping at the farmers’ market.

A hyperlong-lasting perfume, Matiere Premiere’s Vanilla Powder “smells like salt, fire, and divine intervention,” according to contributor Iva Dixit.

The retinol in Soft Services’ hand cream helps fight wrinkles, while the colloidal oatmeal is soothing on the skin.

This is the soap in designer Suzie Kondi’s bathroom. “I feel bad for all the other soap in the world,” she says. The bar features notes of tuberose, vanilla, clove, and musk. Officine Universelle Buly offers one of the best online gift-wrapping services, too, with origami packages wrapped in Japanese paper inspired by kimono motifs.

You’ll find it in the bathroom at Zimmi’s, among other buzzy places.

A boar-bristle brush (like Mason Pearson’s) that’ll be sitting pretty on her vanity, La Bonne Brosse’s N.01 has made Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo’s hair shinier and less prone to flyaways. And depending on different hair-care needs, there’s also the N.02 for detangling, N.03 for gentle scalp care, and N.04 for massaging.

The debut of Dyson’s Supersonic set the hair world abuzz years ago, and years later, it’s still the best hair dryer money can buy. It gives a salon-worthy blowout you don’t have to pay a hairdresser for.

This handy gadget (which reminds our beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton of a computer mouse) might just replace her monthly facial. A combination of different currents helps boost collagen and tone facial muscles, explains Viera-Newton. (Plus an app guides her through cheekbone contouring.)

The biggest selling point of the Higher Dose’s travel-size sauna blanket is “basically, your body feels like you’re working out, but without having to ever step foot in the gym,” says Strategist contributor Halley Furlong-Mitchell. (The online listed benefits — “sweat out impurities and burn calories,” “reduces stress and boost mood,” “increases blood flow and circulation,” “promotes glowing skin” — seem true in Furlong-Mitchell’s experience.) It’ll be just the thing for the mother who doesn’t know how to relax.

Unlike a traditional ice-cream-maker, the Ninja Swirl by Creami “doesn’t use a freezer bowl, nor does it come with a built-in freezer compressor,” explains our senior writer Lauren Ro. “Instead, you freeze your ice-cream mixture overnight, then spin it in the machine, which uses a blade that breaks down the mix.” No more need for a cone of Häagen-Dazs. (There’s an extractor that turns out a soft serve that tastes like McDonald’s, too.)

The best soda-maker on the market is outfitted with different fizz levels for “Topo Chico–style” bubbles and ones similar to those in a bottle of Schweppes.

A Smythson notebook will make jotting down her notes a little less dull. (You can also brag that the company made Queen Victoria’s stationery.)

It’s the solution for an overpacker who packs a month’s worth of stuff for a weeklong trip. It comes outfitted with compressible compartments that lift up into a closet that hangs on the suitcase’s handle — and most international airlines (even those cheap European ones) will accept the carry-on at check-in.

The Meural Canvas has the best screen of any digital picture frame Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon has tried out for “about as close as you can get to making large prints of your favorite smartphone photos without having to run and get them printed.” And it’ll help clear off the side of the fridge covered with school photos and postcards.

For the mom who prefers her jewerly a bit more understated, these discs are stamped with hand-drawn birth flower designs — stack up to three. The delicate designs are meaningful and something she’ll actually wear every day.

Journalist and mom of two young children Amy Marturana Winderl received this mug as a gift and says it’s been life-changing. “My biggest complaint as a mom is that my coffee is never hot,” she says. “My husband got this for me, and I’m obsessed.” She hasn’t had to reheat her coffee mug in the microwave since.