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Valentine’s Day is an opportune time to wear your heart on your sleeve — whether that’s setting up a romantic breakfast-in-bed situation for your spouse, tucking a package of Sweethearts into your kid’s lunch box, or presenting a floral bouquet to a friend. But if you’re struggling to choose a gift for the woman you love — especially if heart-shaped, more-frivolous-than-functional Valentine’s Day fare isn’t quite her style — we’re here to help. (Pity the poor giant teddy bear that gets cast aside once the holiday is over.) Here, we rounded up dozens of ideas, from Danny Trejo’s favorite fuzzy dice to a baking-dish set that’s perfect for an “on-the-fly gratin.” All the Valentine’s Day gifts below have been carefully selected from our archives, so you can rest assured they’re both delightful and Strategist-approved. Every item is available on Amazon, too, and will arrive before February 14 — just don’t dillydally any longer, as the holiday is only a couple of days away. As of press time. (And if you still need more inspiration, check out our men’s version of this list.)
Under $25
For the woman who’s always craving chocolate
Even fancier than Ferrero Rocher, these “classic Austrian confections” are layered bull’s-eye-style with marzipan, nougat, pistachio, and chocolate, explains Jeremy Salamon, former executive chef of the Eddy. They have a “very 19th-century high-society vibe,” he adds, for their Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart–emblazoned packaging.
For the woman who’s anti-chocolate but pro-sweets
“Nothing else I’ve ever encountered manages to combine kitsch (delightful), miniatures (equally delightful), and candy (delicious)” quite like marzipan, says former Strategist writer Hilary Reid. So this fruit-shaped set is sure to be a hit.
For the woman with an afternoon tea habit
Upgrade her teapot by gifting this one from Scandinavian kitchenware company Bodum. Tea consultant Sara Shacket likes that it’s transparent for “admiring the color of your tea.”
For the woman who’s trying to slash her café bills
“Superfood is admittedly a nebulous term,” says Strategist contributor Aisha Rickford, but Golde’s blend of turmeric, coconut, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper adds an earthy flavor to easy at-home lattes. Plus it gives her an overall boost of energy.
For the woman whose charcuterie boards are works of art
Laila Gohar, food artist and founder of Gohar World, loves to nibble on these jarred peppers, which are “spicy and briny and add a nice bite to a lot of dishes.”
For the woman who drizzles
Nancy Jenkins, cook and author, says this bottle of liquid gold works with almost any dish: “It has a distinctive fruitiness, but it also has a piquant kick in the back of the throat.”
For the woman who isn’t afraid of some spice
Missy Robbins, chef-owner of Lilia and Misi, likes heat in everything. But this paste is special for its unique depth of flavor. “You get heat in the background, but there’s also a richness from the peppers,” Robbins says.
For the woman who has slippery fingers
After slicing the tip of her index finger in an avocado-toast incident, Strategist contributor Lily Kamp got herself a pair of these cut-resistant gloves. They’re made from “high-performance polyethylene glass fibers” to keep her digits safe whether she’s slicing onions or shucking oysters.
For the woman who likes to cuddle
Instead of the stereotypical teddy bear, get her this slightly silly plush leek (or any other stuffy from Jellycat’s extensive line, which features a wide range of animals, food, and even a cute aloe plant). Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo is a noted Jellycat fan and has been known to pretend to eat the brand’s faux broccoli in front of her toddler niece.
For the woman who always hosts happy hour
For the woman who’s always doodling
Turn her phone into a blank canvas with this digital paintbrush. Strategist contributor Grace Banks says it lets her pretend she’s David Hockney — and helped kick her TV habit. “I pick my colors, maybe a saturated midnight-sky blue or a creamy purple, and start gliding the brush over the screen,” Banks says.
For the woman who sings in the shower
Strategist beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton takes very long showers — double-processing her hair, letting moisturizing masks sink in, and exfoliating and shaving take time! The inexpensive SoundBot Shower Speaker keeps her entertained the whole way through, letting her stream audio from her phone via Bluetooth. “The quality of the sound isn’t Sonos level or anything, but the SoundBot works in the ways you need it to. You can hear music or podcasts clearly, and it actually gets pretty loud,” she explains.
For the woman who wore out her last stress ball
The right fidget toy might do wonders for her racing thoughts — one tween directed us to this tricolor ice pop, which feels more fun than the standard circle.
For the woman who would rather be forest bathing
“There is no mystery to this incense. It’s a fire in a cabin in the New England woods — almost literally,” says Strategist contributor Belle Cushing about these sticks made by a nearly century-old company in Maine.
For the woman who needs something stronger than incense
A longtime Strategist favorite, this lavender-scented stick is similar to Ambien — without the side effects, according to contributor Sara Gaynes Levy. “The smell was addictive at first waft — calming and just a little sweet,” she says.
For the woman who’s into classic cars
“Bouncing down Rodeo Drive in a ’76 Cadillac Seville? Just immaculate. Of course, real lowriders need fuzzy dice,” advises actor Danny Trejo. And while she may not (yet) own the old wheels of her dreams, these will dress up her Prius.
For the woman who’s intrigued by bugs
Let her observe them up close with this doodad, which comedian Kate Berlant uses to capture spiders, stare at them, then safely release them back into the wild. “It has a long handle, so I can open the window and flick it out. I don’t have to be a murderer,” she says.
For the woman who always buys fresh flowers
Marc Hachadourian, the senior curator of orchids at the New York Botanical Garden, likes to keep this pruner in a holster on his belt. It’s “kind of my universal tool,” he says, adding that its shape helps with the preciseness needed to trim the stems on blooms.
For the woman who counts fancy soap as a necessity
A trip to Portugal with friends led Reid to buy “enough beautifully packaged bar soap” for years to come — but this one from fragrance-maker Claus Porto was her favorite. It smells “like a freshly cut bouquet,” she says.
For the woman who needs some lip service
This overnight mask has a dedicated celebrity following that includes Yuna Zarai, Ty Hunter, Ashley Benson, Storm Reid, Beverly Nguyen, and Keke Palmer. Strategist beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst compares the mask to “gummy candy that’s been softened by the sun.” Once she put it on peeling lips, “the fraying skin almost” melted “back into place.”
For the woman who always has knots in her necklaces
Jewelry designer Melinda Maria uses this jewelry organizer to display her most-worn pieces — the T-bar design lets her hang different sizes of jewelry on each tier.
Under $50
For the woman who always has knots in her back
This knobby massage tool allows you to attack different pressure points, according to Strategist junior writer Kitty Guo, with the round ones good for bigger muscles and the nubs helpful for easing the lower back. (Both Ottessa Moshfegh and Daniel Kwan are fans.)
For the woman who dreads spending time at the salon
Help her keep her hair healthy with this Olaplex mask. It’s a favorite among stylists for use on all types of hair: The treatment works on “natural textures that tend to feel coarse or dry, and even perfectly healthy hair that is seeing a seasonal change in hair health,” says Jessica O’Keeffe of Hawthorne Studio.
For the woman who’s a makeup minimalist
This mini set — which includes highlighter, blush, and a lip balm — is beloved by actress AnnaSophia Robb, who brings it as her only palette when she’s traveling with just a carry-on. “It’s creamy and lasts forever,” Robb explains.
For the woman who appreciates true grit
If she reserves time during every shower to exfoliate, this scrub is a favorite of Denton-Hurst, who says it gets rids of dead skin without overstripping and has a slightly floral scent that isn’t overpowering.
For the woman who’s allergic to fresh flowers
Get her a fake (read: forever) bouquet. This is one of our favorite dried floral arrangements — just note that the flowers ship loose, so you’ll have to place them in a vase after they arrive.
For the woman who’s always running late
Timex’s watch “tricks people into thinking it costs more than it does because it’s simply designed, yet still has all the features of a pricier timepiece,” says Strategist editor Maxine Builder. Since it’s so classic, your valentine will think you spent more than you really did.
For the woman who can hear a pin drop
“It almost sounds like there’s an air conditioner on full blast,” says actress Eva Mendes about this white-noise machine that blocks out more disruptive sounds. It helped her sleep during a recent trip through Australia, where magpies, kookaburras, and cockatoos have made her mornings sound like Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room.
For the woman who prefers the window seat
Mercedes Arielle, the blogger behind Calculated Opulence, recommends this travel pillow because it allows her to “maximize every inch of my window seat” and lets her get “sound, uninterrupted sleep on flights.”
For the woman with an analog vibe
Designer Luke Edward Hall put this Fujifilm camera on his packing list for a trip to Rome. “It’s a cliché, but they do take lovely pictures with much more atmosphere than I’ll get with my iPhone,” he explains.
For the woman who’s in desperate need of a massage
Instead of a one-time-only spa-day certificate, get her a foam roller she can use every day. The TriggerPoint counts marathon runners and American Ballet Theatre dancers as devotees.
For the woman who likes to double-check her measurements
Food52 food editor Emily Ziemski has relied on her Escali kitchen scale since her culinary-school days. And Strategist kitchen-and-dining writer Emma Wartzman calls the buttons “super-intuitive.” She adds, “It does everything it needs to and nothing more.”
For the woman who always brings a casserole
Wartzman uses this Staub set more than any other bakeware she owns (it’s a bonus that the nesting design is space-saving). She depends on the dishes to make everything from slow-roasted salmon to “on-the-fly gratin.”
For the woman who never misses an issue of World of Interiors
Any architecture enthusiast will appreciate this coffee-table book, which features drone-captured shots of swimming pools across the world, from Mexico to Australia.
Under $100
For the woman who likes her sandwiches hot
This Cuisinart topped our list of the best panini presses. Cookbook author Patricia Wells praises the grill marks you get with it, while Kathy Strahs, the blogger behind Panini Happy, points out that the machine is easy to clean.
For the woman whose dining table is pristine
The coaster-scape has recently exploded with designer, design-y options; these appropriately titled “Versailles” coasters are gilded around the edges.
For the woman who needs a dedicated shoe closet
Help her stay organized with this expandable rack that Corsillo says has helped her edit her shoe collection down to whatever fits “within its handsome limits.” She adds, “It’s surprisingly slim and unobtrusive for how strong it is, giving the illusion that our shoes are kind of elegantly floating in space.”
For the woman who never has a hair out of place
Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla (That’s me!) kicked her Olaplex habit thanks to this oil from True Botanicals, which gives her hair “a glossiness reminiscent of what you’d see in a shampoo commercial.”
For the woman whose green thumb has brown spots
She’ll never have to worry about forgetting to water this fake monstera (which decidedly appears like the real deal).
For the woman who lives by the book
Strategist writer Lauren Ro likes the gridded daily pages of this planner for their “structured-but-not-too-structured layout.”
For the woman who doesn’t iron
The Conair Turbo is the steamer that Uma Thurman’s stylist uses. Zach Pozniak, a third-generation dry cleaner, describes it as “surprisingly light,” too.
For the woman who sits at a desk all day
She can take a break and stand up with this mat, which encourages “subconscious movement,” explains chiropractor Dr. Randi Jaffe, and can help with posture and weak knees.
For the woman with achy feet
Pamper her with the best electric foot massager, which will give her a deep Shiatsu-style kneading.
Under $150
For the woman whose PJs are full of holes
For the woman who likes to set the mood
Actress Ellen Pompeo keeps a Vitruvi in her trailer, where the essential oils (which are sold separately) make “the room feel fresh and gives it a vibe.”
For the woman who could use a (literal) wake-up call
Janet Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor, recommends this gentle-wake alarm clock to make getting up easier — or at least more serene. It comes with a breathing-relaxation guide in addition to pre-programmed sounds of rainfall and bird calls.
For the woman who’s serious about sleep
Sleep experts turned us onto this tracker, which will help her figure out what habits are affecting her shut-eye by offering feedback about how well she sleeps every night.
For the woman with old photos in the attic
Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon named this Epson one of the best photo scanners for its scanning resolution and functionality (it can scan multiple pictures at once). It will help her digitize her stacks of photo prints in no time.
For the woman who feels bad about her eyes
For her dark-circle concerns, this eye cream is dermatologist-approved. “This is a favorite in my office,” says Melissa Doft, founder of Doft Plastic Surgery. And founder of RVL Skincare Rita Linkner has used it twice a day for years, mentioning that she’s seen “a big improvement in crepe-ing.”
For the woman who’s always game to do a shot
The Picopresso is a portable espresso machine — and apparently an “industry secret,” according to Suyog Mody, founder of Brooklyn’s Driftaway Coffee.
$150 and up
For the woman who always adds a side of rice
“I’m sure people have said this before, but it really is the Lamborghini of rice cookers,” says food writer and recipe developer Kiera Wright-Ruiz of this Zojirushi. It also plays a version of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” when your rice is ready.
For the woman who religiously checks expiration dates
Vacuum sealing is how Kimberly Plafke, production manager at the Meat Hook and a self-professed “crazy coupon lady,” can stock up on whatever deals she finds at the grocery store and preserve them for future use. This FoodSaver system helps “organize your fridge and freezer so much better,” she says.