7 Valentine’s Gifts Every Girl Wants From Her Boyfriend

No, not a journey necklace.

Updated 11 years ago, February 10, 2014

The contents of her Sephora wish list

Every woman loves Sephora. It is like a grown up version of Alice in Wonderland with all kinds novelties and treats that you can get lost in for hours. I have a habit of keeping several hundred dollars worth of wish items in my Sephora online basket. When I read about something cool on a beauty blog, get a killer recommendation from a friend, or see an interesting look on Pinterest I add it in. The ultimate thoughtful, feel good gift would be for someone to log-in to my account and surprise me with items I’ve pined after.

Flowers

Yes, it’s gauche, but it’s still nice to get flowers delivered to your work. The cavaeat: Do NOT, under any circumstances, ever, gift a woman those sad, dying flowers you can buy at the gas station/bodega/grocery story. Yes, they will be able to tell. It’s like if your wife bragged about buying you basketball tickets but it was for a WNBA game. You can’t go wrong with a nice bouquet of pink roses.

Art

Pay a local artist to paint or draw a photograph of the two of you. It’s not as expensive as you think it would be.

A Manicure

Who does not look and feel their best when their nails are on point? A gift certificate for a manicure equals weeks of bounce in your step as it’s flossiness travels from your physical appearance to your mental state of mind.

Something smart

This is a compliment disguised as a gift (which is the best kind) because you are telling your girl you know she is intellectually curious, so you are feeding that part of her. I’m a big fan of autobiographies, so a collection of those by Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Taylor, Nora Ephron, and Helen Gurley Brown would be perfection.

Jewelry

Another warning for men who see a glut of ads directed at them around valentines day, do NOT buy your girlfriend a “journey” necklace or any piece of jewelry that is marketed at you. No girl wants the same necklace everyone else has, or to feel like her partner is so inept that he can only buy a piece of jewelry for his girl when it’s one specific piece that is shoved down his throat. If you still want to go to the mall jewelry store a better option is a floating rose gold pendant that will be in style forever, or a meaningful number or set of initials on a beautiful chain.