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While Valentine’s Day origins are murky and celebrations are sometimes fraught, Galentine’s Day offers uncomplicated seasonal joys—and a cheekier backstory. In 2010, Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation character launched the unofficial February 13 holiday as an occasion for “Ladies celebrating ladies.” Candy Bar Packaging Machine
Whether you’re looking for something sophisticated, silly, or whimsical, we’ve rounded up our favorite affordable tokens of appreciation, a good many from women-owned companies. Girls just want to have fun—and chocolate, jewelry, flowers, and sparkle.
You can mix sweet, sour, chocolate, and black licorice candies from this purveyor of elevated Swedish treats. They come packed in a glossy box and secured with a floppy ribbon bow.
Tied with a powder-pink ribbon and dressed up with graceful script, the BonBon Limited Edition Valentine’s Day Rouge Gift Box is one sweet package. A favorite of Wirecutter’s kitchen team, the New York candy shop BonBon imports fancy Swedish candies, including sparkly sour mini strawberries, crispy chocolate-covered rice puffs, and upgraded Swedish Fish. This gift box contains an assortment of the company’s best mix-and-match gummies, and each confection is chewier, more complex, and more unexpected than ordinary candy.
A beginner orchid, the sunset-hued Phalaenopsis arrives measuring 16 to 30 inches tall. It’s pet friendly and easy to care for, and it reblooms for up to three months each year.
With its tall, lithe stalk and architectural flowers, an orchid is an instant brightener for anyone’s day. We particularly love the Rooted Salmon Orchid. The Phalaenopsis, which features lovely pink-orange blossoms, is quite easy to take care of—it just needs to be placed in sunshine and watered weekly. The plant arrives at a height of 16 to 30 inches and in your choice of a pot: ceramic, woven, or wood.
For sweets aficionados nationwide, you can send a package of these oversize, crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside cookies.
New York City’s Levain Bakery, established by former competitive swimmers Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald, is legendary for both long lines and delicious cookies. At 6 ounces, each cookie is gargantuan, gooey on the inside, and chock-full of high-quality mix-ins. Available in packs of four, eight, or 12, the Levain Bakery Signature Cookie Assortment—one of our picks for the best gift baskets—includes the shop’s beloved classic Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin flavors. Whether your friend is an ex–New Yorker or just a baked-goods hound, this gift pack is a legit way to skip that infamous queue.
In its handsome container, this candle pairs a main course of cypress smoke with sides of warm amber, sweet vanilla, florals, and fresh moss. But the glossy vessel shows fingerprints, so handle with care.
Sure, the brand is called Boy Smells, but the cool-kid label is plenty popular with ladies too, and its dusty-rose-hued label is seasonably appropriate. After testing 53 candles, we gave the Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme Candle a spot on our best candles list for its elegant aromatics consisting of earthy woodsmoke with hints of sweet vanilla and mossy freshness. If your friend’s tastes lean more earthy and minimalist (rather than in-your-face floral), this candle might be the right one for her. The glossy-black glass vessel and luminous wax are equally lovely to behold.
The toffees, caramels, and truffles from Valerie Confections are deceptively simple, combining classic fillings with beautiful technique—and some unexpected flavor combinations.
For some women, chocolate means happiness every single time. And Los Angeles’s Valerie Confections—operated by Valerie Gordon and her husband, Stan Weightman Jr.—makes impressively fine chocolates with flawless, satin-like finishes and dialed-in flavors. The 18-piece Valerie Confections Baby Grand Assortment, one of our top picks for the best chocolates, is an exercise in deftly executed classics, with flavors such as buttery caramel bonbon and smooth dark truffles with ganache fillings. It comes in a cream-hued box with gold letters and a gold satin ribbon—just as sophisticated as your favorite gal.
This set creates a darling duo of roses with adjustable stems and a smattering of little thorns. Assembly–thankfully–not included.
Wirecutter staffers are big Lego heads, but your best girl needn’t be one to enjoy the Lego Roses set, part of the inspired Botanical Collection. Assembled, the 120-piece set creates two long-stem roses, complete with petals, thorns, green leaves, and adjustable-length stems. Most notable, though: The blooms are easy to assemble, with little time commitment, and they’re unobtrusive enough to pleasingly display at home. Will she accept this ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) rose? Undoubtedly.
This six-pack of tiny atomizers contains the most popular perfumes from an excellent, eclectic perfumery.
May be out of stock
The D.S. & Durga Greatest Hits Vol. 1 perfume sampler takes the guesswork out of determining your friend’s fragrance preferences by letting her try a half dozen. A graphic cigarette-style box features six atomizers of best sellers from the Brooklyn perfumery, the brainchild of Kavi Durga (an architect) and David Moltz (a self-taught perfumer). Each scent features a clever name and fun scent notes, such as Debaser, which the shop describes as “Rock n roll station blaring summer figs.”
These lovely, delicate rings—one hammered and one chain—are made with 100% recycled 14-karat yellow gold.
Your days of threading plastic beads for friendship bracelets may be well behind you, but you can still share sentimental jewelry with your best gal pals. The grown-up Catbird Stack Starter Set of whisper-thin rings is made with 100% recycled 14-karat yellow gold and includes a slightly hammered threadbare ring and a delicate chain ring—a pair to share as reminders of your bond. You also may feel good knowing that your cash is going to support a small, women-owned business (Catbird’s founder is Rony Vardi, and its creative director is Leigh Plessner), instead of a global jewelry behemoth. Just remember: A true friend lets their bestie choose which of the rings she favors (or at least admits to keeping her favorite).
Convenient to carry, this mini designer version of the reusable tote is surprisingly durable and can hold up to 50 pounds. You can wipe it clean or throw it in the wash after unloading your groceries, and it packs down into a tiny carrying case.
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Baggu bags here at Wirecutter. Made of ripstop nylon, the washable, wipeable, tough totes can hold up to 50 pounds and pack down to nearly nothing—specifically, a 4-by-4-inch square. The special-edition Mara Hoffman Baby Baggu—a collaboration between New York designer Mara Hoffman and Emily Sugihara’s Baggu—measures 18 by 10 by 4 inches and sports a swirly mix of colorful flowers and leaves. Your friend can keep this one in her everyday purse, at the ready for impromptu shopping in style.
This adaptable, multi-compartment bento box makes packing a lunch easy (and, weirdly, more fun). It’s microwave and dishwasher safe, and it comes in many adorable colors, but it’s not appropriate for liquids.
Great cooks or thrifty types might love the Takenaka Bento Bite Dual—one of our picks for the best lunch box—which offers various compartments for different storage options. Both microwave and dishwasher safe, this cleanly designed bento box comes in a range of lovely colors, including a deep blue and the two-tone pear and biscuit. If you’re going to present it in person, it would be cute filled with treats for the occasion, such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, Red Hots, and conversation hearts.
For lovers of shiny things, these special-occasion metallic socks are the perfect splurge.
If your girlfriend goes gaga for anything sparkly, her reaction might be worth the silly cost of the metallic Laminated One socks made by Italian designer Maria La Rosa. She can dress up white sneakers, add a bright slice of color to black slacks, or just feel like a casual Dorothy Gale kicking back at home. Supervising editor Hannah Morrill has worn hers three special times, garnering rave reviews and comments. The shiny finish is prone to fading, however, so they are best hand-washed and hang-dried.
We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more Valentine’s Day gift ideas we recommend.
This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.
Mari Uyehara is a staff writer for Wirecutter’s gifts team. She was previously an editor at GQ, Saveur, and Vice, and she won a 2019 James Beard Award for her column on American cooking in Taste. The daughter of a potter, she has long been a believer in the power of a well-made thing.
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