Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Eurgh, it’s that time of the year again! I know Valentine’s can be a bit vom-worthy and mostly the thought of it makes me cringe, I have to (secretly) admit that I am a bit of a closet romantic at heart. Just a bit. I might not have my own ‘traditional’ Valentine to gift this year (RIP to the days of surprise roases being delivered to work), but I always think Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to give some little presents to whoever you might love in your life; your sister, your best friend, yo Momma. So, in the spirit of that, let me show you my Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2016 for him and her (and whoever else).

There’s always tons of themed chocolate on the shelves around this time of year, so if you fancy treating someone to a sweet somethin’ somethin’ then now is the time. Hotel Chocolat has gotta be my fav premium chocolate brand; the quality and taste is always delicious and I love how they always create a quirky twist on celebrations and holidays. For my top picture, the long Valentine’s Day Sleekster costs £22 and is full of different fruity flavours of chocolate hearts – colourful and fun yet still sophisticated in a beautifully presented box. Then above, there’s the a whole goodie bag full of treats if you aren’t sure what your beau would choose. Or, if you’re looking for just a little stocking filler, the sweet little ‘Wink-Wink’ box is full of dark chocolate hearts for a bargainous £2.50.

However, if cheap and cheerful is your taste (no shame!) then there’s a lot of other high street chocolate options to choose from. Honestly, most of the time I prefer a good old bar of Cadbury’s to a fancy box of chocs. Not sure why, but I always think Toblerones make a good gift – perhaps because they’re the sort of shape you couldn’t get away with just buying for yourself. I couldn’t resist buying this ‘TO…” personalised version for a friend – plus, it’s a bit of a ‘blokey’ type of chocolate if your man doesn’t like picking out dainty chocs one by one.

Another low budget gift for him or her would be to pick up some of their fav bath time treats in scents that remind you of them. I’ve recently become part of #OSTribe, a tribe of Original Source shower junkies who are being given the opportunity to try out different products each month. This month, my first three showergels came wrapped up in this lovely bundle with a towel to boot. I can’t take the credit for this gift idea, but I thought it was such a lovely touch and a great idea for him or her. Plus, if you have a guy or gal you like to get a bit wet with, this might be the perfect excuse to lather up in the shower together this Valentine’s…

If you’re not quite in the ‘sharing a shower’ stage of your relationship, consider puckering up instead. These Lord & Berry Timeless Liquid Lipsticks call themselves ‘kissproof’. Yep, it’s on the bottle. If that isn’t an invitation to test out their snog staying power I don’t know what is… I particularly I love this feminine pink shade and romantic red, ideal for the occasion. If you want to see more from these, I’ll be giving them a full review soon.

For a feminine beauty gift of a higher price point, I think a fragrance is always a special present. People don’t often think to buy themselves perfumes and so collecting them as gifts is always a special treat; plus, a scent is often a reminder of a good memory, which I think is pretty romantic. Debenhams have a huge selection of high end and designer fragrances available, at a really competitive price, which is where this Chloe perfume is from. It’s a beautiful, fresh and floral scent, perfect for any lady in your life – be that your girlfriend, best friend or Momma.

There are also a lot of sexy masculine fragrances available for the guy in your life, but, if you think they might want something a little more practical, try going for a belt. This beautiful navy blue and brown leather combo is fromBrydon Brothers. If you’ve not heard of them before, Brydon Brothers is a British belt brand launched by four brothers from England and each belt is lovingly created and totally unique. Plus, they come in a really cute wooden gift box with a dust bag, which makes the gift feel a lot more special than your standard belt.

For him or her, these Trendz items are totally practical yet totally sweet, too. Taken from their brand new travel range, these blue and white chevron print passport cover and power bank are handy for pretty much everyone. We all go on our holidays and we all need a portable phone charger for emergency situations, so we may as well do it in style! Again, these are a really different idea but one that’s easy on your pocket, too.

For some final ‘stocking filler’ type presents, go with the Valentine’s theme and look for pretty much anything red or heart shaped. I’m all for it. This heart hand warmed is a pretty cute idea (if you aren’t there to hold their hand – n’aww!). Red lip balm or nail varnish is always a good one or, look out for a special scarlet candle. This little vintage wine glass one is from a local independent shop to me, but it’s handmade so if you’re feeling crafty you could definitely try this out yourself…

As a final idea, Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be complete without my favourite festive sweets. As a sweet little gesture, gift your crush a pack of Love Hearts – less than a pound they’re a cute gesture and quite honestly, I’d be just as thrilled with a packet of these from the guy I like than any other present…

Or, if there’s literally no one you want to bother with this year, wait until February 15th when all of the Valentine’s chocolate magically gets reduced and grab yourself a half price box of treats. I feel ya, gurl.