35 perfect last-minute Galentine's Day gifts to show your friends a little extra love
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You may not be able to buy six of your best friends matching Tiffany's diamond rings like Ariana Grande did, but you can still convey the same message this Galentine's Day - that without agenda or conditions, I really love you, and I appreciate you being in my life.
It's a simple sentiment, but aside from birthdays and holiday gift swaps, there are few annual reminders to celebrate the love in friendship. Maybe there are too many solid Julia Roberts rom-coms to grow tired of the sentiment, so we spend the lion's share of our collective energy celebrating romantic love. But if you've got a good group of supportive friends, you know firsthand that there are few people more deserving of your recognition and adoration.
Even if it's a made-up holiday, Galentine's Day is a great opportunity to remind your friends, in one small gesture, how much they mean to you. In other words, it's a great time to say "I love you!"
Below you'll find gifts both big and small to give your best friend or the whole pack:
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A cooking class, concert tickets, or another experience
Gift Card, available on Cozymeal, from $50
The perks to an experiential gift are pretty much limitless — you get to anticipate the fun you'll have together, have the experience, and then enjoy the memories after for years to come. It's quality time with someone you love, and the thought of making that an occasion worth celebrating. Plus, it doesn't hurt that there's no real deadline on an extremely thoughtful gift.
Find a list of great, affordable ways to gift an experience here — from grabbing an Airbnb in a neighboring state for a road trip with friends to concert tickets to taking a cooking class with one of the best chefs in the world on a Saturday morning with Cozymeal (like we did).
A tiny, personalized box of goodies
Personalized Box, available at Greetabl, from $12
Send a tiny personalized Galentine's day gift that you don't have to wrap by using Greetabl. Pick a box design, upload photos of the two of you, select from candies, confetti, face masks, and more to fill it, and fill out their address.
A ClassPass gift card
Gift Card, available on ClassPass, from $50
Rope your best friend into more boutique fitness classes by making them easier and cheaper to attend. If both of you are going, odds are you'll show up to class more frequently.
A clay mask the beauty community is obsessed with
Aztec Indian Healing Clay Mask, available on Amazon, $10.95
The phenomenon of the $11 clay mask and its almost 11,000 five-star reviews is a modern-day legend in the beauty industry. I've tried it myself, and it's probably both the cheapest and most irreplaceable clear skin tool I own. If your friend doesn't have it or hasn't heard of it, she'll probably love the opportunity, and thank you for introducing her to it.
A $28 vitamin c serum that keeps selling out
Glow Maker, available on Maelove, $27.95
Maelove is a skincare company founded by a team of MIT grads (skincare obsessives, brain and cancer researchers, and chemical engineers) to make affordable, high-quality skincare accessible. The entire under-$30 line is surprisingly great, but this $28 vitamin c serum (which people have likened to the multi-award-winning $166 C E Ferulic Serum) is the real showstopper — and it keeps selling out. I personally use it, and it does a great job of reducing hyperpigmentation, hydrating, and adding a nice "glow" to the skin.
Shipping note: Maelove says you can expect orders in three-seven business days.
A cult-favorite stainless steel water bottle to keep hot drinks hot
Hydro Flask 32 oz Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle, available on Amazon, $39.95
Hydro Flask makes the crème de la crème of stainless steel water bottles — and one of these will keep her coffee hot for up to 12 hours, and cold brew cold for up to 24 hours. It's one of the most thoughtful ways to improve the little everyday rituals.
A hair mask with over 3,800 five-star reviews
Hydrating Argan Oil Hair Mask and Deep Conditioner, available on Amazon, $12.95
Who doesn't love a great, deeply hydrating hair mask? This one is under $15 and has earned a bit of mythology online with more than 3,800 five-star reviews on Amazon. You can also find our personal favorite haircare products here.
A book full of hilarious feminist daydreams
New Erotica for Feminists, available on Amazon, $13.29
"Imagine a world where all erotica was written by feminists: Their daydreams include equal pay, a gender-balanced Congress, and Tom Hardy arriving at their doorstep to deliver a fresh case of LaCroix every week."
Another one to check out is the hilarious comedy philosophy book "How to Date Men When You Hate Men" by Blythe Roberson.
A brownie pan that only makes edge pieces
Baker's Edge Nonstick Edge Brownie Pan, available on Amazon, $35.95
A modern-day miracle: a pan that lands you a covetable edge piece 100% of the time. It would almost be a gag gift except for the fact that she'll wind up using it all the time.
A team of designers to help them construct their living space
Modsy Classic, available on Modsy, $79 [use promo code "CHILLY" for 20% off until February 10]
Whether they're moving, always talking about redecorating, or would love a gallery wall but don't want to sweat over the design, they'll appreciate a Modsy gift. The service makes an exact 3D, digital replica of their room and fills it with actual pieces of furniture from well-known brands that they can buy on the spot.
A "Parks and Recreation"-inspired card
Galentine's Day Card, available on Etsy, from $4.50
From one Leslie to her Ann. Even if you're only doing cards this year, they're a great gesture — especially when it's obvious you spent some time looking and ordered ahead.
A coffee table book from a renowned woman photojournalist
Of Love & War, available on Amazon, $27.19
"Of Love & War" is the first photo book of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, MacArthur Fellow, and New York Times best-selling author Lynsey Addario. It contains over 200 photographs taken while covering the world's most urgent humanitarian and human rights crises of the last two decades, depicting chaos, beauty, and conflict through the lens of a renowned woman photographer — and frequently of women subjects.
Find more unique coffee table book recommendations here, including previously unreleased photos of Kate Moss taken right before she became famous.
The most comfortable bra she'll ever own
Gift Card, available on ThirdLove, from $50
ThirdLove is the woman-founded company you can thank for popularizing half-sizes. While they're probably best-known for their single-minded dedication to every woman getting the perfectly fitted bra, that's narrowly followed by their use of unbelievably soft "am I wearing a bra?" material. We ranked them the best bra you can buy on the internet in the Insider Picks Buying Guide. They also come in sizes up to 38H and 48D. Grab a gift card for your galentine and she will thank you.
A three-month subscription to the book club that put "Gone with the Wind" on the map
Three Month Subscription, available on Book of the Month, $44.99
This subscription gift was hand-crafted for bookworms. Book of the Month has been around since 1926, and it's credited with the discovery of titles like "Gone with the Wind" and "Catcher in the Rye." A team of experts and celebrity guest judges curate must-read books — usually new releases, hot topics, and debut authors — and send them to the subscriber's doorstep.
Dedicated makeup towels that are plush and made to be stained
Makeup Towels, available on Weezie, $40
What's more weirdly thoughtful than chic makeup towels that are designed to be soft enough to vigorously rub against your face and dark and tough enough to withstand inevitable mascara stains?
Shipping note: It takes one to two business days before they ship.
A silk pillowcase
Celestial Silk 100% Silk Pillowcase, available on Amazon, $37.99
This Celestial Silk pillowcase is one of the internet's hidden gems. It's $40 on Amazon, but we rated it the best silk pillowcase you can buy in our guide — and it gives you more silk per square inch than options twice the price at Sephora. It's made out of 100% Mulberry silk — one of the highest quality silks you can buy — and comes in 13 colors and three sizes: standard, queen, and king. It's the one I personally own, and it makes a big difference for frizzy hair.
An easy-to-use, at-home cold brew maker
Takeya Patented Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker, 1-Quart, available on Amazon, $19.99
This $20 cold brew maker has an airtight seal, fits in most refrigerator doors, and will make a full quart of good cold brew per use. I use it to save a few hundred dollars every year on $6 cold brews from Starbucks.
Frida Kahlo's journal
The Diary of Friday Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait, available on Amazon, $22.46
In the last ten years of her life, Friday Kahlo kept a journal full of thoughts, poems, illustrations, and dreams. This is it, and it's a particularly perfect gift for an artistic or feminist best friend.
A 24-pack of face masks
DERMAL 24-Pack Collagen Face Masks, available on Amazon, $15.99
How do 24 nights of Korean sheet masks sound for a gift? This value pack has over 600 five-star reviews on Amazon and makes for a thoughtful, low-key gift they can use for weeks to come for a little "me" time. If you're looking for more luxe versions, check out Soko Glam.
A key finder
Tile Mate with Replaceable Battery, 4-pack, available on Amazon, $49.99
For all the times you've spent upending couch cushions and retracing your steps to locate a missing item, you could have just used Tile Mates. With them, she can ring her keys or purse (wherever the Tile Mate is placed) remotely.
Gourmet chocolate in bulk
2019 Collectors' Edition Valentine's Day Chocolate Heart Tin, 3-Pack, available on Godiva, $44.85 [Buy one get one 50% off]
Save on buying delicious gourmet chocolate in heaps, and give one to each of your closest Galentines. Plus, Godiva is buy one, get one 50% off right now.
A customized zodiac necklace
Zodiac Necklace, Libra, available on Mejuri, $79
Mejuri is an up-and-coming Canadian jewelry startup, and it's one of our favorite names in affordable fine jewelry. These zodiac necklaces are gold vermeil, minimalist, and decorated with AAA-quality white sapphires.
Abbi Jacobson's new book
I Might Regret This, available on Amazon, $18.30
This new book by Abbi Jacobson, co-creator of "Broad City," deals with love, loss, work, comedy, and identity.
A hair towel that reduces damage and cuts drying time by 50%
Aquis Rapid Dry Hair Towel, available on Amazon and Sephora, from $20.99
Aquis' cult-favorite hair towels can cut the amount of time it takes your hair to dry in half — a claim we're happy to report holds up. The proprietary fabric also means there's less damage to wet hair while it dries, and noticeably less frizz.
A three-month subscription of freshly roasted whole bean, single-origin coffees from a cool startup
Three Month subscription, available on Driftaway Coffee, from $39
Driftaway sends freshly roasted, whole bean, single-origin coffees from around the world to their doorstep. If they love coffee, they'll likely love this.
Soap petals for a lavish "treat yourself" evening
Bath Bouquet Floral-Scented Soap Petals, available on Urban Outfitters, $14
Give your best friend a reason to stay in and treat herself with an over-the-top bath bouquet most people probably wouldn't ever buy for themselves, but would love using.
A modern-day horror story
Tinder Nightmares, available on Amazon, $9.89
Sometimes it's just fine to spend Valentine's Day celebrating your friends. This book will remind you of that.
A three month supply of new beauty goodies
Three-Month Subscription Gift Card, available on Birchbox, $30
The grooming, skincare, and beauty industries couldn't be more packed with products for all types of needs and concerns. Birchbox digs through the clutter for them and picks out five samples each month that they should use. At $10 a month, subscribers are getting a pretty great deal.
Beautifully packaged candles
Otherland Candle, available on Otherland, from $36
Send your Galentine a candle or three from a cool new startup known for its beautiful – and gift-ready – packaging. Pick the Valentine’s Day edition and your gift will be delivered in a box that has collage artwork and a festive note card with a poem by Alison Malee. Or, go for the standard artwork.
A plush, absorbent bathrobe
Classic Bathrobe, available on Snowe, $98
This bathrobe is the best in the game, period. I'd go so far as to call it one of my favorite purchases of the last year. Plus, you can take $25 off your first purchase of $100 or more at Snowe right now.
Shipping note: Orders ship two to seven business days after your order has been processed.
No-crease hair ties
Kitsch Spiral No-Crease Hair Ties, 4-Pack, available on Amazon, $6.99
One of the greatest technological advances for long-haired folk in recent memory is this: the no-crease hair tie.
Fenty lipsticks
Fenty Beauty By Rihanna Frosted Metal Lipstick, 3-Piece Set, available on Sephora, $27
Give the gift of Fenty in an assortments of three colors. It's one of Sephora's top-rated gifts.
"Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur
Milk and Honey, available on Amazon, $10
Rupi Kaur's "Milk and Honey" is a New York Times best seller and a cultural phenomenon. It's a collection of poetry and prose dealing with love, loss, femininity, and survival. If neither of you have read it, why not grab two so you can have an excuse to get dinner and hash through your favorite parts together?
Earrings that support women artisans across the globe
Valle Hoop Earrings, available on Shop Soko, $68
Shop Soko produces innovative, ethical jewelry and accessories from sustainable materials in Nairobi, Kenya. This pair is handcrafted in brass by artisans in Kenya using traditional techniques.
They've also partnered with the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women to support the financial and physical security of women and girls around the world.
A stainless steel water bottle that brews tea
T2 Stainless Steel Tea Flask, available on Amazon, $35
If she loves tea, she'll love having a stainless steel flask that keeps hot drinks hot and doubles as its own loose-leaf tea infuser.