Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
SBU | Style

The 5 Best Gifts to Give This Valentine’s Day

Mary Quinn McNaughton Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Let’s be honest- shopping for Valentine’s Day can quickly get disgustingly basic. As stores fill up with trademark red and pink aisles, finding something your partner might want, like, and use can be challenging. Times have changed, and flowers and chocolates don’t cut it anymore, so, here are the best things to give this Valentine’s Day.

FOr Her:

1. Trendy Jewelry

Maybe it’s just my TikTok feed, but my For You page is covered with Amazon jewelry links and beautiful rings and necklaces. Also, as GRWM trends and internet celebrities give more and more jewelry recommendations, your girlfriend will be looking for some jewelry this Valentine’s Day. I suggest looking through BaubleBar, gorjana, Evry Jewels and Kendra Scott.

WARNING: Do not give your girlfriend anything that will tarnish or turn green. Do not give your girlfriend any jewelry with hearts on it. Do not buy your girlfriend gold jewelry if she wears silver and vice versa.

2. Dior Lip gloss/glow

As someone who bought the Dior Addict Lip Maximizer last year, there is no product I love, use, and share more than this lip gloss. The packaging is stunning and adds to the wow factor of the product itself. Your girlfriend will use this for every event, and it is a perfect addition to any beauty routine.

WARNING: Do not purchase this product from anywhere BUT Dior’s website.

3. A lego Flower Bouquet

This is for the cool-girl, artsy girlfriend. Not only do they last forever, but she’ll keep them in her room and think of you every time she sees them. Also, its assembly can be a fun and creative date night.

4. A jellycat stuffed animal

Jellycat stuffed animals live on every feed of my social media. They are the cutest things EVER! Be sure to pick one that matches her room’s or bed’s aesthetic.

WARNING: Avoid the Valentine’s Day collection. If you’re going to spend a bit of money on a stuffed animal, think outside the box.

5. A handwritten valentine

This is the best and most classic suggestion I can give. It’s an easy and thoughtful way to show your love, but make sure to put effort into it. Discuss what brought you two together, why you love her, your favorite memories and her best qualities.

For HIm:

1. Sneakers

I don’t know a single man who would NOT want sneakers as a gift this Valentine’s Day. It’s a great gift and he’s practically guaranteed to get use out of them.

WARNING: If you will spend a lot of money on this gift, CONSULT HIM FIRST. Don’t spend a bunch of money on shoes that are going to collect dust in his closet.

2. A Nice sweatshirt

Don’t waste your money on buying your boyfriend nice clothes, unless your boyfriend is an actual celebrity. Probably the most worn items on my college campus, especially as it continues to get colder, are sweatshirts, so, it’s another gift you’re guaranteed to use a lot. I recommend looking at Patagonia, Nike, Adidas, and Gymshark.

3. A JBL speaker

I use my JBL speaker at least three times every week, and the sound quality is amazing. These speakers are on the more expensive side, but make up for it in quality.

4. A chain

This is another more expensive gift but is definitely worth it. I recommend really doing research to find an affordable, simple, and real gold or silver chain.

WARNING: If your boyfriend only wears family/heirloom jewelry, proceed with caution. Do not buy your boyfriend gold jewelry if he wears silver and vice versa.

5. Concert, game, or festival Tickets

If your boyfriend is more into experiences than material things, find an artist, a team, or a collection of artists that he likes and will be performing or touring and buy tickets. It’s something that he will remember forever and you can do it together.

Mary Quinn, known as MQ to most, has been a Her Campus contributor at St. Bonaventure University for three years!
Mary Quinn is currently a third-year honors student studying English with a passion for writing, service and social media marketing. Aside from Her Campus, Mary Quinn writes for PolitiFact NY, a media organization dedicated to publishing the whole truth, as a political reporter. She is the St. Bonaventure University English Department's social media manager and she works with the Student Government Association (SGA) as her class's president. She also serves as co-president of Break the Bubble and is involved with SBU College Democrats, the Latin American Student Organization (LASO), Badminton Club, SBU Orion and the SBU Indigenous Student Confederacy (ISC).
In her time away from academics, Mary Quinn loves spending time with her friends, roommates and girlfriend. She enjoys online shopping, listening to new music and reading. Mary Quinn absolutely adores cats, and though she is highly allergic to them, spends any free time she can at the Cattaraugus County SPCA. Mary Quinn's shining star achievement is that she was awarded "Camp Gossip" two years in a row. She believes that any problem can be solved by a quick scroll on "X," a hot gossip sesh with her roommates, "Mean girls" by Charli XCX, water from the Hickey Dining Hall and Trader Joe's soup dumplings.