JUST BEING DEVINE

Alternative gifts for Valentine's Day

This article was originally published by The Daily Campus
In less than a week, we will all witness what can only be described as a love-fest covered in chocolate strawberries, flowers and sappy Instagram posts. This holiday is a great excuse to eat sweets (regardless of whether you’re in a relationship or not) and literally, stop and smell the roses.
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If you’re seeing someone then you have, at some point, realized you need to figure out what to give them next Tuesday. Struggling with finding a gift for bae is hard; do you take the conventional path or shake things up with a present rooted in an inside joke? Here are a few ideas for alternative gifts this year if you don’t to stick to flowers and chocolate
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Pictobay/Creative Commons
BEAUTY

Perfume/cologne: Proceed with caution. Scents are something that are extremely personal and many people can be picky about, myself included. Take a peek at what’s on your S.O.’s desk and see if they are running low. This gift shows that you notice the little things and saves your honey a trip to Nordstrom’s.


Makeup: Again, be careful with this. If you aren’t sure what they want, give them a gift card instead. Your best bet is to head to any makeup store and ask a woman what is selling the quickest. Avoid foundation, concealer and spot-correctors as you may not get the skin color right. Stick to a popular bronzer, highlighter, lipgloss, face mask or even hairspray.
FOOD

Coffee money: What I really mean is gift cards. Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Donut Delight… the list goes on and on (and varies depending on your location). If you can’t be with your boyfriend or girlfriend on the special day, send them a card in the mail with a gift card inside saying “get a cup of coffee on me today!” or something of the like.
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Non-chocolate sweets: Cupcakes, cookies, regular cakes, more than one cake, ice cream, etc. Boxes of chocolate are literally always awesome but mix things up this year if you’re feeling like you need a change.
FASHION

Fuzzy socks: This is honestly a practical gift regardless of the holiday; receiving a fresh pair of fuzzy socks feels like someone is giving your soul a hug. You can wear them around your house, to bed and under your winter boots.

Scarf: It’s cold out; wrap your loved one in something warm and trendy. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, and by stone, I mean scarf.
OTHER

Photo album: I have heard of a lot of couples giving and receiving this gift recently. It is so personal and something you can enjoy over and over. Leave some room left so you guys can continue to fill the book as time goes on. This gift is also great for graduations and best-friend birthdays.

Inside-joke gift: You know what I mean; like if you and bae have an inside joke about carrots or raccoons or buffalo chicken dip. Figure out a gift that plays off the joke. For example, ever see the scene from “No Strings Attached” where instead of giving her flowers, he gives her a bouquet of carrots? That would work.
Coffee-table book: This is the best kind of gift for anyone with a specific interest in a particular subject. The number of coffee-table books out there feels infinite so you can definitely find something that fits the interests of your special someone.

If this seems all too overwhelming then stick to what you know: flowers, chocolate, teddy bears, etc. There’s no perfect formula for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift but chances are if you know your S.O. really well then you can’t go wrong. And if you still feel lost or confused then I always suggest the same thing: when in doubt, just hit up Pinterest.


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