The Want List: 7 Not-Cliché Valentine Gifts
Your Valentine gifts need not be basic — after all, Cupid knows love is anything but. Here’s a selection of thoughtful gifts worth gushing over.
To capture the moments.
Canon Sure Shot Telemax 35mm
Sure, you have a camera in your pocket at all times, but special occasions deserve a special lens. Balancing the charms of classic film cameras with ’90s features like smart autofocus, power zoom, and motorized advance/rewind, this user-friendly point-and-shoot is ready to snap your developing love story with analog flair. Texas-based Cute Camera Co. sources and resells these vintage 35mm favorites, priced by condition in three tiers. Take trips, throw parties, and say cheese. Print a collection of cherished moments, accumulating to be worth a bajillion words, and seal them in an album for the grandkids to discover your happily-ever-after many years from now.
For a creative collaboration.
Met Museum Mixed Media Easel Box Art Set
A great match can spark creativity. This kit can be your canvas to make something great. Sold by The Met Store, the coveted gift shop of New York City‘s Metropolitan Museum of Art, this Mixed Media Art Set has everything to get started on your masterpiece: pastels, oil paint, watercolors, and more. Because you’re mutual muses anyway, you’ll surely have enough inspiration to get started, if not produce an entire gallery’s worth of couples portraits. Ooh and ahh over the beauty you create together with this all-you-could-ever-need artist’s kit.
For the journeys you’ll take.
Longchamp Le Pliage Original XL Travel Bag
Whether you’re whisking your beau away to a weekend in St. Barth or a ski week in the Dolomites, their luggage should be as swoon-worthy as the itinerary. Longchamp’s Le Pliage XL Travel Bag is timeless and as durable as your relationship (or so we hope). Knot a silk bow around the luxe Russian leather handles and let your lover know your one burning desire is to ride into the sunset with them. They’ll be in love with this bag — and you — forever, and ever, and ever.
When their head isn’t on your shoulder.
Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
One thing missing from all these romantic comedies? A heartthrob who makes sure each side of their love interest’s pillow is always cool. Spruce their side of the bed up with a premium pillow that’s filled with 100% long-strand mulberry silk. Cozy Earth’s Silk Pillow promises “constant and comfortable” temperature throughout the night. And what better way to your partner’s heart than catering to their comfort? That’s romance.
To toast the occasion.
First Bloom Corner Store Apero Hour Box
Have your Lady and the Tramp moment — with tinned fish. For those who not-so-secretly admire the briny and fishy touches to the plate, this perfect set from First Bloom Corner Store, in New York’s Catskills, delivers a solid cocktail-hour snack to enjoy before heading to catch that coveted Valentine’s Day resy you snagged weeks ago. Don’t forget the candlelight and Chablis to round out the romance.
For a lobster after-dinner.
Frontier Sugar Works Lobster Maple Candy
Looking for an alternative to the traditional box of checkout line chocolates? Try maple candy from New England. A regional favorite, its richness and fudgy texture make it a fitting substitute for cocoa confections. And since lobster is often a first-class ticket to the heart, why not skip the heart-shaped confections for their crustaceous-shaped counterparts (a real thing that exists)? Think of it as a nod to your favorite sitcom, in lieu of a lobster dinner, or just because your crush has a thing for crustaceans.
To indulge the senses.
Maison Louis Marie Body Oil
Let’s be clear: flower bouquets are never cliché. They’re classic tokens of romance, and you should waltz through the front door with a bountiful, cascading arrangement regardless of what other gifts follow. Why not make one of them something fragrant to last long after the roses and tulips wilt? Vetiver, cinnamon, and cedarwood bloom on the skin in the form of Maison Louis Marie’s No.4 Bois de Balincourt body oil. This romantic scent, inspired by a woodland dwelling on Lover’s Lane, will keep your loved one hydrated and irresistible. Gift this because you care about their self-care.
