The perfect Valentine's gift

Unless you’ve been walking around with your eyes closed and ear plugs in, you’ll have noticed that Valentine’s Day is coming up. The hardest thing about this holiday isn’t the overpriced flowers, crammed restaurants or lovey-dovey PDAs… oh no, much worse than that is having to come up with the perfect gift to buy your better half. Not only does it have to be romantic, something she doesn’t already own, the right size or the right price, most importantly, she has to like it!

Here are some tips on how to make your partner fall in love with the gift you give her this Valentine’s.

Know Your Audience - First things first, don’t buy something just for the sake of buying it – she’ll know you didn’t put any effort in and you’ll be left in the dog house. Take your partner’s personality into account – don’t get her a bungy jump if she’s afraid of heights and don’t go all girly if she’s more of a beer and pizza kind of girl. You’re her partner, you know what she likes and what she doesn’t (or at least you’re supposed to!) so don’t get sucked in by what you feel you should buy, go with your instincts.

Flower Power - Ah, nothing says I love you like a dozen overpriced red roses…. Or maybe not! Step away from the cliché and find out what flowers are her favourite. If it’s roses, then go ahead and get roses but if it’s not, then don’t buy them because that’s the done thing. A bunch of her favourite flowers in her favourite colour will mean so much more (and score you more brownie points) than the typical Valentine’s flower will. Check out Poppy Jones Florist & Cafe on New North Road where not only can you pick up the posies but you can grab yourself a well-deserved coffee at the same time! 

Ring Ring - To buy her jewellery or not to buy her jewellery, that is the question. This can be quite an expensive Valentine’s present and one to be wary of. If you buy her something that’s too cheap, it’ll look too cheap but then again, you don’t want to spend an absolute fortune either so you’ll need to tread somewhere safe in the middle-ground! We love Texan Art Schools (branches in Newmarket and the city) where no matter what your budget is, we guarantee you'll find something that not only will she love but that will be a little bit unique too.

Sniff Out A Great Gift - Perfume, in our opinion, is something that a woman should never have to buy for herself. So, if she’s running low on her favourite scent then Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to top it up for her. If you’re not sure, check out her bathroom and see what perfume she wears or ask a friend to help you out. It’s better to be safe than sorry! There are tonnes of places all over Auckland to pick up perfume. Try Smith & Caughey's or other big department stores like that.

Romantic At Heart - Sometimes, the best gifts don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. You could go back to the first place you met and take a picnic, make a scrap book of all the things you’ve done together in the past year or buy her favourite movie on DVD, get a bottle of wine and settle in for the night. Don’t be pulled in by commercialism and try to remember the real reason that Valentine’s Day exists – to show someone you care.
 

Editorial by Caoimhe Mooney