36 best gifts for girlfriends in 2023: thoughtful ideas for her | CNN Underscored (2024)

This elegant lamp and electric candle-warmer is a unique way for your girlfriend to enjoy her favorite candles. It works by melting the candle's wax from the top so she can fill her space with fragrance, sans the open flame, smoke and soot. It’s also dimmable, so she can customize the brightness and strength of the heat with the click of a button.

They were in, they were out and now they’re definitely in again. Uggs are the perfect cold-weather shoes, and these water-resistant platform slippers take the brand's cozy shearling to another level.

Swifties will love this chic necklace that’s a subtle nod to Taylor Swift’s song “August.” It comes in gold or silver and reads “to live for the hope of it all.”

Belt bags are the perfect casual yet cute way to carry your everyday necessities. This option from Lululemon has it all: an exterior zippered pocket, interior pockets for small essentials and elastic loops to hold excess strap. Plus, the cozy fleece fabric is perfect for the fall and winter.

UnHide's Shleepy is perfect for the girlfriend who loves nothing more than a movie night or just cuddling on the couch. It’s a blanket, robe and sweater all in one, complete with a plush hood and convenient pockets. Plus, the “vegan fur” is unbelievably soft and cozy.

Perfect for the eager beginner and experienced plant mom alike, this grow kit bundle includes everything she needs to nurture and grow her own wildflowers —even the blush ceramic planter. This kit makes a lovely gift for anyone who loves plants and appreciates a project.

Once you go for a Casetify case, it’s hard to go back. Not only does the brand carry an endless number of fun and innovative case designs but the customization options make it so that you can gift her a one-of-a-kind phone case. Whether you go pre-designed or personalized, the brand offers a huge selection of cases with various levels of protection.

Whellen selfie ring light

Maybe she dreams of being a TikTok star, or maybe she simply wants to create content for fun. Either way, she’ll appreciate the gift of this portable ring light that clips on to her phone.

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Celebrating your first anniversary together? This custom art from Minted, which has room for a photo from every month of the year, is a thoughtful gift she’ll definitely appreciate. And with multiple sizes as well as framed and unframed versions, there’s an option for every budget.

Created by long-distance couple Marie Poulle and Jean Gregoire, the Lovebox is a really sweet, romantic way to send messages throughout the day to the person you love. It’s a lot more special and exciting than a simple text message and a wonderful option for couples in separate time zones since the alerts are silent.

We love a practical gift, and this ice roller is a product we reach for multiple times a week. She can roll it over her face and neck to help with puffiness, migraines, aches and even hangovers (but you didn’t hear that from us).

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This gorgeous stone diffuser makes everyday life at home just a little more special and relaxing. It has two timer settings, an optional ambient LED light that emits a soothing candle-like glow and a stunning yet subtle matte ceramic cover that disguises the entire diffuser as a piece of pottery.

Choosing the right jewelry for your girlfriend can be a challenge. Fortunately, these sweet heart-shaped studs leave little to no room for error. They’re hypoallergenic and have a unique flat-back design, specifically made to avoid poking and discomfort. They’re even comfortable enough to sleep in!

This oil and vinegar foursome from Brightland — a brand that specializes in thoughtful ingredient sourcing and working with family farmers and local makers — is the perfect gift for anyone who dabbles in and appreciates culinary experimentation. It includes two different cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils, a raw balsamic vinegar and a raw Champagne vinegar.

Zadro Luxury Bucket-Style Towel Warmer

You know what’s even better than a warm hug? A warm towel. A towel warmer feels like such a luxury, but it turns out that it’s a pretty affordable luxury. This bucket-style warmer can simply be plugged into an existing wall outlet.

We’re longtime fans of MZ Wallace bags, but this style is truly the Goldilocks of bag sizes. It’s small enough to comfortably hold yet big enough to fit all your essentials — a book, a water bottle, sunglasses — and then some.

Instant cameras are a fun way to capture spontaneous moments, making them a perfect gift for the girlfriend who loves documenting your experiences as a couple. This one has automatic exposure measurement to optimize your light settings, a macro lens adapter for clear close-up shots and a useful selfie mirror.

Bring a little bit of romance to her morning cup of coffee or nighttime tea with these adorable kissing mugs. They’re a sentimental gift whether you’re living with someone special or in a long-distance relationship.

This game-changing hair tool from Dyson is very likely to be at the top of any beauty lover’s wishlist. The all-in-one hair tool dries and styles hair without extreme heat to prevent irreversible damage. The various attachments allow her to experiment with different styling methods without buying separate tools.

These versatile weights are the perfect way to amp up her workout routine, whether she’s into hot girl walks or full-body workouts. Available in both 1- and 2-pound options, they can be used on her wrists or ankles and are available in the cutest color selections.

This vanilla-forward floral fragrance is soft, sweet and pretty, with notes of black currant, jasmine grandiflorum and bourbon vanilla.

We’re suckers for a kitchen gadget that looks great sitting on the counter, and this electric kettle is bound to garner compliments. Perfect for coffee and tea lovers, this quick-heating pour-over kettle boasts exact temperature control so you can get your water just right every time.

​For frequent flyers and gals who are constantly on the go, packing and repacking (or forgetting) your toiletries is such a pain. These small but mighty capsules are incredibly practical, great for preventing waste and spillage and complete game changers when it comes to staying organized during travel.

A high-quality portable speaker is always good to have on hand. This chic retro-inspired speaker is cute enough to sit on a shelf at home and lightweight enough to throw in her bag. The sound quality is great, and a single charge provides more than 30 hours of playtime.

Made from soft and supple pebbled Italian leather in Turkey, this wallet’s minimal design is sleek but still practical. It has four card slots, a zippered compartment and a larger slot for anything you need more easily accessible. Plus, you can even get it monogrammed in elegant gold foil.

Whether you’ve seen it on TikTok or all over the office, the Stanley tumbler is here to stay. And if your girlfriend has yet to make the splurge on this arguably necessary beverage container, pick out her favorite color and gift it to her.

We’ve tested tons of jackets over the years, and this is one that gets constantly complimented time and time again. It checks all the boxes: comfortable yet stylish, relaxed and effortless, perfect for transitional weather and layering and available in a huge variety of colors and patterns.

Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine

There are a lot of coffee makers on the market, but it’s hard to beat Nespresso machines when it comes to the intersection of price, ease of use and quality. This is the brand’s most compact machine, making it perfect for small spaces, and it creates barista-style espresso drinks in minutes.

For the girlfriend who loves to travel, a great suitcase is a must-have. This customizable carry-on suitcase is definitely a luxury gift, but it’s worth splurging on because she can choose everything from the zipper to the lining color. She’ll never get it mixed up at the airport, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.

If she loves trying out new makeup products, you can give her a place to store them all with this cosmetics case. Not only is it adorable but it’s durable and easy to clean. It works equally well as an at-home organizer and an all-in-one travel bag.

If your girlfriend is super active, chances are she’s already familiar with Theragun’s line of massage guns. The brand creates some of the best tools for recovery and pain relief, and this option, though one of its more affordable and portable models, packs quite the punch. It’s small enough to bring on the go, and it even took home the title of best lightweight massage gun in our testing.

For the girlfriend who can’t resist a coffee-flavored co*cktail, give her everything she needs to make an espresso martini at home. This chic infusion kit includes a glass steeping jar, espresso beans, cacao nibs and cinnamon. All she has to do is pair it with her choice of liquor and let it steep for about a week.

High-Waist Airlift Legging

Some leggings are great for working out, while others are more for lounging. But these Alo Yoga leggings are all-around perfect for just about every activity. They’re sculpting, supportive and compressive, and the slight sheen makes these an equally cute pair of pants for outside the gym.

For the girlfriend who loves to bake, there’s nothing like new bakeware to make the whole process that much more enjoyable. This curated set from Great Jones comes with a casserole dish and a pie dish, which are dishwasher-safe and oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

InnBeauty’s lip oils are a purse staple, and this bundle features two of our all-time favorite shades. The formula is almost like a lip oil and gloss hybrid: nourishing, comfortable and hydrating. The scents are delicious, and the payoff can’t be beat.

One of our favorite waterproof and tarnish-proof jewelry brands, Hey Harper is the go-to place for affordable yet high-quality pieces that will last years. Perfect for layering and standalone wear alike, these birthstone necklaces are a meaningful (and memorable) gift for girlfriends who like jewelry.