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Flowers You Can Build
Lego Sets
A Massage Candle
Maude Burn Massage Candle
A Classic Toy, Miniaturized
Magic Wand Mini
Date Night Ideas
The Adventure Challenge Couples Edition
Valentine’s Day can be an easy-to-forget holiday. Whether you’re trying to give a thoughtful gift, figure out an at-home date night, or set the mood for the night ahead, there’s a lot to juggle when it comes to nailing Valentine’s Day. Especially since it falls on a Friday this year, you’ll want to have the perfect night already planned before the weekend gets booked up.
Personally, I’m an at-home kind of Valentine’s Day gal—somewhere between the pandemic and parenthood, I fell in love with a cozy night in with a home-cooked meal and fun activity. There are ideas for that in this guide if you’re on my wavelength, but also ideas for thoughtful gifts ranging from cool gadgets to classic flowers and chocolates that will arrive at your front door, gifts that set a sexier mood (and we’ve got a whole guide to sexy gifts if you want more ideas in that vein), and even a date night box that will help you think of reasons to leave the house. There’s no shortage of ways to get romantic this February with the help of our guides.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out our Gifts for Lovers, Gifts for Moms, Gifts for Dads, and Best Flower Delivery Services. You might also find our guides to the Best Sex Toys, Best Vibrators, and Best Condoms are up your alley as Valentine’s Day approaches.
Updated February 12: We’ve added the Camp Snap Digital Camera, HP Sprocket Panorama, MeUndies, and Arya Box, and double-checked links and prices.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
Flowers You Can Build
Lego Sets
My husband and I are on our third year of getting a set or two of Legos to build together as our Valentine’s Day date. It’s the perfect night-in activity, especially if you want to watch a movie or show together that won’t take a lot of focus—we watched the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series last year, and we plan to finish our current rewatch of Lord of the Rings this year.
The floral sets have been our preferred Lego sets for Valentine’s Day, since there’s a nice floral aspect and we can leave them out all year long. The Dried Floral Centerpiece ($47) has two similar halves you can each work on to click together at the end, or you can each build an individual Mini Orchid ($30) or Bonsai Tree ($40) side by side. Our combination this year is the Mini Orchid and the Plum Blossom ($24). I already can’t wait to enjoy them year round on our bookshelves.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
A Massage Candle
Maude Burn Massage Candle
Don’t just gift a candle you found on your latest grocery store run. If you’re going to gift a candle for Valentine’s Day, lean into the romantic (and sexy!) theme with Maude’s Burn candles. Maude primarily designs beautifully minimalist sex toys and body products—we recommend the company’s lube in our Best Sex Toys guide—and the Burn candle sits nicely in between those two areas as a candle that melts down into massage oil. It comes in four scents: the No. 0 is unscented, and my favorite of the scented three is the No. 1 for its warm amber tones, but you can choose the one that suits you and your partner best. The candle is made of jojoba- and soybean-based oil, giving it a low melting point so that it heats up easily but doesn’t get too hot to pour onto your skin. Maude recommends burning the candle for at least 10 minutes before using the oil—and make sure you extinguish the flames first. It’s fun and easy to use, as are the rest of Maude’s products.
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Photograph: Vibratex
A Classic Toy, Miniaturized
Magic Wand Mini
Just about everyone’s heard of the Magic Wand. It’s a pretty massive vibrator, and if you’ve hesitated to get it due to the large size (and high price tag), then it’s time to check out the Magic Wand Mini. It’s our favorite vibrator since it has everything we like about the original Magic Wand but with a smaller, wireless design. It’s easy to use, has a nice three-hour battery life, and even has replacement parts you can buy. It’s a fun investment to give as a gift without feeling like you’re gifting them a third arm.
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Photograph: Amazon
Date Night Ideas
The Adventure Challenge Couples Edition
One of the first and most well-known of the now explodingly popular date subscription box genre, the Adventure Challenge Couples Edition has nearly 40 date ideas to keep things interesting. All of the date ideas in the book are covered up by a gray box, with symbols indicating whether the date will be outdoors, if you’ll need transportation or a babysitter, whether it’s a day or night activity, how much time it takes and costs, and more, so you have an idea of what you’re getting into while keeping the date itself a surprise.
Scratch off the box like a lottery ticket to discover your date activity for the evening. I tried dates ranging from making a date night based on my partner’s and my love languages to exposing a nearby town we’ve never been to, and other dates include an outdoor homemade movie screening, baking blindly, creating a memory box of sentimental items, and tons more. While some of the dates can be a little cheesy, it really is a great way to spend intentional time connecting more deeply and doing things together you wouldn’t normally do. It can also be a great jumping-off point for other date ideas in the future. Plus, you can upgrade to the Camera Bundle ($168) to get cute photos of you while on these date challenges. —Molly Higgins
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
Go Digital
Camp Snap Digital Camera
Digital cameras are having a big comeback. While most are pricey, the Camp Snap is surprisingly affordable, stylish, and lightweight, all while capturing a nice digital picture. The pictures I snap with the Camp Snap have that soft edge of a classic digital camera, and it makes me dream of hitting the beach or a hazy party and bringing this along for the ride. Gift it to a partner who loves taking photos or collecting cameras, or who wants to go screen-free without losing the ability to capture memories. You can also grab a little camera bag ($20) made to fit the Camp Snap.
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Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Blooms By Mail
The Bouqs Co. Dream Date
The Bouqs Co. has a bouquet for every kind of romance: moody and dramatic, timeless and elegant, or a dreamy swirl of la vie en rose. I ordered the Dream Date, which is a stunning arrangement of pink Oriental lilies, pink roses, and red anemones in a white textured vase. The flowers arrived fresh in a recyclable box, and the lilies were still in bud form to extend their life, so don’t fret if they aren’t as vibrant as the photos; within three days, they fully bloomed. However, expect slight variations in the bouquets as the company works with local florists to offer the freshest stems possible. Best of all, Bouqs offers same-day delivery (for the forgetful lovers). Check out our guide to the Best Flower Delivery Services for more. —Boutayna Chokrane
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Photograph: Arya
An Intimate Subscription
Arya Box
The Arya Box combines two things we love: a subscription box and sex toys. But it’s disingenuous to describe the Arya as just a sex toy subscription. The focus is on intimacy and discovery between two partners, and during signup you’ll fill out a questionnaire to get an idea of what you’re looking for with Arya—is it getting back into the groove? discovering new things?—and your partner will be invited to fill one out, too. Once you’re signed up, you’ll get paired with an intimacy coach, and get access to select parts of Arya’s various content.
The content is called Scenes, and includes things like quizzes (where you can see both your and your partner’s results), advice videos, steamy encounter ideas, and even custom playlists. You’ll have a week or two with just the Scene content to explore and experiment with together, and then your customized Arya box will arrive. Mine’s still en route with three items—including chocolate body paint and a chili vibrator—so you won’t get yours ahead of Valentine’s Day, but you could sign up together and explore all the ideas Arya’s content and coach can provide you with, and enjoy the box when it arrives in the coming weeks. Valentine’s Day romance doesn’t have to end on the 14th, after all.
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Photograph: Simon Hill
Smart Jewelry
Oura Ring 4
Jewelry is a classic Valentine’s Day gift, but why give a boring pair of earrings when you could gift a ring that tracks their health? The Oura ring started out as a guy-only accessory, but the Oura Ring 4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) looks more like true jewelery than any model before it. Even before the Oura Ring 4 arrived, Oura had more female users than male, and this gorgeous ring will only help it appeal to both men and women.
If you aren’t familiar with the power of the Oura Ring, it’s a smart ring that tracks everything from your steps to your temperature and heart rate. The updated model does a great job auto-tracking WIRED Reviews Editor Adrienne So’s physical sleep activity and sleep patterns and lasts the better part of a week on a single charge. The prettier metal finishes are expensive, but if you’re looking to gift jewelry that’s more than just pretty this year, the Oura Ring 4 is a great accessory for anyone who loves to track their activity.
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Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Psychedelic Chocolates
Christopher Elbow Valentine’s Day Chocolate Hearts
The chocolate hearts in Christopher Elbow’s Valentine box are psychedelically pink and bruisingly purple—the stuff of Powerpuff dreams and Barbie-doll lives. Interesting, then, that the famed Kansas City chocolate maker’s flavors would be so deft and subtle, tinged with luxury worn lightly. A blueberry Earl Grey, in particular, is a delicate harmony of tannic accents. A banana caramel tastes like tableside flambé, while a creme brulée might as well come with a spoon to crack it. If your Valentine has caviar taste but ugly-cries when Billie Eilish wonders what she was made for? This is the box. Two-day shipping is $9. See our guide to the Best Chocolate Delivery Boxes for more options. —Matthew Korfhage
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
Instant Photo Booth
HP Sprocket Panorama Photo Printer
If you miss the romance of a photo booth, or your partner is an avid journaler, there’s a handy little gadget you should gift. The HP Sprocket Panorama is a pint-sized printer that has a similar small footprint to my iPhone 14 Pro (but is obviously taller) and prints out adorable miniature photos on its 2-inch paper with a sticker backing. It comes with a roll of paper to get you started; pair it with HP’s Panorama-specific app to start printing. You’ll be able to customize every picture with frames, stickers, text, and even a paintbrush tool, and you can choose to create a photo booth-like strip of pictures or just print one photo at a time. The results are a definitely little washed out compared to a more powerful photo printer—I recommend printing photos with darker backgrounds and clearer colors to avoid it looking too pale—but it’s still a fun option, printing quickly after you finish your design in the app.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
Homemade Dinner Date
Jacobsen Salt Co. Essential Cacio e Pepe Bundle
If you want to make a delicious dinner at home for Valentine’s Day but don’t want to juggle picking the perfect recipe and then hunting down the best ingredients, this is the kit for you. Made in collaboration with Flour + Water of San Francisco and Jacobsen Salt Co. from the Oregon Coast, this kit gives you high-end pasta noodles, fantastic salt and pepper, and a recipe card for a twist on cacio e pepe. You’ll still need to buy a few cheeses from your local grocery store, but it’s a delicious recipe that I’m still thinking about, especially thanks to the quality of the pasta and salt.
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Photograph: Cozy Earth
The Softest Pajamas
Cozy Earth Stretch-Knit Pajama Sets
I test sleep gear for a living, but I have found myself again and again hating most pajama sets. There was always something to set me off: The fabric made me too hot or bunched up too much when I slept, the waistband pinched in my sleep, the cut was uncomfortable … the list goes on. The only pajama set that hasn’t made me feel all of these things is Cozy Earth’s bamboo pajamas. Like the brand’s bamboo sheets we love, these pajamas are super soft to the touch and initially feel chilly, but warm up to match your body temperature. I’d almost forget I was wearing these at all. I went with the short-sleeved set, but there’s also a long-sleeved set and lots of fun patterns to consider gifting any fellow pajama hater.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
A Starry Memory
The Night Sky Star Map Print
Give the gift of your favorite nights together with the Night Sky’s beautiful prints. There are two of these in my house—one of which my husband and I actually used for our wedding reception guest book—to commemorate both our engagement and wedding dates. These prints are beautiful to look at all year long and make for a lovely way to memorialize a memory together. You can choose from a few different print designs, including a glow-in-the-dark option that uses heavyweight paper and sunlight to power its glow.
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Courtesy of Digital LTD
A Co-Op Date Night
Overcooked 2
If you’re looking for not just a gift but an activity to do together, a fun co-op game is a great option. Overcooked 2 is a favorite of mine and my husband’s to play together, even if it can make us a little crazy at times. You work together in various themed kitchens to feed all your hungry customers and complete the various order requests. There’s naturally a little shouting involved, but it’s all in good fun and is a fun challenge together that isn’t complicated and doesn’t require a ton of setup beyond a gaming console.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
A Book Lover’s Bag
Hello Clio The Original Kindle Belt Bag
If your Valentine is always bringing their Kindle along for the ride, then gift them a bag that’s perfect for keeping almost every Kindle size safe for their adventures. Hello Clio’s Kindle belt bag is a little bigger than your standard belt bag, since it’s tall enough to fit a basic Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite (8/10, WIRED Recommends), Kindle Colorsoft (7/10, WIRED Reviews), and Kindle Oasis. It’s got three pockets, one of which is a simple velvet-lined sleeve perfect for sliding in a Kindle, plus an exterior pocket and coin pouch. It comes in a range of colors with fun names (like Espresso Martini for a deep brown and Dirty Shirley for a vibrant red) so you can choose the perfect one for your partner.
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Clear Earbuds
Nothing Ear (a)
If there’s one thing the entire WIRED Reviews team can agree on, it’s that we want more clear gadgets. Give us back the years of transparent technology, we beg of you! While there’s been a small resurgence of options—my transparent Nintendo Pro controller ($40) is my favorite purchase of last year with its clear case and colorful LED lights while I play—another great option is the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) (8/10, WIRED Recommends). They’re well-priced and great quality earbuds, and their clear plastic shell gives me back the clear tech I dream of on a daily basis. If your significant other also loves a good clear gadget, snag these for them.
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Photograph: Quince
Pillow Game
Quince Silk Mulberry Pillowcase
A great night’s sleep starts in two places: your mattress (don’t miss those President’s Day sales around the corner, my friends) and your pillow. While we have a ton of great pillows we recommend that would make for a great gift, you can also upgrade their sleep with a brand-new pillowcase and eye mask. I like combining a silk pillowcase with a weighted eye mask for a gift—my two favorites are Quince’s silk pillowcase ($45) and Luna’s weighted eye mask ($27). The Lunya is especially great because not only is it on the affordable end, but you can choose to warm it or freeze it for more sensory benefits. I gifted this combo for a white elephant party last year, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
A Sexy Subscription
Adore Me The Elite Box
If you’re looking for a gift that can take the sexy energy of Valentine’s Day and have it available all year long, gift the Adore Me Elite Box. It’s a personalized lingerie subscription box that will send curated lingerie to your or your partner’s door, and all the styles I tested certainly caught my partner’s attention.
You’ll take a style quiz to find out preferred styles and what type of lingerie you’d like to receive, and confirm sizing. The Elite Box carries a nice range of sizes, going from 30A to 46DDD for bras and XS to 4X for underwear. Each box comes with three to five matching sets (of tops and bottoms) that range from $40 to $60 per set, and you’ll have seven days to try on and see if you want to return anything. My box included two corsets, a babydoll-style nightgown, a matching pink set, and a handful of Valentine’s Day themed thongs. My bra fit surprisingly well for being a DDD, the red corset had enough coverage to be worn as a sexy date night top with jeans, and the underwear was able to be mixed and matched with the other lingerie in the box. It’s one of the more expensive boxes you can choose from, but the variety makes it worth it. —Molly Higgins
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Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Undies for Two
MeUndies Valentine’s Day Collection
If you’re looking to gift some fun matching undergarments rather than just lingerie for one of you, then the MeUndies Valentine’s Day collection is the perfect chance. These MeUndies boyshorts are soft and breathable and pack a fun design without being bulky under leggings. They’re comfy to wear all day. They’re made with 92 percent MicroModal and 8 percent elastane, so they’re nice and stretchy and silky-feeling while still maintaining breathability. Plus, you can shop the same Valentine’s Day-themed print in a boxer brief, hipster, bikini, or cheeky panty for a significant other. —Louryn Strampe
★ For Cheekier Prints and Silkier Fabric: Shinesty also makes matching underwear sets, and its boyshorts were great too. These ride up more compared to MeUndies, but maybe that’s up your alley. Shinesty has many cheeky patterns, like candy hearts that say “Send Nudes” if you’re looking for something beyond hearts and peach emojis.
