Best gifts for women: Truly unique gift ideas
No more flowers and bad jewelry! We’ve rounded up some of the best gifts for women who love fitness, tech, the outdoors—and the indoors, too.
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Need some birthday gifts for her? Or gifts for women who have everything (or seem like it)? Gift giving isn’t always easy. You want something that shows you care and also delivers something your loved one will use—but how many bouquets and gift cards can you buy? Our guide for the best gifts for women includes something for everyone. We dug deep to come up with some great gift ideas for her you may not have thought about before.
- For women who love the outdoors: Columbia Hiking Boots
- For women who have everything: Cashmere Throw
- Best audio gift: Sony Portable Bluetooth
- For women who like cocktails: W&P Design Homemade Gin Kit
- For organization lovers: Professional Portfolio Handmade
- Best fitness gear gift: Garmin Vivoactive 4S Smartwatch
- Best for yoga lovers: Fitness Guru Duffle Bag
- Best personalized gift: Custom Name Necklace
- Best for getting snuggly at home: UGG Ansley Slipper
- Best relaxation gifts: Meyer’s Clean Day Candle
Great gifts for women: Think about who she is, not just what she needs
Whenever we start our gift shopping—for anyone, not just the favorite women in our lives—this is where we begin: Who is she? What are her interests? What does she splurge on herself? You may think that your mom, sister, or wife doesn’t need a new pair of boots, but if she follows fashion trends, she might want some anyway. It might seem like her cozy home has plenty of couch throws, but if she’s a homebody who loves to Kindle and chill, believe us, she’ll love a new one.
We’ve picked out some cool gifts for women here—keep your loved one’s personality in mind while scrolling. And happy gift-giving!
For women who love the outdoors: Columbia Hiking Boots
Amazon
Who says women’s hiking boots can’t look good? For those with a penchant for walking in the Great Outdoors, these Columbia hiking boots are a great gift for her. A good pair of outdoor boots will give amazing support for a wide variety of activities. Investing in this waterproof and stylish Columbia pair will be a unique and practical gift that lasts years. They come in a range of colors (we particularly love the deep wave/red coral), and wouldn’t look out of place on the trail or at a music festival. Some might hesitate to purchase boots without trying them first, but free returns on Amazon means you can be sure that you’ll get the right pair. Handily these hiking boots for women also come in a wide range of sizes and give you wide and half-size options. They should feel fitted but not too snug with a thicker pair of socks.
Best gifts for women who have everything: Cashmere Throw
Amazon
The only problem with buying a cashmere blanket is that you’ll never want to buy any other kind ever again. These fringed, large, and insanely soft throws are perfect for movie nights or curling up with a book. This one comes in a deep navy or beige so will pair well with most sofas or bedspreads. The throw blanket is 70 x 50 Inches plus 3″ fringe, so there’s plenty of room to share if she wants to. Make sure to dry clean or hand wash this one as it’s a fairly delicate material. About the brand: State Cashmere is a family company that has been in the cashmere and wool business for several generations, so safe to say they know what they’re doing when it comes to comfort. They work directly with Shepherds from Inner Mongolia meaning your purchase helps support a craft going back centuries.
Best audio gift: Sony Portable Bluetooth
Amazon
Honestly, who doesn’t want the best portable Bluetooth speaker? It’s the perfect accompaniment for working in her home office, having people over—whatever. The best speaker and Spotify playlist can turn just about any moment into a party. We like this stylish Sony Bluetooth speaker as a birthday gift idea because it comes in five bright colors—and because it’s waterproof, your loved one can take it to the pool, the park, or have it by the bath without worrying. It’s dustproof and the battery lasts a whole day out, meaning she can also take it on outdoor adventures. This Sony speaker also has the great audio quality you can expect from most Sony products, with a decent amount of bass so the music won’t get lost outdoors. (We found that this one sounds huge when playing dance and hip hop but was equally balanced for rock and pop.)
For women who like cocktails: W&P Design Homemade Gin Kit
Amazon
So everyone loves a bottle of something for their birthday, but what’s better than being able to make your own? Gin is versatile and unique by nature of the botanicals used to flavor it. So gin connoisseurs will love being able to select a unique flavor profile with this easy-to-use home kit. Don’t worry, she won’t be asked to distill anything herself (yikes.) This DIY gin kit comes ready with a base spirit, the blending equipment, and all the botanicals you need. What’s cooler than offering someone (or better, drinking yourself) a martini with your own personalized gin? We’re already jealous.
Best for organization lovers: Professional Portfolio Handmade
Amazon
We think this handmade, leather-bound multi-purpose portfolio is both practical and beautiful. Suede soft brown leather bounds space for a (refillable) A4 large ruled notebook for ideas and notes, and slots for business cards, photos, and even credit cards if your loved one wants it to double as a pocketbook of sorts. At 2.3 lbs it feels solid and incredibly well-made, but still portable—so she can take it to work or to a coffee shop to write that novel or plan out the next business idea.
Best fitness gear gift: Garmin Vivoactive 4S Smartwatch
Amazon
Whether your loved one is a gadget fanatic, or just getting started on a movement journey, allow us to recommend a smartwatch with fitness tracking features. One of our current favorite women’s styles is this Garmin watch—for its look, sure, but also what it packs under the hood. Along with the typical smartwatch fare (time, texts, calendar, music), the Garmin Vivoactive 4S also tracks sleep, activity, pulse ox, energy levels and even includes its own collection of animated workouts you can follow right from your screen.
Best for yoga lovers: Fitness Guru Duffle Bag
Amazon
This large fabric yoga kit bag is perfect for organizing home equipment and taking it to the studio or gym. It has enough space to comfortably hold two 26 inch standard-size yoga mats, two blocks, straps, towels, and other accessories. Comfortable large fabric holding straps mean less strain on the shoulder and the range of traditional patterns and fabrics are vegan friendly. The best part is that Kindfolk, the company that makes them, donates $1 from every bag sold to help empower women and girls around the world. Doing those downward dogs helps give back. Namaste!
Best personalized gift: Custom Name Necklace
Etsy
Personalized jewelry has come a long way, and we think as far as birthday gift ideas go, it’s a great one. We like this particular Etsy seller’s version because it’s simple and somewhat dainty. It doesn’t SCREAM, it almost whispers. We also like that these are all made in sterling silver, with optional gold or rose gold platings. (There’s nothing worse than wearing costume jewelry that turns your neck or ringer finger green.)
Best for getting snuggly at home: UGG Ansley Slipper
Amazon
Let me stop you right there—no, that is not too much money to spend on UGG slippers. You’ll agree with me when she tries them on and doesn’t really ever take them off. UGG started off in Australia as a brand for surfers to quickly warm up their feet after hours in the freezing waves. The sheepskin warms up toes and the shoe style means they won’t slip off (wearing them to the supermarket is totally acceptable then). Customers typically find they run slightly large so keep that in mind. Available in a delightful range of pastel and brown shades, and in half sizes so you can get the perfect snug fit.
Best relaxation: Meyer’s Clean Day Candle
Amazon
Nothing makes for a better birthday gift idea than one that brings a bit of calm to her life. These Meyer’s Clean Day candles come in a range of crisp, natural fragrances—lavender, geranium, basil, and lemon verbena. Get ready for your house to smell like a carefully cared for garden, and they are perfect for someone who doesn’t like overly sweet scents. Quality candles like these made from soy burn slowly for up to 35 hours. The good news is if your gift recipient falls in love with the smell, Meyer’s has a wide range of home products, so you can purchase other soaps and products from the range. When you come to the end of the wax, set the candle in hot water to soften the very last layer, pop it out to remove with the wick, and use the clean jars for storing small items like jewelry or toiletries.
One last word about finding the best gifts for women
We know it can be hard to get the perfect gift for her, but with a few considerations, you’ll get much closer to finding that special something. Thinking about what she really loves to do and getting something that compliments that will mean you pick out something truly special. For every personality type and every activity, there are the best gifts for women to match! Let the lucky lady know you’re thinking of her by getting the best gifts for women.
Popular Science can help you find the most useful and expert shopping recommendations for the best gift ideas. Searching for more unique gifts? Check out more gift guides here: Romantic Gifts that Are Actually Interesting, Car Gifts for Your Favorite Gearhead, Best Gifts for Coffee Lovers.