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The best Valentine’s Day gifts under $200
Nike & Bloomingdales
Finding the perfect present for Valentine’s Day can sometimes be a challenge, especially if they aren’t into traditional gifts such as flowers, chocolates or anything heart-shaped. If you’re having a hard time figuring out what to get your partner for Valentine’s Day, we rounded up a variety of ideas to give you some gifting inspiration. These include a wide array of gifts that will suit multiple interests, including great tech products, luxurious home items, coffee essentials and more. All of these picks are less than $200, with some on sale for up to 38% off.
Best Valentine’s Day gifts under $200
Trying to stay within a budget this Valentine’s Day? We understand. Check out these quick links to our top Valentine’s Day gift picks, all of which are under $200. If your budget is a little tighter, or if you want to buy multiple gifts, check out the best Valentine’s Day gifts under $100 and the best Valentine’s Day gifts under $50.
Best perfume gift: Tiffany Eau de Parfum
Nordstrom/Tiffany & Co.
Anything Tiffany & Co. is a gift in and of itself, but the jewelry brand’s Eau de Parfum makes for the perfect gift this Valentine’s Day. The brand’s signature perfume boats a sparkling floral musk scent, inspired by the luxury and glamour of New York City.
At the heart of Tiffany’s scent are tones of iris and warm nuances of gently, musky notes. The scent is strong (but not overbearing), feminine and modern.
This gorgeous scent comes in a beautiful crystal bottle cut like Tiffany’s yellow diamond cuts. And yes, the iconic Tiffany & Co. blue box comes with it, too.
Best gift for plant lovers: Uncommon Goods flower garden in a box
Uncommon Goods
This Uncommon Goods flower garden in a box gift set will delight gardening enthusiasts, or newbies looking to get into the hobby.
It doesn’t matter where your recipient lives: The box includes seeds for 36 flowers that can grow anywhere in the country. It includes fun and unusual shades like plum-colored sunflowers, which may surprise people with the greenest of thumbs.
“My dad loves planting flowers all around the yard and is always looking for something new that he hasn’t planted before,” a reviewer who gifted the item says. “He loved this gift and said he’s never seen these varieties before. He’s excited to start planting!”
Best gift for sneakerheads: Nike by You customized shoes
Nike
If you’re dating a sneakerhead, surprise them with a unique pair they don’t already own by utilizing the Nike By You program to craft a highly customized shoe.
This isn’t just a basic color customization either. You are guided through 12 customization areas, from the logo on the tongue of the shoe, to each section of the shoe — even the Nike Swoosh color. With so many customization points, you can create a truly unique shoe just for your friend or partner this Valentine’s Day.
Prices vary by style and start at $80. Allow up to four weeks for delivery of this custom-made shoe.
Best gift for sports fans: MLB game-used baseball bat bottle opener
Uncommon Goods
Baseball fans will love this unique and useful souvenir. The bottle opener is made from real bats used in MLB games. Just choose the recipient’s favorite team from the drop-down menu at Uncommon Goods.
Each baseball bat bottle opener comes with a story card stating which game the bat was used in. An engraving with a special hologram number can be used to access more information on the bat. But act fast, as some teams are already sold out.
Prices ranges from $135 to $175.
Best subscription box gift: Atlas Coffee Club coffee world tour gift subscription
Atlas coffee club
Real coffee aficionados love trying out new coffee from different brewers and countries, making this subscription from Atlas Coffee Club the perfect gift.
Each month features a coffee from a different country. You can select whole beans, ground coffee, espresso, Keurig cups and more. There are also different roast options, so they can get a light, medium or dark roast to best suit their preferences.
Get a six-month subscription for $109 or a year-long subscription for $199.
Best gift for readers: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (ad-free)
Amazon
An e-reader is always a solid gift for someone who loves to read. There are multiple types of Kindles on the market, but we recommend the Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition, as it provides a paper-like reading experience that’s easy on the eyes.
It also features a 6.8-inch display, adjustable warm light and up to ten weeks of battery life. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition offers everything in the Kindle Paperwhite, plus wireless charging, an auto-adjusting front light and 32 GB of storage.
We recommend the ad-free version for gifting. It’s only slightly more expensive, but it provides a cleaner look and makes a better impression. After all, you probably don’t want to give someone the gift of ads.
Best gift for coffee lovers: Nespresso Vertuo Next espresso maker
Amazon
Is your significant other someone who can’t go a day without heading to the coffee shop for their favorite latte? Consider gifting them a machine that will let them make their favorite drink right from their own kitchen.
The espresso maker can brew three cup sizes and offers an ultra-fast, 25-second heat-up time. What’s also great about this product is that Nespresso is always introducing new coffee flavors and seasonal favorites.
“I found myself spending close to $35 per week on coffee at Starbucks. Not anymore,” one Amazon reviewer says. “The Nespresso machine generates a beautiful thick espresso by centrifugal force which gives the end result a nice layer of crema. Totally worth the money to get the milk frothed as well for a nice latte or cappuccino.”
Best gift for frequent travelers: Away The Everywhere Bag
Away
Away’s The Everywhere Bag makes the perfect travel companion. It comes with a padded laptop pocket, detachable key clip, pockets sized for water bottles and a detachable padded strap. The chic bag also comes with a trolley sleeve that allows you to slip the bag over the handle of a suitcase while wheeling it around the airport.
One Away reviewer says: “I love my Everywhere bag. I recently travelled with it on a domestic flight and it was so convenient to place the bag under the seat. The best part of the bag is the zippers that go down to the lower portion of the bag, which when opened gives easy access and visibility to all the contents.”
Best personalizable gift: Aura Carver digital photo frame
Amazon
This sleek, freestanding smart picture frame displays photos sent from an iPhone, Android and other smart devices.
It comes equipped with an ambient-light sensor that automatically adjusts display brightness. Recipients can easily switch the frame from portrait to landscape mode by rotating it.
The Aura Carver digital photo frame offers wireless connectivity to make uploading photos easier. You can load the frame up with your favorite photos of you and your partner before gifting it for a special personalized touch.
Best gift for cooks and chefs: Our Place Always Pan 2.0
Our Place
The Our Place Always Pan is popular with home cooks thanks to its gorgeous design and incredible versatility. Built to do the work of ten cookware pieces, the Always Pan 2.0 can braise, sear, steam, strain, sauté, fry, bake, boil, serve and store. And it will look great in your kitchen while doing it.
The pan includes Thermakind, Our Place’s advanced, long-lasting ceramic nonstick coating to make cooking and cleanup a breeze.
“I’m obsessed with this pan!” says one reviewer. “It has so much versatility in what I can cook. It is not as heavy as I would have thought but that does not mean it’s not extremely durable!”
This gorgeous kitchen essential is available in eight color variations, so you’re sure to find a color that your partner will love.
Best sweater to gift: Lake Jane sweater
Lake
A good quality sweater can go a long way — and this 100% cotton sweater from Lake is an excellent Valentine’s Day gift idea for moms, sisters, wives or anyone who relishes in a nice cozy sweater. It’s available in three colors; ivory, dusty blue and conifer (dark green).
“The Jane Sweater is the perfect throw-on with anything sweater!” says one reviewer. “I love to layer it over my Lake pajamas for a cozy morning, and then throw it on with jeans for the day. The cropped fit is perfect — not too short and not too long. I can’t recommend it enough!”
For the beauty enthusiast: Shark HyperAir hot air brush
Amazon
You won’t be able to find a Dyson Airwrap for under $200 by Valentine’s Day, but this top-rated Airwrap alternative makes a great gift. Shark is best-known for vacuum cleaners, but this fast-drying air brush has brought Shark into the beauty market. Reviewers report that the Shark HyperAir hot air brush is a worthy competitor to the Dyson Airwrap.
“This hair dryer is nothing short of amazing,” an Amazon reviewer says. “I have a Dyson hair dryer and I have the Airwrap complete system. I like this Shark hair dryer much better than my Dyson now.”
For the runner: Beats PowerBeats Pro
Amazon
Runners and fitness enthusiasts will love the Beats Powerbeats Pro earbuds for their secure fit. These wireless earbuds are designed with comfortable ear hooks for a secure fit, making them ideal for more rigorous activities such as running. IPX4 water resistance ensures they’re protected even when you’re sweating on them every day. They’re available in black, ivory and navy colors.
Amazon reviewers rate these earbuds 4.5 stars. “Much better than the Apple AirPods,” says one reviewer. “Love these.”
Says another verified Amazon buyer: “These are the best headphones I’ve ever owned. Expensive but good quality and very solid. Worth it!”
Best luxe gift: Zadro towel warmer
Amazon
One of the most luxurious gifts you can get anyone for Valentine’s Day is a towel warmer. The Zadro towel warmer will transform your daily shower or bath into a spa-like experience. It can accommodate two oversized towels (40 x 70 inches) as well as pajamas, blankets and whatever else you can get to fit comfortably in the machine. You can set a timer so that your warmed up towels can be ready in 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes before the auto shut off kicks in.
The Zadro towel warmer has a 4.2-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer wrote about their experience with the machine, calling it a total game changer: “I was bought this for Christmas last year. I don’t think I’ve gone a single day without it this season. Another great use is for blankets, washcloths, robes or even your clothes.”
If you’re considering getting this for your loved one, know that the towel warmer is currently 25% off on Amazon.
Best cozy gift: Quince Mongolian cashmere throw
Quince
If you’re unsure of what to get your significant other this Valentine’s Day, a throw blanket makes a good neutral gift. Because who doesn’t love a soft blanket to snuggle up in?
Quince is known for making clothing, accessories and home goods out of premium fabrics at a very affordable price point. This cashmere throw is no different. It’s made from Mongolian cashmere (widely considered to be of high caliber in the cashmere world) and comes in two sizes, including 50 x 60 and 60 x 80 inches. You can get this throw in six colors, ranging from neutral such as grey to sky blue.
Best spa gift: Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Rib robe
Nordstrom
This will probably be the softest robe your partner will ever own. Barefoot Dreams has made a name for itself by creating cozy clothing made with a super soft microfiber material. The CozyChic Rib robe is made with this material, and once you slip it on, whether it’s after a shower or just lounging around the house, you won’t want to take it off. The robe is thick, comes in two neutral colors and is available in sizes ranging from one to three.
This robe has a 4.7-star rating on Nordstrom. One reviewer wrote, “I’ve had so many robes but this one is the best by far. So soft, and so warm.” Another customer said, “Best robe I’ve ever owned! Worth the price!”
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On Tuesday, a new Malcolm Gladwell book comes out. And if history is any guide, it will be a bestseller. “They’re stories about ideas,” he said. “They have characters. They have plots. I’m usually trying to say something about the world.”
His first book, “The Tipping Point,” published in 2000, established the Gladwell recipe: he explores a theme through anecdotes and little-known scientific studies. “‘Tipping Point’ was about the epidemic as an incredibly useful way of understanding how ideas move through society,” Gladwell said. “And epidemics have rules. Let’s learn the rules, right?”
His seven New York Times bestsellers have sold 23 million copies in North America alone. His fee for corporate speeches is $350,000. His fans have downloaded a quarter-billion episodes of his podcast, “Revisionist History,” and he founded a company called Pushkin Industries to produce it.
CBS News
In other words, Gladwell has come a long way from the small Canadian town where he grew up, son of a British father and a Jamaican mother, whom he describes as “subversive,” someone who would write notes to excuse her son from class with a blank space. “I would just fill out the date,” said the man who skipped a lot of school.
He attended the University of Toronto, but his best education was the ten years he worked for the Washington Post. “I knew nothing about newspapers,” he said. “I was so raw. I was 23, I think, or 24. Bob Woodward was two rows away from me. I learned at the feet of the greatest journalists of my generation.”
In 1996, Gladwell joined The New Yorker. He wrote about why, in the 1990s, New York’s crime rate plummeted in an article called, “The Tipping Point.” A book followed. It introduced a recurring Gladwellian theme: hidden patterns in the way the world works.
He’s a world-class contrarian, about college (“You should never go to the best institution you get into, never; go to your second or your third choice. Go to the place where you’re guaranteed to be in the top part of your class”); about working from home (“It’s not in your best interest to work at home. … If you’re just sitting in your pajamas in your bedroom, is that the work life you want to live, right? Don’t you want to feel part of something?”); about football (“I think the sport is a moral abomination”).
Gladwell says he enjoys being provocative: “Of course!” he said. “I like poking the bear. I mean, journalists should poke the bear.”
CBS News
Gladwell’s fans love his storytelling, and the A-ha! moments they bring. His critics, on the other hand, have described his writing as “generalizations that are banal, obtuse, or flat wrong,” and “simple, vacuous truths [dressed] up with flowery language.” “I’m with the idea that not everyone’s gonna like my work,” Gladwell said. “100% of people don’t like anything.”
In a 2021 “Sunday Morning” interview, Gladwell said, “I would rather be interesting than correct.” He called that “an overly provocative way of saying things! No, I think what I meant was, if I turn out not to be right, I’m not devastated. I accept that as the price of doing business.”
Gladwell often turns his mistakes into new chapters or podcast episodes. In “The Tipping Point,” he explained that New York’s crime drop was the result of “broken windows policing.” As he described it, “Little crimes were tipping points for big crimes.” But that philosophy led to New York’s policy of “stop and frisk.”
“Doing 700,000 police stops a year of young Black and Hispanic men is deeply problematic,” Gladwell said. “We were wrong. I was part of that. I’m sorry.”
Which brings us to the new book, “Revenge of the Tipping Point.” “The original ‘Tipping Point’ is a very optimistic, rosy book about the possibilities for using the laws of epidemics to promote positive social change,” he said. “In the last 25 years, I spent a lot of time thinking about the other side of that problem, which is, what happens when people use the laws of epidemics in ways that are malicious or damaging or self-interested?”
Little, Brown & Co.
The book’s stories range from topics as obscure as cheetah reproduction, to stories as big as the Holocaust. He writes that almost nobody talked about the Holocaust, or even called it that, until NBC aired a miniseries called “Holocaust” in 1978. “And what changed happened like [snaps fingers]. I mean, it was just there was a tipping point in our understanding of the Holocaust,” he said.
This book arrives at a tipping point in Gladwell’s own life. In a span of five years, he got engaged, had two children, turned 61, and moved from Manhattan to pastoral Hudson, New York. “It’s a lot to handle. There isn’t a single person who ever lived whose parents did not say, ‘This is a lot!'” he laughed. “I have become the person that, you know, I once despised, and nothing makes me happier.”
He also despises Ivy League colleges, accusing them of prioritizing their own reputations over focusing on their students.
Has parenthood affected his outlook on any of the things that he’s written about before? “Well, it’s prepared me for the possibility that I will be a massive hypocrite!” Gladwell laughed. “So, you know, it’s one thing to write about what you should do with your kids when you don’t have them.”
For all his success, Malcolm Gladwell maintains that nothing has changed in his approach, his work ethic, or his contrarianism. “It hasn’t changed what I do,” he said. “I don’t farm out my research; I still go on reporting trips. It hasn’t gotten old. In fact, my great regret is I don’t have time to do more.”
READ AN EXCERPT: “Revenge of the Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell
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Story produced by Wonbo Woo. Editor: Remington Korper.
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