Galentine's Day Gifts: Small Luxuries for Your Closest Friends, by Budget

The best Galentine's Day gifts are small luxuries a friend would not buy for herself and will use every week: a lipstick in a beautiful case, a candle, a leather card case, a hair clip, a pair of hoops or a fine chain. For a group, keep it under $100 each and give everyone a version of the same thing. For a close friend, a budget of $100 to $600 buys a classic candle, a hair clip, a silk square or silver hoops; for your best friend, a leather card case or a gold chain is worth the stretch. In 2027, Galentine's Day falls on Saturday, February 13, the day before Valentine's Day. Below: where the day comes from, how to set a budget, and our edits by category, from lipsticks and candles to card cases, hair clips, jewelry and cups for the brunch table.

What is Galentine's Day, and when is it in 2027?

Galentine's Day began on television. It first appeared in "Galentine's Day", the sixteenth episode of the second season of NBC's Parks and Recreation, which History.com notes first aired on February 11, 2010. In it, Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, explains that every February 13 she and her friends leave their husbands and boyfriends at home and meet for breakfast: "Ladies celebrating ladies," as History.com quotes her.

Knope's gifts were famously personal; NBC's own guide to the Galentine's episodes calls them hyper-personalized. History.com lists what she handed out at the first one: crocheted flower pens, a mosaic portrait of each friend made from crushed bottles of that friend's favorite diet soda, and a 5,000-word essay on why each woman is wonderful. The fictional holiday stuck, and History.com notes that Poehler still celebrates it with some of her former castmates and has said the gifts are optional. That is the right spirit: a Galentine's gift is a thank-you, not an obligation.

In 2027, February 13 is a Saturday, which makes a brunch easy to plan. Valentine's Day follows on Sunday. If you are also shopping for a partner, our guides to Valentine's Day gifts for her and Valentine's Day gifts for him cover that, and nothing below repeats them.

How much to spend on a Galentine's gift

For a group, agree on the cap before anyone shops, and keep it fair by giving everyone the same thing in a different color or scent: a lipstick in each friend's shade, a petite candle in each friend's favorite scent. Then do what Leslie Knope did and write a card that says why she matters. It costs nothing, and it is the part she will keep. Order by the last week of January. Each piece on Vêtir is shipped by the brand or retailer that sells it, so delivery times vary from listing to listing. Most pieces can be returned within 30 days of delivery, except those marked final sale, which leaves time for an exchange after the brunch; whether return shipping is free depends on the retailer, and our returns and exchanges policy has the details.

Galentine's Day gifts under $100: lipsticks, balms and a hand cream

Beauty is the easiest small luxury to give, because the object is part of the pleasure. A lipstick from a great house comes in a case worth keeping. Hermès lipstick, for example, sits in a refillable case of lacquered and brushed metal designed by Pierre Hardy, and arrives in a canvas pouch inside the orange box, according to its listing. Once the lipstick is finished, the case stays on her dressing table.

If you do not know her shade, give a tinted balm or a lip oil instead: a sheer wash of color flatters almost everyone, and nothing is wasted if the shade is slightly off. A hand cream is the other safe choice, the one gift she will use at her desk every day. Byredo makes hand creams in some of its perfume scents, Gypsy Water among them, so you can match one she already wears. Browse more in designer makeup.

Candles: one scent per friend

A candle is the classic Galentine's gift because it changes a room for weeks. For a group, buy petite candles and give each friend a different scent: Trudon's 70-gram candles burn for about 18 to 20 hours, according to their listings, and come in the same green glass as the house's classic size. For one friend, give a classic size that lasts much longer: Diptyque puts its classic candle at around 50 hours and its medium size at around 75, and Creed its beeswax candle at up to 60.

Two habits make any candle last, and Diptyque's own instructions include both: after the first burn, do not burn it for more than four hours at a time, and keep the wick trimmed to between 3 and 5 millimeters. Choose the scent for her home: woods, leather and incense for a dark, bookish apartment; vanilla and amber for someone who loves warmth; green and citrus notes for a bright kitchen. For more candles, see candles and room fragrance, and our guide to luxury hostess gifts if the brunch is at her place.

Card cases and small leather goods

A card case is the small leather good a friend uses most, and at this price you can buy from the same houses that make her handbags, such as Prada, Chloé and Bottega Veneta. Choose by how she lives. A neutral case in black, taupe or cognac suits a woman who changes bags every day; a zipped case holds coins and keys too; a case on a wrist strap or a chain can stand in for a bag on a night out. Match the hardware to her jewelry, gold or silver. Leave red and pink leather to Valentine's Day, where our gift guide for her covers it. For more under $500, see our luxury gifts under $500, or browse wallets and card holders.

Hair clips and silk squares

A hair clip is jewelry for the back of the head, and one of the few luxury gifts that needs no size. A velvet bow clip dresses up a low ponytail for dinner, a claw clip holds a twist on a busy day, and a slim logo barrette goes with everything. A silk square is the other gift that fits everyone: tie it at the neck under a coat collar, knot it around the handle of a bag, or fold it into a headband. Silk twill, a dense weave with a fine diagonal rib, holds a knot better than a lighter, floatier silk. For smaller hair accessories and skinny scarves, our guide to luxury stocking stuffers has more.

Jewelry for friends: hoops, chains and a pair to share

Hoops are the easiest earrings to give, because nearly everyone wears them. Check her ears first: these hoops are for pierced ears, and the chunkier styles suit women who wear earrings every day. Silver suits a minimal, cool-toned wardrobe; gold suits warm colors and camel coats. Sophie Buhai makes hers by hand in Los Angeles, in silver and in gold vermeil, and Toteme makes its hoops in plated brass. Read the metal line before you choose, because silver, vermeil, gold-plated and gold-tone are different things. In the US, vermeil has a legal definition: under the Federal Trade Commission's jewelry guides, it means sterling silver coated or plated with gold of at least 10 karats, in a layer equivalent to at least 2.5 microns of fine gold.

A pair to share. If she is your oldest friend, buy two of the same fine bracelet, one for her and one for you. Luck charms suit the occasion: Jennifer Meyer sets a tiny four-leaf clover or a wishbone in 18-karat gold on a fine chain, and David Yurman's cable bracelets in sterling silver are the easy silver alternative. For a bracelet you need her wrist size, and our Valentine's gift guide for her explains how to get it without asking. For diamonds and heavier gold, see our fine jewelry gift guide, or browse designer earrings.

For the Galentine's brunch table

Galentine's Day is a brunch holiday; in the show, NBC recalls, it means waffles and mimosas. A porcelain cup is a lovely gift for the friend who hosts, or a set to give the whole group: Ginori 1735's Oriente Italiano cups come in many colors, so each friend can take home her own. Hermès and Dolce & Gabbana make cups and saucers in patterns that are as much decoration as tableware. Gold-rimmed porcelain should never go in the microwave, and washing it by hand keeps the gilding bright. If you are hosting, ask our AI stylist to plan what to wear to your own brunch.

Galentine's gifts by friend: six ready-made pairings

If you would rather not build a gift from scratch, start from the friend and pair two small things that belong together.

• The one who always hosts: a classic candle and a gold-rimmed porcelain cup, so the gift stays at her table.
• The one who is always out: a card case on a wrist strap and a lipstick in a refillable case, everything she needs for a night without a bag.
• The minimalist: silver hoops and a hand cream in a scent she already wears; nothing she will have to find a place for.
• The romantic: a velvet bow hair clip and a printed silk square.
• Your oldest friend: two matching fine chain bracelets, one for her and one for you, and the longest card you have ever written.
• A newer friend: one petite candle or a tinted lip balm. Keep it small, so the gift feels like a thank-you rather than a debt.

How we chose

We started from what a friend would enjoy but rarely buy for herself, and kept every gift small, useful and free of sizing wherever possible. Every piece comes from a top luxury house or specialist, from Hermès, Prada and Chloé to Trudon, Diptyque and Ginori 1735, and was in stock and new, not pre-owned, when we checked it. We read each listing for materials, looked at every product photograph, and left out anything whose photograph did not match its stated color. We kept to neutral leathers and luck charms rather than hearts and red, which belong to Valentine's Day.

Frequently asked questions

What is Galentine's Day?

A celebration of female friendship held on February 13. It comes from a 2010 episode of NBC's Parks and Recreation, in which Leslie Knope gathers her friends for breakfast the day before Valentine's Day.

When is Galentine's Day in 2027?

Saturday, February 13, 2027, the day before Valentine's Day.

How much should you spend on a Galentine's gift?

For a group, agree on a cap, usually under $100 each. For a close friend, $100 to $600 buys a candle, a hair clip, a silk square or hoops; for a best friend, $400 to $900 buys a card case or a gold chain.

What is a good Galentine's gift for a group of girlfriends?

The same small luxury in a different shade or scent for each friend: petite candles, lipsticks, lip balms or porcelain cups in different colors.

What should I give my best friend for Galentine's Day?

Something she will use or wear every day: a leather card case, a pair of hoops, or two matching fine chain bracelets, one for her and one for you. Add a handwritten card.

Do you have to give gifts on Galentine's Day?

No. Amy Poehler herself has said gifts are optional, according to History.com. A brunch and a card are enough; a small gift makes it a celebration.

Keep reading

• Valentine's Day gifts for her
• Valentine's Day gifts for him
• Luxury stocking stuffers under $300
• Luxury gifts under $500
• Fine jewelry gifts, and what a jeweler would check first