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Romantic Saucy New Personal Stylish Green
VALENTINE'S DAY GIFTS FOR HER
Ah Valentine's Day, a day devoted to true love and romance. Or a lot of sulking and sighing if you get it wrong. Or, worse, forget it all together. Come on, we'll make it as painless as possible, but time is running out, so choose that Valentine's present wisely but most of all, in a timely fashion!
Romantic Love - Valentine's gifts for the true romantics out there
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Buy her: stylish and beautiful flowers with not a red rose in sight
Perfect because: Flowers and Valentine's Day go hand in hand, as does the price of red roses rising to extortionate levels. You would be better off to express your love with stylish, beautiful, not to mention bountiful other flowers, and we would stop by Seranata Flowers. We love this Chakra Glow bouquet. It's pretty, delicate and romantic without being clichéd.
Shop at: Seranata Flowers
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Check out Charity Flowers, who have flowers for under £15 and all profits go to charity.
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Buy her: stunningly beautiful heart shaped jewellery
Perfect because: this is the hearts to go with the flowers! Will be gift boxed beautifully for you, so she can't help but be impressed. They have a complete range of these glass hearts, from this ruby red version through to crystal with 24ct gold. Or, if you're feeling flush, some amazingly stylish diamond encrusted versions too.
Shop at: Astley Clarke
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Imogen Stone have a similar piece for just £14.95
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Buy her: some fabulous pink champagne
Perfect because: well, it's just made for Valentine's Day, isn't it? If you want to choose something really special then how about Perrier Jouet Rose? Beautiful to look at, and with flavours of white flowers and white fruit, it'll certainly be an upgrade to a bottle of Lambrusco! Just don't spoil it by having nothing decent to drink it out of!
Shop at: The Purveyor
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Adnams do a fab rose Cava for just £7.99, but it tastes a lot more expensive, and it's very easy drinking!
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Buy her: a romantic break, to the city of love, Paris
Perfect because: it's still a very romantic place. We would happily pass away the hours at the Pershing Hotel, maybe being persuaded to get out and wander hand in hand to Notre Dame. Or sitting outside a café with a pastis in hand. Or just ordering room service!
Shop at: Hotels.com
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Check out cottages4you.co.uk which has a range of apartments on offer in Paris, which is probably a lot cheaper than a hotel, and nicer than a cheap hotel.
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Saucy Love - Valentine's Gifts for sensual lovers
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Buy her: a seduction box
Perfect because: depending on your beloved's preferences, you can choose from three different levels of seduction, and then a whole range of options. From Sexy Fun through Night In to Weekend Away. They can even deliver the Seduction Box to the seducing location of your choice! Some things are for you, some for her, but the fun is definitely for the two of you.
Shop at: Necia
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: try the Naughty Weekender Kit at Flirty or Dirty, which is just £14.94 for a whole heap of saucy fun!
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Buy her: fabulously glam and saucy lingerie
Perfect because: whilst lingerie is an obvious choice for Valentine's Day, a saunter through Myla will give you some some un-obvious choices. The Ella corset is stunningly sensual and could be the start of a whole lot of fun. The choice of blindfolds and tie-ups is up to you!
Shop at: Myla
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: get rehearsing and perform a strip-tease for her!
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Buy her: a great little Absinthe Gift Set from La Fée Parisien
Perfect because: Champagne may be the drink of romance, but Absinthe is the drink of adventure. Let the legendary green fairy work a little magic for you both, with this great little set. Everything you'll need, including an absinthe spoon and a sugar cube, to set you up for your own lost weekend!
Shop at: TheDrinkShop.com
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Well, we think the set is a bargain as it is, at just £9.89
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Buy her: An Enchanted Evening Gift Set
Perfect because: well, it gives you the props, the rest is up to the two of you. But with body paint and warming lotion, you could come up with plenty of options and suggestions I'm sure!
Shop at: Flirty or Dirty
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: try the Naughty Bedroom Dice for some options! And let her have the first throw!
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New love - tricky Valentine's gift situation diffused
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Buy her: a giant bouquet that has nothing like red roses in it!
Perfect because: if you've only got together recently, then Valentine's Day can be difficult. Be churlish to forget the day and easy to overstep the mark. Go for something stunning like this Tickled Pink arrangement. Go large and you will reap the rewards. You might want to check on the hidden meaning flowers before you order them though! Best to avoid carnations.
Shop at: Seranata Flowers
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: John Lewis will deliver a cheery bunch of Fairtrade Sunflowers for just £19.50
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Buy her: Perfect Day Eau de Toilette
Perfect because: fragrance is tricky, even after years together. If you have no other clues on what she likes, then choose something by the name, and we suggest Perfect Day sounds about right for early days of romance. It's also a beautiful fragrance, a modern statement on femininity, intense, fresh yet uncomplicated. Perfect!
Shop at: HQ Hair
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Rather than buy cheap fragrance, buy her expensive scented candles. We like the Travel Candles from Cowshed at Beauty Expert
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Buy her: a gift experience but not just any old experience!
Perfect because: you don't have to know him that well, you could pick something a bit off beat, and even something you could go do together. How about a circus or cowboy/girl skills half day for two, that will see you flying through the air together, although perhaps not with the greatest of ease. It'll give you something to talk about, and perhaps compare bruises later.
Shop at: Red Letter Days
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: how about an exciting few hours watching stock car racing, which is just £17 each for something a bit different!
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Buy her: a box of mini Triple Chocolate Brownies from Sweet Things.
Perfect because: these are the ultimate brownie, which we don't anyone who can resist, with their dense, fudgey texture and chunks of milk and white chocolate. Perfect as a sweet gift and not as obvious as a box of choccies, this is a sweet, but unique gift.
Shop at: FoodFullStop
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: the DIY option, as brownies are pretty straight forward. Check out this recipe, and then watch her melt!
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Personal Love - or Valentine's gifts that are just about the two of you
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Buy her: a wonderful photo book of your special memories
Perfect because: these books are beautiful, you can add in photos that mean the most to the two of you, and your own commentary as well. There are hard back and soft back options to choose from, and styles from very contemporary to some soft romantic options. Go with what suits the two of you best!
Shop at: Photo Box
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: the minibook's start at £5.95 so you get all the style and benefit without the cost
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Buy her: the two of you (or more) on the wall
Perfect because: canvas prints can be produced to any size from any photo of either just your beloved, the two of you, or something you both hold precious. We think these are great, and you've got plenty of time to organise the perfect one now for Valentine's Day.
Shop at: artgallery.co.uk
Canny credit crunch choice: Photobox will do a poster print for you, starting at just £4.99
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Buy her: a silver fingerprint necklace
Perfect because: things don't come much more personal than your fingerprints, or those of any children you have, and now you can have them imprinted into silver jewellery. You get a kit to take the fingerprint impressions and then send them back to be made into jewellery.
Shop at: Not On the High Street
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Getting Personal offer a lipstick case that you can have engraved with your message for just £17.57
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Buy her: a romantic personalised calendar
Perfect because: this wouldn't normally be a romantic choice, but these personalised versions ramp up the romance level. It adds your names to a suitable scene for each month. Don't worry, they can start the calendar in any month you like so she'll get maximum use out of it!
Shop at: Getting Personal
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Check out the personalised Tree Carving Print, which is just £4.84
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Stylish love - Valentine's gifts for the stylish queen of your heart
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Buy her: a beautiful Missoni scarf
Perfect because: although you're her first love, you have a sneaking feeling there are a few designers vying for her attention too! It's difficult to pick just one designer something that might work, but we guarantee it would take a very picky woman to not be thrilled with a Missoni scarf. Always renowned for fabulous colours, this one is no exception!
Shop at: my-wardrobe.com
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: try ScarfWorld for all kinds of options from £10 to £20
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Buy her: the Veuve Cliquot Traveller
Perfect because: can't send her something naff, got to be good stuff, and no bottle of Cava is going to do the trick. We love the Veuve Cliquot Traveller, even more so if you whisk her off somewhere stunning to drink from it. Perhaps whisk her off on the Eurostar to Paris, and let her walk down rue Saint-Honoré to check out what's cool this seaon at Colette.
Shop at: TheDrinkShop.com
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: A mini bottle of the good stuff, and two straws. Yours for just £17.90. Borrow the straws from the buffet car.
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Buy her: Giles Deacon Designer Stationery at Smythson
Perfect because: two designer names for the price of one with this limited edition haute couture stationery by Giles Deacon for Smythson. She will be an quandary whether to keep/frame them or impress her friends with bon mots on them.
Shop at: Smythson
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: The Moleskine notebook is the perfect recessionista notebook, classic and stylish.
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Buy her: a blow the budget trip to New York City
Perfect because: you can never tire of NYC, and it's never not cool. We love The Mansfield Hotel, for its comfy rooms, stylish bar and excellent location just off the shopping mecca of 5th Avenue. If she's more downtown cool, then we would stay in Meatpacking, and we quite like the Maritime, if only for the cushion wrestling each night!
Shop at: Hotels.com for your room, and Virgin would be my choice for flights, or check out Expedia
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: perhaps this year it'll just be the voyeuristic approach, with a copy of The World's Coolest Hotel Rooms compiled by Cool Hunter
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Green Love - ethical Valentine's gifts for the green goddess in your life
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Buy her: Jo Wood Organics Bath Oil Gift Set
Perfect because: Just because she's green and cares for everything else, doesn't mean she shouldn't have some time to care for herself. She will enjoy these fabulous organic bath oils which will see her mind and body nurtured and soothed.
Shop at: Beauty Expert
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: try the Good Works Good Weekender from Kathy Phillips at Boots for just £15
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Buy her: a global warming mug
Perfect because: although she probably knows this anyway, but the mug shows the potential effects of global warming when her morning cuppa is added to it. And maybe add in an eco kettle as well, so she can have tea without guilt, as it saves water, electricity, time and money.
Shop at: Nigel's Eco Store
Canny credit crunch choice: The mug is just £6.99, so well under our £20, and even £10 target!
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Buy her: Fairtrade Warm Wishes Bouquet
Perfect because: You might think that flowers are off the agenda, but there are more and more Fairtrade flowers available like this beautiful bouquet from Imogen Stone. The flower farmers get a better deal and your loved one gets beautiful flowers with no guilt
Shop at: Imogen Stone
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: Imogen Stone also offer luscious looking bunches of Fairtrade carnations for just £14.99 in a whole range of colours.
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Buy her: a way to change the world for the better with Practical Presents
Perfect because: If she'd prefer that you spread the love around a bit, then choose a gift such as Building Blocks for villagers who have had their homes destroyed. If she's more into wildlife, then there are great options from WWF or the RSPB.
Shop at Practical Presents
Canny Credit Crunch Choice: For just £10, you can buy a Chicken Tractor. No, we didn't know they could drive either, but apparently it's a very useful item!
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If that's not enough help, then we have pages devoted just to flowers, lingerie and jewellery. Or check the blog for our very latest thoughts and finds!
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