If you are reading this guide to romantic Valentine's Day ideas for her, then you probably fall into one of two categories: a boyfriend with no clue what to get your partner for February 14 (beyond the obvious flowers and candy), or a husband who has run out of Valentine’s gift ideas (beyond housewares).
Here are 14 romantic gadgets that will make your loved one go gaga on Valentine’s, complete with bonus tips on how best to serve them up romantically. At the very least, they'll save you from having a gift-wrapped toaster thrown back in your face.
Unexpectedly Romantic Valentine's Day Gifts
CucinaPro 1475 Classic Heart Waffler
Price: $69.37
Where to buy: Amazon.ca
Romantic Gesture: Normally, giving your lover a waffle maker for Valentine’s Day would cause serious injury…for you. But what if the waffle maker made cute little waffle hearts and you presented it as breakfast in bed with a personalized
brunch menu? Such a thoughtful and romantic gift could lead to an afternoon delight.
iNeed Neck and Shoulder Pro Massager
Price: $99.99
Where to buy: Brookstone
Romantic Gesture: It’s now become a tired cliché to give a homemade coupon book with offers for “free personal massages”. Give your honey’s tired muscles a self-serve massage and free your hands for other things with the iNeed Pro Massager. Use the handles to easily move the heated massager up and down your back to target problem spots, or snap in place for convenient hands-free operation.
LG’s Pocket Photo
Price: $169.99
Where to buy: LG
Romantic Gesture: Take your Valentine’s Date for a sunset stroll and create a romantic memento – instantly. LG’s Pocket Photo is a tiny device that connects to your smartphone through Bluetooth technology to printout photos on the spot, like a modern Polaroid camera. The device is completely ink-free and you have the option of adding photo filters and even QR codes. Make a tradition of it and commit to recording future Valentine's Day memories the same way with a scrapbook.
Sonos Play:1 Speaker
Price: $219
Where to buy: Sonos
Romantic Gesture: If your valentine is into music, then the Sonos Play: 1 will be music to their ears – especially if you gift it along with a mix tape of favourite songs, with each track commemorating key moments in your relationship (the moment you first met, the moment you went out on your first date, the moment you proposed ...). This compact wireless speaker is perfect for playing the soundtrack of your love life in crystal clear sound. It is available in black or white and also comes with a free Sonos app, so she can access all her music in one place.
QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case
Price: ($99 to $129, available for iPad 2, 3rd and 4th gen, iPad Air, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1)
Where to buy: Belkin
Romantic Gesture: The QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case will implicitly help your love life if your partner likes to take their tablet to bed. With a sleek, lightweight design, the Ultimate Keyboard Case offers great protection and a comfortable laptop-like keyboard all in one. It features innovative precision-hold magnets that secure tablets in three different positions and folds flat for comfortable handheld use too. This will allow her to type whatever she needs to type in bed faster and free up extra time to turn out the lights a few extra minutes earlier for additional bedroom activities.
Lampe Berger Paris: Crystal Coral lamp
Price: $74
Where to buy: Lampe Berger
Romantic Gesture: If you can’t afford to give your valentine tickets for a getaway to Paris, you can at least tell her you are saving up for a trip to the City of Love and offer her the sweet smells of Paris in the meantime. The Crystal Coral not only smells romantic, it looks romantic. Lampe Berger containers all look like works of expensive art, and this one in particular is made with gorgeous lacquered glass. The three natural colours of the satin glass (coral, frosted, glazed, marron glacé) show off its mineral shape beautifully. And it definitely is classier than lighting a match after you stink up the house … while trying to make Valentine’s Day dinner, of course.
Panasonic EH-NA65-K Nanoe™ Premium Hair Dryer with Quick Dry Nozzle
Price: $179.99
Where to buy: Panasonic
Romantic Gesture: It might seem unromantic to give your girl a hairdryer for Valentine’s Day – but not when it’s a premium hairdryer with a sleek-looking quick dry nozzle. The hair dryer’s Nanoe™ Technology penetrates deep into hair to maintain an optimum moisture balance which helps make hair strong and beautiful. You can seal the deal with dinner reservations to her favourite restaurant and a night out on the town. It would be a shame to stay home with her hair looking so good.
Panasonic EH-SA31 Ionic Facial Steamer
Price: $179.99
Where to buy: Panasonic
Romantic Gesture: Facials might not sound romantic, but perhaps you're not thinking of the slightly sweaty and most dewy glow you'll get. The Ionic Facial Steamer’s Nano-ionic steam penetrates the skin and hydrates the complexion, leaving both of you looking young and fresh. The spa experience only takes six minutes – leaving you both plenty of time to work on each other’s nails next.
CK one RED edition for Him & Her
Price: For her - $48 (50ml), $68 (100ml); for him - $48 (50ml), $68 (100ml)
Where to buy: Available at www.thebay.com
Romantic Gesture: Some couples like to think they are being cute by dressing in the same colours. Well, you can one-up them by being the couple that has the same sexy scent. Calvin Klein recently launched their new CK One Red Edition for Him & Her. The Her edition has an addictive floral-fruity fragrance and smells like watermelons, white amber and flowers. The Him version has a pear, suede, and ginger musk. If the two of you are really daring, you could then put on a pair of Calvin Klein jeans (only) and shoot your own provocative black and white CK ad.
Philosophy: My Heart to Yours gift set
Price: $29
Where to buy: available at Sephora, The Hudson’s Bay & Shoppers Drug Mart across Canada
Romantic Gesture: You know what they say — if you don’t have a way with words, get your cosmetics to do the talking for you. The shower gel, body lotion, and shampoo ensemble in this gift set are inscribed with poetic phrases on them, so you can focus on being a man of action and preparing a relaxing bath for your sweetheart.
4 Ports USB Red Roses
Price: $10.75
Where to buy: A724.com
Romantic Gesture: Instead of just getting the typical red roses for Valentine’s, how about USB red roses? The USB roses come in four ports and have a hi-speed data transfer rate of 480 Mbps connects. The roses can connect up to two devices without a power adapter and are compatible with both Mac and Windows devices. At the low price of just over $10, you have more than enough left over to present them alongside a bouquet of a dozen long stem roses.
Toshiba Excite Write tablet
Where to buy: http://www.toshiba.ca/productdetailpage.aspx?id=2147496259
Price: $599.99
Romantic Gesture: Why give your sweetie a dollar store Valentine’s card when you can hand-write a romantic poem on their very own tablet? With the Excite Write tablet, you can draw and take notes with TruPen and a digitizer that feels just like writing with a ballpoint pen. TruPen offers smooth, no-slip writing with virtually no lag. Using Toshiba’s TruNote app, you can toggle the pen to change the digital ink colour and use a digital eraser to clear your markings with a quick swipe. Once she’s done using it to write handwritten love letters back to you, you can use the tablet’s powerful image quality and speakers to catch up on Game of Thrones.
Big Agnes Dream Island ‑9C Double System Sleeping Bag
Price: $255.00
Where to buy: MEC
Romantic Gesture: This is an excellent gift for the outdoorsy girl who is a) always cold and b) can’t go to sleep without a snuggle. There will be no fighting over the covers with this sleeping bag. The top cover contains a layer of warm synthetic insulation, the bottom is non-insulated to keep it light. An integrated sleeve allows you to slide in your sleeping pads for warmth that you won't roll off of in the night. Built-in pockets keep your pillows in place too. Even if your girl isn’t into camping, the super snug sleeping bag is good to have around in case of citywide winter blackouts.
Splitterbot Headphone Sharing Robot
Price: $17.49
Where to buy: Amazon.com
Let's say you like someone but you aren't ready to take that next intimate step -- sharing your earphones. This little robot lets you share your favourite love songs from your smartphone, without also sharing earwax. It's not as romantic as John Cusack in Say Anything holding a boombox over his head, blaring "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, but you and your valentine can have your own musical moment, holding hands on the bus, listening to music together, oblivious to everyone else during the morning rush hour.