What to Get Your Best Friend for Her Birthday?

It can be tricky to find an ideal gift for anyone, let alone for your best friend.

Although we may take pride in how well we know them, sometimes we’re not so sure about what to get our best friend for their birthday.

That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best birthday gift ideas for your best friend.

The Love List

My passion is talking about creative and intentional gifts that show someone how much they are loved. My favorite of all the ideas is what I call “The Love List.”

The Love List is simply a list of all the reasons we love somebody and what makes them unique in all the world. It is sweet, funny, or serious. It can include any number — from five to fifteen to fifty — of loving attributes, characteristics, or memories about someone. This is a perfect birthday gift for your BFF!

A few examples: “I love your goofy laugh; it always makes me laugh!” “I love the memory of when we went to Cedar Point together and we both got sick on the spinning teacups.” “I love that you support my dreams of becoming an artist by buying me paints and going to art museums together.” “I love that you take your mother to dinner every Sunday and bring her such joy with your humorous anecdotes.” “I that you love dogs so much and are so kind to them!”

You can present your Love List written out on a sheet of pretty paper, printed out with some photos added for extra delight, on slips of paper in a Joy Jar, inside fortune cookies, tied to stems of flowers, or a thousand other ways!

Everyone should know the impact they have on the world. A Love List will tell your BFF what makes ‘em so lovable and unique. Get ready for the happy tears!

Something that will make her laugh

A silly something to make your BFF laugh when having a bad day is never a bad idea. Think outside the outside the typical novelty store in the mall and get something a little more personal.

Etsy’s Gag Gift page offers a ton of hilarious ideas. From t-shirts to mugs, to wall art you can find something that matches your friend’s personality.

An unexpected activity

Check out Groupon and search under Things to Do. Enter the location of your choice and select something unexpected. Invite her out for a night of bowling or ax throwing. Take a karate class together or visit that whiskey distillery everyone’s been raving about.

Either way, you get to spend some time together and save some money in the process using Groupon.

A memento of past times together

Whether you’ve been friends for a year or 20 years, a reminder of a shared moment together is sure to be a winner. For example, if you were roommates at some point, recreate that night you guys spent sitting on the couch, binge-watching Golden Girls, eating cheese and crackers, and sharing a bottle of wine.

Relax & reset items

Everyone deserves some rest and relaxation. Put together a small basket of “me” time essentials. Buy some comfy slippers or pajamas, a face mask, a bath bomb or two, and a good book. If she’s a mom, offer to watch her kids for a few hours. With you as the babysitter and all of the items packaged up and ready go, you can provide the inspiration she needs to take some time to herself.

The gift of experience

We all know how hard it is to fit quality time with friends into our busy days. Getting them an experience gift with a set date is a way to lock it in! Bonus if it’s also active and helps you combine a gift, a friend date, and a workout in one!

Some of my favorite ideas are goat yoga, mermaid swimming classes, or horseback riding.

I always love to give my friends experience gifts that we can do together. Not only will we get to try something fun and new, but we will make lifelong memories.

Walking tours

There are companies offering niche experiences for people (yes, in this case — your best friend!) who have a sincere enthusiasm for their interests.

You could gift a history buff with a guided intimate tour of lesser-known spots around a city that hold nuggets of hidden stories. Your favorite bookworm might be treated to a tour of their favorite famed local writer’s home or a Thoreau’s cabin-type exploration. Does your francophile pal happily indulge in a spot of baguette-and-Bordeaux? Then a tour of local wine cellars might do the trick.

For almost any interest, there are experiences to be found — and gifted!

But the popularity of walking tours, in particular, has been growing in recent years. It’s an excellent way to get up-close and personal and can offer more intimacy than more traditional, generic tours. What’s more, it’s a beautiful and thoughtful way to celebrate a friend — and show them how much you know them.

BodyMark by BIC is the perfect tool for the festival go-er or at-home artist, gift your creative best friend with BodyMark by BIC, a temporary tattoo marker that allows you to create designs on your skin without the commitment of a permanent tattoo.

These colorful and revolutionary tattoo markers are sure to make her birthday more bright!

Customized items with monograms or initials

We read in a recent article on trends in retail sales that customization is a hot trend both online and in brick and mortar stores, and we couldn’t agree more.

As our name suggests, monogramming is a big part of what we do and we’re likely to say that monogrammed gifts are great for a lot of occasions. But when it comes to your best friend, what more personal statement can you make than to present them with a gift with their name or initials on it?

Our tees and sweatshirts tend to be favorites with our clients. And if you’re throwing a party for her, we have monogrammed giftware that is perfect for party favors.

So, give a gift your bestie will know was created just for her and ride the customization wave at the same time.

Do you want to really wow your BFF?

Plan something for her rather than gifting her a product

One option would be to watch her kids so she can have a date night/day with her hubby. Add a cherry on the top by giving them a gift card to their favorite restaurant. They’ll enjoy a parent’s night out with you and not have to worry about a thing!

Trust me, a night out where you know your kids are safe and taken care of, and it’s all free? That’s a present she is never going to forget!

I’m recommending Cubii Pro, our smart compact elliptical trainer.

Cubii Pro is the very first smart compact elliptical on the market and with a good rating across Amazon and other stores, there’s no doubt it’s positively affecting customers worldwide!

Workout at the desk or sofa with Cubii Pro and keep track of your workout by connecting Cubii with the mobile app (iOS and Android compatible). It also syncs with popular wearables like Fitbit and Apple HealthKit.

It features a luxuriously soft headband that contains thin removable speakers to play music, audiobooks, meditation, white noise, or talk radio. SleepPhones® are fully padded with nothing sticking into the ears and are so much more comfortable than other headphones out there.

We offer a Classic version (that’s an Amazon’s Choice) that plugs into virtually any device, as well as a popular Wireless version that connects with any Bluetooth-enabled device. People love to use them as they try to fall asleep—and to block out the noise and stress of travel.

Our product was developed by a family doctor who needed a way to listen to soothing music after taking patient calls in the middle of the night. SleepPhones® has helped thousands of people all over the world sleep and live better—and they are FDA listed as a medical device.

We all know how important it is to find time to unwind in the midst of our hectic lives.

SleepPhones® is ideal for not just sleeping, especially in loud or unfamiliar environments, but also meditating, chilling out to white noise or nature sounds, or catching up on a good book or podcast.

The concept behind it is to seek self-progression through creativity. The journal is full of prompts and the idea is, you answer half of the prompts now, and then put the book away for a year or two (I personally do 10) and answer the other half of the questions in the future.

You’re able to see how you’ve progressed and what’s changed in that time frame.

The book is the perfect gift that gives you and your best friend the opportunity to explore various products, share beauty discussions and experiment with makeup.

Page after page, this full-color guidebook walks readers through valuable tips and tricks. Setareh provides details about products and techniques that allow readers to become masters of their own beauty routine.

With so much ‘noise’ in the beauty industry, this book helps readers navigate the maze of conflicting information to offer advice that helps everyone find their best look within any budget.

Wish wrist charms

Give the gift of a wish! Make a wish. Wear it on your wrist. Creating something physical around intentions.

Each Wishbeads bracelet comes with a small slip of paper. Write down your wish. Roll it up. Tuck it inside the bracelet’s secret compartment.

Wear it as a daily reminder to stay focused, take action, and create what you want. Wishbeads are available in a variety of colors and materials—including rose quartz, lapis lazuli, labradorite, Amethyst, Carnelian, and more.

Purity Mask and Bare Elixir

This duo works together to purify and nourish your skin from within no time, and you’d need nothing more to make your skin look radiant & dewy! Purity Mask is enriched with botanical extracts that deeply cleanses and balances the skin, while lightweight Bare Elixir absorbs in seconds while giving you all the nourishment you need.

Bold & Bare products rely on simple, naturally-derived ingredients that are proven to renew, balance, and nourish your skin. These are 100% cruelty-free, vegan, free of parabens, silicones, phthalates, mineral oil, propylene glycol, synthetic fragrance and any other words that don’t belong on the back of a skincare product.

Our mission is to help women feel most confident so they can feel free to bare their natural skin and be bold in living their life, without feeling pressure from society.

Champagne

It is always a classy gift no matter who you are buying for. It conveys a message of, “I know you’re the kind of person who likes to celebrate life” and I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear that?

Don’t wait for a special occasion to pop a bottle of bubbly. Whether you are home alone or out with friends, nothing can brighten a mood the way those glittering strands of bubbles dancing in a flute! Any occasion is a worthy occasion with bubbles because “You’re Worth Celebrating!”

A gift card to experience a salt cave session

In our materialistic age, providing the gift of an experience is so much more memorable and appreciated.

There are approximately 600 salt caves throughout the country and for a reasonable amount, your best friend can enjoy 45 minutes of total relaxation and rejuvenation. She or he will come out feeling absolutely re-born as one takes the time to go within and get centered and away from life’s busy noises and stress.

Leather journals

If your best friend is an avid journaler or loves to keep organized, she’ll appreciate a stylish handmade leather journal cover to keep all her essentials together. You can customize according to her favorite color and embossed initials for that extra special and thoughtful touch.

The age when all your girlfriends suddenly start having children has crept up on me. So, for birthdays, I am trying to get them something that is for them but also acknowledges their new role as a mom.

Mom Life Leggings

They are made from the softest organic cotton, have a high supportive waistband and pockets for phone, keys, wipes, etc. Sure, these may not sound as fun as a champagne bath soak or ostrich leather slippers, but they help my mom-friends keep their style and sanity on a daily basis.

Melt Down Co. “on the move” gift box

This beautiful gift box is perfect for your best friend who is moving soon. Your best friend can sip loose leaf tip tea, nibble on craft chocolate, and snuggle up with a funny and practical book. Then, she can light a hand-poured candle and take a relaxing bath. Add in a note that you’ll help her pack and you will be her best friend forever.

Dog sweaters

So many of us are obsessed with our dogs, and wish we could bring our dogs everywhere with us. With that exact idea in mind, Sweater Hound was founded by a former clothing executive of 15 years, who loves her doggy and wanted to create a unique and personalized gift for the fellow dog-obsessed.

The founder created sweaters, hoodies, and pants for those who want to wear their beloved pooch in a cute, cartoonish image. Each sweater is knitted and one-of-a-kind- not screen printed!

Compose a song

Looking for a creative, unique, and thoughtful gift idea for your best friend? One that will surprise and be remembered forever? If so, give her a custom song that shows how you feel about her.

Your words or story can easily be transformed into a high-quality song. This is a great gift for anyone!

GIFTED donations

Don’t know what to get your best friend for her birthday? Throw her a GIFTED party! She will receive cash gifts to buy something she really wants while donating a portion (1-100%) to a charity of choice.

Money is the number one most desired gift, but there is no simple or genuine way to ask for cash. We set out to use technology to reinvent and simplify gift giving and receiving while making a social impact.

GIFTED facilitated over $80,000 in donations to charity partners through its online invitation, cash registry, and fundraising platform prior to celebrating one year in business.

Frequently Asked Questions