Best Valentine's Day Gifts Under $50

Candle warmers are a great alternative to traditional wick-burning candles, allowing you to fill your space with fragrance. Not having to worry about remembering to blow out a candle is a big plus. In our evaluations of the best candle warmers, we found that this whimsical version from Funistree was easy to clean—even melted wax wiped off easily. The lamp has four brightness settings, and when we tried it on the highest setting, we noticed a faint aroma from the candle after just half an hour.

A great tinted lip balm is always hard to resist. Our evaluators unanimously agreed that this tinted lip balm by Dior was one very special pick. It’s easy to apply and hydrating with just the right pop of color and shine. The icing on the cake might just be the little charm that dangles from the tube.

The Béis Dopp Kit is made of cotton and vegan leather and comes in a variety of colors. It’s a bag you’ll enjoy holding because of how comfortable the material feels. It can be opened wide enough that every item inside is in full view, which makes it easy to access. The bag is divided into a top and bottom compartment, and there are two side pockets in the top compartment. Take this gift to the next level by pairing it with your giftee’s favorite beauty essentials.

Something as simple as a splurge-worthy body wash can be a little luxury that goes a long way. Bathing Culture’s line of green-minded and deliciously scented bath products is a prime example. It also happens to be a hit with, well, me, and I think it’s a great gift. I absolutely love the smell of the Cathedral Grove scent; it’s refreshing without being too overpowering. I also like its silky texture, and the fact that a little goes a long way: I have to use only a small amount on my washcloth, so it’ll take me a while to work my way through the bottle.

CR writer and product tester Jodhaira Rodriguez was impressed with how well and how quickly the Tymo Ring Straightening Comb straightened her frizzy, dry hair. It’s shaped like a traditional hair comb with smooth, horizontal teeth. Because of the smoothness of the bristles, hair is not gripped as it passes through the comb—it glides smoothly through the hair just like a comb does, as long as the hair is detangled. It has five temperature settings that range from 266° F to 410° F, and an auto-shutoff feature that turns the straightening comb off after 30 minutes.

This E.L.F. set of makeup brushes was deemed the best bang for your buck in our recent evaluation: Soft, even bristles that don’t shed, lightweight handles that are tapered at the ends and comfortable to hold (though shorter than most of the other brushes), and a set that includes 12 brushes will make you feel like you struck gold.

The Easy-Take Skincare Fridge is the only skincare fridge we evaluated that has an LED mirror on the front door that has three brightness levels, which comes in handy if you’re trying to save space on your vanity. The fridge has one removable shelf, but the height can’t be adjusted. The door closes securely with a magnetic closure, but its capacity is smaller than that of other models we tried, and it was unable to fit a 13.5-fluid-ounce bottle of micellar water.

The Papillon Shiatsu Neck and Back Massager Pillow checks a lot of the boxes for being the perfect massager. It’s effective and lightweight. In fact, it’s the lightest of all the electric massagers we tried, according to our measurements. It’s also fairly inexpensive. You can use the massager on different body parts, such as your back, neck, shoulders, legs, and feet. It also offers a good amount of heat.

There’s no doubt about it: This popular mask is gorgeous. It’s made with stunning silk fabric, and colors include a lush navy, a graceful ballet pink, and opulent gold. It has a scrunchy backstrap that stretches rather than adjusts, which allows for a more seamless look (but perhaps an imperfect fit). To that end, some CR evaluators found that the mask was true to its name and slipped during the night. Overall, the Slip makes a great gift for that stylish someone in your life. Just make sure to get a gift receipt in case it, well, slips.

For more options: Best Sleep Masks

Wrap your boo in cozy post-shower comfort. With a smooth, fine pile and a wide dobby border, the Frontgate Resort Collection bath towel conveys ultimate luxury at a reasonable price. The towels use high-quality, combed, long-staple Turkish cotton, so it’s both soft and durable. We also found them to be very absorbent in a recent evaluation where it was the perfect middle ground: neither thick nor thin, neither budget-oriented nor ultra-pricey. Bonus for the fact that it comes in a wide array of colors to boot. 

Available in 27 colors and four sizes, including washcloths.

For more options: Best Bath Towels

This truffle set from Compartés, a chocolate maker based in Los Angeles, is poised to please. In fact, we were blown away by the flavors in a recent evaluation of the best boxed chocolates. As CR reporter Angela Lashbrook put it: “For a chef or a cook, a true sign of success is taking a flavor your audience is known not to love and convincing them that they’ve been missing out this whole time. That’s the case with this beautiful, elegant little box of chocolates.”

For more options: Best Boxed Chocolates

Miguel Leal is a big fan of Fly by Jing. The co-founder of Somos—a purveyor of ready-to-eat Mexican foods—recommends the Triple Threat gift set for home cooks who want to get creative in the kitchen. “It contains three products, one of which is the Sichuan Chili Crisp, which is a super-versatile sauce that I use on everything from eggs to dumplings and rice, and even on sushi,” Leal says. “It has a great level of spicy—but isn’t too spicy!—and I love the texture it adds to my food.”

Lego’s botanical collection is something out of a dream. Potted orchids and holiday centerpieces are just a few of the creative kits you’ll find, but we’re partial to this wildflower set, which is equal parts whimsical and artful. Once it’s complete, go ahead and display it in a vase. Why not?

Plant-care essentials that combine form and function make wonderful gifts. “Most of the leafy plants that thrive indoors originally hailed from tropical rainforests,” says Sophia Kaplan, co-founder of the botanical and indoor plant shop Leaf Supply, based in Sydney, Australia. This includes common varieties such as monsteras, anthuriums, and philodendrons, which flourish in humid environments. 

Kaplan says a water mister can be used daily to add moisture to the air around them, which will greatly benefit their health. “Mimicking their native climate will ensure their best chance of success in your home."

For the budding plant parent or any garden enthusiast, Adam Besheer and Rebecca Bullene, co-founders of Greenery Unlimited, a biophilic design store and plant nursery, recommend this book from author Christopher Griffin, who shares tips for cultivating healthy houseplants. “Griffin recounts how they went from caring for one Pothos six years ago to growing a collection of over 200 thriving plants—which they affectionately call their ‘green gurls.’” The book features full-color photos, illustrations, plant care instructions, and even activities.

Yes, flowers are nice, but for fans of fantastic fungi, a mushroom-growing kit is a great gift idea. This Pink Oyster mushroom kit from Forest Origins has an easy setup and is low maintenance. In a series of at-home evaluations, we found that this kit produced mushrooms in just four days and bore medium-sized fungi in vibrant variations of pinks and creams. The first batch was ready to harvest quicker than some other options we checked out.

For more options: Best Mushroom Growing Kits

A gift that can double as entertainment is a win-win, and this inspired puzzle is certainly up for the part. The 500-piece jigsaw is of a 2019 cover of The New Yorker that’s fit for the botanically inclined. It’s a perfect plant-loving family activity, says Adam Besheer and Rebecca Bullene, co-founders of Greenery Unlimited, a biophilic design store and plant nursery.

There’s something about a coupe that instantly elevates whatever beverage is served in it, a simple club soda with a dash of cranberry juice included. For Oscar Simoza, director of spirits at the Boston-based hospitality group BCB3, a sturdy yet simple glass that feels delicate to the touch is an easy way to take an at-home cocktail to the next level. “The Leopold coupe is a multipurpose glass that you can use for martinis at home and sours if you feel adventurous,” he says. “I love the clean curves and how anything in this glass just looks refined.”

A pie dish makes for a great gift for a home baker, according to Kaari Stannard, president of Yes Apples, a network of over 50 family farms based in New York that grow an array of apple varieties for consumers across the country. “From novice to expert, the Great Jones Sweetie Pie dish pairs utility with eye appeal,” Stannard says. “Two of my favorite attributes: Every pie comes out evenly baked. I’m not sure how they do it, but they do. And the crimped edge helps you make a perfect piecrust.”

For the butter enthusiast, we couldn’t think of a better gift. Le Creuset’s butter crock has a classic look that would fit in well with most kitchen aesthetics. Like most Le Creuset products, it’s made from enameled stoneware. It’s dishwasher-safe and easy to wash by hand, too. The lid has a small divot that may retain water in a dishwasher, but putting it on its side will mean you won’t have to deal with dishwasher water in the lid after it’s supposedly clean.

There’s a better way to preserve an open bottle of wine than by popping the cork (or a regular rubber stopper) back into it. Preventing oxidation is key to prolonging the shelf life and flavor of wine, and the Repour wine saver is one expert-recommended method. Made from recycled materials, the device is essentially a stopper that absorbs the oxygen inside a bottle.

For anyone who has ever struggled to open a bottle of wine with a waiter’s corkscrew (present company included), here’s one gift that will keep on giving.

"I almost exclusively drink wine at home and love this electric wine opener for opening bottles," says CR’s Rodriguez. "I struggled to get the cork out of bottles with a manual corkscrew for a very long time before my dad introduced me to the world of electric wine openers. This was a game-changer for me."

The John Boos Chop N Slice is a nice wooden board that’s small and easy to move. John Boos is known for its gorgeous, high-end butcher blocks and countertops, many of which grace the sets of cooking shows. This smaller maple cutting board hit the sweet spot in both size and feel, small enough to be easily moved but hefty enough to stay more or less in place on a counter.

Get ready to Netflix and chill with some homemade snacks: Of the two air poppers we tried in our evaluation of popcorn machines, the Dash delivered lighter, toastier flavor. Popcorn fresh from the bowl was at first too hot to touch and came out steaming. Once it cooled, though, it had an ideal texture, with a bit of snap in each piece as our tester’s family and a few friends sampled it. Even unseasoned, the warmth and slight caramelization of the flavor was excellent. If you really want to lean into the Valentine’s Day feeling, the red version is on sale for a few bucks less than the other colors.

Give the java enthusiast a better vessel for their brew. According to Bernie Deitrick, a CR test engineer, compact mugs with multiple small servings (rather than one big pour) can optimize the flavor and retain the heat of coffee. These Fellow Joey mugs are up to the task.

For more options: Best Coffee Mugs for Keeping a Brew Warm

Give the gift of tasty java, wherever your loved one may go. This portable coffee maker looks like your standard 16-ounce reusable water bottle and comes in stylish colorways. The Espro’s standard size and shape make it simple and easy to pack, and were you to take out the French press filters inside it, it would perfectly double as a water bottle or hot coffee cup (for already brewed coffee). It’s versatile, yes, but it performs its original purpose well. Instructions were intuitive enough to require little more than a brief scan before our evaluator initially used it, and the coffee it made was the richest and all-around best-tasting of all the brewers we tried. “The body is fairly heavy, but not overwhelmingly so,” says one evaluator. “The finish lingers, and is pleasantly woodsy and nutty.”

Cold brew can take a long time to make, but Oxo says its Rapid Brewer will make a concentrate in 5 minutes. It requires no electricity or batteries and isn’t much more complicated than a French press. Our evaluator found that her cold brew from the small but mighty device was rich, flavorful, and fast.

When you think of the brand Instant Pot, its line of multi-cookers usually comes to mind, but the company has branched out into coffee makers and frothers. Its Instant Milk Frother was one of the best models in our at-home review, offering performance almost on a par with the Nespresso Aeroccino4 milk frother, which costs more than twice as much. The only downside is that the Instant Milk Frother isn’t dishwasher-safe because its controls are built into the side of the carafe. Cleaning is still a breeze, though. You just need to hand-wash it with a wet cloth.

For more options: Best Milk Frothers

Whether you’re buying this for yourself or giving your partner’s muscles some pampering, a massage gun can help. This is the cheapest device we tested, and it holds up against more expensive competitors in our tests. It earns a very good score for handling postural stress during use, which tests how well users can maintain good wrist, arm, and shoulder postures when using the device. It also scores a near top-level mark for ease of use. This Toloco comes with 10 attachments and a case, and is powered by a USB-C cord.

For more options: Best Massage Guns

There’s certainly a lot to love about the Yeti Rambler. It’s ultra-sturdy and insulated with a double wall, so it keeps water cold for a very long time. Made with kitchen-grade stainless steel, though, it’s not exactly light (1.2 pounds when empty), so if you want to travel light on an endurance hike, a less hefty bottle may suit you better.

For more options: Best Water Bottles to Take to the Gym

Help your honey relax wherever they are: This mat is a solid choice for travel, dries quickly, and has an excellent grip on the floor. Its dry top surface also offers excellent grip. It has minimal cushioning.

For more options: Great Yoga Mats for $50 or Less

For the loved one who needs a little help keeping track of their wallet or keys (hi, Mom!), an AirTag may be just the right gift. Much like trackers made by Samsung and Tile, AirTags work best if you’re looking for one within Bluetooth range (roughly 30 feet) of your own phone. But that said, there are millions of iPhones and other Apple devices roaming around out there that can pick up a signal and discreetly convey it to you when you find yourself searching, say, a park or a school campus for the keys you dropped. Is the tracking pinpoint accurate? No. But it’s close enough to give you a little peace of mind.