7 Romantic Gifts Women Are Tired of Receiving

Romantic gifts are staples of many relationships. They are a tangible way of showing affection, and they bring a smile to her face when you give it to her. She opens the gift and gives you a delighted hug or kiss in thanks. At least, that is what is supposed to happen when you give her a romantic gift. If you get the gift right, that might well be her reaction. If you pick the wrong gift, however, you are more likely to be on the receiving end of the same sort of dutiful smile you give your great aunt when she knits you a hideous sweater every Christmas. Your girlfriend or wife recognizes and appreciates the thought behind the gift you are giving her, but the gift itself is of minimal interest to her.

If you want to avoid being the man that gave her a bad gift, you need to forget about what Hollywood continues to insist is romantic. You likely do not kiss like Hollywood actors where you suddenly smash your mouths together and then try to eat the other person’s face. If you do, you or your partner likely need dental work from repeatedly slamming your teeth together. Given that, why would you assume their gift giving ideas are any better? After all, many women are very tired of receiving these seven “romantic” gifts.

Clothing and Shoes

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Most women like clothing, so that seems like a no brainer gift for men. Their wife or girlfriend will love getting a cute new shirt or that dress she was eyeing in the shop window. You might not be wrong, but it is still not a good idea to buy a women clothing. Men’s clothing is generally true to size. A size 10 in one shop is the same as a size 10 in another. A woman who wears a size 10 in one store, however, may wear as low as a size 6 in another store. Unless she tries the clothing on, you have no way of knowing if it will fit her or not. The same is true of shoes especially heels.

If you are thinking of buying your woman clothing, be sure it is something she will actually wear. This is especially true of buying lingerie. Get her something she would actually wear and feel comfortable in, not what you think would look sexy on her. If she always wears sports bras and loose blue jeans, do not buy her a pushup bra and a short skirt no matter how good you think she would look in it. The gift is about her, not you.

Makeup

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Makeup is a staple of just about every woman’s morning routine, and the stuff gets expensive. As such, it can seem like a wonderfully thoughtful gift to get your wife or girlfriend a new tube of lipstick when she is running low or surprise her with a new eyeshadow. The problem here is that you are likely to inadvertently buy the wrong thing. If you are even half a shade off on foundation, she cannot wear it without looking ridiculous. The same is true of you trying to match something she already uses. As men do not use makeup, they are also unlikely to be able to tell high and low quality apart. Some high quality makeups are less expensive than lower quality ones simply because the lower quality brand is used by a popular celebrity. It is a thoughtful gesture, but unless you take her with you, stay away from the makeup aisle.

Perfume

Women like their scents, it is true. Most women own a bottle of perfume, a couple scented candles or a few containers of good smelling lotions. They are more likely than men to deliberately use a shampoo that they think smells good, and women’s soaps normally come in scents such as “coconut jasmine dream” or “Madagascar mango adventure.” As such, it can seem like a perfectly reasonable idea to buy her a bottle of perfume when everything from her laundry detergent to her lip balm is meant to smell like flowers. Not all women, however, like perfume. Many prefer to use scented lotions or body washes. Still others use perfume very sparingly. Despite the number of scents floating around her house, she is also likely to be picky about perfume. Some perfumes leave an unpleasant chemical or metallic scent behind. Others smell wonderful but leave a sticky feeling on her skin. Unless you know for certain what she likes, you might want to pass on the perfume.

Jewelry

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Jewelry is a classic romantic gift. TV commercials and Hollywood movies will tell you that there is no quicker way to a woman’s heart than to get her a sparkly rock. It is true that jewelry certainly can be a romantic gift, but there are some pitfalls that can potentially occur when you decide to buy her jewelry. The first issue, of course, is whether or not she actually wears jewelry. If she wears earrings but never puts on a necklace, it is not because she simply has not found the right necklace yet. Similarly, some women hate wearing rings. They feel like they get in the way.

Even if she loves jewelry, she may not appreciate it much as a gift if she never gets to wear it. Depending on her job, jewelry might not be something she can wear all the time. In that case, a sterling silver bracelet might be a sweet gesture, but it is going to remain sitting in its box gathering dust.

Chocolates

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Who does not love chocolate? It is delicious and carries such a romantic connotation that the entire holiday of Valentine’s Day seems to be built around giving and receiving chocolate. Many women, however, would prefer not to receive chocolates from their man. For some, boxed chocolates are not the sort of sweets or even the sort of chocolate they want to eat. They prefer chocolate cake or something non-chocolatey. Your woman may also not want lots of goodies in the house. If she has an entire box of chocolates in the house, she either has to find someone to give them to or she will eat them all herself, and many people do not want to eat from an opened container. If she is one that prefers to eat healthy or is watching her weight, chocolates are not a good way to make her happy.

Flowers

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Like chocolates, flowers are a classic romantic gift. There are hundreds of movies and novels where a man shows his love for a woman by bringing her a dozen roses. She, of course, is thrilled to receive them and touched by the gift. This, however, is not how things always go in real life. Roses or other flowers may seem like a romantic gesture, but they can sometimes prove to be a hassle. Women may not have vases to put the flowers in or anywhere to display them. Plenty of people are also allergic to pollen which can make flowers a bad idea.

The biggest issue with flowers for most people is that they die so quickly. A beautiful bouquet becomes brown, wilted and depressing after a couple days. It also sheds petals and pollen everywhere. As such, not everyone wants to receive flowers. If you really feel the need to bring her flowers, consider bringing her a live orchid. It is easy to take care of and will look nice on her desk for months rather than days.

A Gift For You

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If you are going to get your woman a gift, make sure it is actually a gift for her. You may not think that there is anything exciting about sitting in a chair while someone applies smelly paint to your nails. If she loves manicures, however, that is a great gift for her. Resist the urge to get her something that you want or that you wish she liked. If you really think that you two need a new TV, go get the TV for yourself. Do not give it to her and pretend it is a great gift if she thought the old one was fine. Similarly, do not get her tickets to a baseball game because you really want her to come to appreciate it. That is a gift for you, and you are buying a gift for her. So, get her something she would like even if you think it is the stupidest thing in the world.