The teenage girls on your gift list may seem like the most difficult to shop for. After all, they’re not known for their stable moods or lasting affections. The items they can’t live without one week may be tossed to the side for something way cooler the next. So, maybe you procrastinate a bit when it comes to shopping for your niece or run out of steam once you’ve picked up the handful of things your daughter’s specificially asked for.
Luckily, you can scoop up some last-minute gifts they’ll definitely love without having to spend a mint or scour a mall. Plenty of places you already shop have hidden treasures — from trendy lip balms to smartphone accessories — that make it easy to find something for any teen girl.
1. EOS lip balm
Teen girls can’t get enough of these ball-shaped lip balms that come in flavors like Sweet Mint and Blueberry Acai. Wrap up a whole bunch of these — at $4 each, you can splurge and buy one of each flavor. Warning: The 16-year-old in you is going to start hoarding them for yourself, but resist the urge to put on a crop top and a side ponytail.
2. Fun socks
Heard of VSCO girls? Google it and let your mind be blown! The teen girls of today are into some throwback fashion trends, so help them out in that department with a multipack of novelty socks. With 10 pairs, there won’t be any excuse for rocking dirty socks.
3. Gift cards
Teens love gift cards, so don’t feel guilty buying them. Most prefer being able to pick out what they like, even though they probably really appreciate that Justin Bieber mug you gave them last Christmas. Here are some cards they would be happy to find under the tree:
- Target
- iTunes
- Starbucks
- Sephora
- Best Buy
- H&M
- Amazon
4. Sharpies
Sharpies have a mysterious allure for teens, so buy a huge quantity and wrap them with a nice bow. Skip the black and go for the big guns with the an impressive activity set that includes 38 colored markers. Just don’t be surprised if various items around the house start getting “decorated.”
5. College guide
This guide is a great gift (and on newstands everywhere) for the teen girl who has some questions beyond what to write about in her essay application. This volume provides inside tips and tricks for navigating everything from a messy roommate to the laundry room.
6. Headphones
Every five seconds, a teen loses their headphones. You can’t stop the epidemic, but you can alleviate their suffering by buying an assortment of inexpensive earbuds, so your favorite teen won’t have to live even one minute without their tunes.
7. Foldable flats
Teen girls aren’t old enough yet to have a healthy distrust of the high heel, so they still love wearing them — even if they can’t make it through a whole night. These foldable shoes are a simple lifesaver at school dances or other formal functions. Wrap them up with other items, like a compact first-aid kit, a keychain flashlight, and mints, to make an emergency girls night out kit to tuck in her purse.
8. Smartphone accessories
What do teens love the most? Their cell phones! (Parents and friends rank somewhere down on the list.) Foster their obsession by gifting them with fun gadgets and gizmos for their faithful companion: decorative cases (make sure you know the correct model of their phone), brightly colored charging cords, charms, and even Bluetooth-enabled tiles for finding lost phones (or keys).
9. Makeup and nail polish
You can keep your $100 creams and custom-blended foundations — teens are all about the drugstore makeup. NYC, Essie, E.L.F., Maybelline, and Rimmel London are the brands they’re coveting. Add on a set of makeup brushes and put everything in a makeup case from the travel aisle. Prepare to renounce your pricey department-store makeup counter.
10. Candy
Apparently, teens like sugar. Who knew? And, for some reason, they especially like those ridiculously large sizes of candy available only around the holidays. Put together a gift bag with a monster-sized bag of Skittles, a Hershey Bar as big as their head, several packs of Stride gum, and these gigantic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and you might just be their favorite person ever.
11. Hair accessories
A 50-pack of hair elastics lasts only around a week, and hair clips mysteriously disappear almost as soon as the package opens. So, a big box filled with a ton of hair elastics, clips, headbands, a hairbrush or two, and a few styling proucts is something all teen girls will appreciate.
12. DIY kits
Pick and choose items that will help her practice her skills or find a hobby. For instance, for a budding cook, hit the housewares aisle of the grocery store for a couple of sturdy Pyrex bowls that you can fill with spatulas, measuring cups, a timer, and an oven mitt. Finish it off with some high-end baking chocolate and cake decorating supplies. Make sure they have your address to send you some samples.
13. LED light box
What better way for teen girls to communicate passive agressively than with a cute LED light box? Each line holds eight or nine characters, so they may have to get creative with their messages. They can keep tabs on their chores, post inspirational quotes or use it as a mood board (for better or worse).
*Psst: if you choose to purchase an item from this post, Mom.com may receive a small cut. Each item and price is up to date at the time of publication; however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.
