Some Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas That Don’t Cost A Fortune

Of all the holidays celebrated in the United States, Valentine’s Day comes in as number two in greeting card sales. And of course, flowers and candy are the most popular gifts given on that occasion. With so many people out of work or on tight budgets, it is easy to get depressed over it.  But there is no need to worry.

Inexpensive Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

The history of Valentine’s Day is interesting. Valentine comes from the Latin word valor, and it means “worthy.” The holiday was named after two Christian martyrs in the middle ages. It became a recognized holiday in the year 1537. Girls would eat foods on that day that they thought would make them have dreams about a lover that would marry them. Writing love letters began in the 17th century, along with cards and gift giving.

For those folks who want to show their affection, but have very little spare money, it is still possible to do something quite similar. Thrift shops, flea markets, and online ads offer great deals on clothing and jewelry, and pawn shops are overflowing with very good deals. The engraving is not very expensive. By placing chocolates on bamboo skewers and incorporating them into a Valentine’s Day bouquet, it suddenly becomes an unusual present. And for those who simply want to avoid those commonly used gifts, how about trying one of the following:

• Give the gift of a spa date…at home. Purchase bath salts, bubble bath, massage oil, scented candles, and a bottle of wine. Placed in a basket, it makes for a lovely gift. But don’t stop there. After the bath and toweling dry, put on some music, light the candles, and heat the massage oil (this can be done by placing the bottle in the bath water while she is bathing). What woman would not love that gift? Come to think of it, guys love it too!

• A bottle of wine clutched in the arms of a soft and furry teddy bear is so romantic.

• A music box that plays her favorite song will leave her misty-eyed.

• A trip to the makeup counter at the department store to buy some of those luxurious creams and ointments is a sure winner. The fellow that goes with her gets additional kudos! Or, try a Sephora shopping trip or gift card.

• A favorite picture taken on a special occasion that brings memories of wonderful times can be put in a pretty frame for only a few dollars. Knowing the preferences, favorite colors, and tastes of a companion will make any thoughtful gift special.

Valentine’s Day Gifts When Money Is Not a Problem

Here are a few ideas that may make a gift feel more unique and special when money is not a problem:

• When buying for a spouse or a significant other that is living in the same home, one might want to give a necklace, earrings, or a bracelet. How much more exciting it will be if the bedroom is set up for a sizzling tryst! Imagine the reaction of an unsuspecting wife or girlfriend when she walks in there and finds sexy lingerie draped artfully on the bed, a single rose on the pillow, along with a lovely piece of jewelry…engraved, of course!

• Lockets are a favorite gift given on that special day. Engraving it with her monogram, any pet nicknames, and a recent picture makes it even more precious.

• Gals can give a watch or bracelet to their favorite guys, and they, too, should have them engraved with a special sentiment.

For wonderful luxury custom jewelry, check out Gemvara

Valentine’s Day gift ideas do not have to cost a fortune. Careful planning, knowing what that special person really likes, and making the effort to provide it for her/him, is as important as the gift itself.

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Need a beauty gift guide? Total Beauty has one that includes some great ideas. So click on through below if you wand some extra holiday shopping advice!

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Looking for the best holiday makeup palettes, either for yourself or as a gift? Here are our favorites that are out this season. Most of these are limited edition, so if you want something, get it now, before it is gone. Anything on this list would be a perfect gift as well.

If you are reading this in the feed, click on through to the site to see the items.

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Holidays are a great time to give beauty gadgets and higher end tech items as gifts. Technological advances in beauty have been huge the past few years, resulting in many interesting and unique items that many women would love to have, but might forgo buying for themselves because the items seem like a splurge. Thus, beauty gadgets make perfect gifts-they are interesting, unique, fun and make you, as the gift giver, stand out from the crowd.

Here are our top beauty gadgets for gifts this holiday season. Or, if you simply want to know our opinion on the best beauty gadgets to consider buying this list is for you!

(1) Tria Laser: Home laser hair removal costs a small fortune at the salon, but is now very affordable at home. For women who are best suited for it (people with lighter skin and darker hair) it also is highly effective. I know so many women who want a Tria that you really can’t go wrong with this one. One important caution. Laser hair removal cannot be performed on medium or darker skin tones. If your recipient has medium or dark skin, look to the eGlide further down on this list instead. Want to know more? Read our full guide: Home Laser Hair Removal.

(2) Ott Lite Makeup Mirror: This is the best makeup mirror a woman can have. The lighted mirror provides the perfect type of light for makeup application and is highly adjustable. The OttLite also has an attractive and unique appearance, making it much preferable over other lighted mirrors on the market. Trust me, any woman would love this mirror! Learn more here: Ott Lite Makeup Mirror Review.

(3) Clarisonic: Sonic skin cleansing does wonders for the complexion and is great for overall exfoliation. The Clarisonic is the most popular tool of choice in sonic cleansing and is adored by women who own one. Looking to save money? The Skinsonic is a more affordable similar product for those on a budget. Want to learn more? Read our guide: Home Microdermabrasion.

(4) Baby Quasar: Baby Quasar is the leader in LED skin therapy devices. For women with oily skin or acne, a blue light device can be an incredible skin saving gift. For the spa loving woman with anti-aging concerns a red light will be a welcome item. To learn more, see our previous article on Home Light Therapy.

(5) Whitening Lightening Tooth Lightening Pen: This unique new tooth whitening product is a compact, easy to use pen that whitens teeth without the mess of using strips or trays and without causing sensitivity. It also freshens breath. Just paint on the lightener and go! Definitely a neat and interesting gift.

(6) Lasertron Hair Growth System: Laser combs and brushes are some of the most interesting new developments in hair growth, especially for thickening hair. This system offers a brush over a comb, which makes it particularly nice for women, but men will love this one too.

(7) Verseo eGlide: The eGlide offers permanent hair removal without the use of lasers, making it perfect for those who cannot use a laser because they have darker skin. Unlike a laser, the eGlide can also be used on facial hair. However, for those with lighter skin and for use on the legs, we prefer the Tria Laser, number one in our list. For more on the eGlide, see our Verseo eGlide review.

(8) Personal Microderm: The personal microderm provides home microdermabrasion at a fraction of the cost of similar spa services. the device is easy to use and leave skin feeling soft and looking fresh. Perfect for women who love to their own home facials. Want to learn more? See our at home microdermabrasion guide linked above.

(9) Glo Brilliant Tooth Whitening System: The Glo tooth whitening device lightens teeth without messy gels and promises to do so without sensitivity. To learn more, read our Glo Brilliant Tooth Whitening Review.

(10) Pressure Leg Massager: This compression leg massager feels incredible and provides a great way to improve circulation and get a relaxing leg massage at home. Buy two for the most comfort and spa-like experience! Conveniently, they often are offered at half price for that purpose.

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Below are what I think are some of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to come through my inbox. I am not listing everything since plenty of places have free shipping (just about everyone will do some sort of shipping offer over the holiday weekend) and others have sales but nothing super outstanding. so I left those out. Here are ones that really caught my eye.

Elizabeth Arden: Get the 33-Piece Holiday Blockbuster Color Collection (a $350 value) for $45 with any $27.50 or over purchase at Elizabeth Arden. Good through 11/30. Also get free shipping and 25% off on Black Friday with coupon code BF2.

Folica.com. Receive $25 off plus Free Shipping on orders over $75. Enter NOV25 at checkout. Good 11/23-11/29.

Beauty.com has a free special limited edition Erickson Beamon makeup bag full of beauty samples. Free with $100 purchase on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2011 while supplies last.

Stila brings the Stila warehouse sale online begging Cyber Monday and running through Friday, December 2, 2001, with up to 80% off of some items.

Target: Target has so many deals going on that they are too much to list here. Instead, hit the into link, which goes to their deals page to see updates, or see our full post on the Target Black Friday deals and sales.

YSL: Receive 20% off plus Free Shipping on any order with Code CYBER at checkout. Valid 11/22-11/26. Also, receive 20% off plus FREE shipping on every order, plus spend $100 or more and get a free gift with Code MONDAY at checkout. Offer Valid 11/28-11/30.

Clarisonic:  Cyber Monday Exclusive Offer: 20% Off Skin Care Pairs & Gift Bundles with coupon code CYBER20

E.L.F.: Free shipping, plus buy one get one 50% off when you spend $30 or more using coupon code BLKFRI 11/24-11/26 and save up to $100.  Also, get 50% off this Cyber Monday with all orders over $25. Use code 50WIDE from 11/27-11/29 and save up to $100.

Drugstore.com: Get up to 80% off select Conair hair , and get RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum for $24.95. Offers end 11/28/2011. For new customers: spend $50 and get free shipping + a $100 Restaurant.com gift code! Or spend $25  and get free shipping + a $50 Restaurant.com gift code! Offers end 01/01/2011. Those are pretty nice new customer deals!

Benefit Cosmetics: There are various free shipping specials, including international shipping, plus, Get a free high beam mini with $35 order with code HLDYMINI at checkout. Or, get a free full-size thrrrob with $90 order and code HRTTHROB at checkout. Offers valid 11/22 – 11/28 11:59p PST.

Miche Handbags: LOVE Miche bags and interchangeable shells and this is a great deal! From Monday, November 28 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time to Monday, November 28 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time, a list of specially-selected Shells will be offered to customers at 50% off. The sale Shells will be limited and ONLY while supplies last.

Just in: Verseo.com Cyber Monday – 35% OFF all orders over. Coupon Code: cyber35 Biggest deal of the year!

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Ulta just released their Ulta Black Friday Deals and Coupons for 2011. Ulta always has some real nice offers, both in store and online, so you will definitely want to check these out! Here are the various Ulta Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals, sorted by dates. For the best deals, be sure to look at Cyber Monday and the ongoing coupon codes for dollars off.

Ongoing Ulta Holiday Sales and Pre-Thanksgiving Specials

First off, Ulta has free shipping on all orders over $25 from now until December 24, 2011 with code Freeship25. Then, there are these limited time specials:

• From 11/12/11 to 12/02/11 Get a Free Ice Bucket and Glasses with any $30 Fragrance Purchase, While Supplies Last
• For one day only on 11/22/2011 get a FREE full-size ULTA product with any $35 online purchase
• For 2 days only, 11/23/2011 to 11/24/2011 and Online only, get your choice of FREE Ahava or Crabtree Bath Set ($20 Value) with any $35 purchase
• Get $15 off with $75 purchase with code Save15on75
• Get $10 off with $50 purchase with code Save10on50

Click Here on the relevant dates to visit Ulta.com and get these deals 

Ulta Pre-Black Friday sneak peek,on Thanksgiving

Ulta is planning on giving a sneak peak of its Black Friday Deals on Thanksgiving. If I learn more about them before then beyond what I post below, I’ll also come provide an update in this post. Visit Ulta.com on Thanksgiving to see the offers.

Ulta Black Friday Deals

• Online Only, and one day only on 11/25/2011 get 2 FREE Deluxe Hydroxatone samples plus a cosmetic bag ($72 value) with any $40 ulta.com purchase
• Ulta is planning other offers, so if I learn of them I will update here!

Shop Ulta Black Friday Deals

Ulta Cyber Monday Deals. One day only for these, ONLINE ONLY!

• On Monday 11/28 /2011only get your choice of 3 Sample Bags withany $35 purchase
• $20 off $100 order Cyber Monday Only (some exclusions apply)
• Cyber Monday only, get 25% off Ulta Blockbuster and Ulta Kits
• Pur Minerals 25% Off Online Only, Cyber Monday only
• 11/28/2011 only get 20% off Fekkai

Shop Ulta Cyber Monday Deals

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Beauty.com is offering a free special limited edition Erickson Beamon makeup case filled with beauty samples on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2011.

The limited edition makeup bag is designed by Erickson Beamon and is the newest addition to the line of designer collaborations that has been offered by Beauty.com. The makeup bag will be offered free to consumers with any $100 purchase on black Friday and Cyber Monday. It comes filled with beauty samples and is valued at $150. Available only while supplies last.

I love these limited edition bags and have gotten several of them when they were available. The tend to go quickly, so if you want this one, you might want to shop on black Friday over Cyber Monday just in case they run out.

Get your Free Erickson Beamon Makeup Bag and Samples with $100 purchase

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Target just released their Target Black Friday deals for 2011 along with Thanksgiving Day online deals, a pre-Thanksgiving online only four day sale, and online only Target Cyber Monday deals and coupon codes. There are lots of good things here, and not all are beauty, but I figured I would share the knowledge, since beauty and makeup lovers also often must give other kinds of gifts.

Target Black Friday and Holiday Sales 2011

There is a lot of information here, so scan the headers for what interests you.

Target Four Day Sale

OK, first off is the Target four day sale, which is ONLINE ONLY and runs BEFORE Thanksgiving form 11/20/2011 to 11/23/2011.

This sale includes:

• Buy One Get One 50% Off on Select Toys at Target
• Black Friday like deals on electronics
• Huge sleepwear, clothing, and shoes deals
• Sale on select furniture, decor, and kitchen items

Click here beginning 11/20/2011 to see the deals: 4 Day Sale – Save with Pre-Black Friday Sales Only Online at Target.com! – 11/20-11/23!

Target Thanksgiving Day Sale

This sale is also ONLINE ONLY, and includes specials on just about everything under the sun, including kitchen, home items, pillowpets, TVs jewelry, and surprise door busters.

Click here, beginning 11/24/2100 to see the sale: Almost Black Friday Sale – Big Deals, Surprise Doorbusters and More Black Friday Like Good Deals at Target.com

Target Black Friday

Target is having a 2 day Black Friday sale with deals on electronics, home items, slippers, gifts, kitchen items, DVDs, jewelry, games, and more. Watch the below page for further details, including online only specials.

Shop Target’s 2 Day Black Friday Sale – 11/25-11/26 ONLY!

Target Cyber Monday Sale

The Target Cyber Sale actually runs for a full week, from 11/27/2011 to 21/3/2011. Below are a list of hot Target coupon codes and promo codes. It was unclear if these were just for the Cyber sale, so they might be good earlier.

• $5 Off Any Women’s Fashion Boot (Excluding Winter Boots) at Target.com (Promo Code TGTKK467)
• $5 Off Any $15.99 or Higher Men’s Denim Item (Promo Code TGTA7BYB)
• 20% Off With Purchase of Any Fisher Price Laugh N Learn Toys (Promo Code TGTS7ARC)
• Buy 2 Games Get $5 Off at Target.com (Promo Code TGTRQ39G)
• $5 Off Any $25 or Higher Oster Small Appliance (Promo Code TGTQ7MEX)
• Save $50 on a HP PhotoSmart Plus all-in-one printer (Promo Code TGTXBC49)
• 50% Off Select Phillips in-ear Headphones and Mobile in-ear Headset (Pomo Code TGTT8592)
• $30 Off Vizio WiFi Ready Blu Ray Player (Promo Code TGTQM8AF)
• $5 Off Any $19.00 or Higher Disney Princess Toy at Target.com (Promo Code TGTR7Z3V)
• $5 Off Any $19.00 or Higher Barbie Toy (Promo Code TGTDDTTU)
• $5 Off Any $19.00 or Higher Hot Wheels Items (Promo Code TGT67WDJ)
• $5 Off Any $19.00 or Higher Little People Items (Promo Code TGTURJAW)
• $5 Off Any $19.00 or Higher Nerf Blaster Toy at Target.com (Promo Code TGTF6PJF)

Whew! That is a lot of deals! In-store should be interesting too, although I pretty much do all of my shopping online to beat the crowds. As a side note, you can see the updated Target deals on their respective days through the banner link below. Target just keeps updating that page as sales come and go.

Shop for Deals at Target

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Elizabeth Arden is offering a really, really nice Black Friday deal with coupon code this year (2011)! On Black Friday, you can get 25% off, plus free shipping on any online order from Elizabeth Arden. The Elizabeth Arden Black Friday deal will also place items on sale, so online shoppers can find savings of over 65% on various gift sets for Elizabeth Arden makeup, skincare, and fragrances.

Click here and use code BF2 at checkout.

The offer runs through Cyber Monday as well, with the full period for saving being from 11-23-2011 to 11-29-2011.

If you were thinking about getting the 2011 Elizabeth Arden Holiday Blockbuster  33 piece Makeup collection, this would also be a good time for that. The collection rocks and it is just $45 with a purchase of  $27.50 or more. I’m personally planning on getting it this year. I kept eyeing it in apst eyars and then regretting not purchaing it! 

Shop at Elizabeth Arden (remember to use the Elizabeth Arden Black Friday coupon code at checkout-BF2)

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The ever popular Elizabeth Arden Holiday Blockbuster is out! This holiday makeup collection is always one heck of a good value. The 33 piece Elizabeth Arden Holiday Color Collection can be purchased for $45 with any $27.50 or more purchase at Elizabeth Arden. The holiday collection includes a gold compact with 12 eye shadows and two cheek colors, three lipsticks, four shimmer powders, a lip liner, two eye liners, 2 lip glosses, 3 brushes, mascara, makeup remover, a brush pouch, and a case. the color selection is great-mostly neutral shades that would work for a variety of skin tones and can be used to crate a variety of looks. It would be a fabulous gift!

This offer is only available until November 30, so get it while you can!

Get the Elizabeth Arden Holiday Color Collection

Update: Elizabeth Arden is also having a great Elizabeth Arden Black Friday sale with coupon code BF2. Get 25% off and free shipping. Click here and use code BF2 at checkout from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

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