Gifts for Friends (Female!)

How to Buy Your Best Friend Gifts and Other Presents for Friends

No idea what to buy a female friend for her birthday or another occasion? Try these ace tips from our gift selectors. Fortunately, they're all women (so they're from Venus not Mars!) and some of them are allowed out of the office often enough to form friendships of their own! Here's a quick girl-to-girl run-down of what to buy a friend for presents:-

Don't burden friends with "knock-offs"

If you lack the finances for extravagant giving in these austere times, don't opt for cheap copycat items. Mates won't be grateful for you inflicting second-rate substitutes on them. Once you've given it, they then have to worry about hurting your feelings! Send something novel instead. A little friendly something that makes a mate grin and just says "I thought of you", like a Happy Birthday chocolate bar - they are a great token gift for a friend

Buying for a special occasion like a friend's engagement or wedding?

For the closest bosom buddies, why not make your friendship presents personal? You've known her for ages, so you'll have plenty of anecdotes to enthral readers in a fantastic framed poem or super piccies for a photo montage on canvas. For more ordinary acquaintances choose something relevant to the occasion, like a photograph frame (the bride and groom can never have too many), wedding day scrapbook, keepsake box or wedding diary.

Need to say "thanks for being a true friend"?

Then say it with originality and not uninspired and uninspiring Cadbury Roses chocolates! You can find lots of novel "thank you" messages that make great gifts for a friend. Some are edible in yummy chocolate and others on trendy Spaceform glass tokens. With that sort of choice, there really is no excuse for sending just a card!

Want a gift to cheer up a friend?

If you like to make your mates chuckle then try this selection of funny gifts for women. Of course, another great antidote to feeling a bit down in the dumps is "me time". And, that's also guaranteed to make your friend feel great about herself! In fact, you can scarcely go wrong giving pampering products. What women doesn't like a little bathroom indulgence every now and then?

Presents for a girly girl friend

For some of us girls, the only colour that will do is pink. It's not our fault - we were brought up on Barbie! Luckily, there's a tonne of gifts dedicated to our weakness for pinker hues (see pink and girly gifts). If pink is not your friend's thing, pretty silver jewellery might be. Otherwise, you can discover a host of lifestyle gifts that make ideal presents for friends - from cocktail glasses to travel wallets and cosmetics bags to jewellery boxes - by browsing this section.