Samantha BonarYou'd think buying Valentine's gifts for your special foodie friend would be easy – but not so fast! Were you thinking a nice box of chocolate truffles? Yawn. A bottle of Champagne? Snore. But, it's really fancy Champagne! Filing nails. Oh, how about a gourmet picnic? I'm sorry, I forgot I have to flat-iron my hair tonight, it takes several hours.
If you're going to impress your foodie friend with a little Valentine's Day token, you've got to get creative. And no, we don't mean bacon roses, either.
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Credit: S. Bonar
5. Pink Marshmallows
You could start with something sweet, simple and artfully done. Nothing says classy love quite like a big plushy handmade marshmallow dusted with crystal sugar. Little Flower Candy Co.'s come in four-packs for $7. You can choose from vanilla, cinnamon-sugar, chocolate or coffee flavors. For Valentine's Day, candymaker Christine Moore dyes the vanilla-flavored ones pink. Pick them up at Little Flower or further east on Colorado Boulevard at Europane in Pasadena. Or grab a bag of Moore's rightfully famous caramels, a quarter-pound for $8 (sea salt, lemon or vanilla).
Credit: A.sweeT. Boutique
4. Candy Clutch
To score extra points, tuck the pack of marshmallows into this fuchsia-and-white beaded silk “candy” clutch by Moyna Bags, available at A.sweeT. Boutique in Beverly Hills. Open the 9-inch-long clutch and it reveals a sweet endearment on the inner flap: “SUGAR.” Handmade in India, $190.
Credit: GoldfadenMD.com
3. Red Tea Scrub
Rubies are lovely to wear, but if you're insanely decadent you crush them into a paste, mix them with red rooibos tea and use them as an exfoliant. That's what dermatologist Dr. Gary Goldfaden does to make his Doctor's Scrub. The ruby crystals (the No. 1 ingredient) are said to polish away dead surface cells, leaving skin brighter and younger-looking. The organic red tea extract (along with apricot kernels, seaweed extracts, and grapefruit oil) provide antioxidant protection to improve the appearance of fine lines and reduce pore size and leave your skin glowing like a rosy gemstone. $75
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Credit: SkinOwl
2. Currant Candles
Use candlelight to flatter your freshly scrubbed face. Master candlemaker Timothy Jay (Saks, the Beverly Hills Hotel) has masterminded a soy-based red and black currant candle called Radiance for skincare line SkinOwl. Hand-poured in West Hollywood, the candles are earthy, citrusy, tangy and fresh. “It's the perfect candle for stimulating the senses and moving towards life's many adventures,” says SkinOwl founder Annie Tevelin. $24
1. Gummy Piglets!
While in general we consider Valentine's Day one for the ladies, we'll throw the boys a (ham) bone. The Bringing Home the Bacon sweet and savory gift set from Sugarfina includes three small acrylic cubes (3.25-oz. each) of bacon-inspired goodness: chocolate bacon toffee, uncured bacon (a k a gummy piglets) and chocolate bacon pretzels. The candies are packaged in a signature aqua gift box with a pull-out drawer for $25. While this is more manly candy, of course, girls like bacon, too.
Or you can order just the adorable pink Gummy Piglets. With a fluffy, sweet, marshmallow-like consistency, they come staring at you from a small acrylic cube for $7 for 3.25 oz. These are Dutch piggies; they're imported from Holland. However don't let that give you any ideas about going Dutch on Valentine's Day, lest your special friend leave you holding your bag of bacon candy at the curb.
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