Birthday gifts your girlfriend actually wants

You've searched everywhere, secretly hinted at, and even resorted to asking her friends, but you still haven't found your friend the perfect birthday gifts for herbirthday. If you're stuck in a cliche of roses, chocolate and Teddy bears (which is great...dance), we have a solution. 

1. Take her out

Make a reservation at a nice restaurant. “I would want to have a special night where we would dress up and go to a fancy dinner,” said University of Maryland sophomore Hannah Borison. Don’t break the bank, but something nicer than your usual Friday night date spot, dress up (khakis and a tie, please) and even splurge for dessert. Make sure there’s a candle in that dessert too. Simply find a secret moment to let the waiter know it’s her birthday.
Your girlfriend will love spending time with you and you’ll get a delicious meal out of it. Win-win. If you want to bring a physical gift with you to the dinner, you can never go wrong with dorm decor.

2. Something traditional

“I love traditional gifts like flowers and chocolate. Sometimes the simpler the better as long as the gift is meaningful.” – Elysse Dallas, University of Florida, Junior

Flowers make great gifts for girlfriends at any age.

3.Succulents

“It’s like a box of chocolates but it’s a box of succulents. I’d want that instead of roses.” – Summer Cantello

4.Tickets to her favorite Broadway Show

“I like doing things more than getting things so maybe tickets to a Broadway show or hotel reservations in a random place we could drive to spontaneously. Maybe even like a plane ticket somewhere.” – Elizabeth Wallace

5.Birthstone Ring

For some unknown reason, girls take an immense amount of pride in their birth month. Get a ring for her to show off the stone representing her birthday. This gift is unique and special to her and her magical day. Just make sure she knows the ring just means “happy birthday,” not an engagement–unless you want it to be.

6. Dark Lipstick

Trade in those underage light pinks and reds she used to paint her lips with and give your girlfriend some darker shades to make her look more mature. A dark purple lipstick screams “I’m an adult now and you should take me seriously.” Perfect for the winter season, the darker shades make her lips look a little less blue when the temperature drops below 20.

7.The Hungover Cookbook

Tired of ordering greasy McDonald’s for breakfast the morning after going out? Your girlfriend ruins her own birthday celebration by waking up with a headache and a stomach ache from drinking more than she should have. Put your cooking skills to the test and try a recipe from the Hungover Cookbook. In this book, the author breaks down hangovers into six types based on what you drank and how much. Use that as your starting point to figure out which recipe will get rid of your hangover fast so you can spend your Sunday afternoon studying instead of stu-DYING.