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Best personalised Valentine’s Day gifts for him and her: From chocolates to notebooks

From card wallets to champagne and jewellery, this selection will make hearts flutter

Daisy Lester
Thursday 09 February 2023 14:44 GMT
Looking to gift something with a personal touch? Our guide has you covered
Looking to gift something with a personal touch? Our guide has you covered (The Independent )
Our Top Picks

Your annual excuse to spoil a loved one, Valentine’s Day is now just days away – and if this provokes mild panic rather than romantic notions, you most likely haven’t found the right gift yet.

Whoever you’re aiming Cupid’s bow at this 14 February – whether a partner, family member or best friend – it is hard to go wrong with a personalised and wholly unique present. If well-thought out, your Valentine’s gift could be an instant keepsake your loved one will cherish for years to come (and far more sentimental than any over-priced dinner).

From necklaces and signet rings to engraved candles, luggage tags or even cocktail shakers, more and more brands are offering personalisation services to help you tailor your gift to your recipient – ensuring it’s never boring.

Whether it is a monogrammed wash bag or initial jewellery, embroidered messages or inscribed names, there is plenty of choice and methods when it comes to personalisation.

Stuck for inspiration this year? Our gift guide has you covered. From a Papier notebook to an engraved card holder and silk pillowcase, these personsalised Valentine’s Day (or Galantine’s) gifts will make hearts flutter.

How we tested

To compile our edit, we thought of gifts for men and women, with ideas for a variety of budgets and spectrum of tastes. Whether you are going big this year or are seeking a personalised present for less than a tenner, find something unique and customisable in our gift guide.

The best personalised Valentine’s Day gifts for 2023 are:

  • Best overall – Missoma curly molten initial pendant necklace: £125, Missoma.com 
  • Best practical personalised gift – Lisa Angel embroidered initials wash bag: £28, Lisaangel.co.uk
  • Best under £10 personalised gift – Tony’s Chocolonely Valentine’s Day chocolate bar: £6, Tonyschocolonely.com 
  • Best personalised Valentine’s locket – Astley Clarke mini biography locket necklace in yellow gold vermeil: £95, Astleyclarke.com
  • Best personalised card holder – Aspinal of London double fold credit card holder: £80, Aspinaloflondon.com
  • Best for beauty buffs – M&S personalised silk pillowcase: £39.50, Marksandspencer.com
  • Best for frequent flyers – Away luggage tag: £20, Awaytravel.com
  • Best personalised dressing gown – M&S personalised men’s supersoft dressing gown: £39.50, Marksandspencers.com 
  • Best personalised ring – Astrid & Miyu orbit signet ring, gold: £69, Astridandmiyu.com
  • Best personalised tech accessory – Not Another Bill leather airpods case, 2nd gen: £35, Notanotherbill.com
  • Best personalised sleep aid – Not Another Bill silk eye masks: £52, Notanotherbill.com 
  • Best personalised notebook – Papier love tiles notebook: £23, Papier.com
  • Best luxury personalised gift – Claridges the method Augustinus Bader facial: £225, Claridges.co.uk
  • Best personalised jumper – Hades alphabet jumper: £220, Hades-shop.co.uk
  • Best for cocktail evenings – Not Another Bill cocktail shaker: £30, Notanotherbill.com
  • Best personalised wine – Fortnum & Mason personalised champagne and chocolate gift box: £85, Fortnumandmason.com

Missoma curly molten initial pendant necklace

missoma .jpg
  • Best: Initial necklace
  • Personalisation : Initial

An understated alternative to personalised designs, everyone from Kate Middleton to Gigi Hadid plump for initial necklaces – and they also make a lovely Valentine’s Day gift. While many opt to have their full-name spelled out à la Carrie Bradshaw, you may prefer the more subtle approach of having a singular initial in a pendant style.

Missoma is a trusted favourite for classic, mid-range jewellery pieces that will stand the test of time. Case in point: the label’s molten initial pendant. The dainty trace chain is complete with your choice of initial in a bespoke hand-drawn, curly font. An endlessly versatile piece, layer it up or wear alone as a statement. It’s perfect for spelling out your affection for someone this Valentine’s Day.

  1. £125 from Missoma.com
Prices may vary
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Lisa Angel embroidered initials wash bag

wash bag .jpg
  • Best: Practical personalised gift
  • Personalisation : Up to two characters

If your partner’s wash bag is looking a little worse for wear, give them a sleek upgrade this Valentine’s Day with this embroidered vegan leather bag from independent brand Lisa Angel.

As well as ticking our sustainability box, its generous size – 27cm x 12.5cm x 9.5cm – durable design and practical benefits will make it a long-lasting keepsake. Adding a personal touch, you can choose to embroider up to two characters on either the tan leather design with gold thread or the black leather with grey thread.

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Tony’s Chocolonely Valentine’s Day chocolate bar

tony's bar .jpg
  • Best: Under £10 personalised gift
  • Personalisation : Colour, text, images and flavour

Dutch brand Tony’s Chocolonely is one of our favourite ethical chocolate brands and its gifting selection is full of sweet treats for Valentine’s Day.

Though we tried the fun, pink-hued “you’re the sweetest” template, there are seven different love-themed templates to choose from, so you’re spoiled for choice. The brand’s customisation tools let you decide the background colour, upload a photo of your Valentine, add decorations, text and more. The finished product (which you can preview before buying) is completely personalised – and better still, under a tenner.

After your design, the next (and most important) stage is choosing a flavour from the nine tempting options. We opted for the milk hazelnut, with the creamy blend of Belgian chocolate and chunky hazelnut pieces coming in such a substantial size that it warranted sharing – making it perfect for Valentine’s Day.

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Astley Clarke mini biography locket necklace in yellow gold vermeil

astley clark .jpg
  • Best: Personalised Valentine’s locket
  • Personalisation: Up to six characters and images

It doesn’t get more classic than a personalised locket and Astley Clarke’s well-crafted mini biography necklace is a lovely keepsake. Coming in sterling silver, rose gold or yellow gold vermeil, the piece is complete with an 18 carat gold plated signature star-set locket, with a white sapphire gemstone.

Easy-to-style thanks to the simple design, the jeweller allows you to engrave it on the back for free. Better still, you can upload up to two images to be printed inside the locket – a surefire way to produce a future heirloom.

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Aspinal of London double fold credit card holder

aspinal card holder .jpg
  • Best: Personalised card holder
  • Personalisation : Up to four initials

Aspinal of London’s personalisation services spans phone cases, luggage tags, hip flasks and more. But if you’re looking to buy something truly luxe, practical and long-lasting for your partner, we’d suggest the brand’s attractive card holders. Available in a range of colours and styles, the double fold design is a stylish alternative to a full-size and bulky wallet.

Slipping comfortably into a back pocket or small handbag, the piece is handcrafted from the finest full-grain leather. Though compact, it has six credit card slots to keep essentials safe, secure and organised. It can be customised with up to four initials in the bottom right of the cover, adding that personal and thoughtful touch.

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M&S personalised silk pillowcase

m&s pillowcase .jpg
  • Best: For beauty buffs
  • Personalisation : Up to three characters

A silk pillowcase is a stellar gift for any occasion – and even better when personalised. Lauded for their skin and hair benefits, these silky smooth pillowcases come beauty editor-recommended, as they help hold moisture throughout the night, while reducing friction.

This M&S pillowcase has a large rectangular shape, meaning it will suit most pillows and beds. Made from 100 per cent silk, it’s soft, cosy and slinky to lay your head on, with hair looking sleeker and skin feeling softer come morning. Best of all, you can choose up to three characters to get printed on the bottom right.

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Away luggage tag

Away tag .jpg
  • Best: For frequent flyers
  • Personalisation : Up to three letters

Is there a romantic getaway or bestie holiday on the cards for 2023? This Away personalised luggage tag is a lovely gift for Valentine’s Day that will not only have use for years to come, but help them look forward to any holidays on the horizon.

Coming in black, navy, coast, asphalt, brick or petal finishes, the stylish tag can be personalised with up to three letters in classic or modern fonts, and in either gold or metallic silver.

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M&S personalised men’s supersoft dressing gown

m&s .jpg
  • Best: Personalised dressing gown
  • Personalisation : Up to three characters

If your partner’s dressing gown needs an upgrade, Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to get them something special. M&S is a failsafe destination for high quality yet affordable loungewear staples and its personalised men’s dressing gown is no exception.

Supersoft to touch, cocooning – it comes in sizes small right through to 3XL – and made from a fleecy fabric, it’s complete with two roomy pockets, a classic shark collar and belt to bundle themselves up with. With the choice of up to three characters in the top left of the robe, you can print your recipients initials or a memorable date or number.

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Astrid & Miyu orbit signet ring

astrid miyu .jpg
  • Best: Personalised ring
  • Personalisation: Up to two characters, three text styles

Astrid & Miyu is a reliable favourite for classic jewellery pieces with on-trend twists. The label is also pleasingly affordable, with this well-made gold-plated ring coming in at less than £100. Dainty and minimalist, the ring is designed in a classic signet style and crafted from recycled sterling silver.

Every jewellery-lover should have a signet ring in their collection – and you can add a personalised touch to Astrid & Miyu’s design, thanks to the engraving service, which allows you to print up to two characters in three text style options.

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Not Another Bill leather airpods case, 2nd gen

airpods case .jpg
  • Best: Personalised tech accessory
  • Personalisation : Up to three characters

A practical yet nevertheless thoughtful gift this Valentine’s Day, Not Another Bill’s personalisation service also extends to AirPod cases. Whether you go for the 2nd generation, 3rd generation (£32, Notanotherbill.com) or the pro 3rd ( £37, Notanotherbill.com) size, the case is available in seven colours (though five are currently out of stock owing to their popularity).

Crafted from soft pebble grain leather, they come in a lovely gift box and can be personalised with up to three characters in foil stamping or in full colour. If your partner is prone to losing earbuds in their bag at least three times a day (only us?), they’ll benefit from the eye-catching and playful colour options (we love the rust and sage best).

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Not Another Bill silk eye mask

silk mask .jpg
  • Best: Personalised sleep aid
  • Personalisation : Up to five characters

Help your Valentine get their beauty sleep with Not Another Bill’s luxe, silk sleep mask. Coming in black, midnight navy, rose pink and cloud grey, you can pay £12 to get the sleep aid personalised with up to five characters and two text fonts.

Complete with a matching silk dust bag, the slinky mask blocks out obtrusive light while soothing you to sleep – and has been a tonic for our tester’s restless nights. A thoughtful gift even without customisation, adding that personal touch will make it extra special.

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Papier love tiles notebook

papier notebook .jpg
  • Best: Personalised notebook
  • Personalisation: Text size, font, colour, alignment, style

Papier’s aesthetically designed notebooks are unrivalled – and for Valentine’s Day, it has launched a love-themed range that’s sure to delight. We were drawn to this special edition tiled design that can be customised with the recipient’s name on the front cover. You can decide the text size, font, colour, alignment, style and more of your chosen text, offering plenty of choice when it comes to personalisation.

Depending on the desired use – as a diary, notepad or home for doodles – the book comes with either lined, plain or bullet/dotted paper. Best of all, we love the blue-hued tiled design that’s detailed with “love” inscriptions, matching blue flowers and birds. As with all of Papier’s goods, the paper is sourced from Forest Steward Council certified forests, complete in plastic-free and recyclable packaging.

  1. £23 from Paper.com
Prices may vary
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Claridges the method Augustinus Bader facial

facial .jpg
  • Best: Luxury personalised gift
  • Personalisation : Bespoke facial

If you’re really looking to score some big partner points this Valentine’s Day, this luxury, bespoke facial courtesy of Claridge’s is a recipe for success. Over 75 minutes, they’ll be pampered with a science-backed treatment using coveted Augustinus Bader hero formulas. Combining the brand’s award-winning skincare and customised fascia massage to stimulate cell rejuvenation, the blissful facial works to refresh skin and promote circulation, concluding with a detoxifying and moisturising mask.

Ahead of the treatment, there’s a quick consultation with the Claridge’s skincare advisor that will help them tailor the facial to their particular needs. Your partner will not only leave Claridges glowing, but also with expert product recommendations and bespoke skincare advise. You can purchase a £250 gift card which even leaves them room for a cocktail before or after in the historic Claridges bar.

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Hades alphabet jumper

hades jumper .jpg
  • Best: Personalised jumper
  • Personalisation: Alphabet letter

Though you can’t personalise Hade’s jumper yourself, the independent knitwear label’s alphabet range – which includes jumpers, scarves and cardigans – makes for a thoughtful and individualised gift. Known for its unique prints, music-themed knits (we love the Bowie jumper – £225, Hades-shop.co.uk) and colourful designs, its initial jumper is no exception.

Coming in nearly every letter, choose from blue and pink designs, grey and red, blue and green and more, with each piece crafted from pure lambswool. Soft, thick and cosy, it’s the perfect personalised gift for fashion heads.

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Not Another Bill cocktail shaker

cocktail shakers .jpg
  • Best: For cocktail evenings
  • Personalisation : Up to 10 characters

Staying in and hunkering down with a home-cooked meal this Valentine’s Day? A good cocktail pairing is a must. Not Another Bill is an always a reliable go-to for gifts with a personal touch (trust us, it’s earned three spots in this edit alone) – and its bespoke cocktail shaker will help you and your partner channel their inner mixologist.

Coming in either large or small sizes (£16, Notanotherbill.com), the stainless steel design lets you shake up everything from negronis and espresso martinis, to cosmopolitans and mojitos. The sleek chrome shaker will elevate their home bar set-up and can be personalised with up to 10 characters.

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Fortnum & Mason personalised champagne and chocolate gift box

fortnums .jpg
  • Best: Personalised wine
  • Personalisation : Three lines with up to 20 characters each

When in doubt, champagne and chocolates are a failsafe Valentine’s Day resort. If you’re looking to add that personal touch (and not look like you bought them on the way home from work), head to Fortnum & Mason where you can pick up a personalised bottle of bubbly.

Not only can you get a love-felt Valentine’s message printed (three lines with up to 20 characters each) on the side of the premium blanc de blancs champagne, but they’ll also be treated to a combination of marc de champagne chocolate truffles. Made exclusively in the Grand Cru region of Chouilly, the champagne is packaged in a decadent gift box.

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The verdict: Personalised Valentine’s Day gifts

Jewellery is a classic and fail-safe Valentine’s Day gift – and if you’re looking to add a personal touch for 2023, you can’t go wrong with Missoma’s initial necklace. Well-crafted and thoughtful, the pendant will become a much-loved staple in any jewellery box. If you’re on a budget, Tony’s Chocolonely delicious and personalised Valentine’s Day bar is sure to put a smile on your giftee’s face, while Aspinal of London’s pebble card holder is a sleek keepsake.

Looking for even more Valentine’s Day inspiration? We’ve rounded up the best gifts for her

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