Shopping for a College Girl? Top 12 Gift Ideas for Girls Age 20

Shopping for gifts for birthdays, friendship days, festivals and all the other countless celebrations can be tricky enough on their own, besides the added constraints of a limited budget. Girls at 20 are going to college, they are close to graduating and have big questions looming over their heads about future plans, whether to go for a masters, study something else, get a job maybe. There’s also the juggling of a full social life, multiple assignments, maybe a bit of romance; in short there is a lot on their plate.

Your average 20 year old is on a fixed monthly allowance and even though she may be making a little money on the side with a part time job, it’s nearly never enough. So if you are a parent think of small luxuries and treats she wouldn’t be able to fit in on her own but would love to have - a nice perfume, some good quality makeup, a set of great headphones.

If you are her bud looking for a half decent gift on a tiny budget, worry not, she knows you’re all in the same boat and isn’t expecting anything expensive. Small treats don’t have to come at a huge cost. If you know your way around the kitchen, whip up something delicious for her as a gift.

Things that can be put to good use by the receiver automatically become great gifts. There are so many things a college girl needs on a daily basis and she won’t judge if things you give her have a big brand label or have been bought from the store around the corner as long as it’s things she needs.

As parents you could look at the big purchases; is her phone really battered and could do with an upgraded replacement? Does she need a new laptop as the old one is so slow she would rather go over to a friend’s place to complete projects than wait for it to fire up. If she is going to college in a different city, appliances that will make her a little more comfortable would be a good idea, such as a small coffee machine, an epilator, or convenient cookware for the microwave.

Friends can look at interesting stationary such as a nice journal, a sassy t-shirt or a pair of pretty earrings, and other small, inexpensive but very useful gifts.

Who doesn’t like presents made specially for them, or their name on gift items, their pictures on things for daily use. It just makes everything a little more special. There is such a vast variety of customisation available these days, you can get a name and even a message put on everything from coffee mugs, tote bags to linen and can even get a customised newspaper or magazine printed about the person!

Alternatively, making things by hand is another option for personalised gifts. Make her a gift basket, a mixed tape, a video, bake her some cookies or a pie, there is so much that can be done! It may even be easier to make personalised gifts than to buy them, as you can create a gift that has been envisioned just for her. That kind of effort will never go unappreciated.

Girls like to be enveloped in a cocoon of lovely fragrances which is why perfumed soaps, lotions, body butters, hair products and just about every other item for personal care is available in such a wide range of delicious and scintillating scents. At 20 she is at the cusp of being a grown woman, beginning to come into her own. Treat her to a perfume she will love to dab on.

Since her tastes are quite refined by this age, indulge her in a slightly expensive and good quality fragrance, something she may not be able to afford on her own. It will be a small daily treat for her. But if your budget is on the smaller side, fret not, there are wonderful fragrances available to fit just about every budget, and it will still be a treat for her.

Try the Body Shop White Musk Smoky Rose Fragrance Mist, available at Nykaa for Rs.1,085. The body mist can be sprayed all over, something which girls enjoy doing, and has an intoxicating blend of musk, smoky rose and tobacco flower. There are other plus points here, like the musk is cruelty free, and the mist is anti-allergen so it is good for those prone to allergies.

Have you seen how trendy and fashionable college girls are? By 20 they have figured out their personal style, read all the best fashion magazines and are perfectly in sync with the latest styles. The average 20 year old may not have the budget to shell out on big designer labels but she manages to put together some unique and remarkable looks by scouring sales, street side shopping and the local markets.

Give her a helping hand by gifting her some of the more expensive accessories, like a really nice watch. Adults shopping for watches for 20 year girls need to put aside their notions of sensible, practical watches in a classic and timeless design. She is 20. What she needs is a sturdy, reliable watch, yes, but something which is also trendy and cool. The time for sensible watches will come, later.

Pay attention to her sense of style and find a watch to match that. It is a very useful gift, but you can make it more useful by buying a watch she will be proud to flaunt as a fashion accessory. We suggest this Bohemian Branches Wrist Watch by Chumbak. The quartz watch has a metal dial, is water resistant, has a sleek and sturdy digitally printed PU strap and comes with a one-year warranty. It will add fun a colourful look to her outfits. Buy it for Rs.1,595 on Chumbak’s online store.

Kids love their music and though she is no longer a kid at 20, she probably has a deep connection to her favourite songs. She likes to listen to all the latest, trendy songs, maybe practice her dance moves now and then, and does most of her college assignments with her headphones on. But having headphones on all the time can become slightly uncomfortable, not to mention the inconvenience of trying to dance with them on, specially when she has company.

Every 20 year old girl needs her own portable speaker, because, if she could, she would literally carry her music everywhere. But there are some places that even portable speakers can’t venture into - such as a damp and humid bathroom. Which is why the water resistant speaker will make you her favourite parent. All she needs are her smartphone, the bluetooth speaker and she is all set.

The Ultimate Ears Roll2 Wireless Mobile Bluetooth Speaker is a great buy at Rs.4,700. It is both water and shock proof, delivering a 360 degree sound with deep bass. Small and lightweight, it has been designed for the outdoors and is waterproof for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter, so she can most definitely play her music while in the shower, and carry it with her for all outdoor and camping trips. It has a 65 feet range and a 9 hour battery life. A marine-grade bungee cord can be used to attach it to the bike, backpack, snorkel, and it can be paired another UE speaker to maximise output. Buy it at Amazon.

Walk into any Starbucks and it will be crammed with teens and 20 somethings poring over books, laptops, doing homework, swapping notes, and yes, also occasionally drinking coffee too. While it’s every 20 year old’s favourite coffee shop, getting a daily coffee from there is an unthinkable luxury so she treats herself to a cuppa only now and then. A common sight is a group of friends sharing a single latte, because well, that’s all that could fit in their collective budget.

Gift cards are perfect for giving to young girls as they value their independence and the freedom to buy exactly what they want. Treat her to a guilt-free cup of her favourite coffee by giving her a gift card, that way she can drop in at any time she pleases. Starbucks offers eGift cards that work as prepaid cards, topped up with an amount of your choice. She can redeem it at any Starbucks in India. Alternatively, if she has a Starbucks card. You can simply reload it.

Jewellery is always a good gift as a girl can never have too many earrings and bracelets. You may want to keep her personal preferences in mind when shopping for jewellery, whether she favours earrings or pendants, a certain metal, if she likes rhinestones or favours traditional designs.

Look for versatile pieces that will compliment a number of looks so she can use it often. These Tibetan Ornate Dangler Earrings caught our eye. The intricate design is very pretty, and the slightly oxidised look of the metal alloy earrings is offset by blue beads. Buy them for Rs.295 at kraftly.com. There is also a wide range of earrings and other pieces of jewellery available that you can choose from instead.

It is around this age that serious wander-lust kicks in. She may have already travelled to a few places, both in India as well as overseas, and will have a great many places on her travel bucket-list. A scratch off map, or a world map that allows you to pin the places you have been to makes travelling that much more interesting. It is a fun way to keep track of all her travel adventures, and provides visual incentive to plan a few more.

How its works is fairly simple. A scratch off map is essentially a world map covered in a copper metallic foil. Every time she visits a new place she can use a coin to scratch off the country on the map to reveal a pop of colour beneath. The more places she visits, the more colourful her map will become.

We suggest this World On My Bucket List map. Inspired by the animated movie Up, it features a tiny wooden house which works as pin holder for the tiny, balloon shaped pins that can be used to mark off places on your bucket list. The A3 size map has about 30 colourful ‘balloon’ pins and can be easily hung on any wall. It is a great way to map her travelling adventures, making it almost as exciting as the travel itself. Buy it for Rs.1,950 at oyehappy.com

That girls like to dress up and make themselves look beautiful is a very well known fact. Like any other girl, 20 year olds also love to pamper themselves with scented bath products, makeup and beauty products so these make for naturally excellent gifts.

Give her personal care items like indulgent bath products, pampering lotions, face masks and body butters. Girls love using beauty treatments and you will often find her whipping up a homemade face mask.

We liked this Strawberries and Cream Pamper Pack, the ultimate strawberry scented bath time treat that comes with a face mask, bath tea bag, strawberry sundae bath bomb and a strawberry and fizz scented candle. The products are all handmade from natural ingredients in England and are free from preservatives. Buy this delicious treat for Rs.1,219 from prezzybox.com.

Women are very fond of adorning themselves and at 20 she may like to dress up and do full makeup - complete with foundation, mascara and lipstick, once in a while, like when she has to go to a party or to attend a wedding. But on a daily basis most girls this age like to keep their makeup simple. Kajal is an absolute essential, but apart from that a lightly tinted lip balm is what she will usually wear.

So, while makeup products will make her happy as she can then experiment with new looks and styles, why not give her things she will use more often? Unless you are shopping for a party girl who absolutely adores makeup - in that case, get your hands on the hottest makeup of the day, find out which products she uses and get her those.

If you want to introduce her to new products or get her something fun to experiment with, look for products which are safe for the skin. College girls may often opt for cheaper products so they can keep their expenses to a minimum. You can indulge her with some good quality eye-liners if she is fond of eye makeup. Palettes are a great option as she gets to try out a number of colours and you can get her either lip, blush, eyeshadow or other makeup palettes.

We recommend the Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Palette, because she probably doesn’t use bright lipstick too often, but would like to have some at hand for days she does want to try them. The brand offers good quality and is particularly favoured by teens and girls in their 20s. There are 12 vivid shades ranging from reds to browns, offering plenty of choice. The sleek metallic box contains an applicator as well and you can buy it for Rs.1,150 at Amazon.

Socks are so useful and easy on the pocket to boot. But not every kind of sock makes a good present, certainly not for a 20 year old. The value packs of 2, 3 or 5 pair of thick sports socks that caught your eye may be an excellent buy, but they will be terribly boring to give as a gift. So if you come across a great deal, buy it for yourself. For her, look for cute designs and unusual patterns in bright colours that will add a little cheer to her day each time she puts them on.

Thick fluffy socks are great for the cold days, however, if you want her to be able to wear them all year round, opt for cotton ones. We liked these adorable superhero socks at Big Small. They come as a set of 5 pairs priced at Rs.1,299. There is Batman, Superman, Captain America, Ironman and Spiderman - one superhero for every working day of the week. Made of cotton, the ankle length socks fit up to UK 8 shoe size.

She knows definitively if she is a coffee girl or a tea lover, and likes to have at least a cup or two of her favourite beverage every day. A coffee mug with either a cute design, an interesting quote or a quirky and clever quip makes the experience a little more enjoyable. Good looking mugs can also be used as decor or to hold pens. So even if she already has a favourite mug for her daily brew, she can put it on her desk instead.

Make it a more practical gift by getting mugs with additional features like a lid or with insulation that will keep the beverage warm for a longer period of time. If buying from a store, hold the mug in your hand to see how it feels - ideally a good mug has a generous handle the better to hold it with, and sits well in the hand. The latter feature is important who like to savour their drink for a while, hold the mug and sit with a book.

We recommend this 'Cutea' Coffee Mug by Schoopwhoop. The pun will please a girl who likes a clever use of words. Made with ceramic, it hold 300 ml of liquid. It is microwave safe but requires gently hand wash and ideally shouldn’t be put in the dishwasher. Buy it for Rs.399 at Schoopwhoop Shop.

A girl’s sweet cravings ought to be satisfied as soon as they strike, or as soon as possible. If she happens to have a sweet tooth and frequent cravings, this Mug Cakes recipe book is just the thing for her. She will be able to whip up decadent and delicious cakes in 5 minutes following the recipes in this book. There are over 30 recipes for classic cakes like lemon, carrot and chocolate fondant, and interesting new flavour combinations like raspberry and green tea, or blueberry and ricotta. The recipes are simple enough for even the most average cooks to follow, and keen bakers will relish the idea of making a delicious treat whenever they fancy a bit of cake with minimum fuss. Buy it for Rs.754 at Prezzy Box.

Get her this super cute Microware Minions Chef Shape 8 GB pendrive. Why? Because minions are adorable and since she must need a flash drive to store all her projects, assignments, pictures and songs on, why not a fancy one. The minion craze may not be the same as it once was but these adorable yellow creatures still make girls go ‘awww’.

It is not lacking on the utility front either. The 8 GB capacity USB has a 2.0 OS, Windows 98 SE supported, features hot plug and play, and come with 10 years data retention and 1 year domestic warranty. Simply pull off the detachable cap, and plug in. Buy it for Rs.664 at Flipkart.

Over time, material possessions become less appealing and people feel happier with experiences. And that’s not just us talking, there are studies that back this claim. Creating fond memories will create a bigger impact and last a lot longer than the latest gadget or fancy bag. Spending time with her is a great way to show you care. Take her out for a movie or play, visit the local museum, aquarium or zoo. When is the last time either one of you made a trip to these places? It will be a unique experience when compared to having been there on a school trip.

Make things interesting by signing up for something neither of you has tried before. Go up in a hot air balloon, or go parasailing, horseback riding, kayaking or snorkeling. Even a trip to the local amusement park can be a fun outing. Oyehappy.com offers plenty of experientials, find one in your city.

Other options are spa vouchers she can redeem within a fixed time frame, tickets to a film or music festival, a trip to an interesting destination. These ideas aren’t limited by the size of your budget as you can buy or create wonderful experiences to fit any budget.