Gift Guide for a 16-Year-Old Girl (by my teen daughter)

They make these tiny fridges that are popular with skincare enthusiasts. Inside they'll pop their sheet masks, gua sha tools, and various beauty products that benefit from remaining chilled. Teens will also use these to store their favorite candy and sodas. The 2025 version of the one I bought PrePan is still under $50 and I can attest to its quality.

Some skincare fridges come with a lighted mirror front, some just come in cool colors. Some can turned into warmers. I bought myself one years ago and passed it down to my teen; she has it on the shelf of her nightstand but one of her friends uses hers to double as her makeup mirror on her desk. This is also a great gift for her to take to her dorm when she heads off to college.

If there's one thing teen girls love, it's smelling good. Fragranced lotions, body sprays, oils, hand creams, even hand sanitizers. And yes, even hair perfume and this one from Gisou is the Cool Girl choice. With a scent of wildflower honey, it's not too intense but the scent lasts all day. Gisou also has the hair perfume in Wild Rose Honey and Lavender Berry Honey, but if you're not sure which to get, the original is the most popular.

If your teen has a phone that is Magsafe-compatible, they will love these chargers. Super slim and chic looking, they snap right onto the back of their phone, even with the case on, to charge while still being able to use. So slim, they can still fit the phone in their pocket or bag and the charger keeps it charge for week to be at the ready.

With all the trendy colors and patterns as well as prints featuring Peanuts, Powerpuff Girls, Keith Haring, and other "nostalgia" brands big with Gen Z, you can find a good choice for most anyone (including yourself; I keep one in my purse at all times). I'm such a fan I asked Velvet Caviar for a discount code: ALISON20 gets you 20% off.

Pandora charm bracelets are back. If your teen doesn't have one, you can totally just get her the bracelet (starting at $80) and then you can gift her charms for future holidays and special occasions. If she already has a Pandora bracelet, a charm is a lovely gift, especially when commemorating a special occasion (graduation, milestone birthday, etc.). I recommend shopping Pandora either at Pandora directly or Macy's.

The charms start at less than $40, but many of them cost well over $100. There are companies that sell Pandora-compatible charms, but they don't always fit well and may not be as well received (unless you know the recipient is down with a "dupe"). If in doubt, stick with the original, unless you find a compatible charm that is totally completely fitting to the teen receiving it.

Sol de Janeiro became famous for its fragrant Bum Bum Cream, but has now become a cult-favorite beauty line with high schoolers and college kids for its hair and body mists and rich body butters, too. Sol de Janeiro carries many gift sets starting at less than $30; this is a great option if you're not sure which fragrance to get or if they may already have the product (everyone loves travel sizes!).

Available at Ulta, Sephora, and Sol de Janeiro's site, there are many fragrances to pick from but the most popular seem to be Cheirosa 62 (the original scent) and Cheirosa 68 (which some think is a "dupe" for the expensive fragrance Baccarat Rouge 540).

The wildest thing on this Pinterest board was not one, but three images of old little digital cameras that we all loved back in the early 2000s. Her preference is baby pink, but I have seen teens all over social media and in the Washington DC area rocking small point-and-shoot digital cameras, preferring them to their phones.

You can find old digital cameras on eBay; I went digging and found have my Panasonic Lumix from 2010, carefully stored in its case. Thing is, the screen now has a purple tint to it and the battery only holds a charge for half an hour. I can't imagine how those eBay offers are holding up.

For a modern-day alternative, the Kodak PixPro is small and cute and even comes in pink, a retro looking option, as well as a waterproof option. Better quality photos than our old Y2K cameras, it capture crisp 16MP photos and Full HD 1080p video and has a rugged body that can withstand a teen throwing it in her bag or dropping it ten times.

Whether your teen is into a full face or just likes to keep her lips moisturized, she likely will appreciate one or more Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balms. Heads up, you can only get this brand either at the Summer Fridays website, or Sephora.

The Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm is like a hybrid between a gloss and a balm, most of them have a hint of color, and they each have a different scent/flavor. Pink Sugar is a safe bet as it's hardly any color and has a teen-friendly scent; Vanilla Beige is also a good one and better for those who have non-pink lips. Iced Coffee is great for darker skintones or those who like a brown tint; Pink Guava also has more pigment with a rosy tone.

Both Sephora and Summer Fridays carry sets with multiple flavors; this is a great gift idea or if you're buying for multiple teens, buy to save and break up for individual presents.

LEGO flowers have become incredibly popular for teens and adults. They're fun to put together, and unlike regular flowers, they don't wilt and die. You will see folks with LEGO flowers in their bedrooms, sitting on their office desks, and they're often given in place of traditional bouquets for dates and special occasions.

If you are unsure which LEGO flowers to give as a gift, I recommend going with one of the bouquets or the individual flowers. These are popular because they can go in a traditional vase or have one tucked in with her pens and pencils or makeup brushes. Starting at $14.99 and going up to $60, this can be a great small gift or the whole shebang.

The Crosley suitcase record player is a good starter machine for your teen, it comes in fun colors and looks "aesthetic" and you can get one for less than $75. There are many companies, including Victrola, that make suitcase-style record players but we went with Crosley because they get the best marks for such a style player while still being a wallet-friendly price.

If your teen is truly into records, it may be time to upgrade. Audio-Technica makes a turntable under $200 that is high quality, high on style, and will be "cool" enough for them to take with them to college and be respected. If your teen likes the mobility of a suitcase player, blow their mind with the Audio-Technica Sound Burger.

If they have the record player, they need the vinyl. They may play the albums ad nauseum, or they may just hang them up on their wall, but it's a badge of honor these days to have a mix of "vintage" and contemporary artists in a vinyl collection.

Some albums my teen desires is Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, Radiohead's The Bends, and anything from Blood Orange or Tyler the Creator. We have gotten her albums from SZA, Mitski, and Beabadoobie. I know her friends are big into Lana Del Rey, Nirvana, Clairo, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, and yes, Taylor Swift. Country is back on the upswing, my daughter isn't into it, but I know Lainey Wilson and Zach Bryan are popular with some of my friends' kids.

If your teen is looking for a grown-up scent, or you want to blow her mind with a luxurious "grown up" gift, consider Miss Dior Essence, the latest Miss Dior fragrance. All the Miss Dior fragrances are considered very cool and luxurious to teens, but the newest one has a unique fragrance that is elegant but not too mature. We received a sample and it's one of the first fragrances that my teen and we parents all really liked, and it can be a fragrance she continues to wear into college and adulthood.

If she doesn't already have a lululemon everywhere belt bag, this is a safe bet gift. Not only is it still extremely popular, it's also practical. And at $38 it's a trendy brand bag that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. If you're looking to bulk up this gift, fill it with some skincare and makeup!

Keeping with this theme of trendy brand accessories, alo is another label that is hot with teens and adults alike. While your teen may covet an alo sweatsuit, they also will appreciate rocking a cap from the brand. While the "Off Duty Cap" is also popular, the District Trucker Cap can give you a couple extra cool adult points. If in doubt, go with black or one of the soft neutrals (camel, cream, mushroom).

There are several makeup brands that are popular with teen girls, but right now, Saie seems to be at the top of the list. And my daughter and her friends are "ahh-bbb-sezzed" with the brand's Dew Blush and the Glowy Super Gel. Both products are subtle, giving that glowy healthy look that is so popular right now. This gift set offers both, and is sure to please. $30.00 at Sephora.

The Nintendo 3DS was a handheld gaming device originally launched in 2011 and retired in 2020, but for some reason at the end of 2025 they are hot again and my daughter had pink versions on her Pinterest board. Are Game Boys next? Anyway, the 3DS may be retired but you can find refurbished ones in excellent condition on Amazon, even in the coveted pink color as well as blue, red, white, and the other options offered over the years.

Gen X, if your mind hasn't been blow yet by this gift guide, this entry will give you serious flashbacks. Stüssy is back, and all the cool teens are rocking it. Stüssy even had a collab with Nike. And even more amazing? Vintage Stüssy sweatshirts are going for the hundreds on resale sites. If you don't have one collecting dust in your attic or your parent's basement, you can find them on the Stüssy site, with a curated collection of the "very cool" options at Urban Outfitters. If in doubt, go with a black or white 8-ball sweatshirt or t-shirt a size or two larger than you would think.

I'm telling you, everything old is new again for teen girls! The classic gold nameplate necklace is back, but there are variations in font and chain style so they can be more personal. If your teen is more delicate, or whimsical, or bold, there's likely a name necklace perfect for her.

I am linking to the Etsy seller I used to get one for my daughter for her 16th birthday. I appreciated I could choose color, font, length, and even chain style. The seller sent me a photo of the necklace to approve before sending and it ships from California.

While you may not wish to buy your teen a Marc Jacobs bag, you will still get cool adult points for getting the matching wallet. Available in a few colors including more than one shade of pink, this wallet is also functional with billfold, card holders, and a zip-close compartment for change and other small items.

This is so cool, I am tempted to get one for myself! About as small as a smartphone, the Canon Ivy 2 is an ink-free photo printer that is Bluetooth-enabled to print pictures on the go. Super fun for parties, sleepovers, school dances, and everyday, the price is also quite nice (under $100).

Everyone is talking about Labubus, but there is a cuter, more nostalgic keychain on the scene that teens love and it's Calico Critters. Yes, the same Calico Critters I played with when I was a little kid, and then my teen played with when she was little. Now they're hanging from high schoolers' backpacks. You can find Calico Critters keychains at Urban Outfitters, PacSun, and Barnes & Noble.