Recommendations for a girl turning 16

[Macey78]

Friend of ours his dd turns 16 in a few weeks. We always tend to give her something at birthdays/Christmas. Not sure what to get now
Have previously given
Nail varnish
Jewellery
Perfume
Book tokens
Any ideas welcome budget around £20/25

TIA

Voucher for a dept store like Debenhams? Gives a choice of makeup/perfume/clothes/accessories.

Cinema voucher.
Topshop / riverisland voucher.
Voucher to have nails done.
If she is girly a pair of high healed party shoes from new look or asda. This will go down very well.
If girly large bag from new look.

Cinema, Starbucks or Itunes voucher.

Good quality make up that she wouldn't buy herself - a Benefit eyeshadow set, for example.

Piece of jewellery, silver earrings or pendant

Magazine subscription to something like Cosmopolitan

Personally I'd steer clear of clothing and accessories, it's too easy to get it wrong at that age!

I bought a box of all different coloured hair chalks for my niece, hers is in a couple of weeks' time. It was around £20. For Christmas I bought her a set of decorations to apply to your nails, with varnishes and stuff. I can't remember exactly what it was, as mine are au naturel, but she loved it. She has also had a big cowl scarf for winter and a wide thinner one with stars in the weave the previous year. I add things such as cushion kits to make herself, daft xmas decs to sew, that sort of thing.

My soon to be 16yr old DD would love you forever if you were to buy this www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Urban+Decay+Naked+2+Basics/204816730,default,pd.html

If she's not into makeup then a cinema/ iTunes / coffee shop voucher would also be very welcome

Toodles your daughter is like mine - it was on her Christmas list & she & two others gave it to a friend. I found that when the department stores do their 20% off days House of Fraser included it & the postage charge was less than the cost of the tube/parking or an hour of my time.

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I so needed the help as we have a 4 year old dd and no teenagers in the family yet.

Am drawn towards a handbag. Any recommendations.

Macey they don't really do handbags in my experience. The current favourite is a backpack type (I'll look for a link) but again it's a hard thing to match their specific taste to. If you get it from New Look or Primark they could swap if it's not their taste. They're funny things teenage girls, I've lived with mine for 15yrs and have to suss her out on pre shopping trips before I buy her anything.

www.newlook.com/shop/womens/bags-and-purses/peach-multi-pocket-backpack_328326884

Sort of like this, my DD has a tan one. Will probably be onto something else come the summer though - that's the problem with fashion

The fashion is to have large hard ones that have handles you hold and a long strap. Not black. Cream or a colour.

Having four teens that I regularly take shopping I can honestly say that buying clothes, shoes or handbags and actually getting it 'right' would be close to miraculous.

My house is always full of teens, and I work in a school, so I've got a better idea than many - but what they love one week they'll hate the next, or something that you think is perfect will be wrong due to some tiny detail.

Teen presents = money, vouchers or something you can't get wrong IMO.

Thanks everyone. Think I might go with the vouchers. Safe option.

I second Urban Decay makeup. Naked Pallette seems very popular with teens.

Also Argos has really nice Nail Art kits.

I agree with nequidnimid and second the voucher option. I have a 16 yr old dd, and, when we have to buy clothes, we also take along my 17 yr old niece. I then have 19 and 21 yr old nieces, etc.,etc. - there is NO WAY I could predict what any of them would like
Definitely go with vouchers of some sort.

(My dd would hate Cosmopoliton, nail varnish, make up....)