Seven sexy gifts to give this holiday season, according to a sex writer
image via @bruxaofficial and @cuccia
words by Laura Roscioli
All I want for Christmas.
Laura Roscioli is a sex writer based in Melbourne. Her fortnightly column on Fashion Journal is here to make sex (and the conversations around it) more accessible and open-minded. She believes that the best learnings come from lived experience, and she’s here to share hers — and other people’s — with you. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @lauraroscioli.
2025 has been a sexy year. It was the year I outed my own pubic hair. The year I went to a sex party and wrote about it. The year I experimented with handcuffs for the first time. It was also the year I discovered some of my favourite sexual wellness products and the people behind them. So it feels only right to share them with you now, in gifting season.
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Buying presents for the people we love can be oddly hard. It’s like one final push of creativity before we all collapse into end-of-year hibernation. But I’ve always believed the best gifts are the most considered ones, the kind that say, “I see you. I know what you’re curious about. I want to support that”.
This guide is for the besties, lovers and partners who love to feel sexy, stay curious and keep learning about themselves. Many of these picks are from local brands, too — thoughtfully made, beautifully designed and rooted in care.
A gift card for an actually sexy adult store
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For anyone who has a lover that loves pleasure products, but has never found an adult store that meets their curiosity and appetite, allow me to change your life. Tucked into Melbourne’s CBD is one of the most beautiful brick-and-mortar sex stores of our time: High Tide.
Owned by Melbourne couple Paige Aubort and Søren Poulsen, the warm, considered space is designed for exploration, connection and learning. They stock pleasure products for all bodies, genders and preferences, including a few you may not have realised were yours.
It’s an ideal gift for couples exploring together, anyone wanting to deepen their relationship with pleasure, or simply as a romantic gesture that says: I care about how you feel. Name a better gift than prioritising their pleasure! I’ll wait.
Find it here.
Comfortable (but still delicious!) lingerie
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I’ve always loved lingerie as a gift. To me, it signals that my lover understands my desire to feel beautiful under my clothes, just for me. There are two local brands I’ve fallen hard for this past year.
First is Nala. Melbourne-based and designed with real bodies in mind, Nala creates lingerie that’s genuinely comfortable without sacrificing sex appeal. Think sheer bralettes and bodysuits in playful colours, all blissfully free from underwire. They’re made using sustainable materials too, which means no scratchiness and no irritation, just pieces you actually want to wear all day and into the night.
Then there’s Hopeless Lingerie, for when you’re craving something more classic, structured and undeniably sexy. Also based in Melbourne, their expansive range includes corsetry, nighties, robes, bodysuits and lingerie for every mood and moment. It’s a little on the pricer side but it’s exquisitely made, deeply considered and absolutely worth the splurge.
A couple’s collection for shared exploration
I’m always one for a shared gift, something that can help bring you closer to your partner and encourage exploration together. My favourite version of that this year was The Couples Collection from Australian-based sexual wellness company Normal, created in collaboration with content creators, Ben and Jas.
It’s a curated intimacy kit designed to take the guesswork out of play. Inside you’ll find a mix of thoughtfully chosen tools, including a bestselling partnered toy, a blindfold, padded cuffs, a crop and tassel, alongside a 10-step challenge menu that guides you (from gentle to spicy) through new ways of touching, teasing and talking together.
Having actual products and activities to help bring exploration into the bedroom can be beyond helpful in fostering a combined sexual journey that feels authentic and open. I love that this set feels inclusive and stylish, with sleek, discreet design that steers clear of cringe.
Find it here.
A subscription to well-written erotic literature
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For anyone who loves to read (or write), a subscription to an erotic literature platform is a priceless gift. It offers space to explore desire privately, creatively and on one’s own terms — tapping into fantasy, curiosity and pleasure through language rather than performance.
My current favourite is Aurore: a female-run platform founded by New York–based writer Carly, created from her own desire to express her sexuality and encourage others to do the same. Expect sensual, intelligent and genuinely sexy stories by feminist and LGBTQ+ writers, with pieces that carry both sexual charge and emotional maturity.
Subscriptions start at around nine dollars USD for a month (perfect if you want to play it safe), or $69 for a full year. Beyond the reading, Aurore also offers erotic writing workshops and courses, making this a gift that invites both consumption and creation.
Be sure to add your email address at first and change to theirs later so as to not ruin the surprise. You can even print it out and make a cute little voucher for them to unwrap.
Find it here.
Conversation cards that encourage play
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Conversation is everything. Talking about your sexual fantasies, your fears and curiosities has the power to set you free. Esther Perel is, in my opinion, the goddess of conversation (especially when it comes to sex and intimacy), which is why her now-infamous card game ‘Where Should We Begin?’ is truly best in class.
Designed to encourage conversations, connection and play, these cards guide you through some of the most interesting and important conversations of your life. Having used them in my own life and relationship, they’ve opened up conversations of sexual experiences we’d love to do together and separately… some of which we’ve now done!
I often feel that the gift of an experience is the most precious of all and these cards do just that, while also giving you the potential to expand not only within your relationship, but within yourself.
Find it here.
A lube that puts pleasure (and ease) first
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We’re finally living in an era where using lube is a completely shame-free experience thanks in large part to brands like The Department of Bed Intentions, which, in my opinion, make the best water-based lubricant on the market. Not only does it look beautiful and come in fully sustainable packaging, it genuinely feels good to use and is brilliant for sensitive skin.
Sex has such a powerful relationship with both stress and sleep. When we’re having more sex, we tend to sleep better. When sex feels complicated, awkward or loaded with pressure, stress creeps in. Bed Intentions’ ethos is centred on easing those tensions, removing any negative emotions around lube, and reframing it instead as something playful and supportive
This is a gift that prioritises comfort, connection and calm, inviting a softer, more relaxed bedroom experience that’s free from shame and full of possibility. Sometimes the sexiest thing you can offer is ease.
Find it here.
A scent that feels more intimate than perfume
Don’t just buy them perfume this year, buy them Don Juan 1973. Crafted (and only recently launched) by Melbourne-based brand Bruxa, this luxurious body oil blends oud with pheromones to create a scent designed to draw out your inner sensuality.
It smells rich and undeniably premium. Since owning a bottle, I’ve worn it every day without fail, somehow feeling sexier each time. It’s genuinely delicious to put on. You know that indulgent ritual of dousing yourself in something divine smelling before leaving the house? This is that. It makes you feel expensive.
Find it here.
For more gifting ideas, try this.
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