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INSTEAD OF: Expensive dinner on the town
WHY DON'T YOU: Tailgate for breakfast. Valentine's Day falls on a Saturdaythis year, providing an additional nine hours of free time to impress yourlady love. Start her day with a surprise of pancakes -- heart shaped if you'dlike -- and her favorite non-fat, no-foam latte. Or, add a surprise by movingthe coffee maker and toaster into the bedroom so she can watch and smell herbreakfast being made.
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INSTEAD OF: Red roses (worse yet, delivered to her office) costing upwardsof $100
WHY DON'T YOU: Have something ELSE delivered. Roses and carnations are nogood. Think of something unique and unexpected like peonies or hibiscus --large, bold, tropical flowers of the same color are your best bet. Or, call alocal grocery store and request a special delivery of your girlfriend'sfavorite treats. Think childhood favorites such as sugar cookies, orange sodaand candy.
INSTEAD OF: Heart-shaped box of chocolates
WHY DON'T YOU: Become as irresistible as chocolate. A box of chocolates isboring, but chocolate itself is still irresistible. In fact, one survey foundthat 70 percent of women around the globe ranked chocolate as moreirresistible than shopping, jewelry or even sex(2). Find new ways to indulgeyour girl's love of chocolate: pick up some salted caramel chocolates (the hotnew trend in sweets) from your local chocolaterie and wear AXE DarkTemptation, the new chocolate-inspired fragrance, for dessert. You'll satisfyher appetite and her desire!
INSTEAD OF: Fancy (and often stuffy) five-star restaurant
WHY DON'T YOU: Go somewhere unexpected. One study showed that womentransfer the feelings they have about a room to their feelings about thepeople they are with. Take her to a stuffy restaurant and she'll think you'restuffy. Instead, try a local tapas joint or an Indian restaurant. Picking anethnic food will make you seem daring and adventurous. Tapas are great becauseof the smaller plate sizes, which are usually cheaper than full entrees. Or,add an aspect to the date that jumpstarts her heart rate, like a scary movie,and she'll relate the butterfly feelings to you.
INSTEAD OF: Jewelry
WHY DON'T YOU: Add something personal. Sixty-two percent of girls saidthey're expecting their boyfriends to spend less than $30 this Valentine'sDay. Instead of wasting money on expensive jewelry, give a gift with apersonal touch for 20 bucks or less, such as the newly-released DVD she'swanted to see or the best-selling book you heard her talking about. She'll bethrilled with her gift and you'll get bonus points for remembering.
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES
Amy Spencer is available to discuss her tips for a budget-friendly,cliche-free Valentine's Day.
ABOUT AMY SPENCER
Amy Spencer is a relationship expert who currently writes aboutrelationships, celebrities and lifestyles for Glamour, Maxim, Real Simple,Match.com, Cosmopolitan, Page Six magazine, Harper's Bazaar, New York,Angeleno, Redbook, Women's Health, Prevention, the New York Post, and MSN.comamong other publications. Amy was most recently a radio host on Siriussatellite's Maxim108, for Sex Files, a weekly live call-in advice show aboutlove, sex and relationships. Prior to hosting, she held the post of residentrelationship expert on the Maxim channel, and appeared weekly on The Covino &Rich Show.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit http://www.axedarktemptation.com. AXE Dark Temptation bodyspray andshower gel is the newest way AXE gives guys an edge in the mating game.Available at most food, drug and mass retail outlets for a suggested retailprice of $4.99 each.
ABOUT AXE
AXE, a leader in men's grooming, is an iconic personal care brand aroundthe world that helps guys look, smell and feel their best. The Unilever-manufactured brand is available in a line of deodorant bodysprays, deodorantand anti-perspirant sticks, shower gels and hair care products. Axe is the No.1 male Anti-Perspirant Deodorant brand in the U.S. The shower gel, launched in2005, reached No. 1 status five months after hitting shelves.
The brand's mission is to help guys get the girl with grooming productsthat reflect individual personality and lifestyle. For more information, visithttp://www.theaxeeffect.com.
ABOUT UNILEVER
Unilever's mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs fornutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good,look good and get more out of life. Each day, around the world, consumers make160 million decisions to purchase Unilever products.
In the United States, the portfolio includes major brand icons such as:Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dovepersonal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Popsicle,Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of thepreceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group ofCompanies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live,work and play, Unilever employs more than 14,000 people in both the UnitedStates and Puerto Rico -- generating nearly $11 billion in sales in 2007. Formore information, visit http://www.unileverusa.com.Contact: Emily Zielinski Edelman 312-233-1293 [email protected] (1) Survey of 1,009 U.S. women ages 18 - 34 conducted in January 2009 by Impulse Research Corporation (2) Online Survey of 3,571 women ages 18 - 35 in 13 countries conducted in November 2007 by DatosClaros Research Opinion
SOURCE Unilever
