Inspired by New Shoes and Old Perfume

Last week I went on about my really great bargains from the JCP shoe department sales. This week I want you to see the pièce de résistance of my efforts: pointy-toe magenta pumps on FINAL clearance for $7.00. I admit that I might not have considered these at full price, but I'm glad I was able to give them a good home. I wore them with the outfit below to Sunday dinner with the huz, and a very nice stranger stopped to tell me my outfit looked "fabulous".  So worth it.

More peplum love and another pencil skirt from JCP:

(I have got to get some tanning stuff on my legs!)

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If You Hate Perfume or Are Allergic to It, 

Stop Reading Here ...

Like so many things in life that you don't miss till they're gone, I don't think about perfume except when I run out of it. And because I don't think about it often, beyond the occasional cautious sniff at an imbued magazine ad, I don't really know much about what's available or how to shop for it. All last year, I slowly spritzed away my little store of scent that I like, and now it's gone.

I'm not easily intimidated by shopping and am usually the woman with the plan. But the vast array of choices available at the average perfume counter just freezes me into immobility. Too many brands and way too little information. It's a given that the brands I like are unavailable, because I usually need a bargain and much of what I like is old news and out of production when I discover it at TJ Maxx. Or ... I've found a bit of overstock there to love, and when I want it again, it's out of my budget at full price.

I have my opinions, though, uninformed as they are. I'm pretty sure I don't want to smell like Britney, JLo, Paris Hilton, Lady Gaga or even Elizabeth Taylor. Additionally, I'm long over smelling like fruit salad or green salad veggies, cotton candy or bacon. Designers are okay, though, even though I know that it's just the same celebrity fascination as with Britny fans. Not that I want to smell like Marc Jacobs or Michael Kors, but at least I can imagine that there may be a little more sophisticated inspiration from their designers than I can expect from the tastes of Paris Hilton.

And I'm ready to try something new (at least new for me), but how to go about it without sniffing every bottle? Internet shopping is great for finding good deals on familiar brands, but it's much more difficult to find new scents you know you'll like.  So, after about five minutes snooping around via Google, I found what turned out to be a seriously interesting, inexpensive and easy solution to my problem.

There's this great site called Fragrantica .   The name correctly implies encyclopedic information about fragrances. There, you can plug in your favorite perfume or scent and you will learn everything you want to know about it. I read about my three favorite fragrances (plus a couple that I like but can't afford) and found out that I am all about these kinds of scents in various combinations; white florals generally (freesia, magnolia, gardenia, peony, Chinese osmanthus and tuberose specifically,) as well as ginger, bergamot cedar, orris root and Tahitian vetiver. Once you know the specifics of what your nose loves, then it's a quick plug in to get matches and lots of other options are available. I checked that information against the brands currently available at my local TJ Maxx, and, bingo! Two new fragrances that I love at the price I could afford. No stress, no returns, and no disappointment.

I also learned much more about the geeky-nerdy side of my favorites. Fragrantia  details the history of design and process of manufacture for each fragrance, as well as a ton of subjective stuff.   I learned about sillage (the degree to which a fragrance trails behind, or is left in the air around the wearer ... subjective, but the cognoscenti claim to be able to measure it in inches and feet!) and longevity (how long a spritz is discernible) and about top, middle and base notes.

But what I found most interesting is that there is massive ageism among perfume enthusiasts. Each page invites commentary and critique, and boy-howdy, do these women (and more than a few men) have comments! I found that a lot of the perfumes I really like have been around for decades and that I like "old lady" scents. I also found that a lot of old ladies like me resent that classification and there's a lot of heated discussion about the subject. Fun, really!

What I loved best, though, about this whole experience is that on the way home from the Big City, I was crowing over my success to my husband Dan, making him sniff my wrist yet again. After declaring that he, too, liked my new perfumes, he proudly said " You're pretty resourceful, ya know?"

Yeah. I know.

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I'm linking up with Sassy Blue Patti and all the Glamazons at Visible Monday.

Come see what the buzz is all about!