Our sense of smell can be very evocative, and can take us back to a time and place in the past or can remind us of a particular happening or person. This makes them a very important part of the whole process of dressing; more particularly dressing up! I don’t feel ready to go out until I not only look but also smell good!

Amongst my gifts were a limited edition Burberry, a Paco Rabanne, a Gucci and an Issey Miyake. I thought of doing some research into what goes into making a great perfume, one that not only smells divine, but also lasts really long. I learnt that a lot goes into creating and buying fragrances, atleast the really good ones. There are various layers to every scent, different ways of applying it depending on the effect you desire, and numerous fragrance families. It truly is a science and an art both!

And coming to the varieties of perfumes, deodorants, colognes, the spray-on or dab-on packaging, with or without alcohol, the options are never ending and thoroughly confusing. A lot of understanding goes into figuring out which fragrance is right for you at what time and for what occassion.

So good luck to you all! Happy figuring out the smell just right for you, the one you would want people to remember you by!

Many establishments such as Macy’s, Sears, Toys R Us, Target and Walmart open as early as midnight on Black Friday offering door buster deals and loss leaders (items sold at cost price or even lower prices) to draw people to their stores. Though meant to offer people options for their Christmas shopping, many people grab the opportunity of the big discounts that are offered on Black Friday to buy items that they can resell later; most likely online and for a profit.

Black Friday is one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year in the US; so it is a positive thing for businesses. So then why is the pejorative term used for it? Black ink traditionally indicates positive amounts and red ink shows negative entries. So that association of profit with black is behind the term Black Friday. That and the fact that the poor employees have to work extra hard to battle the shopping hordes and extra long hours as well; so it is definitely a black day for them!

Of a more recent nascence is the term Cyber Monday, which falls on the Monday following Black Friday; a day that competes with if not outstrips sales recorded on Black Friday. The phenomenon of Cyber Monday was first noted in 2005, when 77 percent of online retailers said that their sales increased substantially last year on the Monday after Thanksgiving. It then became a trend that drove retailers to offer serious online discounts and promotions in years to come.

Shop.org was credited with the coining of the term Cyber Monday, and they urge people to make the most of cyber Monday and do the needful to attract those customers who didn’t have their fill of shopping the previous Friday. The people at shop.org urge retailers to participate in social media as well as make use of PR opportunities to give their business a fillip.

New York Times observed that Cyber Monday grew out of the observation that millions of otherwise productive working Americans, fresh off a Thanksgiving weekend of window shopping, were returning to high-speed Internet connections at work on Monday and buying what they liked.

So as shoppers, it would be a good idea to tune into the whole Cyber Monday phenomenon to see what deals and discounts you can get for yourself or get a head start on your Christmas shopping. Happy Retail Therapy All!

These fridge magnets are excellent for all the Domestic Goddesses we know out there; the ones with a sense of humor:  I thought they were all hilarious: “Every day I give my family two choices for dinner…take it or leave it”, “Housework is evil. It must be stopped.” “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life” “It’s not nagging if you wave a butcher knife, dear.” For under $20 for a set of four, you can give these to four different individuals! Alternatively these fridge magnets would do great for your girlfriends in office; again those with a sense of humor!

Now either because you love the president or because you simply don’t, this Obama Wacky Wobbler is a good buy, particularly since is it down from $11.99 to $4.99.

Here I found a bunch of great stocking stuffers, all under $5, ranging from this really cute package of gingerbread cookies, for just $3.19 to different kinds of chocolate, pens, NFL curiosities, novelty pens etc.

Now picture frames make great little gifts for all sorts of people. For close friends and family you could put in a picture of dear child or a favorite friend or relative, and perhaps for a coworker you could leave it blank or put in something funny that will be appreciated. So here I found a whole range of picture frames , all costing less than 5 bucks. This cute little first step photo frame for instance is just $3.50. Also check the hot cocoa gift items here, again for under $5!

I know we were talking about gifts below $5, but this Santa mug for $ 8.99 and all the many other Christmas themed items there were just too adorable not to include here.

So go ahead and have a blast getting goodies for loved (and not so loved) ones. I think I gave you some good ideas here? I hope so!

On the home page the site displays the best deals of the day. For instance there is the Buy.com specialty store deals on Hi def TVs.  These include deals such as a 30% discount on this Toshiba TV, which is $382, down from $550.  Deal throws in free shipping just to add a bow to the ribbon.

There are also various sections you can shop by, so that you have Entertainment coupons which include coupons not only to buy an MP3 player but also for the next Jay – Z concert.

Additionally you have Legal Coupons: do you want a will written? Get it done for just $29. Want to incorporate your business? Have it done for just $169 and so on. And then there are insurance coupons, which will offer you a discount dental plan if you are so inclined, and so on and so forth.

Then if it is a health nut that you are shopping for, you can choose from a range of gifts, from wild salmon, to golf clubs if the person is inclined to physical pursuits of that kind, to exercise DVDs. If you want to get detoxed or gift someone a detox coupon, get it here.

For the travel enthusiast, there are things like 5% discount coupons for rental cars or coupons for the Lonely Planet Guidebook series (for my money the best guidebooks anywhere on the planet BTW).

So all in all I have had a great time browsing this site and getting some good ideas; hope you do too and find the information here helpful.