Seasoned With Sydney

When I was little and we would go to visit my grandparents in Nashville, I was always excited to play in my grandmother's perfumes. The room I stayed in was the room where she kept her clothes, shoes, and make-up (the perks of being empty-nesters: you can turn a bedroom into a giant closet). She had this mirrored tray that was absolutely crammed with perfume bottles that ranged in age from brand new to what had to have been decades old. Some were sprays, some were roll-on pens, and some even had an atomizer attached. I used to play with them for hours, considering the person I could be based on how I smelled. For me, smelling good was one step to being a real lady, like my mother, like my grandmothers. Scent has always been important to me. As I've grown in age, so too have my tastes.

It feels like just yesterday I was spritzing myself with half a bottle of fruity mists from Bath and Body Works before standing awkwardly in a circle at a middle school dance. Then I became a teenager, right as the height of Paris Hilton's fame, and found myself smelling just like an "Heiress". In college it was cool to smell a little expensive, so I scrounged together the money to smell like the Marc Jacobs and Juicy Couture versions of myself ("Daisy" and "Viva La Juicy" respectively). But nothing has ever really stuck. And maybe nothing really should. I've always thought that the beauty of perfumes is that you can smell whichever way you want, depending on your mood. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. What's not the spice of life? The price of some of these perfumes! A person can easily spend almost $200 dollars on some of today's hottest and most popular scents, and how long do those bottles last? A couple months? I consider myself a woman who is bubbly, but also on a budget.

As if by magic, Target heard my pleas to continue to be the indecisive scented butterfly that I am, and created a perfume line that is so vast, so delicious-smelling, and most importantly, so affordable that my little heart can barely take it. With four collections to choose from, with prices ranging from $9.99 to $24.99, I have not-so-distant plans to try them all. My room's going to be like a department store fragrance counter, only better, because all my books, snacks, and jammies are here, too.

Here's a run-down of what I like about Target's Good Chemistry:

These scents are vegan AND free of parabens, made only from essential oils
The packaging for each bottle is beautiful, and so equally matches the scent. Not only does everything smell good, there was conscious thought behind product design as well.
There's a scent for everyone. Are you a fan of a fruity scent like strawberry or apricot? Covered. Do you often find yourself in need of a floral scent? You got it. Do you consider yourself a "Queen Bee" or "Daydreamer"? Good Chemistry has even created scents based on powerful personalities. And if you're in search of a more masculine smell, you're in luck: the good smell scientists thought of that as well. So much variety! And between you and me, some of the perfumes I tested in the store could be total dupes for some of the industry's most famous perfumes.
And did I mention the affordable price point and ways to apply? You've got your choice of a classic perfume, body spray, or rollerball, depending on your needs. Personally, I NEED all three.

Will I ever completely give up my designer scents? Probably not. But I'll tell you what: Good Chemistry smells good to me!

Find the entire collection here!