My history with perfume and fragrances has been relatively unexciting. I wore Issey Miyake throughout college. Transitioned to a couple of different Jo Malone fragrances late in college, and now have about run dry of the four bottles I have. As such, I’ve been thinking about the next step…thinking outside the box. I don’t think I’ve reached the point in my life where I prefer consistency to change, so I’d like to go with a different brand and different scent for winter and spring.
Recently, I fell into a friendship with a guy new to Tampa. He, like me, loves fashion and brands and all things beautiful…so naturally we get along well. He also is a lover of perfumes and scents. His favorite brand is Bond No. 9, a parfumer based in New York with a number of fragrances named after famous NYC neighborhoods, streets, and stores.
He was kind enough to snag some samples for me on a recent visit to Saks. Here are my thoughts.
Harrods Swarovski Limited Edition. With notes of black pepper, cumin, amber, myrrh, oud, vetiver. Oud is by far the strongest and most notable. It is a smoky, peppery scent…but seductive and sensual. Feels somewhat mediterranean. Maybe turkish. Really like it so far.
Coney Island. Margarita mix, melon guava, cinnamon, chocolate, caramel, musk, vanilla, cedarwood, sandalwood. Reminds me of Jo Malone Sweet Lime & Cedar…seems to be a similar mix of ingredients. It’s sweet and pleasant, although not entirely unique or notable. Certainly a spring/summer scent.
Bleecker Street. Violet leaf, cassis, jasmine, cinnamon, oakmoss. Sweeter and less citrusy than Coney Island. A very pleasant cocktail of notes. Perfect for the city in the spring or fall.
I can’t wait to smell more and make my first Bond purchase! Will have to build up to a $220 bottle though. Harrods and Bleecker are definitely favorites so far. I also have a sample of Andy Warhol Montauk that I will review soon.
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[…] ago, I stepped into the next level of fragrance, which is oil-based and has a far richer scent with Bond No. 9. I loved a bunch of them, so had a hard time committing to any. I never bought, but I did stash a […]