By Designer

Chinatown by Bond No. 9

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took about a week off from posting on the site, but during that time, I got to test out more fragrances for review. On of these, is among the Bond No. 9 samples that I recently got a hold of, and a scent that I’ve been meaning to review for a number of years now…Chinatown. Is this Bond No. 9 scent worth a purchase? What does it smell like? How does it perform?

 

My Verdict

Bond No. 9 Chinatown is a warm, creamy floral fragrance that opens with tuberose, gardenia, peach blossom, and a brief touch of bergamot. The fruity sweetness fades fairly quickly, allowing cardamom, honey, vanilla, and the white florals to create a smoother, lightly spiced middle.

As it dries down, a subtle woody and smoky quality gives the scent more depth without making it overly complex. The composition remains fairly straightforward, but it is exceptionally well balanced and offers a more distinctive take on the usual tuberose or gardenia perfume.

Overall, this is one of my favorite women’s fragrances from Bond No. 9. It is especially well suited to anyone who enjoys white florals but wants enough fruit, spice, and sweetness to keep the scent from feeling overly green or garden-like.

Bond No. 9 Chinatown Overview

Notes include: tuberose, peach blossom, bergamot, honey, cedar, cardamom, vanilla sandalwood, guiac wood, and gardenia.

Click here to try: Chinatown by Bond No. 9 for Women – 3.3 oz EDP Spray.

🌸 Chinatown by Bond No. 9 — At a Glance
Fragrance Family Warm Fruity White Floral
Key Notes Tuberose, Gardenia, Peach Blossom, Cardamom, Honey, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Guaiac Wood, Cedar, Bergamot
Season Fall, Winter, Spring, Cooler Weather
Occasion Casual Wear, Daily Wear, Work, Social Events, Dressier Occasions
Longevity All-day wear with consistently strong staying power
Sillage Moderate — noticeable and persistent without overpowering the room
Rating ★★★★☆ 8.3 / 10
Quick Verdict A warm and creamy white floral built around tuberose, gardenia, peach blossom, cardamom, honey, and soft woods. It is sweet and lightly fruity without becoming overly sugary, while the spicy and smoky dry down adds depth. Moderate projection, all-day longevity, and excellent balance make Chinatown one of the stronger women’s releases from Bond No. 9.

My Full Review

The opening gives you a blast of white floral aroma provided by tuberose and the gardenia notes. This isn’t like some of the other Bond No. 9 floral offerings, which get heavily into the green plant life scent.

Instead, Chinatown has a wonderful fruity/floral mix with the peach blossom and a brief appearance by the bergamot top note. It gives Chinatown a sweetness and light juiciness, that really comes across as pleasant and well put together.

That fruity/sweet aspect, is really around for the opening bit, and then it fades into the background. The peach blossom, gives you a floral/fruity blend of aromas.

I think that the note that sets this one apart from many other floral perfumes, is the inclusion of cardamom. It does give Chinatown that hint of spice and a sweetness that pairs with the vague thickness of honey. I really love a good cardamom in a fragrance, and Chinatown is one which delivers exactly that.

The next main stage of this fragrance, is the creamy/warm floral period. Lots of tuberose, gardenia, and some light vanilla highlights. Mixed with peach blossom and cardamom. The middle of this perfume, is really quite nice, with an easygoing naturalism.

As it dries down, there is more of a noticeable woody/smoky quality that just gives this fragrance an added depth. Part of that, is definitely the cardamom at work.

I don’t want to make this out to be super complex, I don’t think that it really is. However, I believe this to be a very well balanced scent, in what ends up being a fairly straightforward life cycle.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, I’d call it a moderate. A moderate that actually performs. It isn’t going to choke anyone out or really overpower a room but it does a good job of having staying power.

The longevity is great, which it should be at such a price point, but we all know that’s not always the case. It’s an all day wear and never really felt weak during testing.

Chinatown is a good casual or everyday wear. It certainly is a beautiful kind of perfume but doesn’t seem all that ‘sexy’, but it’s definitely attractive.

It was pretty cold outside during testing and it seemed to work well in that environment and I think it’d be safe through the springtime. Probably not the best bet for the height of summer, however.

Overall Impressions of Chinatown

Overall, would I recommend Chinatown? Yes, it a really lovely fragrance, and one of my favorite women’s scents from Bond No. 9. Sometimes, I have really mixed notions about this brand, and think they have some downright awful fragrances.

However, Chinatown isn’t one of those. This is a well balanced gem and a unique take on floral perfumes.

This is a scent for those who want a good tuberose or gardenia laden fragrance, but that also has enough sweetness to avoid going full ‘garden mode’. This is one of the best women’s releases from Bond and it shows from the popularity and number of sales it has generated since its release.

Bloom Nettare di Fiori by Gucci

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The Bloom series from Gucci is still ongoing and doesn’t seem to be slowing down with its flanker releases. In 2018, the Italian brand released Nettare di Fiori, under the Bloom banner. I grabbed a sample of this along with the rest of the Bloom perfumes, in order to give them all full reviews. How does Nettare Smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

2026 Update: It looks like this version has been discontinued.

My Verdict

Gucci Bloom Nettare di Fiori is a tuberose-heavy white floral fragrance with a fresh opening of ginger, rose, and green-leaning tuberose.

It smells pleasant and works well for spring or summer daytime wear, but the familiar floral dry down does not feel especially distinctive.

Overall, it is a solid option for tuberose lovers, though the scent and performance may not justify paying a high price for it.

🌸 Gucci Bloom Nettare di Fiori — At a Glance
Fragrance Family White Floral Tuberose
Key Notes Tuberose, Ginger, Rose, Jasmine, Rangoon Creeper, Patchouli, Musk
Season Spring, Summer, Mild Weather
Occasion Daily Wear, Office, School, Casual Wear, Formal Events
Longevity Around 6.5–7 hours, with roughly three hours of stronger performance
Sillage Light to moderate — noticeable for the first few hours before becoming a skin scent
Rating ★★★☆☆ 6.9 / 10
Quick Verdict A fresh, tuberose-focused white floral that opens with ginger and rose before settling into jasmine, Rangoon creeper, patchouli, and light sweetness. It is pleasant, versatile, and easy to wear, but the dry down is familiar and the performance is only average. Best suited to tuberose lovers who can find it at a reasonable price.

What does Bloom Nettare di Fiori Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, tuberose, jasmine, ginger, musk, and more

Click here to try: Gucci Gucci Bloom Nettare Di Fiori for Women 1.7 Oz Eau De Parfum Intense Spray, 1.7 Oz

My Full Review

Tuberose and ginger. That is the main attraction here, upon my first spraying of Nettare di Fiori. A little bit of a pink rose, as well. If you’re in the market for a tuberose heavy Gucci Bloom flanker, this should immediately be in the running.

That’s what you’re going to experience for the opening. Then, as Nettare develops more, the jasmine and honeysuckle (Rangoon creeper) start to make an appearance. Unfortunately, that rose note seems to go away entirely on my skin.

The tuberose has a greenish aroma to it. While the supporting jasmine adds that white floral touch. There’s a cold freshness to the entire composition and a very slight creaminess, but nothing that becomes too extreme (though, that develops more over time).

You can definitely tell that this is a Bloom perfume, very similar to the original in a lot of ways, but enough distinction to stand out somewhat on its own.

That initial ginger fresh spice moves away and the tuberose and jasmine fully take over in their partnership. Beneath that is the nice sweetness of Rangoon creeper and patchouli. That’s pretty much it for the rest of the way. Very floral, particularly white floral, light sweetness and a patchouli note.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatilty

Sillage wise, this one is a lighter moderate perfume, on my skin. It never really came on too strong for me, but what fairly decent for the first few hours. After that, Nettare di Fiori is much more of a skin scent.

The longevity here is okay, just not that great. I get 6.5-7 hours of wear in total and probably just over three hours wear it’s got its strength going. Not a complete waste of time, by any means, but not a super performer either.

Seasonally, this is a spring and summer wear. What’s good about the light sillage, is that if you like white floral scents, this one is low key enough to be worn on a daily basis in an office or school. It can go casual to more formal.

Nettare di Fiori isn’t a nightlife or date night kind of perfume, so I wouldn’t expect an all-around scent to wear whenever. But, it is a versatile fragrance.

Overall Impressions of Nettare di Fiori

Overall, do I like Bloom Nettare di Fiori. It’s fine, but it doesn’t blow me away. It’s an above average fragrance, in terms of its smell, and a nice tuberose wear. Beyond that, it doesn’t truly stand out and isn’t the best Bloom release.

There isn’t a part of the wear that I dislike. I enjoy the ginger/rose/tuberose start, even if I wished that it lasted longer. The jasmine and tuberose is a familiar smell, not bad, just well tread territory with a million other perfumes.

The performance is pretty average and probably should be better based on what you’re going to pay for a bottle of this stuff.  All in all, it’s a nice Gucci perfume, that will have some appeal for tuberose lovers but maybe not much beyond that.

I don’t even see this listed on Gucci’s website anymore, so if you want it, you’d better grab a bottle.

YSL Libre vs. Mon Guerlain Comparison

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Libre by YSL has become a pretty popular lavender based fragrance. Another such option, is the even more popular Mon Guerlain. Due to their similarities, they often can get compared and become the final two options that women are deciding on to purchase. In this post, I want to give my comparison of these two perfumes, and go through why I think one is better than the other.

Quick Overview

Mon Guerlain is the better overall fragrance in this comparison, offering a sweeter, smoother, and more balanced blend of lavender, vanilla, tonka bean, and jasmine.

Libre has stronger projection and a bolder floral character, but its orange blossom and lavender combination feels less deep and refined.

Libre is still a solid choice for someone who wants the louder, more youthful option, while Mon Guerlain wins for overall scent quality.

Category YSL Libre EDP Mon Guerlain EDP Winner
Opening Opens with citrus, orange blossom, and a strong lavender presence. Bold and heavily floral from the beginning, with the lavender becoming dominant. Starts with sweet vanilla and tonka bean, creating an almost caramel-like scent. It later shifts toward a smoother combination of lavender and vanilla. Mon Guerlain
Projection Strong and well above average. It projects clearly and has the louder presence of the two fragrances. Moderate projection that remains noticeable without becoming overpowering or filling an entire room. YSL Libre
Longevity Lasts just over 9 hours during testing, with dependable and consistent performance. Usually lasts at least 8 hours and can exceed 10 hours. It has a lower floor but a higher performance ceiling. Mon Guerlain
Versatility Works well for everyday and casual wear through much of the year, but has a somewhat younger and more playful character. Also suitable for daily and casual wear, but fits a wider age range and can transition more easily into dressier or formal occasions. Mon Guerlain
Overall Scent A bold lavender and orange blossom fragrance that becomes creamier as the vanilla develops. Pleasant, but not especially deep or balanced. A smoother and more balanced lavender-vanilla fragrance, with jasmine, tonka bean, and an appealing caramel-like opening adding extra richness. Mon Guerlain

Tale of the Tape: Mon Guerlain vs. YSL Libre

Mon Guerlain

Notes include: jasmine, vanilla, lavender, sandalwood, tonka bean

Click here to try: Guerlain Mon Guerlain Eau De Parfum Spray 100ml/3.3oz

Read my review: Mon Guerlain EDP

Libre EDP

Notes include: lavender, white musks, orange flower, vanilla, orchid

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum Spray for Women 90ml/3oz, clear

Read my review: Libre EDP

Opening

Mon Guerlain starts things off with a sweet aroma of vanilla and tonka bean. Though, the way that the fragrance mixes with other notes in its composition, it starts to develop a caramel-like scent.

Then, Mon Guerlain will shift and become more about the lavender and vanilla notes, striking a somewhat similar smell to Libre.

Libre begins with citrus, but is already heavily floral from the start. Orange blossom is paired with the lavender early on, but the lavender will take on the much stronger role between the two. 

Which is better? I prefer the start of Mon Guerlain. You still get the lavender note like YSL Libre, but you also get that sweeter and delicious opening. I think that it smells better and also more interesting.

Edge: Mon Guerlain

Projection

Mon Guerlain has a moderate sillage overall. It’ll be noticeable and project itself fairly well, but isn’t going to overtake a room with a normal amount of spraying.

Libre is firmly in the strong camp. Not the most powerful scent that I’ve come across, but it is well above average, especially among most popular designer scents. Both have nice performance, but Libre is a notch above.

Edge: Libre

Longevity

During testing, Libre would last on my skin for just over 9 hours. While it does have the stronger sillage, I actually get better performance most of the time from Mon Guerlain.

So, Mon Guerlain will do 8 hours at the low end, but it does go over 10 hours. It has a higher ceiling, but lower floor when compared to the Saint Laurent perfume.

Edge: Mon Guerlain

 

Versatility

Both of these scents can be worn for much of the year, outside of the summertime. So, seasonally they are about equals. 

They are both very versatile, being daily wears, that can also be worn casually. I’d say that Mon Guerlain has the edge, as it can venture closer to formal wear and doesn’t skew as much to the younger age range as Libre.

Edge: Mon Guerlain

Overall Scent

Libre is an interesting fragrance and has it merits, but I’m not in love with it. It’s a bold lavender fragrance, that dries down into a creamier scent, with its vanilla note. Not a very deep scent and has an emphasis on the floral notes, including that opening orange blossom.

Mon Guerlain is just better to my nose, overall. It also has the lavender and vanilla, but feels more balanced, especially when the jasmine comes into play. Beyond that, the opening sweetness is a great touch, and Mon Guerlain is smoother/creamier.

Mon Guerlain pretty easily wins this one. Libre isn’t a bad perfume, it just doesn’t reach the same level as its competitor.

Since I first wrote this post, YSL has launched a slew of different Libre variants. The best that I’ve come across is Le Parfum…which is actually better than Mon Guerlain.

Winner: Mon Guerlain

Mon Paris Intensement by YSL

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Mon Paris Intensement is a flanker fragrance of the original and fairly popular, Mon Paris from Saint Laurent. It was released in 2020 and I recently bought a sample of this fragrance to give it a whirl and see if it’s actually a worthwhile scent. How does it smell? Does it last long? Please continue below for my full take on this YSL perfume.

My Verdict

Mon Paris Intensement is a sweet floral fragrance that opens with black currant, rose, and patchouli before becoming softer, muskier, and more heavily centered on rose and peony.

I enjoy the early fruit-chouli stage most, and the scent feels like a slight improvement over the original Mon Paris in both aroma and performance.

Overall, it is a very solid casual fragrance that offers good value when found at a reasonable price.

What does Mon Paris Intensement Smell Like?

Notes include: datura, Centifolia Rose, cashmeran wood, black currant, white musk

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris Intensement Women EDP Spray Floral 3 Ounce

🌹 Mon Paris Intensement by YSL — At a Glance
Fragrance Family Sweet Fruity Floral Woody
Key Notes Black Currant, Rose, Peony, Datura, Patchouli, Cashmeran Wood, White Musk
Season Fall, Winter, Spring, Mild to Moderately Warm Weather
Occasion Casual Wear, Daily Wear, Dates, Night Out, Social Events
Longevity Usually around 8–9 hours, with some wearings reaching up to 10 hours
Sillage Above average — projects well with a few sprays without becoming overwhelming
Rating ★★★★☆ 7.9 / 10
Quick Verdict A sweet rose-centered floral with black currant, patchouli, peony, cashmeran, and musk. The early fruity stage is the highlight, while the dry down becomes a softer musky rose. Strong performance and good versatility make it a solid value, although the scent is not especially original.

My Full Review

A woody floral chypre, a bouquet of flowers as grand as the Eiffel Tower. The hypnotic accord of Datura flower is heightened by the elegance of Centifolia Rose absolute and the sensuality of Cashmeran wood. The scent of mad love, to be lived intensely.

The opening of Intensement is similar to the original Mon Paris. Black currant (other berry notes, also) is stronger here and the datura accord is toned down, but it’s pretty similar overall.

Another main difference, is that the rose note here is much more prominent throughout the entire wear. That comes through early on with the patchouli, creating an early fruit-chouli type of fragrance.

That will fade, however, and the rose and peony really take over the composition. The patchouli pretty consistent during the entirety of the wear. But, those berry notes start to fall by the wayside and fall pretty far from prominence.

The result is a rose, peony, and datura blend with a sweetness covering it. From there add some cashmeran wood and muskiness from the base and you’ve pretty much have experienced the entire scent.

The final dry down is more of a musky rose blend, for maybe the last hour or two that it lasts on my skin.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Mon Paris Intensement is a strong perfume, though, not completely overwhelming. It is safely above average and can project itself well with only a few sprays. The sillage is solid overall and it doesn’t just cut out early to become a skin scent.

It can last for up to 10 hours, on the skin. But, I mostly got 8-9 hours of solid wear out of it. So, that’s more along the lines of what to expect on a daily basis, with some additional time on occasion.

The performance is one of the strengths of this YSL perfume and you get a good deal based on what you’re paying for it.

Seasonally, it can it in a wide range of climates, excepting the extreme heat of summer. It’s not completely terrible when it’s hot, but the fragrance definitely isn’t at its best. Ideally, slightly cool to moderate temperatures is when Mon Paris Intensement shines.

Mon Paris Intensement can be worn in a variety of situations, but I wouldn’t call it a formal sort of scent. It feels like it skews toward the younger crowd and is best served as a casual scent, either during the day or night.

Overall Impressions of Mon Paris Intensement

Do I like this perfume? I actually do enjoy it. It’s still not a love for me, but I think that it is better than the original, on balance. From the smell to the performance, Intensement just gives you a bit more than the original (which was pretty decent).

I really do like the early sweet stages of this scent. The rose, the black currant, and the patchouli are a familiar but enjoyable pairing. The main knock that I’d give to Mon Paris Intensement is that it isn’t very original.

I mean, not only is it a flanker to the original, but it has a decent amount of overlap with a ton of other scents, like Armani Si…but doesn’t smell as good.

It’s a nice scent, nothing spectacular, and not one of the top perfumes from YSL. Nevertheless, if you can good a nice price for it, this can totally find a way in your rotation. It does everything well and does provide a good deal of value.

Paris-Edimbourg by Chanel

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Paris-Edimbourg is a part of Les Eaux de Chanel, a newer series from the French luxury brand. I got a hold of sample of each of these fragrances to give a try, over the past six months or so, in order to post my review of them. How does Edimbourg smell? How long does it last? Is it even worth a try?

My Verdict

Paris-Edimbourg is a crisp, cold, green-woody Chanel fragrance with a bright juniper and cypress opening, softened by lavender, musk, cedar, vetiver, and a light touch of vanilla.

It has a clean, outdoorsy, slightly rainy forest feel that leans traditionally masculine while still being wearable as a unisex scent. The performance is solid but not amazing, with moderate projection and around 6–7 hours of longevity.

Overall, it’s a stylish, refreshing, and unique Chanel, especially for fans of green, woody, aromatic scents.

🌲 Paris-Edimbourg by Chanel — At a Glance
Fragrance Family Aromatic Woody Green
Key Notes Lavender, Musk, Juniper, Cypress, Vanilla, Vetiver, Cedar
Season Spring, Summer, Autumn
Occasion Casual Wear, Semi-Formal, Daytime, Office, Clean Everyday Wear
Longevity About 6-7 hours
Sillage Moderate early on, then lighter and closer to the skin
Rating ★★★☆☆ 7.6 / 10
Quick Verdict A cold, clean, green-woody Chanel with juniper, cypress, lavender, cedar, vetiver, musk, and a touch of vanilla. Refreshing, outdoorsy, and well put together, though more of a like than a love unless you already enjoy forest-like aromatic scents.

Paris-Edimbourg Fragrance Overview

Notes include: lavender, musk, juniper, cypress, vanilla, vetiver, and cedar

Click here to try: Paris-Edimbourg at Chanel

My Full Review

Before we get into my own review, let’s see how Chanel describes this one: An aromatic, woody fragrance that conjures the wild and majestic landscape of the Scottish Highlands, where Gabrielle Chanel found solace in nature.

Paris-Edimbourg opens up with a very bright and fresh greenish profile. There does seem to be a bit of citrus up top, that may just be unlisted. However, the fragrance does have that sort of quality to it.

Along with that, juniper and cypress are very present early on. It has a gin-like quality, effervescence, but much woodier than the drink itself. This gives off strong forest vibes, a bit rainy, but the air is clean and crisp.

The lavender note softens and lends to the fairly masculine sort of soapiness that Edimbourg has. Still, this is a unisex scent that leans masculine, unlike the others in the Les Eaux de Chanel series.

As it moves along, the cypress tones down to my nose, and I get more of the vetiver and some cedar. The whole perfume feels cold and attractive with a classical style. Also, the greenish aroma diminishes as it dries down.

Lavender will become more dominant, with the remaining woodsiness, and a touch of vanilla sweetness/creaminess. Not too much vanilla, but it does make an appearance. Towards the end, it is a musky lavender and woods scent.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, its pretty moderate, even early on. It doesn’t project huge on my skin or even a t-shirt. Maybe 4-6 feet, at its maximum. Then, it is a lighter scent that will hang around the skin, but it’s noticeable.

It sticks on me for 6-7 hours, depending on the day. The longevity isn’t amazing, but this Chanel is quite serviceable. But, you might want a little more for the price tag.

Seasonally, it’s a spring through autumn wear. I would like this as a change of pace on the hotter days. Since you get a cold and refreshing green aroma, early on. It’s not too heavy and won’t get bogged down. But, could be equally as nice in the more moderate temperatures.

Again, it is unisex, but leans traditionally masculine. If you like forest and woody fragrance, this could be a nice pick for a woman.

I would wear it casually or semi-formally. It’s more of a clean fragrance than anything all that ‘sexy’. Not a club beast. Something that is relaxed while still being well put together, as a whole.

 

Overall Impressions of Paris-Edimbourg

Overall, do I like Paris-Edimbourg? I do. It’s my third favorite in the Les Eaux des Chanel line. For me, it’s a like, not a love. But, I’m also not a massive fan of greenish/woody scents.

The opening is interesting with the juniper and cypress out in full force. It does have a pretty sharp cleanliness about it. The lavender will soften it up from there, but expect a bright and really fresh aromatic sort of perfume.

The performance is just okay. Nothing special, but it never felt entirely weak on me, either. It’s acceptable and pretty good in the longevity department.

Paris-Edimbourg probably isn’t ever going to be a super mass appealing fragrance. Though, it is one that will for sure have its dedicated fans. If this is your style, the perfume is one that I would get a hold of to try out.

Solid and enjoyable.