Bond No. 9

Nolita by Bond No. 9

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Another Bond No. 9 sample I received, is of their new 2017 release, Nolita. It is a citrus/floral mix and the full bottle comes with a lipstick as a part of a product combination. In this post, I’m going to explore how Nolita smells, performs, and whether or not I think that it is worth a buy.

What does Nolita by Bond No. 9 Smell Like?

Notes include: freesia, tangerine, lily, amber, rose, sandalwood, musk, jasmine

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Nolita Perfume + Lipstick Duo: 3.4 oz (100ml) Eau de Parfum Spray for Women.

My Full Review

The opening of this fragrance gives me the scent of the tangerine note, the freesia, and some light rose. The citrus is the dominant note for the first five minutes or so before becoming well-blended with the rest of the composition.

In my mind, the tangerine is the most prominent throughout, but not by much after that initial five minutes.

As it moves along, Nolita, starts to give off a warm and slightly powdery aroma. It is much more of a floral at this point in time than it had been with the emergence of the lily and wonderful jasmine. However, the rose almost became non-detectable for me.

I really like how the amber note supports the floral notes and gives them that intriguing warmth. The tangerine is what keeps this from becoming too much of a green floral bouquet and brightens it all up.

Nolita is a fairly straightforward perfume. After that initial citrus burst, it is pretty much the floral notes jockeying for position the rest of the way.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection on this is rather light. Nolita is a soft fragrance, that you’ll have to be close to in order to detect. That is of course, unless you’re spraying a crazy amount. Not necessarily a bad thing, just don’t think you’re going to be getting an absolute bomb here.

The longevity for me was roughly 5-6 hours and after that it was very sparse, if anything. Not that great for something at this price point, but not absolutely terrible. Close though.

Bond No. 9 describes this fragrance as ladylike and I have to agree. It’s very soft, fresh, and powdery. Something to be worn casually or at the office during the daytime. Nolita is attractive but not really ‘sexy’ or ‘seductive’, just a pretty floral with a citrus top.

Very much a warmer weather fragrance, but not really for the extreme heat of summer. Rolling out of winter and through the springtime is the best opportunity to wear this one.

Overall Impressions of Nolita

Overall, would I recommend Nolita? It’s nice but not spectacular. It’s supposedly almost an identical twin of Bond No. 9’s Mother’s Day scent, which I think might be the only sample I didn’t get of the I Love NY line.

So, I’m not sure whether the comparisons are apt or not. As a standalone, it’s a decent fragrance that is safe and non-offensive. Do you want more from a fragrance with this cost? Probably. Maybe the lipstick it comes with is better…

Central Park West by Bond No. 9

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Most of the Bond No. 9 samples that I received were of women’s perfumes, so I’ve got about four more of these or so that I’ll be posting as soon as they’re written up. For this one, we have Central Park West. In this post, I’ll cover what in this perfume, how it smells, how it performs, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Central Park West EDP Smell Like?

Notes include: ylang ylang, narcissus, gardenia, black pepper, jasmine, linden, orris, musk, white oak

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Central Park West Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.3 Ounce

My Full Review

Wow. The opening of Central Park West presents you with an absolute floral bomb. I get a lot of gardenia and ylang ylang with an underlying muskiness and just a hint of black pepper kick.

From the start, I will say, that you’ll only enjoy this perfume if you’re a pure floral lover. It honestly gives me kind of a headache during the opening while it’s on my skin, it so overwhelming to my sense of smell.

The florals are however, clean and pretty sweet. As it dries down, I tend to get more of the narcissus and the black pepper becomes more prominent to my nose.

The dry down period was a much better aroma in my opinion, not as intense and smoothed out by mainly the jasmine note, I think. The oak also becomes a factor and gives it a solid non-floral background.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it’s very strong. You won’t need more than a few sprays, as Central Park West is utterly powerful juice. Probably one of the best from this designer, in terms of performance.

It also lasts a long time, I could smell it for over 10 hours while wearing, which is kind of funny as a guy walking around smelling like gardenias. But if you love white floral blends, this one has excellent performance.

This is springtime in a bottle. Mostly a daytime wear, that is good for casual or more dressy occasions. I don’t find it to be sexy at all and I wouldn’t classify it as something that should be worn to a bar or club. It has a certain classiness to it without being too stuffy.

Overall Impressions of Central Park West

Overall, is Central Park West worth a buy? I personally don’t like hyper-floral perfumes, but those who do, will most likely love this one. It’s well blended and nuanced with extreme staying power.

It does get better, the deeper into the wear you get with Central Park West, but I really disliked the opening 15 minutes. If this sounds like your thing, you might do well to check it out.

You will at the very least get your money’s worth with how long it lasts and its heavy sillage. You’re just going to have to really enjoy heavy gardenia and jasmine.

Nuits de Noho by Bond No.9

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I’m still working through writing up all of my Bond No. 9 sample reviews, and I think all but one of the last of them, are ladies’ fragrances. Today’s review is no exception, Nuits de Noho for Women. As usual, I want to break down what’s in this scent, how it performs, what it smells like, and whether or not is should be considered for purchase.

What does Nuits de Noho Smell Like?

Notes include: pineapple leaf, mandarin, bergamot, patchouli, musk, jasmine, rosewood, and vanilla

Click here to try: BOND No 9 Nuits De Noho, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Nuits de Noho immediately reminds me of another Bond No. 9 fragrance, I Love NY for Holidays (which is also similar to Mugler’s Angel). While that one, opens up with a blueberry/mandarin baked goods type of aroma, Nuits de Noho, takes on more of a blend of pineapple/vanilla.

Both of these scents are patchouli bombs and share the mandarin orange note and overall fruity profile. However, Holidays has a praline note that makes it even more of a gourmand while Nuits de Noho goes in a bit of a different direction.

The patchouli and musk are rather strong from the start before it settles in about 10-15 minutes after application. It’s rather intense and I don’t particularly enjoy the perfume at that point but it does settle down into something sweeter and more pleasant.

While the pineapple leaf is there during wear, it doesn’t feel too strong in my opinion. The vanilla note takes up position behind the patchouli and musk combo and adds the sweetness.

Then, the jasmine note emerges with its familiar clean/powdery/smoothness. The floral aspect of Nuits de Noho is what most separates it from I Love NY for Holidays and it gives the scent a very ‘green’ feel underneath the warm sweetness/spiciness.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it felt pretty strong. Not completely overpowering but I always knew it was there while wearing. I’d rate the performance as very good, in those terms.

Longevity, 7-ish hours or thereabouts, is what I was able to manage on my skin. Again, not crazy good but definitely a solid wear. Update: Coming back to this scent again, yeah, 7-8 hours seems like what it is capable of achieving.

Taking a look at the notes, it could seem like a spring/summer wear, but how they’re structured actually makes it the opposite. Nuits de Noho is a cold weather scent. In fact, I think it’d get kind of messy in the heat of summer.

I’d say that it has good versatility as an everyday wear during the cold parts of the year. It could be worn casually, at the office, dressed up, or even on a date (though, it’s not super sexy or anything like that).

Overall Impressions of Nuits de Noho

Overall, is Nuits de Noho worth a look? I’d say yes, for some women. If you like Mugler’s Angel perfume, this will be something you might enjoy even more, as it is a slightly different and I’d say more refined take on that.

Patchouli, vanilla, musk, floral, and pineapple is what you should expect, so, if that’s not appealing to you…go ahead and skip this one.

However, it does smell good and gives a nice performance, so this one should appeal to a decent amount of people.

I Love NY for Holidays by Bond No. 9

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The march of rating I Love NY fragrances from Bond No. 9 moves on. Today, we have a supposed unisex scent from the brand called, Holidays. This is an interesting gourmand scent suitable for the cooler months of the year. In this post, I am going to go over how it smells, performs, when it should be worn, and whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does I Love NY for Holidays Smell Like?

Notes include: apricot, pomegranate, mandarin, praline, leather, musk, patchouli, freesia

Click here to try: Bond No 9 I Love NY Cologne, Holidays, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of I Love NY for Holidays hits immediately with a fruity blend of the apricot and mandarin orange notes. This is flanked by a noticeable combo of praline and patchouli. The instantly reminded me of Black XS, except that the fruit notes are much better than the Paco Rabanne lemon that ends up smelling like a candied strawberry.

It is interesting that Holidays also takes on a different kind of fruity aroma, almost a blueberry feel to it. The freesia gives it a nice little floral scent, as well.

Holidays further takes on the appearance of another popular fragrance, Angel by Thierry Mugler. It seems that Holidays is sort of skirting between Black XS and Angel, which isn’t terrible company to be in, but it will have a rather set appeal with people.

This fragrance is very sweet and gourmand with a distinctive impression of patchouli. Holidays was actually marketed as a unisex fragrance but this leans much more to the female side of things. I could wear it, but it honestly doesn’t seem to fit with me.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Holidays is pretty powerful stuff not super intense but you’ll know that it is there throughout the day, and so will others. I would put it on the upper end of the moderate range, in terms of sillage.

It also does have really good longevity, I’m getting 9+ hours. After testing it out multiple times, it can hit over 10 hours on the right day. But, it seems to fall in that 9-10 time frame. On the performance side of things, Holidays actually does deliver.

Again, I’d treat this more as a ladies’ scent than something that is unisex. It would work well in cold weather but would probably turn into an abomination in the heat. Casual and perhaps romantic wear would work but go lightly with it, if wearing at the office.

Overall Impressions of Holidays

Overall, is I Love NY for Holidays worth a buy? It might be the best smelling of the I Love NY line, in my opinion. It actually performs well and smells good. I’m not too thrilled with the patchouli and praline combo, Black XS is okay, but I never wear any from my bottle.

If you’re a fan of Angel and want something similar but slightly different than this one might be up your alley. This is a very solid offering from Bond No. 9

Madison Avenue by Bond No. 9

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This is the final review from the last batch of sample fragrances that I received a few months ago. It is also the last of a line of Bond No. 9 scents that were included in that batch. Today’s entry is Madison Avenue, a ladies’ perfume, that blends fruit, sweet, and floral notes. In this review, I will cover my full experience while wearing it and give my thoughts as to whether or not it is worth a purchase.

What does Madison Avenue by Bond No. 9 Smell Like?

Notes include: blackberry, praline, apple, patchouli, jasmine, rose, magnolia, bergamot, ambroxan

Click here to try: Bond No. 9 Madison Avenue Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce

My Full Review

The opening of Madison Avenue reminds me of two separate fragrances. First, the men’s cologne, Black XS. This men’s fragrance shares the patchouli, fruit, and praline combination that Madison Avenue also has.

Though, I will say that Madison Avenue is done much better and doesn’t share the same strawberry/lemon candy aroma that kind of makes Black XS a mess.

The second fragrance, is La Petite Robe Noire Couture by Guerlain. This seems to represent more of the feminine aspect of Madison Avenue, with its shared notes of patchouli, rose, and bergamot. Though, the two berry notes are different, these two scents are closely related.

Madison Avenue immediately hits with its fruity mix of blackberry, apple, and citrus. I think that it smells quite amazing from the jump. It is crisp, juicy, and fresh with a very vibrant and upbeat tone. This is a very sweet perfume but I don’t think that it is overdone.

There is enough punch from the patchouli and amber undertones to give it a more refined profile.

As it moves along, more of the floral notes emerge in Madison Avenue. For me, the floral notes never breakthrough completely and I think that this one retains much more of its fruity sweetness, which is aided by the praline.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, Madison Avenue is strong. That’s great news, at this price point, as you will get a performer. However, it also means that it can be over-sprayed, if not careful. One really wouldn’t need more than a couple spritzes.

I also got really good longevity out of this fragrance, easily 7+hours of wear. Not elite, mind you, but still very usable for almost any purposes.

Madison Avenue feels to me like a very versatile scent. It can of course be worn casually but I also find it quite appealing and would love smelling this on a woman that I was dating.

It has its own level of flirty sexiness. Madison Avenue would be most at home in the warmer months of the year but honestly could be worn year round without much issue. Ideally, late spring and into the summertime.

 

Overall Impressions of Madison Avenue

Overall, would I recommend this perfume? Yes! This is a great entry from the Bond No. 9 line. There have been many others from this brand, that I haven’t been too keen on. Madison Avenue, checks all of the boxes for a really good to great scent. This is especially true if you’re a fan of fruity perfumes.