Best Perfumes for Women

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.

Burberry Body vs London Women’s Perfume Comparison

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In this post, I want to compare two ladies’ fragrances from the British brand Burberry, London and Body. These are both popular choices from this design house and I’m going to break down each to see which one I think is a better buy. I want to cover how each smells, how it performs, when it should be worn, and which one has the overall edge when put side to side.

Tale of the Tape: Burberry London vs. Body

Burberry Body 

Notes include: peach, musk, rose, sandalwood, amber, iris, vanilla

burberry body

Read my original Burberry Body Review

Click here to try: BURBERRY Body for Women Eau de Parfum, 2.0 oz

Burberry London for Women

Notes include: rose, jasmine, peony, tangerine, honeysuckle, musk, sandalwood, Tahitian flower

My Burberry London Perfume Review

Click here to try: BURBERRY London for Women Eau de Parfum, 3.3 fl. oz

Opening

The opening of Burberry Body is a fruity floral blend of peach, rose, and a warm hint of musk. London also shares the rose note to go along with a floral bouquet that is supported by tangerine.

I personally like the London blend better as I enjoy the tangerine over the heavier peach note in Body.

Edge: London

Projection

Both of these perfumes score very well on the projection and performance front. Body and London are towards the stronger end of things and won’t disappoint in this department. I think that London is just slightly better in terms of its projection range but not by much.

Edge: London (slightly)

Longevity

Again, both perfumes perform very well and will give 8+ hours of wear and still be chugging along. On my skin, there wasn’t a clear winner in this category, solid performers.

Edge: Push

Versatility

These two are great for everyday and casual wear. I wouldn’t say that Body is a ‘sexy’ or ‘romantic’ type of fragrance and while London isn’t really either, I do think that it is better in that regard.

Neither is a summertime perfume but are good to go during the rest of the year. This is another slight edge to London.

Edge: London

Overall Scent

To me, it comes down to whether you want a creamy peach with woodsy, floral, and a spicy musk type of scent (Body) or whether you want a floral perfume with an added layer of tangerine note.

I think that London smells better, I don’t dislike Burberry Body but it feels like a notch below its competitor.

Winner: London

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.

Miss Dior (Cherie) EDP by Christian Dior

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I’ve already done a few review of the various Miss Dior flankers on this site and will have another one upcoming in the next few weeks. However, until now I haven’t done one on the main eau de parfum version of Miss Dior.

The naming is all a big mess, but this review will be on the 2017 version, which is the latest one as of writing. In this post, I will cover: how it smells, what’s in it, how it performs, and if Miss Dior EDP is even worth a look.

What does Miss Dior (Cherie) Smell Like?

Notes include: jasmine, blood orange, patchouli, mandarin orange, rose, rosewood, pink pepper

Click here to try: Christian Dior Miss Dior, 50ml/1.7 oz.

My Full Review

As if there weren’t already 80 million different Miss Dior fragrance to lead one to a state of confusion, the Miss Dior Eau de Parfum is a renamed and reformulated version of the previously released, Miss Dior Cherie.

That was 2012, then, Dior reformulated that version for the 2017 version of Miss Dior Eau de Parfum.

Anyway, let’s see how Dior describes this fragrance: The beauty of a Grasse Rose wrapped in a ribbon of fresh notes and woven with a lively Rosewood. The modern and confident femininity of a sensual floral. 

The opening of the 2017 Miss Dior presents my nose with an offering of citrus fruits, patchouli, and rose. The citrus and patchouli are actually more dominant than the rose, at this stage, and I think that they play off of one another extremely well.

I’m not a huge patchouli fan, but it is well done in this perfume. The citrus smells like a blend of orange and lemon, with the lemon aspect being just a dash of that juice.

After 10-15 minutes of wear, the citrus aroma recedes, and rose begins to take the lead. From here on out, it is rose and patchouli, but even with that being the case there is a level of sweetness that is present in Miss Dior.

It’s that mix of the floral notes, sparkling citrus still lingering, warm spice of pink pepper, and the smooth rosewood keeping it all together.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this projects decently, but it’s not very loud at all. I’d call it a softer moderate perfume. However, the longevity is good, and it hung around on my skin for around 8 hours. Not a super beast, but really good enough for most any occasion.

Seasonally, this incarnation of Miss Dior seems to be a cold to moderate weather scent. So, pretty much any time besides the height of summer. In the extreme heat, it would probably fall apart quite a bit, despite any citrus notes.

It is very pretty but not really sexy, more of something that could be worn daily for a mature woman or for a more formal event. Not that it’s overly ‘serious’ or anything, just has that touch of elegance.

Overall Impressions of Miss Dior EDP 2017

Overall, do I like the 2017 version of Miss Dior EDP? I do. I’m not blown away by it, but I actually enjoy the scent quite a lot. It is fresh, citrus/floral, with a bit of sweet and spice to round it out. The rosewood note is the anchor and was a nice touch to the composition.

This Christian Dior fragrance should have plenty of fans, as long as they don’t reformulate it once again,  while keeping the same name…which is stupid.

Romance by Ralph Lauren

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Romance has been one of the most popular fragrances from Ralph Lauren for decades now. I was sent a sample of the latest batch, with a fragrance order that I put in a few months ago, and so I of course had to write a review finally. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Romance by Ralph Lauren Smell Like?

Notes include: jasmine, rose, musk, mandarin essence, pink pepper, marigold, geranium, patchouli, oakmoss 

Click here to try: Ralph Lauren Romance Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Fluid Ounce

My Full Review

A romantic heart of rose Damascena blended with a delicate veil of jasmine absolute.

Romance opens up with a light mandarin orange essence, that feels quite watery within the composition. This is a well put together floral blend with a certain herbal green-quality coming through the mix, probably the geranium.

It’s fresh and has a chilled sort of aroma. Early on, I do pick up plenty of that rose note, but it isn’t super distinct from the rest of the floral heart. In some ways, I think that the floral notes are hidden by the ever-present pink pepper and musk notes.

As it dries down, I get just a musky and fresh floral fragrance. Sometimes, the jasmine will peak through or the rose will have its turn again. Mostly, it is just the impression of a bouquet. Clean with a spicy kick from the pink pepper note and the woodsy green-ish aroma still coming through.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here, isn’t too powerful. It’ll project somewhere in the 4-6 foot range, at its peak, in my experience. A moderate wear that is clean and unobtrusive.

I can go above 7 hours of wear with Romance, on my skin, maybe it’ll hit 8 under certain circumstances. But, mostly that 7 hour mark should be what to expect.

Seasonally, spring and summer mostly. Anywhere from a temperate climate to a hotter one. It would probably be a bit out of place during the coldest days of winter time.

Romance is quite versatile. It would fit a wide age range. It can venture into work, school, casual, and nightlife. It does have a romantic kind of vibe, as the name implies, but isn’t really a super sexy scent. Nice and attractive, but not something that I’d go crazy for.

Overall Impressions of Romance

I’m pretty sure that this fragrance has undergone some reformulations, over the years. This review is for the latest batch here in 2021. After over 20 years, it’s not surprising that they have changed things up.

Do I like this version? I do. It certainly has its pluses, but doesn’t completely wow me. It is a very green/watery/musky sort of floral. Very attractive and has enough going for it to not smell completely like a garden.

The performance is good, but not outstanding. I can get nearly a full workday of wear from Romance without much trouble. It’s a nice smelling and versatile scent, that can be beautiful on the right person.