Bond Girl

I'm obsessed with Bond No. 9 fragrances. Maybe it's the culty exclusivity of the line; maybe it's the packaging; or, maybe it's that Bond actually makes really good product. I don't know. There's just something about them.


I can't remember exactly how I first found out about them--I suspect teh internets played a significant role--but, ever since the day the Bond lady at Saks handed over a fistful of their candy-wrapped samples, I've been hooked. Every scent isn't a winner, but if I had the money I'd buy them all and keep them in a special climate-controlled cabinet in my living room so I could just look at them every day.


I got my first real bottle of Bond No. 9 perfume today. As a "haven't smoked for 2 weeks" gift to myself, I splurged on a full sized bottle of the Scent of Peace. I love Scent of Peace, but what I was really after was a sample of Bryant Park, and I didn't want to call and order just a tiny little (free) sample.

Anyway, Bryant Park. It's premiering during Olympus Fashion Week (now), and will be available starting March 1. The notes are rose, raspberry, patchouli, pink pepper, rhubarb, lily of the valley, and amber. I wore it today, and mostly got raspberry and patchouli (a subtle, spicy, earthy patchouli; not the filthy hippie funk my freshman roommate would douse herself with), which made for a pleasant, light spring fragrance. It was fairly long-lasting, even making it though 8 hours at my stinky micro lab job. I would've liked a bit more of the pepper note, though.

It's similar to Apparition from Ungaro (which is also about 1/3 of the price of Bond). However, Apparition is like a punch in the face and a kick in the crotch compared to the subtlety of Bryant Park. The patchouli is too strong, the raspberry is cloying and synthetic, and the cayenne pepper randomly comes and goes, leaving a trail of burnt out olfactory receptors.

From what I've read, though, Bryant Park smells very different on everyone. On some, there's more rose. Other's get a lot of pepper. I think I hit the jackpot with my spicy raspberry sniff, but I'll wear it for a few more days to be sure. Still, I think this one might be my "haven't smoked for 2 months" gift.

Photo from http://bondno9fragrances.blogharbor.com/blog