Bond No. 9 New York Oud

In my Spring trend guide  for Beautystat , I talked about the Oud trend in fragrance  and that it will continue to grow this year. One of new ones  is now here,  Bond No. 9 New York Oud.  This is the 3rd in their Oud collection after Bond No 9 Oud also called Signature and Harrods.


This Oud is a different than many. Oud itself  is resinous wood that gives off a scent of incense and spice .  New York Oud has  a touch of the incense, but a  small amount , it's more sweet ,  and has an overall warmth on the skin. Instead there is  plum , rose , orange zest, teakwood, vetiver, patchouli and honey. Most prominent here are the rose and honey notes  making a scent that will fragrance the winter days still ahead. Think of it as a cozy sweater wrapping itself around you .

I think of it as an Oud for those who  aren't generally fans , like myself. Pure Ouds don't appeal/work for  me,  but I am loving  New York Oud, and that was surprise. Bond No 9 says it's a modernized Oud and it is.

It is also a perfume with 30 % Oud concentration, instead of the usual 20% in most perfumes. What this means is that you are getting a fragrance that will last long, all through the day. It also has great sillage. Nothing overpowering, but it's there.

New York Oud is available now  for $ 310.00 for 100ml at http://www.bondno9.com/ and Saks locations.

Bond No. 9 's New Blog

I'm happy to share that Bond No. 9,  has a new blog for Bond No 9 Fans. Edited by my friend Raphaella, who is not simply a Bond No 9 fan but a true perfumista with a vast and amazing perfume collection. Good luck Raph.

Here's what she wrote me about the new blog. Please visit and take a look.
"The new Bond No. 9 Blog is up and running and will be featuring fragrance reviews, reviews from guests writers, interviews with Bond No. 9 Perfumers and interesting articles surrounding Bond. No 9."

"Bond No. 9 is the first fragrance house in history that has created a major, full-blown fragrance collection that was launched to pay homage to New York City. The Bond No. 9 collection of women's, men's, and unisex eau de parfum and has a dual mission: To restore artistry to perfumery, and to mark every New York neighborhood with a scent of its own. Each fragrance represents a specific downtown, midtown, or uptown locale or a city-wide sensibility. With new introductions in the coming seasons, Bond No. 9 infuses the island of Manhattan with scents. The newest scents released are Washington Square and Cooper Square." Read my thoughts on Washington Square here


"Visit the new Bond No 9 Blog and enter to win! Please leave a comment in any comment box and you will be entered to win a fabulous “Gift Bag of Bond No. 9 candy samples”. A random drawing from the comments will be held periodically and the winner will be announced on the blog. You can also view the newest 2010 Holiday Gift Collection on the Bond No. 9 Blog.  Visit Bond No. 9 blog at http://blog.bondno9.com/  and the Bond No. 9 website http://www.bondno9.com/  "

Bond no. 9 Washington Square

Washington Square is the next Bond no 9 fragrance on the block, named after the iconic park/square in Greenwich Village.

I'd describe this as a  slightly  sweet, smoky, rose/ floral musk perfume. It's got a great mix of notes , and  is well blended in the tradition of so many previous Bonds.

Smoky notes aren't often my thing but this one I really like. The smoke is light and tempered by some bergamot in the beginning and then rose , amber and a hint of leather. The honey note adds the sweetness( but not too much) . The drydown brings in the leather , vetiver and a touch of musk.

All that might sound strong, but it isn't. I find Washington Square to be a medium scent with medium sillage.   This makes it perfect for the fall /winter season it launches in. It will warm you up  and leave a cosy, pretty scent trail on  your favorite  sweater .

Full note list:
Italian Bergamot
Geranium
Tarragon
Purple Rose
Honey

Vintage Amber

Leather Accord

Vetiver

Musk

Washington Square is available in November and will retail at $ 230.00 for 3.4 oz, $ 170.00 for 1.7 oz and $ 95.00 for a golod pocket spray.

http://www.bondno9.com/

Bond 9 High Line

The High Line is a very neat looking park in NYC. I've never been in it, but have seen it from a building directly above. The whole idea of the industrial track area being made into a park is a great one. That's a photo of it winter, after one of the snowstorms.

The the High Line is the inspiration for Bond 9's newest perfume, called High Line.

The new fragrance smells very aquatic to me. While the note list is lengthy, I got little but the watery notes and maybe a tiny hint of dry grass/hay. I was hoping for a bit more wildflower but this is not a floral fragrance and I knew that going in.

I do love the bottle with it's depiction of flowers and grasses. It looks like it belongs in an Easter basket.

Notes are : Bergamot, Purple Love Grass, Indian Rhubarb, Red Leaf Rose, Tulips, Grape Hyacinth and Bur Oak

Retail: $220 for 100ml and $145 for 50ml http://www.bondno9.com/

If you'd like to learn more about the High Line itself, hit http://www.thehighline.org/

Holiday Gift Ideas

The first gift ideas guide of the season. A wide mix of gifts I think are really nice and that most all giftees should love, whether they be stocking stuffer or wrapped up.


DKNY Be Delicious- A dual rollerball in Be Delicious and Be Delicious Fresh Blossom at $ 20.00 or a cute keychain solid of Be Delicious at $ 30.00 ( keychain only at Sephora)

- Kings and Queens Soap $ 6.00 (Pepper Bergamot shown, Cinnamon Orange or Honey also. At select Targets, drugstore.com, skinstore.com, Dillards .

-L'Occitane Hand Cream Bouquet-I am firmly of the mind that a gift from L'Occitane is one of the best to give. The Hand Cream Bouquet is a variety of 6 hand creams for $ 45.00

- Victorias Secret Fragrance Mist Set- 5 for $34.00 - A set of some of their most popular fragrances in a lighter body mist. You don't need to know which scent they love, give them one of each.

- Bath and Body Works CO Bigelow Ginger Mentha Body Wash- Amazingly good smelling. A lemony ginger with a hint of the mentha mint. A creamy wash that is highly moisturizing . $ 14.00

- Rance soaps- True luxury soaps, made in France dating back to 1795. This is no ordinary box of soaps. A wide variety of true , strong smelling scents like Gardenia, Lavender, Freesia and special blends. Box sets range from $ 44.00 to $ 85.00. http://www.ranceusa.com/

- Armani Lip Wax Set of 3 for $ 59.00 . Because everyone could use a little Armani.

- Bond No.9 The Now-and-Forever Pocket Spray- A refillable gold-tone pocket spray, patterned with multiples of the Bond No. 9 token. In its own white leatherette pouch.
Available in these 10 eaux de parfums: Astor Place, Brooklyn, Nuits de Noho, Chinatown, Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue, Chez Bond, Hamptons, The Scent of Peace, Wall Street, and Andy Warhol Union Square . Each is 7ml $ 85.00.