New Haarlem Bond No 9

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

I swapped for a half used bottle of New Haarlem, eagerly anticipating being drenched in coffee and maple syrup as others have experienced. In reality, this is what I got.

A burst of citrus greets you, its green and fresh self followed quickly by lavender and a dark woody smell, the combination of these three notes made me think immediately of male cologne. The citrus calms down and when it does I can smell the coffee and the maple syrup that many perfumistas have been gushing over. The coffee is a black bitter coffee but diluted or maybe overpowered by the thick maple syrup which conjured up images of a stack of golden brown pancakes drenched with the amber coloured syrup. So in proportions, I smell of: woody lavender>maple syrup>black coffee. On hindsight or smell I think I prefer this proportion rather than if it were an outright gourmand consisting only of maple syrup and coffee which might be a bit OTT. The cool, broody effect of the wood and aromatic lavender are a nice relief from the heavy gourmand side of New Haarlem. 

So instead of a hearty breakfast, I got an invigorating walk in the woods bordering lavender fields while dreaming of said breakfast and suffering olfactory hallucinations. 

Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue Bond No. 9

Source: nitrolicious.com

Spiced crème brûlée. 

It starts off like a spicy gourmand, a spiced crème brûlée literally making me want to eat my arm. It's as if someone stole the chai latte notes from Five O'Clock Au Gingembre to jazz up the custard. Fresh figs and plums decorate the dessert which smells like a well-proportioned combination of fruit, vanilla and spices, none dominating the others.The sweet and milky sandalwood here reminds me of Le Labo's Santal 33, which is all the sandalwood I need and never fails to garner compliments. As it dries, the scent becomes even warmer and bundles you up in a downy blanket of contentment. All in all Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue is perfectly balanced between woody, spicy and sweet, smooth and rich but not too much, beginning with dessert and ending up with you satiated and comfortable on a cushy sofa all ready for a snooze. 

One common trait amongst the Bond No. 9 range whether I like the perfume or not, is that all the ones I've tried have mega projection and longevity. For example the little spot where I've dabbed Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue is outperforming my SOTD Annick Goutal's Ambre Fetiche. 

On a side note a lovely friend sent me this and I thought I would share it with you in case you ever need a spot of sunshine.

Source: inniepoo.wordpress.com

West Side Bond No 9

Source: Amazon.com

I've smelt boozy scents but I've yet to identify wine as a note till West Side where I can confidently say I smell red wine, like a classic Burgundy red that's rich and earthy ( think forest floor and mushrooms). Next to your glass or bottle of red there is a vase with a few blooms of roses, their subtle sweetness coming forth in gentle wafts. Each time you lift the glass you get a whiff of your favourite ylang ylang lotion slathered on hours ago. There is a bit of vanilla, just the barest hint as if you wolfed down some vanilla sponge cake and mere crumbs are left as evidence of the treat and the smell left in your memory. 

West Side is a laid back perfume, not quite shorts and slippers at the beach but a Sunday afternoon or a holiday spent relaxing by a quiet side-walk cafe, sharing a bottle and light chat with a close friend while people watching. Nobody in this scene least of all you, is in a hurry, everyone moves at a leisurely pace not ruminating over the past or worrying about the future...just enjoying the "now". In the drydown the vanilla becomes stronger as if you gave in to temptation and ordered another vanilla slice, while the wine and roses stay with you throughout the day.

I Love New York for All Bond No 9

You know that perfume that makes you stop looking for another? Well at least for that particular note. These showstoppers have saved me quite a bit of money, whenever I meet a possible contender for their pedestals, I have a Confessions of a Shopaholic moment where I search inwardly, "Do I neeeeeeeed this?"-answer NO. These lofty gods in my collection are Serge Lutens' Ambre Sultan for amber, A La Nuit from the same house for jasmine, Hilde Soliani's Cristina for an all-rounder patchouli, Diptyque's Philosykos for fig and Bond No. 9's I Love New York for All's sweet coffee note ended my search for coffee.

Source:sephora.com

Before I went to NYC, Paris was my favourite travel destination in the world, never mind the jostling hordes of tourists buying up everything in sight, never mind that a meal in one of the charming roadside cafes costs a small fortune, the city is my kind of romantic and I'm not talking about the Frenchmen. I'm talking about the endless twisting cobblestone streets to get lost in, the beautiful old apartments along the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the bridges, the food, the language...anyway you get my drift, I love Paris. Then I met NYC. Where Paris is dreamy, romantic and all La Vie En Rose, NYC is ballsy, vibrant and freaking noisy, all the time, you can't help but get swept up in the human tide and move to the rhythm of the city. Bond No. 9's I Love New York for All encompasses the city and its energy for me.

In NYC, there are coffee shops at literally every corner, this I know for sure as I was leaching Wifi at many of them. Whatever time of the day, I see them packed with customers waiting for their coffee fix. Likewise, I Love New York for All is packed with sweet, strong coffee and it's not one but two pumps of vanilla syrup to get you smiling from the first sniff. For my first trip, I was lucky to visit the city in fall and got to see the changing colours of Nature before the snow storms hit a week after. Central Park had little cart vendors at every few metres, selling hot dogs/bagels/pretzels/churros and roasted chestnuts, you could smell the burnt sugar aroma a mile away. While the chestnut in I Love New York for All is more of a candied marron glacé than roasted, it's still a creamy and delicious nutty flavour, the definition of comfort food. Lastly during my pilgrimage to the perfume stores, I stopped for sustenance along the way in a variety of chocolate stores, my loves being the Godiva chocolate-dipped strawberries and Neuhaus' Orangettes, scrumptious candied orange peel covered in dark chocolate. 

So put copious amounts of sweet, dark coffee, syrupy marron glacé and milk chocolate together and you have a gourmand fest...I Love New York for All. Vivacious, loud and potent, the scent never seems to wane, like the city that never sleeps. No need for top-ups and a little goes a very long way.