Tag Archives: Bond No 9

Elements Showcase II

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, members of the beauty and fragrance industry gathered to attend the second installation of the Elements Showcase, which took place at Skylight Studio in New York City. It describes itself as, “the first-ever curated event devoted to the art of fragrance design.” Essentially, it’s an opportunity for buyers and members of the press to connect with niche fragrance and skincare brands. Participants included MCMC Fragrances, Atelier Cologne, Odin, Caron, Six Scents, Ursa Major, Bond No 9, Histoires de Parfums and many more. For a fragrance enthusiast like myself, it was two exciting days. Continue reading

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iPerfumer by Givaudan

When I was speaking with Chad Murawczyk of Min New York, one of the things I told him I admired about his store was its openness and how it was refreshing given the fragrance industries close door policy and the snootiness of retailers. I truly feel social media has begun tearing these walls down and consumers are becoming more educated about their preferences. It is for this reason I’m excited about the launch of Givaudan’s iPerfumer.

So how does it work? Users, down load the app and are run through a series of questions ranging from gender, age, geographic location, etc and then rate their favorite fragrance families, Oriental, Chypre, Citrus, Woody, Floral, and Fougere.

I’m curious who will download this app more, men or women. Women have no problems sampling but guys still seem to have issue with walking into stores and openly spraying themselves or engaging anyone from the sale staff without being nudged. Perhaps this will change that.

For a first hand review of iPerfumer, check out Harry Sheff over at Cocktails & Cologne.

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Montauk by Bond No 9

It’s that time of the year folks-summer scents are dropping. Bond No 9 is launching its latest in the Andy Warhol series, Montauk. Named after the little town on the end of Long Island and the place Warhol loved to retreat to when escaping downtown New York, it will make its debut Memorial Day.

This by far is my favorite in the Warhol series. From the sunset bottle design, which is from a series of screen prints he created in 1972, to the bright, slightly sweet and salty opening, this unisex scent is an ideal accessory for a summer’s night of fun. It’s not to heavy, citrusy or aquatic like other typical summer scents. There’s a nice balance and the dry down is where the sensuality begins.

Montauk by Bond No 9 – $220 for 100ml; $145 for 50ml

Bond No 9 Reconsiders Brooklyn Bottle Design

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If you’ve been following my fragrant conversation, you know I’m not a hater. I only write about things I like. But my post about Bond No 9’s Brooklyn wouldn’t have been complete without airing my true feelings about the bottle’s design. Well, I am happy to report they are holding a design competition for its redesign. Thank God. I am loving the scent but the bottle…

Anyhow, here’s the official word:

“throughout March 2009, Bond No. 9 invites everyone—amateurs and artists alike—to join our Brooklyn Bottle Design Competition and create additional visuals for this contemporary male-oriented cardamom-cedarwood eau de parfum.

Ground Rules

Create your design to fit within the outline of the Bond No. 9 superstar flacon and to include our circular “token” logo. (See outline with logo, attached to this press release, and also downloadable at http://www.bondno9.com.)

Any style, figurative or abstract, is fine with us.

Inspiration can come from anywhere in Brooklyn—DUMBO, Park Slope, Flatbush, Canarsie, Midwood, Bay Ridge, et al.—or from the very idea of Brooklyn.

Any medium is okay: oil, acrylic, watercolor, house paint, pastel, crayon, Magic Marker, makeup—even a ballpoint pen or pencil will do.

Completed designs should be submitted to contactus@bondno9.com or Bond No. 9, 9 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012 by March 31, 2009.

After our two winners are chosen in early April, we’ll put the victorious designs into production, with the winner’s names displayed on the bottles. Each winner will also receive one bottle of Brooklyn per month for a year.

Brooklyn stand up!!!

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Bond No 9 To Launch Fragrance Inspired By Astor Place Cube

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The one thing about New York that makes it so special is the number of landmarks it possesses. I mean, there’s the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, any one of the museums, Madison Square Garden…you get the point. But one notable landmark is at the heart of the newest fragrance launch from Bond No. 9, the beloved Cube at Astor Place. Actually called the Alamo by Bernard Tony Rosenthal, it was installed in 1967 and has since become a very popular hangout and meeting place. If you’ve ever been to New York and took a gander at this beautiful piece, then you know it actually spins. The first time I found that out, I was beside myself…how, why, really???

Anyhow, the name of the new fragrance is called Astor Place (that’s the street where the cube actually sits) and its launching April 1st at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bond No 9 boutiques. The scent is being billed as unisex with a feminine tendency. It includes top notes of violet leaf and mandarin zest; a heart of freesia, red poppy buds and iris root, and dries down into teakwood, musk and amber. I’m sure it’ll be sexy…Bond is good at bottling that up nicely. Let’s keep an eye on this one!!!

This One Is For Brooklyn

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I am a born and raised Brooklynite. I’m one of the many that screams out in the party when the DJ asks, “Is Brooklyn in the house.” Every time someone mentions they’re looking for an apartment, I recommend Bk. Why, because its a borough rich with history, culture, food, multitudes of people, etc., etc. The borough has made me who I am and I’m so proud of that. So when I heard Bond No. 9 was launching a fragrance called Brooklyn, I couldn’t have been happier.

I recently received my press kit with all of its literature and my sample, but I had to sit with this and really let it do its thing. I respect Bond and love many of their scents but if you’re going to rep for Brooklyn, I really wanted to see what they were going to come with.

Let me start by saying I am not a fan of the bottle’s grafiti design. Brooklyn is gritty, for sure, and that sort of expression is part of the boroughs history; but there’s so much more beauty that represents its character. What would be cool is if they commissioned some Brooklyn-based artists to design some limited edition bottles with proceeds going to local charities.

At first, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the scent because of its very distinct nature. However, as I sat with it, it grew on me and I realized how much I appreciated its composition. Its very earthy and up front, I really pick up sweetness with grassy and leafy notes. That can be attributed to the Juniper Berries, Guaiacwood and Geranium Leaves. But the body of the scent is nicely rounded out with woods, namely Cypress Wood and Cedarwood.

What comes to mind for me as the scent nestles in are mossy wet woods and the sound of rustling leaves that saturate the air of Prospect Park. The earthiness and strength of this scent makes me wish I had a yard to rake. I find the scent to be extremely masculine but not in a traditional, bravado kind of way. There is virility here in a classic sense, i.e. men work with their hands. But it also possesses a softness to take off the edge. I can really see how a woman could really take to this on a man because it has a natural feeling about it without being overly perfumed.

Brooklyn by Bond No 9 will be in stores in March.