Beekman Place

Beekman Place: Ridiculously Expensive, Annoyingly Good Let us get the obvious problem out of the way: Beekman Place costs a small fortune. Bond No. 9’s pricing has crossed the border between luxury and provocation, and no perfume built around fresh fruit, aromatic herbs and clean woods can rationally justify this kind of price. Unfortunately, Beekman Place is very good. The opening is immediately bright, juicy and polished. Pineapple is noticeable, but it is not the syrupy, smoky Aventus-style pineapple that has been copied to death. Here it feels greener and more transparent. Blackcurrant adds a slightly tart, leafy edge, while pear gives the composition a smooth, watery sweetness. Bergamot and lemon cut through the fruit with a sharp citrus flash. They keep the opening energetic and prevent the pineapple and pear from becoming sticky. It smells expensive, controlled and extremely well blended, even though the materials do not always feel entirely natural. Then comes the note that gives Beekman Place its real identity: basil. The basil is fresh, aromatic and faintly spicy. It introduces a cool green bitterness that separates the fragrance from the endless army of generic fruity fresh scents. Without it, Beekman Place could have been merely pleasant. With it, the fragrance becomes distinctive. The water accord appears alongside the basil, but it is not aggressively marine or shower-gel-like. It creates space and transparency rather than smelling like blue chemicals. Geranium reinforces the aromatic character, adding a crisp, slightly metallic greenness and a clean masculine structure. As the fragrance dries down, the fruit slowly loses its sweetness and the composition becomes drier, smoother and more elegant. Driftwood provides a pale, salty woodiness. It does not smell like heavy timber or smoke; it feels sun-bleached, clean and slightly mineral. Musk gives the base its polished texture, while sandalwood adds creaminess without turning the fragrance milky or sweet. Patchouli is present, but restrained. It adds depth and structure rather than earthiness. Tonka bean softens the edges, although Beekman Place never becomes a gourmand. Sea amber contributes warmth and a subtle salty glow. Finally, oakmoss leaves a dry green trace that connects the woody base to the basil and geranium in the heart. Performance is strong for this type of fresh composition. It projects clearly without becoming oppressive, and it lasts far longer than the average citrus-aromatic fragrance. The scent also maintains its character throughout the development instead of collapsing into anonymous musk after an hour. Beekman Place is modern, clean and easy to wear, but it is not completely generic. The basil, tart fruit, watery transparency and dry mossy woods give it enough personality to stand apart. It smells refined, confident and expensive without becoming loud or vulgar. Is it worth the official price? Objectively, no. The price is absurd. Is it good enough to make you consider paying it anyway? Unfortunately, yes. Beekman Place is overpriced, perhaps outrageously so, but it is also one of those irritating fragrances that makes its strongest argument directly on the skin. You can criticise the cost all day. The perfume itself remains difficult to dismiss.

Honestly a bit confused by the ratings... especially before it was out... I got to wear this at work so this is based off of one wear, but this is definitely a crowd pleaser... I don’t get the Aventus comparisons... the whole “it has pineapple it’s an Aventus blah blah blah” is getting old, pineapple is one of the best notes in fragrance. I will say thought that this, like many bonds, has a very designer feel... but also like many bonds, has extremely niche quality. It’s very similar in a lot of ways to Lafayette St, not in smell, but in that it is a fragrance that nobody is going to dislike. To me, I get Aqua di Gio vibes but with a green and fruity twist, and far higher quality. The nice part about the mix is that it is there with freshies coming out that have good longevity. I was getting a good 8 hours from it. It won’t project, this is not a beast mode scent... but it isn’t a skin scent either. It reminds me of Black Saffron by Byredo when it comes to projection. It will make a bubble around you that is absolutely noticeable if someone is talking to you, but it won’t have someone across the room sniffing like a hound dog trying to figure out who smells great. Price though... the price of all bonds is kind of disappointing. None of these fragrances should be this expensive. Quality wise I would say they belong more in the 300’s range (I don’t think I’ve come across a brand deserving of being at or around that 500 mark, except for maybe Clive Christian.... Which still is way above it) All in all it’s a great scent profile though. Just overpriced. I feel like If Bond were priced in the 300’s range people would be talking about it as a top tier house. But in its price range it sits there with PdM (one of my favorite houses but I have to put bias aside) and creed as just being way too expensive for what it is. The need to be “Luxury” in price to try and maintain status is not going to go over well as we enter the new era of Gen Z and alpha and FragranceTok driving them to be the biggest purchasers of Niche/Luxury.

I definitely get the watery pear when it's first sprayed. But soon it gains a woody note and an almost vegetal freshness. At this point it smells somewhat like Salado, but soon moves on to be more herbal than that. The fruity notes become more and more subtle as time passes, which is perfect for me and my tastes. I get the tangy greenness of the basil and geranium. Even after dry down it remains quite watery and fresh, but with enough bass notes that doesn't disappear completely. The resulting fragrance is definitely in the wheelhouse of what I wear I love to wear in summer with similar vibes to Costa Azzura Acqua or Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel, but tested against those two this is significantly more aquatic and less woody and spicy. I feel like this is what I wanted from Basilico & Fellini, which disappointed me in both notes and lasting power. As time passes, the pear and wood notes warm and the overall fragrance becomes stronger. This is a love for me and a bottle buy that I hope to wear often in summer.

This is a great fragrance. In the vein of YSL Y edt and Invictus, but it has matured, and all the screechiness is gone. Better blend/ingredients and I like the aquatic touch in this fragrance more than the two mentioned. If I could find this for a little over $100 it would be an instant buy. Performance is bang on average, but it can be sprayed on clothes to last a few more hours. On my skin, I get 4 to 6 hours with the last 2 hours being a soft skin scent. Finally, I found a Bond I like. But the price, even on discounters, its still a little too high :( Edit: After wearing a few more times I noticed it lasted on my shirt all day (10-12 hours). I got a compliment 9 hours into the wear so I know there is a nose blind factor, granted this person was right next to me. Yes @jfourni3, its worth the $150/160 on discounters and I will be picking up a bottle soon.

Hawas gave me an instant headache. I loved Invictus Legend, but it was too strong, and the dry down was very linear and boring. PDM Fierce, I mean Percival, has been reformulated and isn't what it used to be. This smoothes out the DNA, gives it a little twist, and keeps a sweet spot on performance to moderate 6-7 hours on skin, all day on a shirt with a moderate projection and sillage. It really reminds me of AGD Absolu the most. With ADG Absolu gone and Jomashop charging $178 for a bottle, I think this is the best of the DNA. You can find this for $150 with shipping and tax. A price that is under current designer offerings. If you're looking into this fragrance, understand that it's a mass appealing DNA and not something complex, but it gets the job done well.