Governors Island

#1173 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I love the simplicity of an all-in oriental scent that's only trying to do one thing: mimic an altar full of smoking, resinous incense. I have at least 30 popular scents with all these notes and more, but sometimes, as in this case, less is more. But I hate the price. Bond No. 9 may not appreciate this, but you could go for the much less expensive DSquared's "Greed Wood" for $28, sadly EDT only, get a hint of citrus, and the cypriol almost stands in for the incense. Maybe comes off a little more green and less churchy, but you save more than $130. It's a thought. I don't know if I like this enough to drop $160 for it (a feeling I have about all the Bond No 9 scents}. I have a bunch of incense scents already. I think for the non-incense enthusiast this scent could come across as too oriental, though it has the virtue, for me anyway, of not making it "grandmotherly" with a rose note. It has acceptable longevity and projection. For car pooling and office wear you'd go light, but respray over lunch. For me this would be more of a dinner date scent. In any case get a decant first. You can see from the reviews that like most orientals it's a polarizing fragrance. I've spent a lot of my life in cathedrals and temples for meditation, contemplation, martials arts practice, so incense scents are very soothing and familiar for me, but they definitely aren't for everyone, and this stuff is too pricey to make a bad blind buy. Good luck and good hunting!

My favorite from the house, instant love. It's one of those "now you smell me now you don't" like molecule, JHAG and another 13. It's closer to another 13 in that it's more of a complete fragrance as opposed to molecule and JHAG but still minimalist. It's a incensy (in a good way) and musk based fragrance. Not that it matters, but whenever I wear this I get compliments, not in a "you smell good" but in a "what is it that you are wearing, smells good" curious type of way. I would say it's unisex, maybe slight lean masculine. I agree with CrissyCK, I remember I smelled gypsy water and thought it was in a way an inferior version of this fragrance, but they have a similar incense note. You will go nose blind to this, in that you spray it and think "is that it?". But 20 mins later you'll get a strong whiff out of nowhere, and the game of hide and sneak continues for hours. Spray this on clothes and it will last a long time (stayed on my sweater in the closet for 2 weeks). And while you might not smell it on you, others will. It's also weirdly versatile, I would wear it for all seasons except summer, and I can see myself wearing this day and night. For me it's actually worth the price tag (although I'll admit it's overpriced) so I will be picking up a full bottle soon.

From these reviews it seems that this scent is favored more by men than the ladies, but I'm female and I adore it. This became my signature scent immediately when I discovered it about a year ago; I couldn't get enough of it. One spritz on my wrist or sweater and I find myself inhaling the warm, spicy scent all day long whenever I want a little happiness buzz. It's not floral at all, which may be why I love it - florals often mildly irritate my nose and seem to devolve into an aggressive, overpowering soapiness that masks the other elements, especially over time. This scent doesn't change from the beginning to the end. It's deep, woody, spicy, creamy, intoxicating. To me there's just a touch of sweetness - maybe the Cedar? - that balances the rest and prevents it from being too sharp, as many unisex fragrances are. The last time I left the house to run errands I sprayed some on my scarf, and two people complimented me and asked what I was wearing. Both described what they smelled as "light and fresh", which surprised me. Maybe they really meant "different"? It's a unique scent and the price tag is pretty hefty, so I advise testing before purchase. It's very long-lasting but silage diminishes to somewhere between intimate and moderate after a few hours.

This is a real sleeper and one of the only fragrances I sold, and then regretted it, so I got it again. First I'll say this fragrance had a learning curve for me to understand it. I couldn't even smell it at first. This is a molecule fragrance comprised of base notes that can be hard to smell and describe. It appears in different forms, alternating between unburned incense sweetened with a touch of honey, to white musk, to white woods, to ozone. Good for office use and can be used for layering if you're into that. I received a really interesting reaction recently from a work colleague. She told me that I smelled good, like a waterfall. Said it smells like running water, water mist and ozone. Longevity is strong, projection seems to bounce from close to skin to room filling so I'm careful with the trigger. Some people will not understand or appreciate this fragrance because it acts like a ghost, seemingly disappearing and then reappearing very strong. I will forget I am wearing it and then out of nowhere, I'm surrounded by it. Give it some time, it plays a lot of tricks with the nose, but I think it's fun to wear. IFYKYK 🤍 Scent 8/10 Performance 8/10

Out of all the modern molecule type fragrances I’ve tried, this one is the most wearable for me. It’s not a style that I’m usually drawn to but I find this quite addictive in a subtle but persistent way. I agree with many of the sentiments below. It’s clean and kind of fresh but without being cold, sharp or bracing. It’s fuzzy with smooth rounded edges. It has an ethereal quality without being insipid. On my skin, I don’t pick up any smoke but a slightly sweet, woody tone with a subtle musk. Performance on my skin isn’t bad either. It’s not loud by any means but it is persistent and has good longevity. Although it’s subtle, I can still smell it’s there, creating a nice comforting scent bubble. I see this as very unisex - it has soft femine aspects combined with masculine woody elements. Governor’s Island is a great fragrance and a must try if you like a woody, musky molecule type scent. I wouldn’t pay full price for it but I got a great deal at Nortino so I’m happy.

Best Bond scent hands down. Actually only one of two I like. Might go as far as to say it’s my favorite of all perfumes. This is such a soft and long-lasting scent. I wear this during fall and winter. This is a fresh woody and musky scent, not spicy. The Ambroxan is soooo good in this. It sits on your skin beautifully and lasts. You will be able to smell this on you forever! Anyone I’ve let use has become obsessed. It has a masculine touch but to me it is definitely more feminine. Just an all-around cozy and addicting scent. It smells similar to Gypsy Water but this is far superior. GW lacks the depth that GI has. *masterpiece*

Despite the very light longevity and sillage this is masterpiece of a fragrance. It opens with a resinous vibe along with a soft and warm amber and musk with smooth incense and a woody base. To me it’s light and airy with a clean or fresh feel despite the warm notes. I also get a touch of sweetness and overall a very addictive scent. I can see how this can be a great layering fragrance or just spray heavy by itself. Something about it reminds me of elementary school like freshly printed papers like warm ink,definitely a special scent despite performance.

Beautiful, underrated scent. I've received many questions by people who don't normally ask about what i'm wearing about this one. To me it's a lovely slightly sweet woody scent. Smells expensive as it should as this price. Projection is much louder than I thought. I was told i could be smelled down the hall with just 3 sprays. Last all day. Definitely worth a try. Leans more masculine for sure in my opinion.

Simplistic beauty. First spray I didn’t smell anything for 5 mins and then BOOM! It opens up into this smooth creamy scent that seems like a skin scent but isn’t. It’s a fresh smell but not fresh like blue but fresh like clean laundry. I’m kind of glad people don’t know about it. It’s under the radar but in my top 5 without question.

My partner and I were both BLOWN AWAY by this one. If you're a fan of Amber+Musk scents this one is for you. Simple combination but really nuanced and lovely, it definitely becomes more complex as it dries down. Truly unisex. Haven't worn it much yet but I feel you could where it anywhere depending on how much or little you apply!

Yeah its a linear fragrance.....but its a bad ass! This is by far, the most underrated and least talked about fragrance in the Bond lineup. That works well for me cuz I can always find a back up bottle. Fellas, if you like oud, you have to try Governor's Island. Thank me later. Its a champion in my book.

Incredible fragrance. Nothing like it. Try it on and be surprised at how wonderful the fragrance is on your skin. There are not a lot of fragrances that I can wear anymore because I have terrible allergies but I can wear Governor’s Island! That is why it is worth the price tag for me.

Both my current bottle and previous bottle smell like a stronger version of Bois d'Argent. In fact, I have purposely bought this over Bois d'Argent because this is more present and the dior more elegant (much worse performance). Maybe it's just my skin chemistry but I love this one.

Looking at the notes I was worried this fragrance would lean a little too masculine for me, but I absolutely love it. It's a woody, creamy, slightly smoky scent. It's smooth, light and even slightly sweet. Very easy to wear. I would love this on a man as well.

Great scent, although performance isn’t too great, like a few comments said, it’s great for layering. Caban from YSL works perfectly to create this ambery and woodsy peachy like sweet scent. But other than that it’s not something I would wear on its own.

I initially smelled this and thought it was a spring/summer fragrance, but I later realized it tends to be more fall/winter. It can be powdery, but I think the musk is beautiful. I wear it to work often in the fall/winter now.

this perfume is worthy of a signature fragrance for someone who does not like to wear many fragrances smells like a person who has a lot of money with multiple businesses smells classy clean relaxing

Smells of nothing? Maybe you should check if your fragrance is legit. This is a great woody, Smokey and musky scent. Leans more masculine to me . But this is by far one of my favs from this house.

Never knew incense could be so delightful and smooth. 10/10 most underrated from the brand.

Smells like Byredo Gypsy’s Water but longevity and projection on steroids.