Manhattan

this is one of the most challenging perfumes i ever come across. at first sniff i absolutely HATED manhattan. since i had a bon bon sample i decided to just test it out till the sample was gone. it took me 2 months of constantly sampling and sniffing for its full beauty to hit me....and several months later here i am with a full 100 ml bottle. manhattan is very complex that it doesn't surprise me people will totally write it off at first sniff. there are so many layers to uncover and so many little intricate details along the life of the dry down. one thing is for sure....the plum note stays on till the final stages of manhattan's sophisticated adventure. bond really blended these ingredients with a masterful hand and knowledge. manhattan has monstrous projection and monstrous longevity....two sprays will fill the whole room so watch out for the amounts of sprays you put on! manhattan is so original, so complex, and so dark...people have no choice but to notice you. wearing this perfume will make you the most unique smelling person in your immediate vicinity. this is for sure bond's darkest perfume in their extensive library.....this scent is so dark and brooding that i think it is what a serial killer might put on as he lurks in the shadow of the night lol!

Update: Absolutely **adore** my bottle of Manhattan. I'm telling you guys/gals, I was very on-the-fence about this when the sales associate at Saks sprayed me. I still remember, I had New York Oud on one arm, and Manhattan on the other. Even the sales associate said something about the Oud was horrific on my skin, but the Manhattan, as she said, smelled "Amaaaazing!" At first sniff, it smells almost similar to a bar where too many people have on a ton of scents smoking cigarettes. So much for first impressions! But I was intruiged, it definitely smelled good, sweet, woody and spicy... but I wasn't sure if I could adopt this with the powerful tobacco/smokiness factor I have described. I went back a couple of times, sprayed a few others, but kept coming back to Manhattan. Until I got a sample kept spraying myself. Smelling myself. If you constantly want to sniff it, it's gotta be good. Plus I always get compliments. So I guess the long and short of it is, give it a try, try try! It does grow on you, but it's such a different scent, it takes some time to grow on you. But I see this as such the perfect, different fragrance. Awesome stuff. Definetely a colder weather fragrance or nighttime. Very reminiscent of christmas spicyness, almost a gingerbread feel.

I was perplexed and intrigued by this fragrance, and that's usually a good thing. Having bought a full bottle of the stuff, I feel now is a good time for a review. Bond No. 9 Manhattan opens very sweet and dark-fruity, and you instantly get a tobacco, almost smokey note. The sweet (honey, plum) flavors subside gently, and you're left with a dark fruit, smokey, and woody fragrance that leaves you wondering whether you like it or not. Five seconds later you're sniffing your arm again. Is it spice you smell? Gingerbread? I hesitate to continue naming notes, there are so many; it's a sophisticated scent. After several hours, or days - if you have a sample - you'll give in and go ahead and treat yourself to this magical fragrance. It's very mysterious, without a doubt a nighttime scent. It's playful, and it's complexity (and ingredients, incidentally) are what I look for when purchasing a good bottle of red wine. Probably another reason I enjoy the scent so much. And the bottle is totally cool-looking. Probably one of the better buys in the scent world. It's a truly unique fragrance.

Two sprays to the chest, left my shirt open (since I'm not going out today), and at first there is that raisin-ish element others mentioned, then some florals that have a touch of that hairspray effect (freesia?), then very little of anything. This is "dark?" This is a "spicy chocolate?" This is a "heavy gourmand?" I'd take any one of those! Now it's not bad, but I'm getting a rather indistinct floral/light gourmand from it. I hope this is a case of the first wearing providing somewhat of a false impression, but at this point, even after acquiring a bottle at a very good price, I'm not happy about buying it. I like New Haarlem and I Love NY for All, which seem a lot stronger, but I don't really know what to make of Manhattan. And I'd say it's on the "feminine" side of unisex. UPDATE: After a couple hours the base reminds me a bit of Black Orchid EdP, though with obvious differences. I think I prefer BO EdP, but this isn't bad at all; I just wish that dried florals/freesia type element was weaker and it was more gourmand.

This is Niche quality Dior Addict. I'm not into the girly girl sweet, sugary fragrances but this one in quite pleasantly sweet. Not over the top, not sugar in a bottle, just smooth richness with a cherry on top! Bond 9 Manhattan is the first fragrance I have worn for two days in a row in many many months and I can honestly say that I was not bored by it. There is a nice bite to it's quiet elegance and just enough warmness to create an aura of serenity. I can pull this one off because it separates me from Candy Girl bandwagon and puts me in the "I'm cool like that" groupies status. I can be a grown up and party like a rock star at the same time. I 'll have to find myself some glad rags and hooker heels because in Manhattan, rumor has it, these people Never Sleep!