New York Sandalwood

#836 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This is the fifth Bond No. 9 fragrance I've sampled, the second I've actually liked and felt performs with the longevity and sillage I expect of an EDP, and the first I am actually going to spend the money to own. Yeah, I love this juice! The note combination is perfection and is thus far the best sandalwood focused composition I've encountered. I don't smell Gris Charnel at all. I bought that scent for a girlfriend back in January and this is not that black tea dominant scent, nor does it smell remotely like Nasomatto Duro. Makes me wonder if those folks are on the right page. Of the scents I own this comes close to Dunhill "Indian Sandalwood" if you trade out the bergamot for fig, and the same with L'Orchestre "Piano Santal", though this scent's sweetness makes it sexier than either of those. This scent is criminally underrated. I know some people find scents like this too oriental for their tastes. It does kind of hint at the incense in a cathedral or temple. I love those environments. I was surprised to see some sites sell this as a women's scent as the sharp opening comes off masculine, but the dry down is dead center unisex, though I would definitely love to smell this on a woman. Lasts till lunch no problem. Arm's length projection for a couple of hours. The projection on all the Bond No. 9 scents I've tried has been moderate at best. You'd probably spray your clothing as well as skin if you want to draw a lot of attention. You can get away with this in a carpool if you go light. I'd wear it to the office if there's someone there you're interested in, otherwise I'd save it for dating.

Oh I really like this scent. It's so comforting to me and reminds me a lot of Hermès Terre. If you've had a bad day, a month, or even a year this scent is the Friend (ha) upon whose shoulder you can cry. If you're a sandalwood purist you may turn your nose up at this orris storm and find that the amber and carrot notes tend to dominate, but beneath the fanciful autumnal fanfare is a very nice, muted sandalwood note. This scent calls forth chilly fall evenings but I'm wearing this in Florida in the noonday sun just because I need it. There's something so calming, comforting and classic about these accords. When you want to withdraw from the world and binge eat carrot cake with extra cream cheese frosting; when you need to just nope out of everything and go for a walk in the brisk cold; when you need something to get you stuck out of second gear. I will confess that the dry down isn't my favorite. The warm, woody accords tend to reveal their synthetics after an hour or two and less is left of that creamy warmth and mossy freshness. I still really enjoy this one but given the overall overpricedness of Bond this is definitely not a retail purchase. But if you do want a Bond take on sandalwood, I think you'll find a friend in this.

I do get the carrot note (carrot and orris) others have referred to but it doesn't hang around into the dry down and isn't bothersome. I was worried it would be a gourmand and too sweet for me but it's not. It opens with a bang of Bond DNA. That plastic/spray paint smell mixed with carrot and fugs. It's a little rough but I actually like the smell. It immediately fills up a room but starts to mellow out after 15 or 20 minutes. I mostly get papyrus, carrot, amber, fig and of course sandalwood. Orris is there but it doesn't feel overly powdery or buttery. Musk and a little oak moss. Basically all the notes are detectable. Once it settles into the drydown is when the real magic happens. A beautiful caramel type Amber, sandalwood and a touch of smokey papyrus. Not super smokey, just enough where you know it's there. I wore it in the heat without a problem but I'm not sure that is the best idea to do regularly. Better fall winter scent that I strongly enjoy. It could be challenging to some, especially in the opening. Unique and fun to wear. Smell 8/10 Performance 8/10

I requested a sample of this with my recent Bond order, which I got today (11/7/14). This starts off very bold and in-your-face but it calms down. The fig is nonexistent on my skin, which is ok. What I do get is loads of sandalwood, orris root and papyrus, with a pinch of musk. There is a bit of an after shave quality to it (which could be the cardamom), but not enough to turn me off of it. It's definitely unisex for sure; women that are wanting a more masculine, woodsy scent will enjoy it. It puts me in mind of standing in the middle of a forest, if that makes sense. That's how "outdoorsy" it smells. I'll have to update on sillage and longevity as I've only been wearing it a couple hours. So far, from what I can tell, it seems to be a great fall/winter woodsy scent!

First its suggested to me really boring but exact 1 week later, I started say its perfect. Its really rafined and relaxing smoke. Just give a little time.. İlk denedigimde gereksiz oldugunu dusunmustum fakat bir hafta kadar gecince farkli seyler dusunmeye basladim. Ara ara kokladigim icin belki de cok rafine ve kaliteli bir koku oldugunu dusunuyorum artik. Kesinlikle kestirip atilacak bir koku degil, şişe olarak alinir mi bilmiyorum ama elimin altinda 5 10 ml olsun isterim surekli. Scent: 8,5/10 :Koku Longevity: 7,5/10 :Kalıcılık sillage: 7/10 :Farkedilirlik