Saks Fifth Avenue for Her

I know I don’t have a collection of 500 perfumes like I’ve seen some users on here have or more, my collection is tiny in contrast with about 50 I currently own, but if I’m pretty sure even if I had a collection 10 times the size of my current one, if I had only one frag to wear for the rest of my life, like a deserted island situation, where you can bring xyz, this would be my pick. I’ve been wearing it for the past 12+ years and only regret is I didn’t buy the larger bottle, I think I got the smaller of the two, but due to the many other frags I own, it’s not something I wear daily. But it is my go to when I’m on dates, and nights out for sure. I know it’s been discontinued and people say the gardenia one has taken its place and it’s supposed to be the same, but haven’t tried it yet as it’s HTF at my local department stores, only recently saw it but no tester. I read the review beneath me and really hope this isn’t the case, but with todays perfumers constant reformation, newer bottles, etc, it wouldn’t surprise me and despite not smelling the newer version, I kind of assumed it would never be the same. This frag can be worn all year long, mind you I live in the northeast, but I find myself wearing it maybe only a bit more in the summer than I do in the dead of winter. Its one of the reasons I have the kilian beyond love on my wish list for so long but have only found a couple on eBay that were ridiculously expensive and overpriced, at least for a frag I’ve never smelled, so no thanks. I am ordering a sample of the Killian one this week, but even if I love it, I doubt it will hold a candle to this. This has superb staying power, as well as silage, it projects in the best way, not overpowering but not faint, it’s perfect. I’ve always loved gardenia perfumes, though imo, Chanel’s vintage edt gardenia (pre 2016) and van cleefs GP are my two fav gardenia frags I own. I don’t think of this as a gardenia scent though, to me it’s got tiare and the most tropical Gardenias, mixed with a fresh bubblegum kind of tuberose in the best way, and coconut. This is creamy and smooth, it smells expensive (as it should for the price). I also owned the body cream and the candle, and snapped up another candle last year during Black Friday for 10 or 15% off, which still was expensive AF but I love this scent. I didn’t realize until last fall that it was discontinued and wasn’t able to snap up a backup saks bottle. I called them and asked if they could check every store if there was one in stock but got no leads. I know it’s at least $75- 100 more than when I originally got it, but it is one of the few perfumes where I’d be able to justify its high price point, as I feel it’s so unique, classy and sexy at the same time, it’s such a gorgeous scent. Side note, in comparisons, I’m surprised to see that the bond Central Park west is the first one to show up, followed by beyond love, and THAN the newer supposed “same perfume, different name” bond gardenia. I am sure I smelled cpw before as I like the bottle, but the only other bond perfume I ever bought was park ave south which the sales rep turned me in to. A totally diff vibe, but perfect for fall and winter. Both of them have amazing longevity and silage, not skin scents which I’m not into, I prefer my perfumes to make some noise, not whisper. What’s more is when you wake up the next day after sleeping till noon at your lovers place and getting dressed in the same clothes, still smelling divine. I’ve been told “I can still smell you on my pillow (as a compliment) why aren’t you here?” It’s truly a masterpiece and as mentioned, if I had only one scent to pick and wear for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Opens as big waxy gardenia with a sneaky, slightly mentholated accord which I find so addictive. It isn't enough to clear the sinuses by any means, it just teases the nose a little. This menthol-like aspect must be a characteristic of certain types of tuberose. I get the same effect in the opening of L'Interdit edp. After a little while it becomes more tropical, with an even balance of tuberose and grapey jasmine, where the gardenia takes a back seat. The grapiness is so prominent it actually smells like Concord grape juice at times when it hits my nose and remains as a key facet from top to bottom. Another addictive quality about this fragrance is its floral spice; tuberose spice I will call it. Vanilla makes it creamy, sweet and voluptuous. Just a bit coconutty. It smells lavish and expensive. You can smell the quality. As a tropical floral lover, Saks For Her is my kind of thing. I adore this gorgeous creation. It's a fairly simple, high quality fragrance with personality & class. Projection is above average and lasting power is outstanding! It doesn't change much from initial application to disappearance. It has the same high perfume oil concentration that most Bond #9 do. The base sticks around on my skin 36-48 hours. It's incredible. When my skin gets wet the next day, the scent reactivates and I'm able to catch little whiffs until it's scrubbed away. It stays creamy and dreamy, a softer version of the opening until I wash it off. Lasts weeks on clothing. An absolute stunner. I disagree with the similarity votes to CPW. Both have gardenia and both have that Bond no 9 base, but they smell very different. CPW's narcissus and spices make it sharp, not creamy, a bit old fashioned smelling. CPW has a lot of yellow flowers and can be headache inducing. Saks is smooth and Mellow with all white flowers and no harsh edges at all. Simpler, but so much better imo. Something to consider if you were hoping to get a good "dupe" out of CPW. Unfortunately, I don't think a more affordable option exists. I bought a bottle. Edit: It's safe to say Saks was my most loved and most frequently worn fragrance in 2021. Summer heat, autumn rain, and now dead of winter I still can't put it down. It forms to the weather in a special way and doesn't get lost in the cold, making it fitting all year long. Additionally, I've never in my life received so many compliments on a single fragrance. Ever. I don't tend to keep track of who likes what or how often I receive compliments, but it's become almost comical at this point that I can't not take note. I've yet to hug someone while wearing this and not be told, "wow, you SO smell good!" For that reason I think it's a crowd pleaser even among non-fragrance enthusiasts who think they don't like white floral perfumes. It seems to wear moderately close to my body so someone has to get in my personal space to smell me. It's possible it travels further and I'm not the best judge of that, but noone has mentioned smelling me beyond arms length and I do prefer it that way. 💞

My mother-in-law had this unopened perfume sitting in a box for 10 years. Her friend gave it to her for her bday but she used to be loyal to only one perfume for many years “Red Jeans”. I’m nosy so I wanted to smell it. OMG!!! This was love at first sniff! My entire world changed. My first words were this is what angels probably smell like. This perfume would be PERFECT for a bride. I have never smelled a tuberose before and this was pure magic. Imagine very unique creamy delicious white flowers. Just enough sweetness and freshness. When I sprayed it on myself and my clothes, the trail was heavenly and longevity was eternal. Once I saw how much it costs I had a seizure lol. Then once I saw it’s not on Saks website anymore and some bottles go for $1000 on ebay, I lost it. My potential signature perfume was out of reach. So I started looking for dupes. I smelled so many perfumes with tuberose, jasmine and gardenia , but none of them would be this creamy , mostly just green and headache inducing. Gucci Bloom, L’Interdit, My Way, Florence by Tocca . None of them could compare. Then I found Love Tuberose by Amouage. I bought it immediately!! The notes were the most similar. It’s a nice perfume but the opening is a bit too sharp. However, after 30 min it smells very similar to Bond no9 Saks for her (but still not the same). After 6 months I casually checked on my desired perfume and OMG found it hiding on their official website. It was an accidental finding. I was so happy and paranoid that it will be discontinued, I bought 3!!! Around that same time I went to Saks to check out Bond no9 counter and the only perfume that was missing was my favorite one. However, the sales associate showed me Bond no 9 Central Park West and I was absolutely shocked bc it smells SOOOOO similar to Saks for her. So in case you can’t find it your options are Central Park West and Love Tuberose by Amouage. In conclusion, if you can get your hands on it, smell it! It’s intoxicating and one of a kind. It doesn’t smell like coconuts! I hate coconuts. Now I need to make sure Bond no 9 never discontinues it or I will start a riot.

I just just picked-up this RockStar and I was absolutely BLOOOOOOOOOOOOWN AWAY- blown away Ladies & Gents! How and Why so...?!?! Weeeeell, I was actually shocked that no one noticed the incredible similarities between this one and Fire Island. I could sworn when I opened it something was wrong. I thought to myself: “what the heck..., I got another Fire Island....., or maybe Bond No. 9 mislabelled their packaging...”?!?! Trust me guys, that wouldn’t have been such a bad thing, because if you’ve ever ever read my reviews fir Fire Island, you’ll see it’s a big time love of mine! They KEY ingredient! That Majestic Tubereuse. All hail that Regal note.... 👑👸 I honestly don’t have very much to say about this one right now, because it’s Brand-Spanking new and I just took it out of its gorgeous Bond presentation. Right off the bat with those two sprays on the back of my freshly-washed hands, I realized this is Tubereuse Heaven! Later on, I’m going to pick this sweetie apart and dissect it alongside Fire Island🔥, because their similarities are “incroyable” as they say in French! I can’t wait to chat more about this rich, elegant, dense and almost buttery-sweet Tubereuse..... I’m the kind if man that’s haaaaard to please when it comes to a top quality Tuberose scent. I’ve been spoiled...!!! I have sampled and own the QUEEN of Tuberose fragrances and that Queen is none other than Carnal Flower. Over the years though, let me tell you right now: If Tuberose/Tubereuse is your catnip, then PLEASE PLEASE don’t sleep on these other three: Heeley BubbleGum Chic, Fire Island and now THIS beauty- Bond No.9 Saks For Her...!!! Please please guys, if you fancy a majestic Tubereuse done impeccably well, look no further than HERE! Full review to come later on....☮️&💛🥰👋👋

I tried this (and loved it) early in my tuberose "discovery phase." I'm revisiting some I decided not to purchase now that I've "discovered" A LOT. Even though I initially loved this I decided to skip a bottle because it was both too similar to Lys 41, which I already have, and not quite as enjoyable on me. Also with my chemistry it wears more as a waxy gardenia (with a strong tuberose back-up). Revisiting I still think these hold true~ Also, for a white floral the projection is fairly low. It's lovely, but I think it's getting downgraded to a Like....but that's more based on my personal tastes vs the composition. It's a very pretty, slightly waxy gardenia dominated soft, not overly sweet, tuberose. There's absolutely no coconut on me, I think the waxy gardenia reads as coconut/sunscreen with some people's chemistry. If it was EVER available second-hand or on the grey market like so many other No 9's are I would still probably pick it up; but it will stay a pass at MSRP <3 Edit: revisited in 2023, after discovering even MORE, and it’s one of my all time favorites. Simple but perfect.