West Side

I love this scent! As "Francopop" has so brilliantly described, think of over-ripe, fading, potent and sweet Rosepetals harvested in the warm afternoon sun, dunked and drunk on lukewarm Rosé Wine....let it rest and add 5 scoops of vanilla ice cream, more roses, 1 or 2 peony heads, some rose-pedal jam, break in some toasted ice cream wafers, a dash of amber, musk, Ylang-Ylang and sprinkle with some real vanilla pod granules, and let it rest in the afternoon warm sun. Fill up with champagne, dress with more toasted wavers and serve! This is a totally 100% cheerful, feel-good skin scent with very moderate projection (the vanilla accord stays on the longest) starting with that boozy, alcoholic whiff of roses, then the vanilla/ wafer/ baby-skin scent takes over and becomes sweeter and sweeter....nothing much else happens to this reliant "Labrador" of a scent. Personally, I love this for the summer months, despite being a fairly sweet scent and I do funnily prefer it to the more potent and stronger, yet "cooler" and somewhat louder, more complex and crisper "Lyric Man" by AMOUAGE (some people might kill me now but despite liking "Lyric Man" I prefer it on a woman). "West Side" also reminds me of "L'Eau D'Hiver" by Frederic Malle, also a very pleasant skin scent with similar soft (yet more milky and more almondy nature) character and little projection. This is not a "head-turning" perfume but more of an intimate feel-good scent that you might wanna enjoy on those special and relaxed summer evenings.....perfect soundtrack to this would be Otis Redding's "Dock Of The Bay". Very 'gourmand', you cannot stop sniffing, you wanna eat it as it smells so good. Advice, spray also on fabric to intensify scent.

Love. Love. Love. I have been searching high and low for a lush, sweet rose scent. Nothing screechy or harsh. Not a tea rose scent, a sweet pink cabbage rose that blooms once a year and makes the whole yard smell like heaven and honey. I have sampled so many fragrances I'd started to think my perfume didn't exist. And then, randomly, I came across this amazing fragrance in this hideous bottle. Thank goodness my first experience was a decant. So let's get this out of hte way: the bottle is horrid. And it makes absolutely no sense for the scent inside. It's loud and technicolor and makes me expect some over the top modern musical. That's not what you get (thank heaven). This is the freshest pink antique roses, just opened on a fresh dewy morning drizzled with honey and pollen. This isn't some stuffy specimen rose garden full of upright nose in the air hybrid teas. This is a cottage garden where big old antique roses 7 feet tall and 12 feet across are covered with a thousand blooms and jammed in with peony, iris, tulips, daisies, and just about anything else you can think of. All so tight together no ground even shows. The air is cool and fresh and smells like heaven and there are bees buzzing through all that floral madness. Ignore the bottle, what's inside is amazing.

I really (very quickly) fell head-over-heels in love with this one. I'd like to preface this by saying I never thought I'd find a Bond No. 9 fragrance that I enjoyed, and here I am looking at a potential new signature scent! West Side is, in short, heavenly. I was blown away by how, above all other things, SIMPLY PLEASANT this is to wear! The opening is vanilla liquor, very boozy and butterscotch-y in a way, with a deep rose note behind. Velvety, balmy, sugary, blood-red rose. Hints of peony and sandalwood peek through, but they're fleeting. This scent is thick, silky, round and romantic when it hits the skin, and never is sharp or screeching. Into the drydown the vanilla turns more toasted/mildly burnt and crunchy - but in a very charming way - and the roses persists. If you're familiar with "Roses Vanille" from Mancera - it's that type of feel, but done with much more finesse and a gentle touch. A trickle instead of an avalanche. While West Side lasts literally all day on skin and clothes (easily 10-14+ hours), it never feels too bold or overdone. I do love smelling great, but I don't want to worry about always punching people in the face with my cloud of perfum. Something so wearable but still remarkable. 10/10.

My first Bond No 9! I have to say I haven't been drawn to this house - something about the combination of the brand's very high prices and very ugly bottles rubs me the wrong way, as if their target audience is people so rich they can afford to be disdainful of beautiful things. Of course I'm aware it's reading WAY too much into it, a stupid prejudice, but there you are... That being said, though, sampling West Side has dispelled most of my prejudice: this fragrance is obviously high quality, it performs exemplarily, and it smells wonderful. I love rose scents, and this is a good one, warm and comfortable and rather heady - a naturally fragrant rose in a soft bed of warm amber and vanilla, sweet without going overboard. Like others have mentioned it isn't exactly original, but it doesn't need to be. I keep getting lovely, mood-lifting whiffs of it all through the day - you really get your money's worth with this one, which is saying a lot at this price. I obviously like it enough not to want to be without it, but I have enough rose scents as it is, and call me plebeian but I do like to get something I like to look at when I spend 100+ euro - so I guess I'll have to hunt down a decant of this one!

Red wine, roses, expensive clothing store, friday... That's what I think when I smell this. This is an amazing rose vanilla scent. This is like bouquet of fresh red roses with no unneccessary sweetness. And the peony is a nice touch in there! I love peony. Yes there is white musk but it isn't as heavy as it could be, it doesn't give me a headache. I'm not prone to headaches with perfumes but sometimes too much white musk makes me have a headache, propably cos it's synthetic ingredient. Vanilla is great, very much combined with sandalwood. And with that I mean I don't smell either one, but I smell the mix that sandalwood+vanilla makes most of the time (examples would be: Vanisia, Dior Addict etc high quality sandalwoods and vanillas). This scent is evergreen and it doesn't matter whether is day or night when I'm wearing it. It's not too heavy for the day and not too light for night time. Also it has great lasting power. It isn't confirmed anywhere that this would have red wine note but I sure do smell it all the way through. Never thought I'd love that scent so much. But it actually could be just the rose. Also I smell some tonka bean and in the top notes some leather maybe.

When I first sprayed this I absolutely did not like it. Smelled like sniffing a liquor bottle to me. Then....it dried down. And what an absolutely stunning dry down it is. Gourmand vanilla rose with the perfect balance of powder. West Side has gone from no thanks to one of my very favorite fragrances and I have two full bottles plus some hoarded samples. I love it so much it has made me reconsider my feelings for the house of Bond. I fell in love with this house in 2003 then my feelings changed after a number of disappointments and escalating prices and never ending releases. But West Side is making me want to give Bond another try. I LOVE a bi-polar perfume moment. :) One of the best things that can happen as a fragrance head. As long as it is a negative turned positive. Not quite as much fun when it is the other way around. But when a fragrance can make you do a complete 180 on an entire fragrance house, you know you have found something special.

I’m shocked by how many people don’t love this. I can’t see what’s not to love. Rose and Vanilla are two of my absolute favorite notes. I almost didn’t buy this because the notes made me believe it was gonna be too similar to Roses Vanille, which I do love, just couldn’t justify this price tag to have something close to another fragrance I already have. I’m so glad I took a chance on it. It is definitely a sweet velvety rose but it’s somehow kind of fruity and fresh. It’s like Roses Vanille’s young sister who loves spring and summer. The opening is straight alcohol, just give it a minute or two. I don’t know if the sillage is quite good enough to buy this at full price. But it’s definitely worth the price you can find it for on a discount site.

I Love West Side, at my nose to my skin I find no alcohol in here, but lots of Peony, Ylang Yland and Musc. For me definitely one favourite from this house. Its a bit sweet, and happy, delicious. I do not know these places Bond have named their scents and maby that is also positive thing. For me they just come like they are - Scents, without mind connection to environment. Few others have also started to love this scent when got inspired by me. I think it works really well here in North where winters are cold and summers are also cold to some people I think (between +20 to +32 celsius) Here we find West Side to be sensual floral beauty with some sweetness in it. This is one of my best scents I have. Love from Finland ***<3<3<3***

I smell amazing, like my adult self, lived in... a little more experienced. West Side breathes notes of wine and roses and just a tad bit of lipstick. The vanilla is underneath, like a subtle lotion applied hours ago. I know it's there, but it's not displayed prominently as a centerpiece like the beautiful roses or close at hand in my favorite stemless wine glass. The amber is warm, safe, but a little late arriving. Wait for it, he's worth it. The olfactory experience that is West Side is the perfect date fondly remembered. Wine, roses and a familiar warmth. Close your eyes once you spray it. Where did it take you? I'm betting a wine bouquet can be found near by and the someone you shared it with just as close.

WEST SIDE is an intoxicating perfume. I love to close my eyes and just inhale it deeply. The initial spray for me, is like a cork soaked with a viscous, amber-y vanilla liqueur. The red, ripe rose maintains her presence behind the initial booziness and becomes more prominent as this scent becomes one with the skin. The dry down is a satisfying rose, vanilla and ylang ylang that is warm, thick and erotic. This perfume is sweet, but not cloying. The sillage is intimate and the longevity is average for me, 3-4 hours. Albeit listed as a unisex, I think it sways more feminine because of the amber-y sweetness. But, I am confident that this would smell very alluring on a man.

Very nice,delicious,unique, I never heard a scent so ... reminds me of great evenings Gala : Music rooms, lined with books, and people around me who speak of symphonic music,classical, etc ... flipping through the pages of books, and while I was offered a glass of Champagne, in absolute relax we celebrate, we talk, while my taste champagne listening to the music of a piano in the distance.... the note is the dominating .. pink rose petals that are not too heavy, but they give a touch of class to the smell,magnificent. Essence of Music! Sillage: 8.5/10 Longevity: 8/10 Scent: 9/10 Overall: 10/10 ♥

West Side is one of the Bond No 9 perfume that I love the most. Yes it is rosy,and I can relate the use of color red and the G key on its bottle. Italians love roses, and classical music. Wearing this I feel like an Italian going to an opera in the evening wearing a tuxedo, accompanied with a beautiful lady in red. It is sophisticated, elegant, and high class. The rose for me is a bit boozy due to the amber, and it is warm and hugs you up to the dry down. Many people love Amouage Lyric for rose perfume, but for me it is this one.

The people at Bond sent me a sample of this and now I own it. On my skin, it smells like an alcoholic standing in a garden of roses. LOL I do love it though! It's very boozy at first; I almost feel like I'm dousing myself in rum. Then the roses and vanilla come into play as it settles, but the booziness is still there. It's actually very lovely and unique with longevity around 8 hours on my skin and heavy sillage. I also agree with it being a comfort scent; it's very nice on cool, rainy spring days.

Michel Almairac and Bond really knocked one out of the park with West Side. I feel selfish and greedy with this one, I wear it at home on special indulgent evenings, when I'm doing exactly what I want. West Side is a boozy rich red rose, with ylang ylang, amber and sandalwood. West side is absolutely sumptuous. I'm exploring more of his scents now, Cabaret and l'artisan Roses Voleur are also absolutely worth trying. They too have something to say that's unique in the olfactory world.

It was a love at the first sight. I bought it on the spot. Then.... When I got home and smelled the paper on which I had sprayed the fragrance in the store, I almost cried. It dried to a sweet, masculine old fashioned sent. I was determined to return it, but I gave it one more try. And magically, on my skin it opened up to this gorgeous scent and never turned to that sweet overwhelmingly musky yacky smell. I love it again and totally recommend :-)

I wish this was half the price that it is. I find it to be quite feminine. Soft, creamy, musky rose-vanilla. I have not tested hundreds of perfumes but I try to smell as many as I can and I feel that this has a unique smell despite pretty popular notes. Lasting power is decent, silage is light. Great for daytime use and pretty seasonless as well although I like it for early fall the best.

You know, I felt very flirtatious when I tested this. This is floral and warm with a touch of gourmand - just perfect for casual seduction. I think Francopop's review is on-point. Rose wine and vanilla ice cream are two things I'd be prone to enjoy as a prelude to seduction. LOL I get a decent projection and killer longevity, plus the swooning factor. Ladies, beware.... hahahaha

This is what an alcoholic who wears expensive perfume should smell like lol. This is one BOOZY perfume that just hits your senses in all the right places. It's mesmerizing, seductive, mysterious, and BOOZY. This is for sure top 5 in the house of Bond. You will oooooooze sensual mystery when you wear this. omg im in love with it i dont regret blind buying this at all.

West Side by Bond No. 9 Rose` wine and italian vanilla ice cream in a sweet french gelaterie watching the world go by...that is my description of West Side by Bond no 9. It lasts forever and keeps you wrapped up in a jolly dream for a very long while...wonderful stuff; great for evening wear and totally unisex...big thumbs up !!!

My favorite Bond despite its simplicity. The best vanilla and rose combination there is and it lasts for AGES on both clothes and skin. Was once stopped in the street by someone to ask what I was wearing! Literally the only complaint is I find the bottle to be one of Bond's ugliest, but when the juice is this good who cares?