The sandalwood and vanilla act to promote the rose, not overwhelm it, and it remains a sensual, rich

First things first: This is one of New York perfumery Bond No. 9 s Midtown fragrances, released in 2006. Their thing is the neighbourhoods of New York City (again with the favouritism, my favourite shopping india travel place in the universe) and every fragrance that they release corresponds to an area in the five boroughs theoretically. Lately they ve branched out a little, releasing three collaborations with Harrods of London, and limited editions of their Saks exclusive perfumes for New Orleans and Boca Raton. That s not to say that the brand is diluting, however they still love New York through and through.
To be perfectly honest with you, I hate the bottle. All the Bond No. 9 fragrances come in the same star-shaped flacon in the full sizes (50mL and 100mL) and in a simple glass tube in the bonbon and sample sizes (7mL and 1.5mL). The glass tube is far more elegant and befitting shopping india travel of such a lovely fragrance. The West Side edition of the star flacon is a vibrant red with a blue and yellow treble clef motif. The Swarovski-crusted West Side edition shopping india travel is the same, but with red crystals surrounding the treble clef. Apparently the back of the bottle has the treble clef in multi-coloured crystals, but I am unable to find a picture. Either way, I find it far too childish for what is such an adult fragrance.
The musical imagery is fitting given that it is a tribute to the Manhattan music district containing Carnegie Hall, Tin Pan Alley, Lincoln Center, Studio 54 etc.  Personally I find it more of a theatre or cabaret scent big, bold and beguiling. (And I honestly didn t mean to alliterate that.)
It opens with a really, really big boozy rose note, and this is the main reason I call it an adult fragrance. It s in-your-face and sexy and confident and all too much for a shrinking violet or a young woman trying to establish her own identity. You need to know who you are to wear this, or it will wear you. The rose is sweet and powdery, but doesn t for a second turn into that dowdy note one finds in grandma s linen drawer. It s far more subtle than the tart rose of Tea Rose from Perfumer shopping india travel s Workshop.
The sandalwood and vanilla act to promote the rose, not overwhelm it, and it remains a sensual, rich smell all through the drydown. There is definitely a hint of musk in there, but I can never pinpoint when it appears or when it ceases to be noticeable. It just tickles at the edge of your senses, and you later realise it is gone without ever having been startled by the absence of it.
For some reason, the intoxicating headiness of the scent manifests itself in my brain as the image of buddhist smoke as seen in this uchichiki (altar cloth) from the Japanese shopping india travel Edo period ( click for larger view ). Odd, considering there is no smoke angle to the fragrance and it s entirely too sweet to be reminding shopping india travel me of incense. There is a little sparkle to it as one finds in champagne; bubbly and uplifting though by no means timid. In fact, timid is the last word anyone should use to describe this fragrance, from the smell itself, to the bottle, to the wearer.