Bond No. 9 Saks Fifth Avenue for Him and for Her

Saks Fifth Avenue for Her
Notes: jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, vetiver, vanilla

This is not your grandmother’s gardenia perfume!  The first of two fragrances commissioned by venerable New York fashion institution Saks Fifth Avenue, Bond No. 9 Saks Fifth Avenue for Her opens with notes of jasmine and tuberose.  The gardenia, supreme queen of white flowers, becomes evident within a minute or so of this largely linear fragrance. The effect of this triple whammy of all white is intense. Elegantly so. White floral fragrances, particularly a powerhouse combination like this, can be overwhelming, and for some more sensitive people, headache-inducing.  Bond’s genius of adding a dash of earthy vetiver and sweet vanilla keep this luxurious new scent grounded.  The result is a gorgeously creamy and warm floral with an underlying tropical quality reminiscent of coconut cream.  The drydown retains all of the gorgeous heady quality, but speaks more in a whisper.

Saks Fifth Avenue for Him
Notes: chili, black pepper, cardamom, bergamot, incense, guaiac wood, amber

Initially, Saks Fifth Avenue for Him is all about a bright bergamot note dancing among spices.  There’s a bit of pepperiness, more black pepper than chili, and combined with the sharp yet warm sweetness of cardamom, it lends depth to the opening notes of this scent.  The pepper/cardamom gives way, quite seamlessly, to incense and the delicious resinous quality of guaiac wood.  There’s a bit of bitter sweetness in here too, almost licorice-like in quality.  Several minutes into the drydown, a soft amber note is detectable.

Merely reading the notes would give the impression that this scent is a spicy woodsy fragrance, however, it is actually strongly aquatic.   All of the pepper and incense seem to be submerged in a cool blue-green quality that floats somewhere just above the skin.  It’s only when one takes a deeper sniff that the other elements make themselves known. 

I'm being nice here, but I really hate it.  Aquatic notes are vile and should be banned, and they completely ruin what could have been a nice scent.  Bah!