Norman Rockwell Freedom from Want
It’s the Holiday Season, and naturally my thoughts turn to family, to tradition, and being grateful for the bounty of the year. Christmas is a gentle time, a time of humility and a time to enjoy simple things that make us whole: the comforts of home, of food, and warmth from the winter chill. Bond no. 9’s new scent, New York Sandalwood is a fine choice to grace this time of year. The New York house that has dedicated itself to mapping out all of New York City’s neighborhoods through scent has provided a warm, sweet, and earthy perfume to wear throughout the holidays composed by Michel Almairac.
The stunning and immediate opening instantly grounds you in the soil: a freshly-pulled carrot dusted in a bold cardamom note, and outlined in a powdery, violet-tinged orris. It’s a fantastic combination – bringing up memories of mouthwateringly spicy herbs mixed with newly harvested greens, with a strong presence and sillage that reminds us that family is coming and large, savory feasts should be prepared. This scent instantly makes you hungry – deliciously, expectantly hungry.
Renoir Figs
There is an aromatically tangy and sharp quality to the three top notes that excites the nose and prepares it for when the heart notes of sandalwood, papyrus and fig make their presence known. You can almost sense the exact moment when the change occurs – and it’s that same breathless moment of stepping into a hot bath, as the spicy heat resistance of the cardamom wears off, and the sweet, rich sandalwood note rises up to take its place. There is a dry, paper-like quality to the heart of this fragrance as well (from the papyrus note perhaps) that is a nice stunt double for that early Christmas card that may have arrived in the mail. The tonal exchange happening between the boldness of the fig, carrot and cardamom against the smooth creaminess of sandalwood, orris and amber is the intriguing backdrop in this scent. New York Sandalwood is a fragrance that your whole body can tune into, not just your head – it’s tension between sweet and savory is what will keep you awake after you’ve eaten your weight in sleepy tryptophans.
The development then continues into arc that ushers the sweetness of the heart notes into a musky, amber-hued drydown, supported underneath by a bed of soft, spongy oakmoss. The fig is still present, to keep the amber from swamping the fragrance in a vague, vanillic wave, and it stays around until the musks and oakmoss reminds you that perhaps a nice ramble in the woods after dinner is in order.
Bond no. 9’s New York Sandalwood is a complex, diverse scent that makes the most of its spicy, earthy qualities and wonderfully matches them to a continuing, underlying sweetness. This is not a “throw and go” scent at all – you will be drawn to your wrist many, many times while wearing it and want to continually check in on the ongoing conversation between the notes. It’s a fantastic scent to wear for this Thanksgiving week. One whose soil-rich spiciness echoes the Christmas dinner table, the sandalwood heart a sweet reminder of the relaxing warmth of family, and the green, cool drydown is tailor-made for that long walk afterwards after filling yourself full of food and gratitude for the season.
Notes of: Carrot, ores, cardamon, sandalwood, papyrus, fig, muscs, amber and moss
–Steve Johnson, Contributor
Disclosure I received a sample of New York Sandalwood from Bond No 9
Thanks to Bond No 9 we have a press pump of New York Sandalwood for a US reader. To be eligible please leave a comment with why you would like to try Bond No 9 New York Sandalwood, and your favorite Bond No 9 Fragrance. Draw closes December 6, 2014
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