Description
“At Bond No. 9, we’re not just perfumers—we’re innovators. We introduced the world’s first city-centric, New York-centric fragrance collection. We created the first civic-minded eau de parfum (our beloved, best-selling Scent of Peace). For spring 2016, when we’ll all need a fresh new wardrobe, we’re debuting the first-ever shopping scent.”
The scent itself is a fresh chypre, that citrusy-woody-mossy fragrance breed that’s long been favored by fashionistas, and which, like all chypres, has its own uniquely haunting couture signature. Its sparkling fruit top notes—crisp apple, orange-y bergamot, tangy, raisin-like blackberry—will automatically raise your energy level. Then come the heart notes: a bouquet of roses as rich as silk charmeuse; jasmine with the shimmer of shantung; and magnolia as smooth as satin. And last but hardly least, the base notes, with enough long-lasting sillage to get you through to late afternoon: earthy patchouli; that creamy-nutty-sugary pastry confection, praline; and ambroxan—contemporary ambergris that’s regarded as a prism through which a perfume’s other facets can shine.
proskura5 – :
This is lovely! Very fruity and fresh. To me the blend of berries and lime turn into pineapple! This is in the same vein as Givenchy ‘s Ang Demon Secret meaning both have a strong fruit note blended with patchouli. I must say though that I have many scents in my (small) collection that give off the same vibe for a lot less money. I am very happy to have a large sample of this to enjoy on these hot summer days but cannot justify buying this even with a discounted price from the secondary market (eBay or fragrancenet). Staying power on me is minimal but I sure love the dry down which remains fresh and never turns cloying.
I may have to grab Rihanna’s Rogue since many find them similar and with the low price tag. Sounds too good to be true to me!
Metamax – :
There is a reason this is one of the best selling bond frags. It’s one of the best florals I have worn in a long time. It is strong and lasts over 10 hours on me. The sillage is large. Be careful not to overspray with this… it smells so good it is easy to do but you know, too much of a good thing… the best part about this is the berry. It’s luscious and lovely. You won’t be disappointed with this frag.
gtv637bedyWelty – :
This fragrance is a masterpiece. My first time smelling it I was knocked out of my socks. This smells like happiness in a bottle. It is girly, fun, and playful but the patchouli and amber give it just enough of a twist to make it not so teeny bopper sweet.
My first time wearing this after purchasing the full bottle people were practically falling at my feet asking me what I was wearing. I wore it to the gym that evening and all the ladies there were mesmerized saying “I’m going to have to treat myself and get that asap” or “Thank you for making the workout so enjoyable with your perfume”.
Longevity and sillage is great, which is what I look for in a perfume. To give you an example, my fiance can barely smell most of my perfumes if at all. I sprayed it at 9:30 am at work and without respraying it he could still smell it well while sitting next to me at 8:30 pm that night. All the compliments that I received were from women. Men do think it smells good just not sexy. My best friend called it “cute”.
Smalec – :
Smells like strawberry ice cream.
kyziaej3006 – :
I bought a bunch of Bond bonbons for my wife, and this was among her favorite. She RAVED about, demanded more samples or a full bottle. (I told her the price of the bottle, so she said “more samples plz”, lol!)
I can only rate this fragrance as an outsider, having smelled it on my wife as she was leaving for work. …it’s GREAT, it’s borderline womanly/mature but with somewhat of a playfyl, sweet and youthful aspect to it still.
Fellas: surprise your lady with a sample or two of this, she may just love it. And if she doesnt, well you only paid a few bucks instead of several hundred on a bottle.
павел2607 – :
oh why oh why must Bond 9’s fruit heavy scents must ALWAYS have patchouli? You’d think by now they’d changes it more. It seems to me Bond 9 has three base formulas and then ever so slightly changes the supporting players to where they have 30-40 plus scents, compromised on the same 3 bases. It is deceptively infuriating.
Anyway, patch and me, we don’t get along. This would be so nice on me without the patch. But for someone’s body chemistry that works with heavy patch, this would be divine.
jek0595 – :
Yes this is definitely a fruity chypre which is rather interesting. I am not a fan of strong chypres like Mitsouko so this is really a breath of fresh air and very likeable.
You definitely get fruit notes at the opening, almost watery. On the same note, you also get patchouli at the same time. After initial notes die down, you get the floral chypre notes but fruit and patchouli is still strongly present. ITs nice and I really like it.
This seems rather upscale and classy scent.
I am not a huge fan of Bond scents, partially because so many of them are too masculine for my taste and also because its so expensive. If price was no object, I would get this. However, I think Y St Laurent new fragrance Mon Ami in the same category so you can’t afford Bond, you can try to console yourself with YSL scent lol
marshal666 – :
Feminine sweet fruity praline like fragrance with excellent longevity.
Not unisex, 100% feminine
Test before buying blind
Neutral thumbs!
Deonisboy – :
Looking at the notes alone, this is not something I’d ordinarily seek out, but because I received a free sample, I figured I’d give it a shot. The overwhelming sense I get from this perfume – other than its utter tenacity on my skin – is one of disharmony. The composition is quite odd to me, and the notes really don’t work together at all. Unlike most of the previous reviewers, I get a walloping dose of Jolly Ranchers-like green apple from the get-go, and it lasts and lasts, together with a very sugared praline, a strong air-freshener magnolia ‘note,’ and an underlying current of patchouli.
I don’t know about this being a ‘chypre’ – it certainly doesn’t strike me as one – but it *is* a very sugary floral fruitchouli. Unlike some other reviewers, I found the sillage and longevity to be HUGE, so it’s definitely YMMV. I would urge sampling this one, as it’s a very risky – and expensive – blind buy.
Akvilon – :
I hate being the first to say I didn’t like it, but I didn’t like it. At all.
I sprayed some on one wrist before bedtime one night last week. Had I bothered to look up the notes, I would not have. Two words: Chypre and patch. I’m not a fan of either. :-/
I thought (stupidly) that because of the girlie bottle, it would be a very feminine scent. I could not have been more wrong. It does have a slightly fruity opening, but that lasts only momentarily. From then on, it’s smack-you-in-the-face patch, patch, and more patch. *shivers*
As Murphy’s Law would have it, because I dislike it so much, it has the longevity of a bad perm. And sillage? OMG. It’s “Uuuuuuge.” The scent filled my bedroom. DH asked, “What smells?” I said, “I’m sampling a new perfume.” He said, “Don’t buy that one, ok?” No danger of that.
This morning, my sheets and nightie reek of patch. I used a Lysol wipe to try to get the remainder off my wrist, to no avail. Then I used a baby wipe. No luck. Then I used Dawn dishwashing liquid. Nope, it’s still there. If I were the praying type, I’d pray that it comes off when I take a shower.
There are lots of people who love chypres, and probably even more who love patch. While Madison Avenue is my worst nightmare, I’m sure it will be a dream come true for them.
cesseMeewsvof – :
Bond No. 9 says this is the “scent of shopping”. I am the last person on the planet to say whether or not that’s an accurate description, because I hate shopping. To me, Madison Ave. smells like an adventure, so if shopping is an adventure for you, the name fits well. When I hear “Madison Ave” I think of iconic advertising, and huge concerts (Madison Square Garden). This fragrance connotes both of these as well. It’s a bold patchouli-rose with a peppery spiciness that develops into a soft white floral undertone. Upon first spray this seems like it’s going to be a bit harsh, but the longer its on my skin, it makes me imagine a watercolor of Madison Avenue on a balmy late Spring day. Fortunately for me, this is, to my nose, a chypre, not a fruity-floral. It doesn’t smell like something one would want to eat. As another reviewer commented, there is something mysterious about this fragrance, which makes me love it.
xromnik – :
I’m a little bit of a Bond junkie too, like the previous reviewer. However, they do have some scents that haven’t wowed me either. This new release is quite nice though! And yes, I blind bought it too. I knew just by the note listing I would love it, and guess what, it’s a winner for me.
In the opening, I get a little bit of the apple, but the bergamot stands out more to me. The opening is fresh, but then the rose starts peeking through. The rose note is fairly strong on my skin; it actually overpowers the jasmine; I can only smell small nuances of it. As it’s drying, the rose still dominates. Then some sweetness from the praline peeks through, turning it into a sweet rose aroma. The dry down is a bit darker with the patchouli, but it still retains some freshness. On my skin, the final ending is rose, patchouli, and amber with hints of praline.
I wore this out and kept getting nice wafts of fragrance wherever I went. Even when I got home a few hours later, I could still smell it. The sillage for me was heavy for a couple of hours, then it settled to a more moderate sillage after that. Longevity would’ve probably been most of day if I hadn’t put it on so late this evening. Another great purchase from Bond!
Memwk606Diobtetty – :
I am a self admitted Bond No 9 junkie, but I have to say they haven’t wowed me lately. Perfumista Avenue was good, but not great. It is really a mix of two of their other scents. So when I received my sample of Madison Avenue, my expectations were somewhat low. Well, Laurice Rahme has performed miracles with Madison Avenue! This is the best Bond since Chinatown in my opinion. I too am usually not a fruity kinda gal as I prefer more spicy orientals, but this is soooo delicious. I don’t really smell the apple, but the rose, jasmine and ambroxan merry perfectly, with a hint of that one of a kind Bond patchouli, that makes this a real work of art. This one is definitely worth the $. Well done Bond!!
sneips – :
This smells so good I can’t get enough. I don’t normally gravitate toward floral fragrances, but this is one of the best scents I have ever experienced! I will be buying the bottle ASAP! Love, love, love. One of the best Bonds. Floral, musky, and something mysterious. Simply Amazing!
CTAJIUH – :
Just received a sample of this from Bond. As a warm, spicy, oriental perfume lover, I am shocked that I enjoy this. However, when I read the notes I realized why. I am a sucker for ambroxan, which is the same reason I like Eric butterbaugh’s celestial jasmine. I do not go for fruity, floral, and certainly not rose. But there is something about Ambroxan that I find irrisistible. I also am drawn to Valentina by Valentino for some inexplicable reason, despite the fact it is not a warm oriental, and maybe the chypre nature of this Bond is what I am drawn to. I also get a slight banana note when I smell this one. All in all, I would basically describe Madison Ave as an easy to wear, sexy, fun, fruity-floral.