Central Park West.
Home of the first car-inflicted killing in the US in 1899*.
Home of "Spook Central" and headquarters for The Ghost Busters.
Home of The Dakota, Yoko and John's home and the scene of his tragic murder - and where she still lives.
Home of The Majestic, which in turn was home of the heads of Genevese crime family (that's "mafia" to you).
Home of Julliard.
Home of the Hayden Planetarium
Home of the New York Historical Society.
Home of the American Museum of Natural History.
Home of the High School of the Performing Arts (FAME! I'm gonna live forever!)
Home of Tavern on the Green (which is literally
in the park).
Home of
Regis and Kelly.
Home of the home of Jerry Seinfeld. Of Bono. Of Steve Martin. Of Diane Keaton. Of Diana Ross. Of Bruce Willis. Of Demi or Ashton - not sure who got that one. Of Madonna. Of DeNiro. Of The Donald. Of Blue Ivy and her parents. Of anyone who is anyone.
Inspiration for one of Bond's newest scents.**
*It was a taxi that got him. NY taxis drivers aren't markedly improved since...
**It's coming out on March 15th.
For the longest time, my favorite color was kelly green. Probably because I'm Irish. Kind of Irish. I mean, in my heart I'm 100% Irish (you can tell by my brogue) but genetics points out some other picky little branches on my family tree that may take that percentage down a bit. A lot of a bit. But whatever. I'm Irish. I like kelly green.
As you can see, bright green takes a big part in the (super cute!***) packaging of
Bond No. 9's
Central Park West. So does houndstooth, which is meant to represent the upscale and classic vibe of the Central Park West area. FYI, the purple is there because it's "modern".
***
OK. I admit it...
I like this ginormous purple houndstooth + acid green + eye-searing pink combo.
But this bottle comes with a huge pink flower (cute) that can be removed
and used as a pink-beaded bracelet or brooch or some such thing (not cute).
Kind of like the bracelet/flower that was on Madison Square Park.
I thought the idea of wearing that was ugly, too.
I know these perfumes are pricey, but
they don't need to double as jewelry.
Leave the bloom on the bottle,
I beg of you.
Anyway, back to the green. If you don't care for "green" perfumes, you may want to take a little walk and come back for the next review. This perfume is Green. Like the park. Like the grass in the park.
Grass. As in the grass you walk across on your way to the Sheep Meadow (also on the west side of the park). Also perhaps as in the "grass" that might be getting smoked by folks chillin' in the park? Ahem. Let's hold on to that one for a minute, mkay?
Here's what Bond No. 9 has to say about the scent:
 |
| Narcissus. AKA "daffodil". [via] |
Top Notes: Narcissus - the flower that signals spring;
Ylang Ylang with a hint of sultry tang;
Black Pepper that pops.
Heart Notes: Velvety white Gardenia—an Old School beauty, as classic as the park across the street; Jasmine—Gardenia’s slightly insolent yet trusted sidekick; Citrus-like Linden—a Central Park native so plucky it jumped the fence to be part of Gardenia’s crew; Orris—the third member of Gardenia’s entourage, adding a honeyed note, like vibrant violet.
Base Notes: Calming Vetiver, to sooth your senses after that heady gardenia bouquet; Musk—because every great scent needs a hint of street-wise funk; White Oak—Musk’s zesty-clean alter ego—and another crossover from Central Park; Treemoss—as seductive as the thicket of trees surrounding Belvedere Castle at night.
PS: Fans of Laurent Le Guernec please note, his was the nose who created this scent.
When I spritz on Central Park West, I smell the narcissus and pepper. It's an immediate statement. It's Spring! Time to wake up! After a bit, I get a little ylang ylang, but to be honest I don't know that I'd be able to pick that out without a) the notes list and b) the fact that elsewhere on my person I am wearing an ylang-prominent blend created by a friend of mine. Certainly there is a distinct floralcy. You know this one is going to be about Green and about Flowers.
 |
John and Yoko
in front of The Dakota.
[via] |
After a bit, the initial burn of
Central Park West settles a bit. Did I mention the burn? I think it's the pepper and the intense narcissus. Anyway, after that dies down, I can perceive a bouquet of fresh Spring flowers. If this were any other New York neighborhood, I'd assume said bouquet was from a little corner grocery. But they don't have those in this neighborhood - at least, not right on The Park. Instead, I imagine this bouquet is not a bouquet at all. I imagine it is really a huge, fresh flower arrangement sitting on a gigantic mahogany sideboard in the grand foyer of one of the neighborhood's co-ops. (This is one of my favorite places to walk in NY, and I'm certain I am not alone. You
must take a stroll along at least part of it if you visit the city!).
I smell gardenia (soft, not sharp, but definitely there). I smell jasmine (slightly indolic, but not so much as to scare the indole-phobes). Linden gives a sharp and bright edge, orris cools things down. The heart of this scent persists for hours. It's fairly steady in that stage. Unwavering. Like those big huge buildings? Like the huge, old trees in The Park? I dunno. That's totally reaching. I should write PR copy.
The scent, on me at least, basically just fades away. It gets softer and more diffuse and then it's gone. I can't pick out too much from the list of base notes, to be honest, besides the vetiver.
Anyway, back to the grass. I swear I smell a little marijuana accord going on. An olfactory illusion - on purpose? In my own nose and mind? It's perhaps the result of this scent + my own particular skin chemistry. I wore some at work and asked a few people - no one else picked it up. But whenever I smell the opening 15 minutes of this scent, it's there. Fresh, sweet, green grass - both kinds.
Is it just me? If anyone else picks this up when they get their hands on Central Park West, let me know! I'm not usually prone to imagining pot in my perfumes, so I'm really curious here.
Confession time: I do enjoy quite a few of Bond's scents - but not all of them. And I have a rocky history with some of their "greens". And this from someone who really likes green perfumes a lot! This Bond green scent, however, I really do enjoy.
I may have to hunt down some. And the Body Silk. If you haven't tried Bond's scents in luscious cream form, you're missing out. They're seriously as intense as the perfumes! And I think I would absolutely love this in candle form, Springing up the house!
So... who wants a little grass this Spring?
