Bleecker Street (2005)
by Bond No. 9

This wasn't at all what I expected either - but I love it.

Bleecker Street smells a bit like grass, a bit like vanilla, but it's hard to describe as it's kind of like a grassy, not-too-sweet vanilla candy (a little like those little powdery Rocket candies) more than anything. Anyway, to my nose, it's not a gourmand at all like the description says, and the cassis/cinnamon is minimal if noticeable at all. After a grassy opening, the best part is the clean yet musky-sweet, slightly green vanillic dry-down, which is to die for. Utterly magnetic, youthful and uplifting.

I've been looking for a clean, green scent for quite some time now that isn't too musky, isn't too sweet, doesn't smell like shower gel and doesn't feel chemically - this is it.

Yes, it's pretty synthetic smelling, but the synthetics are thankfully top quality and well blended - without synthetics, fragrance like this could not exist. I don't normally like this kind of fragrance, but like Jrd4t said, I often just can't wait to wear it.

Sillage is low but longevity is insane, lasting on clothes with that amazing dry-down for days.

9/10

At the more unisex end of Bond No 9, this one is not too bad. The herbs, woods, mosses and cinammon are nice, fresh and wearable. The patchouli and amber make it a lot more interesting without being too heavy. That sounds perfect. I have been looking for something fresh enough to wear at work and in hot weather but with some drier, more old-school masculine touches to make it interesting to me. It has good longevity (especially compared to the terrible Hamptons). In the end, I'm not quite convinced. Bond No 9 reminds me of Creed in that the stuff smells expensive without being particularly well-executed. This is better than some but just not quite right in the end.

I was looking forward to this scent more than any other bond, and I was again dissapointed. The longevity is less than the other bond scents, and the notes which do last are not natural, warm, or particularly pleasant. The galbanum/herbal notes are very synthetic, and seem far too sheer and sharp, possibly due to overuse of dissonant aldehydes. Regarding the Violet Leaf, I much liked the synthetic violet leaf used in Chez Bond, which is very similar to the violet leaf in Creed;'s GIT, but this is either a different synthetic violet leaf( a wet one like Kiton Black or the Cartiers), or just far too little of it. A larger dose could have been used to make the composition more earthy/natural, which imo Bleecker st. needs. The woods could have been mixed up at a higher concentration as well, which may have taken off some the sheer and sharp edge of the green heart accord. I smell very little if any cinnamon. Not what I expected.

This is without a doubt the most disappointing scent I have ever purchased. The opening is nice enough, but as it wears it smells more and more abrasive. Kind of reminds me of walking through my garden while the gardener is cutting the grass. I tried this cologne for a full week and for different situations; I wanted to like it so much, but every wear made me dislike it even more. I suppose it is an inoffensive scent, but given the price and the perceived "calibre" of the house, this is a real letdown. I have yet to find a Bond No. 9 that I truly like.

Smells clean and fresh, no woodsy/warm/caramel dry down from me. Sillage and longevity is great, but it smells rather common lik OV by CREED

Bond #9’s Bleecker Street is one of the few violet leaf fragrances that I don’t find totally disgusting—this one is just minimally disgusting and only in the beginning. It opens with basil, saffron, thyme, black pepper, a bright citrus and the dreaded violet leaf, which, I think, is responsible for the strong, sharp green streak in the fragrance. Then the jasmine, cinnamon, amber and vanilla enter in and make the scent very sweet, probably as a counterpoint to the quite ordinary suede, patchouli, and moss base. It ends all too reminiscent of the older traditional men’s colognes… that green, cedar, mossy sharpness that used to scream at me in the barbershop. It has good sillage all the way through and it has very good longevity.