West Side (2006)
by Bond No. 9

A gem in the Bond house. I'll have to agree with the others who say it starts out with a sweet and wine-like rose. Bordering on classy but never falling right into that territory, this ends up just being completely fun. After it calms down a bit it morphs into a sweeter fragrance as the vanilla makes its way to the front.

In the same vein as Noir de Noir and somewhat 1969 by HdP, but they feel way to serious compared to this. Take a look at the bright red bottle with music notes littering the face, you'll get a good idea of the personality it has.

13 November, 2012

I'm out of step once again. This is a powdery, doughy rose. I think it smells very feminine, and is not unisex at all. For that matter, it smells . . . old. I don't like it one bit. But I suppose you should take my opinion with a grain of caution since I seem to be the only one. Final thought: on me this lasts forever, unfortunately.

28 June, 2012

I was introduced to this fragrance by a rather good-looking male sales assistant. He wasn't trying to sell it to me, he was just so very eager to show me what he personally wore.

West Side struck me almost immediately as being rather strong, feminine in some ways with a note that resembled that raisin-type smell of tobacco. The scent when summed up in my own words, is tobacco-rose.

This fragrance has a lovely richness to it, that does make it extremely wearable for both sexes. There is a definite sweetness in there somewhere, perhaps even a gourmand touch, yet not too sugary.

This fragrance is very Wintery and warm, I couldn't possibly imagine anyone wearing it during the hotter months. The very alluring sales assistant informed me that he wore this fragrance whenever he went out, where many often asked what perfume he was wearing. It was not always a definite crowd-pleaser however it always had people intrigued.

Despite the array of floral notes, which do seem rather feminine when observed in its scent pyramid, West Side is very bold and very different. The drydown has a very likable carmelised quality, rich and syrupy.

Unfortunately this fragrance is not very long lasting, which was a shame because its sillage seemed to suggest otherwise.

25 November, 2011

Rose in the top notes only -- no way. The rose lasts right through to the end. I have an aversion to straightforward rose scents -- they usually give me a headache, but West Side has enough boozy and sweetish elements to make it very acceptable to me. I was toying with New Haarlem again as an Autumn scent, but I just don't get on with it. West Side is a very underrated fragrance.

06 September, 2011

The best I've encountered from the Bond house. A wine-y floral mix with a very well done vanilla that reveals itself after about half an hour or so. Definitely not too sweet, or too floral. Incredibly versatile, pleasant enough for the office, elegant enough for a formal event, romantic enough for a date. Projection is very good but not overpowering, longevity is top notch, 10 hours easy. Definitely recommended for those who like the notes, worth paying a good sum of money for a bottle.

17 March, 2011

I definitely agree with the review below, especially with Francop! One of the more interesting frags from the house of Bond no. 9. This one lasts very long. It might seem to be soft and quiet but you will be surprised, projection is actually very good. I could classify this as an elegant-unisex-not in your face rose- fragrance. Highly recommended. Thumbs up!

15 February, 2011