Central Park West
Bond No. 9 (2012)

Before one of my husband's good friends settled down and got married, he was famous for what at first seemed like an almost supernatural way with the ladies. But the secret to his success wasn't that he was any more charming, good-looking, or intelligent than his buddies. He was just more persistent–and utterly lacking in focus. In other words, you throw a bunch of spaghetti at the wall, some of it's gonna stick.

That's what I think of Bond's perfume production method: persistent, unfocused, and scattershot. Only in my case, nothing's really stuck.

Whenever I hit a high-end department store fragrance counter, a member of the sales staff always asks, “Have you smelled the new Bond yet?” And I haven't, because, really, who can keep up (what are they at now, 65 fragrances in 15 years?), but every time I do, I walk away wondering why they persist in throwing so much at the wall instead of just focusing on nailing a handful of really great scents. Most of what I've sampled (about a quarter of the entire line) seems either downright derivative or completely lacking in imagination. Chinatown is an exception, but then again is it actually all that wearable?

Which brings me to Central Park West, which is quite wearable but unfortunately totally derivative, a near dupe of Estee Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, with the same wallop of rubberized ylang ylang and troop of stripper-heeled white floral cousins, only with a hint of vetiver, which gives it a fresher, slightly candied air.

Still. There's a difference between paying homage and outright copycatting. Bond really should start learning the difference.

One of the few big white floral fragrances I wear & actually enjoy. My skin turns FRACAS into a demure (not a typo) floral. So it is great to find a great white flora that stays "big" on me.

I get many, many compliments when I wear this. That doesn't happen often, so it's pleasant when it does.

Update 3/20/2022. T

This still ranks as one of my favorite fragrances.
Having read the review above mine, I have to say CPW smells little like Estee Lauders' Tuberose Gardenia. Whatever is in the EL fragrance literally smells like rubber on me. I get none of that in CPW.

To each their own; just goes to prove you should try scent on your skin to see how it responds on you.

This flowery frag has very good projection and longevity. I detect an Iris note that gives this one a kick. the gardenia and jasmine notes are very dominant in this one. Great frag for a woman. I know a lot of men where women's perfumes, but I don't know about this one. Too feminine for me.

Like nearly all Bond no 9 fragrances, they always manage to put ONE note in that is dissonant to my nose, I have only had to wash off a handful of samples I have ever tried out of hundreds, but I have washed off almost all of Bonds. There is a coconut scent here...not listed in the pyramid, a very very strong floral bomb, and this undertone note I can't identify but makes me nauseated. I give Bond a 2/10 b/c no matter what, they all have MONSTER projection, Sillage, and Longevity...Not a virtue here though.

I cannot say enough how fantastically beautiful this fragrance is. It is amazing hour after hour after hour. I am in love with it, and fear that my small bon bon may not be enough. Grrrrrr...drat this love of all things fabulous!

I Love this Superfloral Power Frag from Bond no 9.

Absolutely Gorgeous!!!

Keep them coming Bond !

Great Longevity and sillage...!

Double Thumbs up !!!