I Love NY for All
Bond No. 9 (2011)

I sincerely do not understand this fragrance. The sweet, milky, cocoa gourmand with citrus and PEPPER. To me, it smells like a chocolate shake sitting next to a hamburger sitting next to spilled milk next to someone wearing New Haarlem -- or like someone who spilled an entire tray of food and drink on top of the rich lady at the diner. I don't know if I (myself) want to smell like that.

Coffee & Cacao Mix...

This is the first fragrance I've sampled from Bond No. 9. I must say I've been pleasantly surprised. This is a lovely gourmand scent that (to my nose) is a mix of cocoa powder and ground coffee beans, with hints of vanilla, leather, sandalwood & black pepper.

It opens up to my nose with a blast of bergamot and black pepper, but this lasts only for an instant. It then begins to develop into a cocoa powder base, with hints of vanilla, musk, sandalwood and leather. I can see the lily-of-the-valley complimenting the "powdery" feel in the mid and base but everything here is so well blended that it's hard to pick out individual notes as easily as you would with some other fragrances.

So, in conclusion... an incredibly well made fragrance and one which does give value for money. I say this because it lasts extremely well on skin and even longer on clothes. I even showered and it was still there! As for occasions, I think this would probably do well in cooler weather/cooler seasons. It's a great addition to your collection if you're someone looking for a well-made fragrance with a gourmand angle to it. Overall a very nice scent at a (compared to their other line up) a decent price fro the quality you get. I would recommend sampling first, unless you are a gourmand fragrance lover.

Honestly, I love this more than I expected.

I blind bought it because it was a great deal, and I'm fond of some other Bond fragrances.

And, from the reviews, I did expect to like it in the same way I like things like New Haarlem, Rochas Man and the like.

Oh, ILNYFA is fantastic stuff.

It ultimately settles down, for me, into an accord of cocoa, chocolate milk, coffee and vanilla that just smells so appealing to me.

The opening---again, for me---has a root beer fizz quality... and, just really enjoyable!

So glad I took a chance on this one.

I find many/majority of gourmands to be pretty unisex, however this one bucks that trend and leans a bit towards the masculine side IMO.

Mainly because of a fairly strong "roasted" note in this that lasts the entire fragrance life span on me. I find it fits well here in the frag and gives a unique and complex twist that many gourmands are lacking. Choco Musk for example.....great smelling and long lasting scent, but very simple composition. Not always a bad thing, but sometimes you want something a little more unique and complex and this delivers on that.

I read some people are turned off by a note in this...something that comes across to them as meaty/sausage/fatty smell. Well thankfully, I don't pick that up at all personally!lol

And like most Bond's, it's longevity and projection are a force to be reckoned with. So....if your a gourmand lover, I don't see why you wouldn't want to give this a try. Especially for the price it can be found for now.

I Love NY For All is a gourmand's gourmand, dominated by its heart notes of cocoa and coffee, their mixture reminding me mainly of a bakery or donut shop, both with respect to the baked goods themselves as well as the general smell of the shops.

The bergamot makes more a more acerbic opening, with the patchouli and leather elements becoming a little more evident in the dry down, though still subservient to the cocoa and coffee, which are the mainstays of the fragrance from start to finish.

As EDPs go, projection is average and longevity is above average. FragranceNet renders it very affordable, relative to most Bonds.

One potential criticism is that due to the dense sweetness, ILNYFA might be likened to an "old lady perfume" but on my skin, I smell more of the bakery sweetness, so it really demands a try, especially given how polarizing it seems to be within the community.

Those keen on sweet gourmands will likely love it, and others will take more convincing, but I'd recommend at least testing it out. It's among my favorites in the Bond No. 9 line.

8 out of 10

The opening reminded me of Angel, a cloying tonka/cardamom note with cocoa, nutmeg, almonds, some light flowers to provide lightness and "colour", and a woody-resinous base (sandalwood?). So basically a sort of masculine woody-musky gourmand, with a prominent, persistent and incredibly sickening central "roasted" note which smells of burnt cakes and roasted caramel, on a more decent (but lighter) base of vanillin surrounded by notes of leather and coffee. The drydown is nicer – a silky vanillin-woody accord – but really not worth the plague of all that comes before.

4,5-5/10