Central Park – It’s Easy Being Green
Kicking off the Bond No. 9 marathon, I chose to…choose the fragrances at random, and I’ll be mixing in my as-yet unreviewed fragrances out of my wardrobe and the Bond No. 9 fragrances for your reading pleasure. This also takes a lot of that pesky thinking out of the equation; I now can tell you what I’ll be wearing on any given day for the next month or so (and I’m working on a calendar to show you as such).
Central Park was the first of the Bonds to test, and unusually for me I began completely blind; no reviews, no ideas what to expect, nothing. The opening blast was a very green one, with citrus being the most recognizable thing right off the bat. I knew something was coming to me so I stared at my wardrobe for a minute until my eyes settled on Creed Virgin Island Water. I’m not calling them similar, but the lime and verbena were a very high-quality much like VIW. What Central Park has over the baby Creed is a lush assortment of woods in the background, it’s not a straight cedar but there’s plenty of cedar present in the base and you guys know that’s a good way to get my attention. There’s also a fair amount of musk but it doesn’t stick around terribly long, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It has a definite progression, the “crisp edges” so to speak fade and you’re left with a very nice cedar drydown, sweetened with lime and a whisper of jasmine, it wasn’t until I saw it listed as a note and actively went looking for it that I noticed it. It’s marketed as unisex but this one, I believe, leans toward the masculine side rather heavily.
It wasn’t until I sat down to write this that I made the connection with woods and the park. Does Central Park really smell like limes and cedar trees? I sort of doubt it but I love the idea of using fragrance to tell a narrative, and it’s something that Bond No. 9 really does aim for.
Sillage seems excellent, longevity is also above average. The initial blast might be a bit overwhelming if you don’t know what to expect; I wasn’t displeased but simply surprised with the strength and potency of the fragrance, a little can go a long way here. This was a good start to the Bond marathon, Central Park is a quality offering though it reminds me more of sunny days back on Miami Beach than I imagine New York would smell like. Definitely sample worthy.
